Jesus’s last command, commonly known as the Great Commission, was, “Therefore, go, make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” When Jesus spoke of all nations, he was commanding the new church to go and reach “panta ta ethne.” This refers to each distinct ethno-linguistic people group. So how are we doing with the Great Commission today? How many distinct people groups are left that have never had a chance to hear the Good News of the Gospel? Over 6.6 billion people inhabit the earth today, and these people can be divided into 16,302 distinct people groups. Out of the total number of people groups, 6,649 of them are unreached, which accounts for 2.72 billion people. This means that an astounding 41% of the population of the world today is living within an unreached people group.
What does it mean if a people group is unreached? An unreached people group is one that does not have access to the Gospel. This means that they couldn’t find out about Jesus even if they wanted to due to geographic, linguistic, and cultural barriers. This is quite different from your non-Christian friend down the street who has access to the Gospel in many different ways, such as by going to one of the many churches in the hometown, searching about Jesus on the internet, buying a Bible or similar Christian literature at a nearby bookstore, or hearing about the Gospel from you. An unreached person has none of these opportunities.
A people group can be unreached either because a nearby reached people group speaks a different language than them and, therefore, cannot share with them, or there are not enough believers within that people group for the people group to sufficiently evangelize itself. The Joshua Project defines an unreached people group as one with less than 5% Christians in their people group.
Surprisingly, only 2.17% of the unreached people of the world live in North and South America combined. Most of the people who have not had an opportunity to hear the Gospel live in the 10/40 window. This area extends from 10 and 40 degrees North of the Equator, stretching from North Africa to China, and is the most strategically important mission field. This is because over 90% of individuals living in unreached people groups are living in the 10/40 window.
Some other important aspects to consider is that 95% of the people in this region are unevangelized, meaning they have never heard the Gospel. The 64 least reached countries are here. Also, the top 50 least evangelized mega cities, over 1,000,000 people, are within the 10/40 window.
In addition, the world’s major religions began in this part of the world and are firmly entrenched. The big three are Islam, Buddhism and Hinduism, and their followers represent 2.7 billion people, accounting for almost all of the unreached peoples in the world. Because of the strength of these religions, many of the countries in this region are oppressive to Christianity. As the Bible says, "The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God."
The people in the 10/40 window desperately need a way out of the spiritual darkness in which they are living. However, believers today are not giving this crucial area the attention that it deserves. Tragically, only 4% of missionaries, working outside of their home country, are working to reach the 10/40 window. Furthermore, out of all the money designated for missions in the United States, only 5.4% is used for foreign missions. Out of this 5.4%, only 0.37% is used within unreached people groups. That’s a mere two cents out of every $100 given to missions!
Not only are the people in the 10/40 window spiritually poor, they are also materially poor. 85% of people living in the 10/40 window are the poorest of the world's poor. The law, the prophets, the wisdom books, and the teaching and ministry of Jesus all stress God is concerned for the materially poor, and it is our duty to defend and care for them.
So why should you care about all this? Jesus said that “This gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” This means that our duty as believers is to follow Christ’s commands and make sure that every people group has had an adequate chance to respond to the Gospel.
There are several things you can do to make a difference in the 10/40 window. The first thing is to learn more about it. There are many interesting websites, books, and organizations who believe that it is vitally important for you to learn more about the 10/40 window and are thereby a great resource.
In addition, you can pray for the 10/40 window. Prayer is a powerful part that you can make a difference today in the lives of those who have never had a chance to hear the Gospel. The Joshua Project or the Operation World website both wonderful resources to get better informed about the people for which you are interceding.
The last and final thing you can do for the 10/40 window is to go. There is an enormous need for viable witnesses in this region. Whether you go for two weeks or two years, the need for a Christian presence in this region is huge. Check out the summer, internships, or long-term opportunities that are available with organizations such as Pioneers or Frontiers that specifically work in this region. Having served on several teams that have worked in the 10/40 window, I know from experience that this is a decision that you will not regret!
No one can say it better than our Lord who shared with his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field." And with that I say, do something today for those who have never heard.
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“Here I am Lord, Send Me!”
Check out these different references so that you can learn, pray, and go to the 10/40 window:
1. Joshua Project: A ministry that seeks to identify and study the unreached peoples of the world. A great resource to learn and pray more effectively. http://www.joshuaproject.net/
2. Operation World: A book and website that seeks to mobilize people to pray through providing information about the needs around the world. http://www.operationworld.org/
3. Gospel for Asia: A missions organization that is reaching the 10/40 window by training and sending native missionaries. A http://www.gfa.org/
4. Pioneers: A missions organization aimed at reaching the unreached peoples of the world. They have great short and long term opportunities. http://www.pioneers.org/
5. Desiring God: God-centered resources from the ministries of John Piper. http://www.desiringgod.org/
6. Frontiers: A missions organization specifically geared to reaching the Muslim world for Christ. Great short and long term opportunities. http://www.frontiers.org/
7. The Bible: The best resource around for learning more about God’s heart for reaching the lost. An excellent Bible search tool can be found at http://www.biblegateway.com/.
