THE 10/40 WINDOW
Every Christian should live life with an open Bible and an open map.
Ignorance is bliss but it can also be deadly. One of the most dangerous misuses of Christian phrases I’ve heard recently is the overuse of the phrase, “unreached people group.” I’ve heard people use that phrase to talk about efforts to reach college campuses, friends, clubs, and neighborhoods. It is a term that has been used more and more in the Christian subculture to validate missional status quo rather than raise the alarm for people groups who are entirely cut off from the gospel.
Every Christian should live life with an open Bible and an open map.
The term "unreached" was made popular by mission leaders seeking to prioritize ethnic people groups with little or no exposure to the Gospel. Today, the term has become a catchword used by all kinds of ministries that do not necessarily focus on unreached people groups.
Ignorance is bliss but it can also be deadly. One of the most dangerous misuses of Christian phrases I’ve heard recently is the overuse of the phrase, “unreached people group.” I’ve heard people use that phrase to talk about efforts to reach college campuses, friends, clubs, and neighborhoods. It is a term that has been used more and more in the Christian subculture to validate missional status quo rather than raise the alarm for people groups who are entirely cut off from the gospel.
Josh Cooper, in this excerpt from his book Hold Fast, talks about God's plan to include all peoples in His plan of redemption.
Take a look at this religion profile about the People's Republic of China by International Students, Inc.
Don't know much about Hinduism? Read this short overview of the complexities of the Hindu beliefs.
What if the difference between the idea of sharing the gospel and actually doing it was simply a matter of having the right tools? Read this article to brush up on your evangelism skills, or even learn to do it for the first time.
What happens to those that never hear the gospel? Find compelling biblical answers to those questions.
What happens to sincere Muslims, Buddhist and Hindus and why do Christians believe that Jesus is the exclusive means for the salvation of all people.
How did Jesus and the early church's method of multiplying disciples model for us the best strategy for reaching the world?
There is something infinitely significant about the time in which we live, so we’d best keep tuned to the big picture of what God is doing. We can catch a glimpse of that big picture by keeping up with the latest global trends in the harvest force and the harvest fields.
We took an article by John Mott from 100 years ago about the technology and resources of the church to reach the world and compared it with that is available today.
McGavran will forever be known as the “father” of the modern Church Growth movement.
The top five most persecuted countries in the world according to Open Doors International are North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Maldives, and Bhutan.
According to Todd M. Johnson and the World Christian Encyclopedia, from AD33 to 1914 24 million Christians died for their faith. Just since AD1915 an additional 45 million Christians died for their faith in Christ. This means that more Christians were martyred in the 1900s than all the previous centuries combined.
The issue is not whether we have sufficient people or resources. The issue is where we choose to invest them. Will the Church continue to invest the vast majority of it’s resources inward? Or will we choose to obey, direct our resources and people toward God’s purposes for all nations?
When God gives you a task, it is infinitely important that you know the definition of the task. God has promised to reach all the nations of the earth and commissioned us as His ambassadors in that work. In order to be good stewards of this mission we must have a firm grip on the extent of the task, which, in the work of world missions, brings us to look closely at the terms that the Bible uses for the task. Namely, what does it mean to reach the nations?
This is a brief summary of the five major world religions and why they are unreached with the gospel.
If the command given by Jesus is to make disciples of all nations (or ethnic groups), then common sense would tell us our job is to find those nations (ethnic groups) that have not been discipled (taught to be followers of Christ). The vast majority of these unreached people live in an area of the world nicknamed the "10/40 window."
When I think of Dr. Winter, I think of someone who leveraged everything about his life for the spread of the gospel. His innovation, persistence, and determination may have made some people uncomfortable, but the impact of his life on the world of missions is yet to be fully measured.
Multiply yourself as a mobilizer by teaching this simple tool to others.
Learn how to put a missions-conference-worth of material into a few simple illustrations for others.
Learn how to cast vision for the global harvest and explain the need for more laborers.
What happens to those that never hear the gospel? Find compelling biblical answers to those questions.