The Mission Field Today

Hello, friends, and welcome back to Nations 4 Jesus.

God is doing great things in the world today! We talked about some of that incredible good news in our second episode. Yet, there is still much to be done! Today, I'd like to give you an idea of what the mission field looks like in 2024 and 2025.

Now, I want to be honest with you—these statistics might challenge us. They might even feel overwhelming. But friends, if you believe the Bible, and I do... every word... then we can be encouraged by what it says:

"After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb." Revelation 7:9-10

The Bible is very clear, time and again, that people from every nation, tribe, people and language will be in Heaven, worshiping at the throne of our Lord. This is a promise! But for this to happen, there are still many more people groups that need to be reached.

God created each person precious in His sight! And each one needs to be precious in our eyes too. I remind myself often that each person was someone's little baby. Some mother held that child, just like I hold my own, and dreamed dreams, made wishes, and said prayers for that child as she gazed lovingly down into their face. Each person's life has just as much importance and significance as my own children.

Yes, they speak a different language. They eat different foods. They most likely live in a much different, often poorer lifestyle than my own. Yet, they have the same hopes and dreams for themselves and their children.

But imagine... a life with none of the hope that comes from knowing Jesus as our Savior. I can't imagine that. I was born hearing the name of Jesus from my parents' lips. I can’t remember a day that I didn't know the Lord. But there are so many—so very many people just like us—who have NEVER even heard the name Jesus.

This has got to break our hearts and get us to act!

So let me share some current statistics that describe the state of the mission field today. Here's the big picture:

As of 2024, our world population is over 8.1 billion people. Of those 8.1 billion:

• Christians number 2.6 billion worldwide—that's about 32% of the world's population
• Within that group of Protestant, Catholic and Orthodox Christians, Evangelicals number around 413 million
• Muslims number approximately 2 billion (about 25% of the world)
• Hindus make up about 15% of the world (1.2 billion)
• Buddhists about 7% (520 million)
• And 24% of the world's population identifies native religions or non at all

You may be wondering where I got those statistics. Those all came from a great website called thetravelingteam.org  In all my podcasts, I list my resources in the episode description. I don’t want to be throwing out random numbers with no websites to back them up. Plus, these resources that I list are great places to further educate yourself on these topics. 

Here's some encouraging news: approximately 72% of the world's population now has access to the gospel in some form. That's about 5.8 billion people!

But—and this is the sobering part—28% of the world, approximately 2.3 billion people, still have virtually no exposure to the gospel message. That's nearly 3 billion souls who have never heard about Jesus.

Now, let me tell you about something called the "10/40 Window." This is crucial to understanding the remaining task.

The 10/40 Window is a rectangular region of the world that extends from 10 degrees to 40 degrees north of the equator, stretching from North Africa across the Middle East to Asia. And here's why it matters:

97% of the world's unreached people live in the 10/40 Window. To reach the unreached, we MUST reach the 10/40 Window!

And here's what's heartbreaking: only 3.4% of missionaries around the world serve within the 10/40 Window. Less than 4% of all Christian missionaries for 97% of the world's unreached people! That’s a big missionary gap! 

Let me explain what I mean by "unreached" or "least-reached." A people group is considered unreached when less than 2% are evangelical Christians and less than 5% are Christian adherents of any kind.

Think about that. Imagine living in a place where out of every 100 people you know, fewer than 2 have a personal relationship with Jesus. That means there isn't a strong enough Christian community to spread the gospel on their own—they need outside help.

A people group, by the way, is defined as a group of people who have a distinctive language and culture from those around them. Out of approximately 17,000 total people groups in the world, about 7,000 are still unreached.

Friends, here are some statistics on the Missionary Gap that I mentioned. The reality of this gap should both challenge us and break our hearts:

• There are 57,000 Evangelical Christians for every one unreached people group
• Only 1 out of every 174,000 Christians goes as a missionary to the unreached
• For every Muslim in an unreached area, there is one missionary for every 405,000 people
• For Hindus: one missionary for every 179,000 people
• For Buddhists: one missionary for every 260,000 people

The bottom line? There is approximately 1 missionary for every 216,000 unreached people.

And here's the financial picture: out of every $1.00 of Christian giving to all causes, only about one penny goes towards reaching these unreached people with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. If you wonder where the other 99 cents goes, just look around. I think we spend a lot of it in our churches, our programs and our Christian educational centers here in America. 

So after listening to these statistics, we can clearly see that there are still so many people who need to hear the Good News of Jesus. But why? Why are WE to complete this task? Why not let someone else do it, or just let God do it Himself?

Listen to these reasons—and I'm going to be very direct with you:

Not just because it is our duty, though it is. Not just because it will bring eternal life to many, though it will. Not just because it will improve the living conditions of the poor, though it will. Not just because it will improve stability in the world's institutions, though it will. Not just because we will be rewarded in Heaven, though we will.

We should disciple the nations because Jesus is worthy to receive their honor, glory and praise.

Yes, He is so worthy! More worthy than anything else we could spend my time on! More worthy than our comfort, our plans, our dreams, our resources!

"Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!" Revelation 5:12

Friends, these aren't just numbers on a page. Each statistic represents real people—mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, children playing in the streets, elderly people sitting in their homes. Each one created in the image of God. Each one deeply loved by Him. Each one Jesus died for.

And each one deserves the chance to hear His name.

So what can we do?

We can pray. We can give. We can go. We can tell others. We can learn about unreached people groups. We can support missionaries who are on the front lines. We can ask God to break our hearts for what breaks His.

Because here's the truth: reaching the unreached is not a resource problem. It's a mobilization problem. The Church has the people. We have the money. We have the technology. What we need is the willingness to obey.

Dearest Lord Jesus, You are so very worthy to receive the honor, glory and praise of each person You created, love and died for. We ask of you…What would You have us do? How can each of us be part of fulfilling the Great Commission? Please light a fire in Your Church to go to the unreached, no matter the cost, and tell them about You. We love You so much! May the Gospel be preached in all the world and may this hasten Your return. In Your name Lord Jesus, amen. 

Thank you for joining me today... and remember, Jesus is worthy of the worship of every tribe, every tongue, every nation.

Until next time, keep your eyes on the nations... and watch what God will do.

Sources: The Traveling Team (thetravelingteam.org/stats), Joshua Project (joshuaproject.net), Center for the Study of Global Christianity at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, Pew Research Center, and Global Frontier Missions.

Listen to this in podcast form at https://open.spotify.com/episode/04mGcytIhVktoe0xDqNs8h?si=t2iQdE2eTBq5gtapV290Ng