Originally posted December 4, 2012.
According to peoplegroups.org, there are a total of 11,747 people groups (PG) globally (7.4 billion people) of which 7,031 (4.3 billion people) are unreached and 3,186 (221 million people) are unreached and unengaged. Based on these numbers, this is an increase in people groups and unreached peoples since my original article in 2012. There has been a slight decrease in unreached and unengaged people groups.
unreached (UPG) -
basically defined as a community with less than 2% of evangelical Christians making up it's population.
unreached and unengaged (UUPG)-
they have not heard the gospel or they may have heard it, but have forgotten it because there are no evangelical practices taking place.
What does this have to do with me?
You can look at these numbers and they might not mean anything to you. Just more statistics. It's easy to not be concerned because we're so far removed from it. The same goes for the extreme poor. Take for example the famine and drought in Africa, where people are dying everyday due to having no food to eat or clean water to drink. Thoughts of these people do not come into my mind as often as they should because I'm sitting in the comfort of my home with plenty of food to eat and money to buy more from a wide variety of stores and I have a faucet that produces clean drinking water every time I turn it on.
It's easy to be removed from the situation and from the desperate need. Sometimes because it doesn't directly affect us. Other times because we just plain ignore it. And often times because we are uneducated about it. The fact of the matter is, for followers of Jesus, we are all commanded by God to help the poor and needy and to go and make disciples of all nations.
What can I do?
Because it is so easy to feel so far removed and be unconcerned with global and economic social issues such as poverty, hunger and sex trafficking as well as eternal and faith related issues, such as Christian persecution and world missions, I would like to suggest a couple of ideas to help you.
1. Pray First.
Pray for the unreached and the unengaged people groups on the earth. Ask God to break you heart for what breaks His and what He would have you do specifically to reach the unreached.
2. Get educated.
Jesus is doing amazing things all over the world. We should have a desire to know what He's up to. We should also want to know about fellow Christians in need and how we can help. There are many Christian ministry, humanitarian and persecution organizations that your church may already be partnered with, or that you can visit on the web. Get on their mailing list to receive their magazines and newsletters and "LIKE" their Facebook page so you can get and stay informed of what's going on in God's kingdom around the world.
God's will for our lives is to go and make disciples of all nations so that everyone may have the opportunity to hear about Jesus. God's will for our lives is also to help the poor and those who are in need. Will you be obedient and make a difference for the Kingdom of God today?
"There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land." ~ Deuteronomy 15:11
"Therefore go and 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." ~ Matthew 28:19-20
"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'" ~ Matthew 25:40
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