WHAT IS A PEOPLE GROUP?
Strictly speaking a people group is any group of people with a
homogeneous commonality such as race, culture, language, location,
traditions, religion, beliefs, or socio-economic status.
The world is made up of groups and subgroups of people that can be
divided and subdivided down to the family, and individual its smallest
denominators. Everywhere on earth we can find groupings of homogeneous
peoples:
Humans - Earth Tribes - Fulani
Continents - Africa Ethnic Groups - Chinese in Costa Rica
Region - West Africa Economic Groups - Middle Class
Countries - Mali Neighborhoods - La Florida in Mexico City
Languages - Bambara Families/Clans - Hatfields and Macoys
Every city and town in America is composed of people groups. Even in
American towns some of those homogenous groups are yet untouched,
unpenentrated, unREACHED with the Gospel of Christ. Every Alliance
Church needs to research its own city and county to find pockets of
people resistant, or neglected in our outreach ministries.
A good starting place for every Alliance Church wishing to adopt an
Unreached People Group is to research the neighborhoods and ethnic
groups of your town to discover "pockets" of resistant or Unreached
people groups within your immediate reach. Every town is a microcasm of
the world.
WHAT IS AN UNREACHED PEOPLE GROUP?
How do we determine if a group of people, a culture, is yet Unreached with
the Gospel? How do we know when they are reached?
An Unreached People Group is...
1. A People Group who has not yet heard of Christ. /OR
2. A People Group who has not yet responded to Christ. /OR
3. A People Group who does not have a strong church among them. /OR
4. A People Group who does not have the Word in their language. /OR
5. A People Group who does not have the Word of God available. /OR
6. A People Group who do not have adequate believers to
evangelize this group without relying on cross-cultural help.
In a sense every unreached family in every Middle Class suburb of
America is an UnReached People group if they have yet to hear personal
witness of the claims of Christ or has not responded those claims.
It would however be unfair to focus all our resouces and efforts at that
family who are resistant to the Gospel, when there are others who have
yet to hear once the name of Jesus, let alone have a church and
Scriptures in their own language.
So we must conclude that identifying UnReached People Groups must be
prioritized in terms of opportunity to respond to the Gospel. The U.S.
Center For World Mission is in the process of identifying 12,000 yet
unreached people groups. In reviewing these groups one will find that
they are not all strictly UNREACHED. Some are truely unreached (tribes
yet undiscovered in South America), some are hard to reach (Tibetan
clans in China), others are resistant to the Gospel (Arabs & Jews), some
are traditionally other religions (Muslim), still others are politically
unreachable, that is, behind closed doors. All of these groups can be
catorgorized as at different levels in the process of being reached.
Priority must be placed on indentifying those who are truely unreached
while not neglecting other groups that also need a stronger witness in
their people group. Paul says, "Some have not the knowledge of God. I
speak this to your shame." We should be ashamed that there are
cultures, tribes, language groups, and religious groups that have yet to
hear the Name of Jesus Christ!
"ETHNOS"
"Have they not all heard?" Romans 10:12-21
Wouldn't you think that after 2,000 years of evangelization that the
world's peoples would have been reached by now, if they indeed are to
be reached at all? Do we need to be so literal about preaching the
Gospel to ever creature? Why should we be concerned about the
people who we have never met when there are millions around us who
also have not heard the Gospel of Christ? Aren't they better off
left in ignorance?
THE "ETHNOS" MANDATE
"Ethnos" - In Matthew 28:18-20 Jesus left behind a mandate for the
evangelization of the world. The word he used for all peoples was the
Greek word for nations, "ethnos." It is from this word that we get
our word for ethnic groups.
In John 10:16 Jesus says he has other sheep which were not of Israel's
fold, them also he must bring. In Matthew 24:14 he says when the
"Gospel is preach unto all "ethnos" then the end shall come."
Paul was the apostle to the Gentiles. The disciples were said to have
turned the world upside down, infecting the "ethnos" with their
doctrine.
Did the disciples reach the "uttermost parts of the earth?" The
answer from anthopology, sociology and theology is "NO." Though
the disciples were faithful in taking the Gospel to the ends of
the then known earth, they did not in fact reach the entire
"ethnos" of planet earth. There were certainly other "ethnos"
which were not reached by the disciples and which in fact would
not be touched by the Gospel for hundreds of years.
WHAT THEN IS THE "ETHNOS" MANDATE?
The Greek word "ethnos" means nations, or ethnic groups. We are assured
of the outcome of this world evangelization when we are given a glimse of
heaven in Revelation 5:9 and 14:6. "With your blood you purchased men for
God from every tribe, and language, and people, and nation."
"Then I saw another angel flying in midair, and he had this eternal gospel
to proclaim to those who live on earth, to every nation, tribe, language,
and people."
Isn't it interesting that God saw fit to describe peoples as cultures,
races, tribal groups, and nations, using this variety of terms to assure
clarity of His intent. He uses four Greek words to express people:
Kindred = 5443 (phule) a tribal group descending from one patriarch
Tongue = 1100 (glossa) tongue or language group
People = 2992 (laos) same stock or population, inhabitants
Nations = 1484 (ethnos) gentiles, heathen, any swarm of people
(*these numbers refer to Strong's Concordance numbering system.)
HOW ARE WE TO ACCOMPLISH THE TASK?
The Word of God is not specific in details of how the Ethnos mandate is
to be accomplished, nor to what extent they are to be reached before the
end will come. For instance, is one person in an ethnic group hearing the
Gospel enough to constitute completion of the task? Or is it only finished
when every individual personally hears the Gospel proclaimed?
Is the ethnos to extend to every under-evangelized group such as neighbor-
hoods is sectors of difficult cities, or economic classes that are hard to
penetrate? Do ethnic minorities in every city (such as Jews) constitute an
unreached people group, or are they an "unresponsive people group?" It
seems to me that there is no end to the classification and reclassification
of peoples of the earth. We could argue that the mandate is until every
individual hears a clear presentation of the Gospel, then we could argue
about what a "clear" presentation is. It would appear that we should stay
close to the Biblical mandate, that every "kindred, tongue, people, and
nation" is the task. That is, the mandate is for every culture not
every individual or every unreached sub group.
If it were a mandate for every ear to hear then in every generation there
would need to be sub group to hear individually making the task impossible.
THE TASK IS POSSIBLE
The Lord would not give us an impossible task, or make us strain at knats
and swollow camels. The task is possible, and is an absolute mandate. It
needs to be done, and WILL BE DONE before the Lord returns (Rev. 5:9/14:6)
in Biblical terms. Therefore a few facts may be discerned concerning the
will of God in the "Ethnos Mandate."
1. Every "ethnos" refers to language group, nation, tribe, and/or swarm of
isolated people, not every individual in every sub group. OPPORTUNITY
to hear the Gospel proclaimed in their culture is the key.
2. Every "ethnos" needs to have the Word Of God available in its own
language in order for Matthew 28's discipleship mandate to be fulfilled.
This may not mean a published written Word, but at least the spoken
interpreted Word of God needs to be present for true evangelization to
accomplished. This means a continuing "missionary" presence (not
necessarily foreign missionary presence). Someone in their culture
needs to be literate and actively proclaiming, and teaching all that
Jesus has commanded.
3. Every "ethnos" can and will have a church among them. Not a cathedral
or chapel, but the body of believers who meet together for worship and
celebration of the Lord's supper, baptism and teaching.
WHAT THEN IS OUR TASK?
According to the Great Commission (Mark 16:15, Matthew 28:18-20) it is to
preach the Gospel where Christ has not been named. The New Testament seems
to indicate that every tribe, language, clan and nation will hear and be
represented in heaven. (Not necessarily every social-economic class, or
neighborhood, or unresponsive people.)
We then should first of all identify for the task who these Unreached
Peoples are. Then we should do everything in our power to reach them with
the message of the Gospel. That "reaching" must include not only preaching,
but teaching all that Christ means. This entails establishing discipleship
centers (churches) in every known culture, language, tribe and village on
earth.
The task does not belong to any one denomination or mission. It
belongs to all. We therefore must make every effort to cooperate with all
agencies of the Gospel of Christ without jealousy, denominationalism,
self-interest or promotion. It is Christ's church that matters, not ours.
Death to self needs to be applied denominationally as well as individually.
As Christ could not rest until his task on earth was done, so we cannot rest
until every village has heard and is taught the Gospel of Christ. "Other
sheep also I have, which are not of this fold, them also I must bring."
(John 10:16) and again, "But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye
into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the
cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come." (Matthew 10:23)
The strategy of Jesus Christ and what he passed on to his disciples was that
of EVERY VILLAGE evangelism. What a wonderful effective way to guarantee
that the Gospel is indeed preached to every creature.
PAROUSIA! MARANATHA! Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus!
WHAT SHALL WE THEN DO?
The Great Commission to "GO" into all the world and preach the Gospel (Mark
16:15) and to "make disciples of all nations" (Matthew 28:20) is incumbant
on every believer, and every local church. It cannot by passed off to
denominational officials, or to parachurch organization as though it were
"THEIR" task. It is "OUR" task. We therefore believe that every true
discipler of Jesus Christ will be a world-reacher. There is too much to do
and too little time to do it. We must MOBILIZE the army of lay men and
women in our churches to catch the vision of untold millions, still untold.
In our present age there are virtually no impenetrable countries. Every
country has tourism and foreigners find ways and means to gain access to
those countries with a plethora of motives. The church of Jesus Christ
needs to think creatively about the mission of reaching the unreached, and
the unreachable. Every Western believer has within his grasp the potential
to travel to other countries, for business, for pleasure and tourism, for
research and study, for photograph, etc. Friendship is probably the
strongest evangelistic tool ever given to us by God. Making a friend in the
USA or Europe or South America with an international person from an
unreached culture is like gaining an open passport to visit your friend in
his country. Our colleges and universities are temming with international
students from just about everywhere on earth.
WHAT CAN WE DO? Find ethnic minorities from unreached and hard-to-reach
cultures living in or around your own community, purposefully make friends
with them, take a genuine interest in their lives, and their salvation. Lead
an internation student to Christ and when he goes home he can and will
influence his culture for Christ as no missionary can ever do.
WHAT CAN WE DO? We can embrace an unreached culture adopting it as our own
surrogate culture, learning their customs, language, foods, sports,
folklore, traditions, dress, etc. so as to fall in love with them and be
their passionate advocate before the throne of God, and before your church.
If no one cares about them they will continue to be neglected, forgotten and
unreached. Your love makes a difference.
WHAT CAN WE DO? We can establish a team of intercessors who have the same
passion for your lost people group, and who will share in your prayer burden
and in your adamant desire to see them reached. Meet weekly or monthly in
your own home to study them, dress in their grab, eat their food, tell their
story, and pray for them.
WHAT CAN WE DO? We can passionately sponsor the evangelization of your UPG
through aggressive support of those who are within their reach. Find out
who is translating their Scriptures, showing the Jesus Film, doing church
planting, medical work, tentmaker ministries among them, and support them
financially and with encouraging notes.
CONCLUSION:
Jesus calls us to do what we can to reach out to an unreached "lost sheep"
that is not yet part of the fold. It was for this purpose that he came and
gave his life. To do nothing is to defiantly oppose the work of the Lord
Jesus Christ himself and to make certain that one day before the throne of
judgement an un-named, forgotten, unreached person will point to you in
agony and say..."Why?...Why didn't your tell me? Why didn't you do
something?"
Jesus is waiting for the obedient "harvesters" to finish the task.
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