It is Christmas time as I write this, and my wife and I with some friends just attended a joyful Christmas sing-along at a church in Everett. One comment caught my attention as the moderator referenced some verses in Revelation chapters 7 and 9.
The verses talk about a great multitude “…from every tribe and language and people and nation”. People from everywhere and many ages, with a number “ten thousand times ten thousand” are singing and worshipping. In fact, “…every creature in heaven and on earth …” is singing around the throne in heaven.
Wow! Really?
Yes, really!
But this is what scares me, saddens me, and mitigates my joy in this Christmas season.
- 8 million Sanaani Arabs in Yemen will not be there
- 7 million Kachhi Hindus in India will not be there
- 14 million Hui in China will not be there
- 11 million Hijazi in Saudi Arabia will not be there
- 26 million Moroccan Arabs will not be there
- 62 mission Turks in Turkey will not be there
Where will they be singing with joy? Or will they?
These people are not even the tip of the iceberg for what today is called Frontier People Groups, (sometimes referred to as Unengaged Peoples) which according to the Joshua Project, represents more than 4,500 frontier people groups totaling over 2 billion people. These groups have less than .1% Jesus followers. They are worse off than Unreached People Groups (UPGs); they have no chance of meeting a believer or hearing the Good News.
I do not want to fail to recognize the fact that the Gospel has made amazing strides in the past century. It has. However, the world has changed dramatically in recent decades. Let’s not be deluded to think that missionaries as we have known them in the 20th century can reach them. There is an impregnable barrier with a sign that reads, “No visas for missionaries.”
Notice that it does not say, “No visas for researchers, or university professors, or scientists, or businesspeople. That is where we come in. We are in the “Business as Mission” business. IBEC consults have worked (or have in the past) with all the countries listed above – and many more. Why can businesses be there? They create value for the people with something they need and want (think Jesus doing just that). They bring language learning, manufacturing jobs, tourism, agricultural expertise … and much more. This is the tip of the iceberg.
I conclude with a joyful note as you process all of this. If you are a student with most any skill, you can take it to the ends of the earth. If you are already at work in the marketplace you can connect with what God is doing and where He is poised to pierce the darkness with the grace of His gospel using God’s people in the marketplace. The day for “all professions” taking the Gospel to the unengaged in frontier markets is here.
Want to know more about the people of our world?
https://www.project42partners.org/stats
Want to know more about where to begin?
www.triventure.com OR www.thirdpathinitiative.com/courses
www.FrontierOperators.com OR https://sheepfeast.com/patrick-lowndes-faith-driven-young-professionals/
Larry W. Sharp, BAM Support Specialist, IBEC Ventures
Larry.Sharp@ibecventures.com