Lord, God, Almighty, Creator of all that is, Majestic One over all the earth, we confess we have come up short in fulfilling your magnificent assignment. After 2000 years, there are yet 10,000 People groups we have not reached. Over two billion of your most wonderful creatures, 40% of our world, have not heard the gospel!

You gave us this assignment to involve us in your plan of world evangelization. We have been truly delighted to be working alongside you. We enjoy using your splendid Word to open wide the doors of your kingdom for those whose hearts hunger for relationship with you. But now, in view of our less than spectacular success, we ask you to intervene.

We confess we need more of your power in our efforts. Our missionaries are fighting gallantly against the enemy. Now, empower them as never before. Increase their zeal. Triple their anointing. Cause unbelievers to fall at your feet, asking you to save them, asking for your precious gift of eternal life.

We imitate you now Father, using the words of your glorious Son Jesus, to call into being a fresh new situation that does not yet exist, even as you called into being the entire universe. Give power to our words, Lord, as we speak in your name: Father, hallowed be your name! Your kingdom, come! Your will for the Unreached Peoples, which is their eternal salvation, be done!

Oh God, yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever and ever. The Unreached Peoples will praise you, forever and ever. They will sing to you most high praises. They will dance before you with indescribable joy. They will worship you with delight beyond measure!

O God, glorify your name in them! Amen.

And even if we don't have anything original to share, can't we discuss the tragedy of the Unreached Peoples? From the beginning on Pentecost disciples of Jesus have been trying to reach the "Gentiles." The people who don't know the truth. After 2000 years, our missionaries are still laboring in the field, and we're still supporting them, encouraging them, and praying for them.

But there are two things most of us are not doing: 1) Preaching to our people about becoming missionaries, and 2) leading our congregations in specific prayer for the 2.4 billion souls bound in ignorance by the enemy, and totally beyond the reach of the gospel, thus far.

I will do the research for you if you will send me your email address. I'll get one brief (kinda) email to you each Wednesday morning so you can print it out and use the points you like to motivate your people to pray for one Unreached People. That People will be the one chosen by Global Prayer Digest for that Sunday. This way you and your flock will be joining a team of 70,000 intercessors, praying for the same Unreached People the same day!

In Isaiah 58, God says you will then be one of his champions. And your name will be up in lights. Not the gaudy fight-announcement lights on the marquis ourside the sports arena, but the eternal lights that speak of the glory of the King!

And what will your people think of you? Some will think you're wasting their time. They came to be uplifted. They came to feel good. They came to get close to someone who reminds them of how godly it's possible for them to become. They came to find out how to get a bigger slice of the abundant life Jesus came to give us.

So you've got some teaching to do. Because everything they need and the important things they want are involved in how they give themselves away. They need you to show them that in the Scriptures. They need to see it in you! The fact that you can put your whole heart into telling them about the Unreached Peoples, taking more time than you take for important things like working in the Sunday school program, or giving for the purchase of some new chairs, this is the kind of evidence they need so they can know God is real.

They will know you are spending your energy for something that will gain nothing for you. Nothing but the blessing of God on you and on them. Nothing physical or earthly. When King David poured sacrificially of his own personal treasure into the gathering of valuables for the building of the temple, people were deeply moved. And they did likewise with joyful hearts. How glorious it is to a believer, to see his pastor's heart toward God. We don't have many ways for them to observe that!

What can a pastor give that is more valuable to him than that small sliver of time he has to speak to the ones who have come to find out whether they want him to be their pastor next week? Can he give that to God as a pleasing sacrifice he will treasure? Trusting God can be a very big challenge for a struggling pastor who wants nothing more than he wants to grow "his" church!

Okay, there it is. Now you know the truth about me. I really do think the salvation of the world is in the hands of pastors, next only to God. I think missionaries are able to do a lot, but only if they are supported by people in the pews praying. People in the pews will not pray unless their pastor teaches them and leads them.

Any comments? Can we discuss this? I don't need to know your name. But I'd love to know your heart. You, pastor, are a member of a group I hold in high esteem. I wish I could help you. I am convinced of this, and so are you: You will be just fine, and so will your people, if you follow Jesus, not turning to the left or the right. I also know it's not as easy as it is simple in its expression.

We were in Latin America, visiting churches and sharing our vision for bringing the gospel to the 10,000 Unreached Peoples.

I remember one church in particular. At the opening of the service someone led us all in prayer. Then a teenage boy came to the microphone. There was nothing remarkable about his looks, except his youthfulness. A guitarist was somewhere behind him, strumming. The boy closed his eyes, his hands by his side, He began to sing. His manner was simple. There were no tricky vocal stunts. He just sang, not to us, but to his Lord.

The people immediately joined in with gusto, and reverence. The Holy Spirit was in evidence from the start.

This was among the best worship experiences in church I have ever known. Our young leader appeared to have no concern with what we thought. He did not apparently feel he had to "make it" with us. Was he a "hit"? I doubt the question ever crossed his mind. He had what he wanted, God's presence, God's approval, God's attention, God's love. The Psalm says, "Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you"(73:25).

By now he is probably a pastor. I think if I could have twenty minutes with him he would adopt the Unreached Peoples as his main prayer target. His heart is right. His priorities are in order.

Are mine? Are the Unreached Peoples properly our #2 priority?

For suggestions on how to pray for an Unreached People, or how to pray for all the UPs taken together, click on the button (above) labeled "Current Emails." Suggestions are near the top of that page. God wants to hear from YOU. Your own heart is precious to him. Pray what's on your heart! Jesus gave us a great guide for this kind of prayer in his instruction to the twelve. (Mat.6:9,10)  Jesus said to pray like this, "Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed by thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven."

Amazingly, the verbs are in the imperative mode! We are commanding these three things come into existence, like our heavenly Father did when he created the universe! Like Father, like sons and daughters. He made us in his likeness, and delights to involve us in what he is doing!

Praying for the UPs has revolutionized my prayer life. The first three clauses in the Lord's Prayer cause me to realize facets of the divine nature of God. I worship more meaningfully as a result. This in turn builds up my faith in God and my love for him, and for the UPs. I see more clearly the beauty in being totally God's possession. I realize I am a significant person because I can gladden the heart of God. I am a person with a purpose! My petty problems shrink in dimension and importance.

Thanks Bro. Don for the news letter.
I am glad to get your email on unreached people groups. I just would like to
let you know that we are working among the Rajputs. 11 rajputs are ready
for baptism in Bihar. One of our church planters are working in a village
mostly dominated by the rajputs. He was threatened to be killed but God
raised up people to stand with him. And therefore within the last 4 months
time, he has been able to see 11 rajputs ready for baptism and there around
30 to 40 people attending the prayer group every week. If you know any
church that is interested to partner with us to reach the Rajputs, please
let me know. we look for partners. Thanks for your information on Rajputs.
I look forward to hearing from you. with regards,  [Name withheld].
[NOTE: Pastor, if you'd like to partner with this missionary, email me: don@prayforup.com]

If your church has an intercessory prayer group, here's what I suggest:
1. Ask the leader if I can send my weekly emails about People groups to him or her.
OR 2. Send me his or her email address and I will do the asking.

By the way, if you can think of any other way of getting groups of people to pray for the UPs, let me know. Use the Comment link below this post.  Thanks.   Don.

Thanks for visiting this site. I want to encourage you to pray for the UPs and to influence pastors and friends to do the same. Worship is even more important. "Spiritual Food" will be carrying articles about that soon.

I have a blurb about the site. I will send it to you if you want to try to get it included in the church bulletin, or website, or in the magazine pages of some mission org. Please let me know.

don@prayforup.com

The Beja People of Egypt, Sudan and Eritrea

Traditionally, the Beja People are nomadic camel herders.
They live in the dry rocky hills near the Red Sea coastline.
There are five tribes among the 3 million Beja.
A severe drought in the 1984 and 1985 destroyed most of their herds,
so many Beja now live on the outskirts of towns, running small
businesses or working day labour jobs like unloading ships.
Government services for education and health are very limited, and
some Beja militants fought small battles with federal forces until
peace was signed in 2006. Now they are becoming frustrated because
government promises to supply funds have not been fulfilled.
Most Beja are illiterate. Only a very few books exist in their
language; they live in an oral culture.
Beja consider themselves Muslim, but may have a mixed piety that
includes folk practices against evil spirits.
There are only a few believers.

PRAY that God would raise up new workers with a heart for the Beja
people.
PRAY for the development of a network of sending churches in Europe.
PRAY for Beja to have dreams of Jesus as Saviour and Lord.

more info can be found here.

http://www.joshuaproject.net/people-clusters.php?rop2=C0042
[click on people group name for more info.]

oh here it is.
http://www.joshuaproject.net/peopctry.php?rog3=SU&rop3=101211

I have a blog with news about them. Please don't use my name.
http://adroub.blogspot.com
- - -
The Beja People - these nomadic camel herders live among the Red Sea
Hills of Africa.