My Story
In May of 2007 our tiny organization [See “About Us.”] began to appeal to pastors to pray about the unreached peoples. Let me tell you how it all started. Sometime before 1996, I felt a strong urging of the Lord to visit pastors and tell them about the unreached peoples of the earth who have little or no gospel penetration. I wasn't happy about the idea of talking to busy pastors. Why should pastors listen to me? I've never pastored a church. In 1996 my beloved and I were in Bangkok on our way home to southern California. I decided to go to a big church I had seen nearby, to try to visit the pastor. I told him about the thousands of people groups who made up that hidden portion of the population missionaries are not yet affecting. He was interested, but not willing immediately to begin leading his congregation in prayer. Two things then began happening. In America, every night as I awakened at about one or two in the morning I found my mind inundated with thoughts about the Unreached Peoples. God began encouraging me, inviting me, to talk to pastors. He poured his thoughts into my mind and heart about the unreached tribes, peoples. God was very consistent about this! However, the second thing was this: I visited only about six or ten pastors… very sporadically. They all listened attentively. None of them seemed very interested. I never told my current pastor here in Oceanside until May of 2007. I sat in the eleven o’clock service and heard my pastor say, “God speaks to me. I do what he tells me. Otherwise life is boring. Obeying him is sweet adventure. You may not like what I do, but I will obey him.” Hearing this I realized God was showing me, this pastor will listen to what I will say. He will understand when I tell him God has been speaking to me... for years! He will understand the agony of dragging my feet in feeble attempts to follow a dynamic master! The disappointment of delayed obedience! The guilt of knowing God was inviting me into a deeper walk of trust in him, and of knowing I preferred my comfort zone. I went to him. He knew all about the unreached people groups (UPGs), 40% of the world’s population, having no gospel. With a smile he looked at me and said pointedly and sincerely, “Yes! I agree! But what are you going to do about it?” I said, “Pastor, a radical problem calls for a radical solution. I am convinced the problem is, people in the pews do not know about the UPGs, and congregations are not praying for their salvation!” He agreed. Without hesitation he asked me to give him a brief email every Sunday morning before seven a.m. Which I’ve been doing. And he has been leading the entire congregation in very pointed and moving prayer for a UPG on Sunday mornings, since. Don. Why churches do not pray for the Unreached Peoples. When Jesus ascended into heaven, and after the Holy Spirit descended upon the one hundred twenty in the upper room, the Church burst into life with magnificent energy. They understood well that their lives were all about God and about being his worshipers, his love slaves. They told others about the Lord because they were thrilled to know they were God’s possession, sealed for his ownership. That seal was the Holy Spirit of God! They were excited in the knowledge God lived in them. He was their glory and the lifter of their head. He held them by their right hand. They were honored that God trusted them to bring others into the kingdom. Over time, their energy for reaching all the Gentile people groups waned. Gradually, over the centuries, as the gospel spread, Unreached Peoples were farther and farther geographically removed from the flourishing Church. Pastors became more focused on showing their followers how great it is to have God’s wonderful blessings in their lives. At some point in time, pastors became more and more aware that, as they focused on helping people change their self-destructive attitudes into attitudes that contributed to their joy, peace and love, the bigger their church attendance became. Eventually, worshipers who felt the call of God to go to the Unreached Peoples began to form groups called mission associations or societies. Now, all our mission frontline work is accomplished by effective mission organizations, parachurch organizations. “Para” means “coming alongside.” Many churches take offerings for missionaries. Very few churches send missionaries because they have no arrangements for keeping such missionaries accountable. This seems best left to the mission organizations whose purpose is to reach the Unreached Peoples. This is how it came about that the people in the pews do not know much about missions. Believers love missionaries and give generously to their work and their personal support. Many churches have active programs to deal with mission endeavors. But few church members are aware of disturbing facts such as these:
God works wonders on the earth when significant numbers of believers pray. Two or three, meeting in the name of Jesus, might pray for your church or your family with remarkable effect. God responds to faith. But to effect a people movement of billions of unbelievers who have no interest in the gospel requires a radical change in the belief system of thousands of tribes. God is ready to help us bring this about if we ask him. For radical change, if that is what we really desire for the Unreached billions, I believe God looks for a significant number of believers who pray for their salvation with genuine desire. It will take a radical change in our values. Our ideas about what should happen in the church on Sunday mornings will have to include congregational prayer for the Unreached Peoples! Is that really so objectionable? Isn't the evangelization of the lost billions God's top priority? I'm saying it will take a radical change in our perspective on the value of a single soul. But is it really so radical? God did not think it too radical to send his Son to die for our salvation. Is it too much to ask of us that we give a few moments of our lives each Sunday to get others saved? God prompted me to initiate the website, www.prayforup.com. This site never asks for funds. I never ask to speak in churches because if the senior pastor does not do the teaching, preaching and leading about the Unreached Peoples, the people will feel it is not important enough for his time and effort. They might pray along with another leader, but probably with less enthusiasm. I only know of one pastor who is actually leading his congregation in prayer for the Unreached Peoples on Sunday. My own pastor. He said, “This is the heart of God.” don@prayforup.com. Don. Matthew 24:14. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations ["ethne," or tribes], and then the end will come. Click on this link if you'd like to pray today for an Unreached People being prayed for today by 70,000 other lovers of the Most High God! http://global-prayer-digest.org Then click on "Today's Topic |
