People Groups and the Great Commission

Most of you with enough interest to read this article know that the last two verses of The Gospel According to Matthew are usually referred to as the Great Commission.  The first phrase says, "Go ye therefore and teach all nations."  Most of us would assume that Jesus is telling us to take the gospel to England, Mexico, Kenya, Brazil, and so on.  But the Greek word translated "nations" is ethnos from which we get our English word "ethnic."  The "nations" are not political entities but socio-cultural-linguistic entities that many missiologists call "people groups."  Those of us in the United States surely are aware of the many ethnic groups that make up our nation.  In addition, there are other sub-groups due to cultural, economic, geographic, or social distinctions.  All these factors go together to form the distinct units of people groups.  A people group has its own sense of identity.  The Great Commission instructs us to make disciples of all people groups.

It is possible to preach the gospel in a nation (political entity) but not make disciples in all the people groups.  For example, just because there are churches in the US doesn't mean that all segments of the population are being reached.  A recent study revealed that after more than 100 years of mission effort in Nigeria, a nation with some of the strongest Christian institutions in Africa, 148 of the 153 people groups in that nation were still less than 2% evangelical believers.  Missions agencies have identified almost 12 thousand people groups around the world and more than half of them are classified as "unreached" (less than 2% are evangelical followers of Christ).  Furthermore, 3,800 of the people groups are also "unengaged" meaning that there is no known missions agency, institution, church or individual who is actively carrying out a strategy to make disciples and plant churches among those peoples.  I've been struck by the remark one person made when talking about those people groups with no missions work:  "The only thing worse than being lost is being lost and having no one looking for you."

If we are to be obedient to the Great Commission of our Lord, we must find a way to get the gospel to all the people groups of the world.  Let's pray for wisdom to know how the Lord wants us to get this task done.  Let's pray for courage to do whatever He may ask us to do personally.  Let's pray for strength to stick with the task until it is finished.  Would you join me in prayer today?