The Gap in Our Map
‘This gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come’ (Matthew 24:14).
Christ’s parables of the net, the workmen, the wedding, the mustard seed and the yeast teach that ‘this gospel of the kingdom’ must reach every kind, every generation, every class, everywhere. The kingdom is remarkably inclusive. But we are to be exclusive in this gospel—we must be ‘one word people’.
One word people—‘this gospel’
The gospel is unique. God gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. This gospel, this Mediator, this God and this faith alone saves. Only at Calvary is God’s wrath against my sin satisfied, and his peace and favour become mine eternally. Everything else ends in hell.
You can’t tell the headlines by looking at me. You can’t hear them from my good character. The only way to know the news is by hearing it from a news outlet. We are the gospel’s news outlet. If we are gloomy, we effectively hide Jesus from a perishing generation. It is better to be thought happy morons than helpless miseries! Even ‘weeping over Jerusalem’ we alone have the words of eternal gladness. ‘Ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven, who like we his praise should sing!’ This gospel is good. Let’s be one word people!
One King people—‘this gospel of the kingdom’
Salvation requires coming to terms of peace with Christ the King. We must contentedly submit to his sovereign rule. None can be saved for whom Christ is not King. Matthew Henry put it, ‘All the grace contained in [the Bible] is owing to Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour; and, unless we consent to him as our Lord we cannot expect any benefit by him as our Saviour.’
Evangelism presents an ultimatum for submission to Christ alone as King: ‘You shall have no other gods before me’ (Exodus 20:3); ‘There is no other god besides me’ (Isaiah 45:21). This gospel is poorly proclaimed by those with half-hearted submission, by those only yielded to Jesus on Sunday morning and Wednesday night. Let’s be one King people!
One shirt people—‘will be proclaimed throughout the whole world’
Aren’t Christians always reaching the world? Actually, only 49% of UK Christians believe it’s ‘important’ for us to share our faith with others. 43% of ‘active’ Christians know ‘nothing’ about the Great Commission.[i]
John the Baptist describes the fruits of genuine repentance toward God: ‘Whoever has two tunics [shirts] is to share with him who has none’ (Luke 3:11). How does this relate to mission?
‘Reached people’ have easy access to the Bible, church and known Christians, but how well have we shared our ‘shirt’—our gospel resources and efforts—with the world? Missiologists tell us that of every ten people in the world, one is reached and saved; two are reached but unsaved; three are partially reached; and four are unreached.[ii] Jesus and John address our embarrassing number of ‘shirts’, when 40% of the world have none.
Connor has many churches to choose from, more conferences than he can attend, six Bibles, and many Christian apps. He might not stay at our church—perhaps there are not enough hymns for his liking, or not enough people of his own age. Perhaps the childcare is all wrong, or the service starts too early. We expect him to attend. Should we share with those who have more ‘shirts’ than they need already? Sadly, many UK churches exhaust themselves persuading Connor to commit.
Ought we share our ‘shirt’ primarily with those who have access to churches, Christians and Bibles? Our priority, biblically defined, is to share with the one who has none. William Carey said, ‘To know the will of God, we need an open Bible and an open map.’ An open Bible leads us to the four out of ten who are unreached. An open map points to the least reached among them.
The ‘10:40 Window’ used to mean the unreached millions in China and India. Surely these populous lands need more evangelism! But since 1980, Chinese evangelicals grew from 1 million to 80 million. Indian evangelicals today equal 28 million. A drop in the ocean, to be sure. But a significant drop compared to the least-reached peoples.[iii]
And who are they? It’s not who you think: one in every four people in the world is a Muslim (25%); two in every four largest unreached people groups are Muslim (52%); nearly three in every four most religiously restrictive countries are Muslim majority (68%).[iv] They’re not where you think, but in the Islamized mega-nations Mohammed never saw: Indonesia (Muslim population 237 million), Pakistan (240 million), India (172 million), Bangladesh (150 million), Nigeria (106 million); and in the Muslim megacities of Cairo (22 million), Karachi, Istanbul (15 million), Lahore (12 million), Tehran, Riyadh, Baghdad, Ankara, Khartoum, and Alexandria (5 million).
The problem of unreached Muslims is not getting smaller. In 1998, when I was sent out as a missionary, Arabs numbered 280 million. Today it’s 475 million, growing to 94% Muslim over the same period.[v] In the UK, Christians may freely evangelize the 6.5% Muslim population. If Muslim immigration concerns you, preach Jesus! Make it Christian immigration!
But other countries oppose witness to Muslims. To ‘destabilize the religion’ of a Muslim may bring harassment in Lebanon or Tunisia; mob violence in Yemen or Nigeria; deportation in Saudi or Syria; imprisonment in Somalia or Sudan; ten years jail in Qatar; and the death penalty in Iran.[vi] Easy mission—if ever there was such a thing—is over. Make no mistake: it will cost to give your shirt away.
John Stott taught on the certain triumph of Christ’s Commission: ‘His authority on earth allows us to dare to go to all the nations. His authority in heaven gives us our only hope of success. His presence with us leaves us no other choice.’ Let’s be one shirt people!
One life people—‘then the end will come’
Death is certain for all people. Judgment lies beyond. Each one must ‘receive what is due for what he has done in the body’ (2 Corinthians 5:10). We too will account for how we spent our lives. ‘That servant who knew his master’s will but did not get ready or act according to his will, will receive a severe beating’ (Luke 12:47). Are we eating, drinking and indulging self when our Master’s commission lies undone?
The gap in our map is the ‘no-shirt peoples’ of the Muslim world. Christ did not rest with the reached: ‘Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also, for that is what I came for’ (Mark 1:38); ‘I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also’ (John 10:16); ‘Go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in’ (Luke 14:23). Will we stand ashamed with our many ‘shirts’ when untold millions remained untold without one?
The gospel—for everyone, everywhere—will only be spread by one word people, one king people, one shirt people, one life people. By God’s grace, let’s be those people!
AM is a former missionary to the Middle East, now working in the UK
[i] Survey by Savanta ComRes 2022 for Operation Mobilisation
[ii] Marvin J. Newell, A Third of Us: What It Takes to Reach the Unreached, William Carey Publishing, 2021
[iii] Boston University Theology research cited by Operation World
[iv] Pew Forum 2009
[v] Sources: Wikipedia and World Population Review
[vi] US State Department, 2016