For Those Who Haven’t Heard
Romans: For the Gospel • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Paul SAW the Demand: Do We?
Paul SAW the Demand: Do We?
Currently today there are 3,072 unreached, unengaged people groups. An Unreached, unengaged people group is one that has no missionary presence and likely no gospel access. No one is engaging them.
There are 8 billion people in the world living in 195 countries, speaking over 7,000 languages. Today, more than half have yet to hear the good news of Jesus Christ.
Of these people groups, over 1000 live in South East Asia, 448 in the Pacific Rim, 220 in Europe, and 202 in the Americas.
Every year 30 million people will die without ever hearing the gospel of Jesus Christ.
There is a global problem: And Paul knew this.
It was for this reason that Paul said, "I make it my ambition to proclaim the gospel, not where Christ was already named..."
This year, the IMB is seeking to send out over 300 explorers to go around the world and seek out and identify unreached people groups. Their desire is to identify those who have no access to the life-giving gospel of Jesus Christ. Like Paul, their desire is to preach the gospel where it has not be named.
We do not boast beyond limit in the labors of others. But our hope is that as your faith increases, our area of influence among you may be greatly enlarged,
so that we may preach the gospel in lands beyond you, without boasting of work already done in another’s area of influence.
“Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”
Paul SOUGHT God's Desire: Will We?
Paul SOUGHT God's Desire: Will We?
as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death.
For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell.
I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.
But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account.
Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith,
Second, Paul’s desire was to accomplish God’s purposes not his own. He prayed for God's direction and leading. Paul understood that his life was one living and dying for Christ.
Often we think, “Somebody needs to go and do something about that.” That seems like a good way to think about it, the problem is when all of us think, "Someone should do something" then no one is actually doing something! Instead, like Paul, what if we thought “We together need to do something about that. We need to pray. Lord, we need to give. We need to go. We need to send more people.”
We need to be seeking God's will for us and at the very least that will is that we pray for those who are unreached, whether it's the unreached and unengaged in Malaysia, or the 120 plus million in Japan, or the 420,000 Mississippians who are without Christ. We should care enough to at the very least pray, and ask God if it is his will that we should go!
Paul SURRENDERED to God's Design: ARE YOU?
Paul SURRENDERED to God's Design: ARE YOU?
Finally, Paul was surrendered to do whatever God and the Holy Spirit led him to do.
and thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else’s foundation,
but as it is written, “Those who have never been told of him will see, and those who have never heard will understand.”
What NOW Should I do?
What NOW Should I do?
Pray
Pray
First we should pray. We should pray that God would reach the lost.
Imb.org/pray has resources for prayer for you and your family. You and your family could adopt one of the 3,000 Unreached, unengaged people groups. Pray that God would raise up missionaries to share the gospel with them. Pray for them by name.
Give
Give
Second you could give. We have offering envelopes in the foyer and the back of the church that are green. These are special offering envelopes. Maybe you could give a gift for Lottie Moon Mission Offering which goes to international missions, or to the upcoming Annie Armstrong offering that goes to plant churches in North America. Or you could write Margaret Lackey. This is a mississippi offering that goes to plant churches and revive churches right here in Mississippi.