International (MNN) — Christ-followers have a dilemma. Mark Kordic of the Alliance for the Unreached says 2.5 billion of the world’s 7.4 billion people are “unreached.”
“They have no access to a church, no access to a Bible, no access to a Christian.”
In Matthew 28, Jesus tells His followers to “go and make disciples of all nations” – aka the Great Commission. However, reaching billions of people for Christ can’t be done by a single denomination or organization. Therein lies the challenge.
The Great Commission must be accomplished, but how?
Partnership should play a key role. As individuals and organizations work together, says Kordic, they achieve the unity and love Christ described in John 13:34 and 35.
“In the most difficult areas of the world of intense persecution, the element that catches the attention of the unbeliever – or the unreached – is the powerful love of the Body [of Christ], one towards another,” says Kordic.
“When there’s a spirit of humility and love, leaders can collaborate together.”
The Great Commission requires collaboration
As explained here, collaboration is a core component of the Alliance for the Unreached and its annual event, the International Day for the Unreached (IDU). IDU began a few years ago as a global reminder for the Church to fulfill the Great Commission.
“I see partnership [happening] in four ‘streams’ or movements of God,” Kordic adds. The areas he describes are biblical stewardship, 24-hour prayer, national church-planting movements, and Bible translation.
“We’ve had more active movement towards translating the last languages of Scripture in the last 30 years than the previous 2,000 years combined.”
Statistics vary widely, but Kordic says this acceleration has resulted in 2,100 languages – including signed languages – lacking any portions of Scripture. According to Ethnologue.com, more than 7,000 spoken languages are used around the world. Most Christian Deaf ministries agree there are between 350 and 400 signed languages used by the global Deaf community.
(Header and story graphics courtesy IDU via Facebook)
“We have a goal [that] by the year 2025, we would enter that last language and at least one verse – or many verses! – of that last language would be translated.”
Your role in the Great Commission
The Great Commission isn’t just for ministries or Christian leaders. It’s for individual believers, too. You can make a difference in the eternal destiny of souls who are today unreached with the love of Christ.
