May 17, 2012

Reaching the Unreached

by Davis Prickett

If you have not heard it yet, I encourage you to listen to David Platt’s sermon from the Together for the Gospel conference (audio/video). In it, he makes a passionate appeal for American Christians to do more to reach the unreached parts of the world. It is a compelling and convicting message, and one that should stir people’s desire for the gospel to go to places it has yet to penetrate.

One of the most obvious barriers to evangelism in much of the unreached world is the simple fact that no Bibles exist in the spoken language of the area. There are over 2,400 languages that do not have a translation of Scripture, and many of these language groups lack a written alphabet all together.

If you are moved by Platt’s message to reach the unreached, or convicted by sheer number of people in the world that don’t have access to the gospel in their own language, here are three responses:

1) Be Thankful

If you are reading this, that means you have access to the most translated language in history. So be thankful for those who throughout history sacrificed, even their own lives that the truth of God might prevail in the English language. We are a spoidely blessed people. So take advantage. Compare translations, don’t read myopically through the lens of only translation. Look at the passages that are often difficult to communicate in English. Even without any knowledge of Greek or Hebrew, comparing all of the different English translations can give you a greater understanding of the original text.

2) Be Prayerful

There are plenty resources available to know about the languages where there is a need for Bible translation (ethnologue.com, joshuaproject.net, wycliffe.org/pray.aspx). Start praying for a people group that needs God’s Word. Start praying for the Lord to raise up more workers. Start praying for the projects that are currently in progress. Start praying for the churches where translations have recently been completed.

3) Be Doing Something

Financially support those active in Bible translation and church planting among the unreached. Or, get trained and equipped to go yourself; there is plenty of work to be done. In countless different fields, there is a lifetime of work waiting for those who are willing to be equipped then leave houses and lands for the sake of the gospel. Churches can do more to show people the need for Bible translation and to raise up leaders to finish this immense task. Equipping and discipling should be the life of any healthy church, but too often discipleship can only lead to raising up other church leaders and not equipping missionaries and Bible translators.

Ask your pastor how your church supports reaching the unreached, and if there are any specific missionaries that he recommends that could use your support. If you are involved in youth ministry, esteem translators and pioneer missionaries to the students. Who knows, but the Lord may raise up from your own church the workers who will bring the great commission to its fulfillment (Mark 13:10; Mat 28:20).

in Evangelism with 9 Comments
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Davis Prickett

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Davis is serving with Grace Ministries International, among an entirely Muslim area of Chad. He is currently home, raising support to return to this unreached people group. If you would like more information on his ministry, or if you are interested in supporting his efforts to bring the Bible to this group, visit his website above (registration required).
  • jbspacht

    Davis, I really appreciate your posts. Good to “hear” from you after all these months! Let me know if you ever need anything in the way of music (listening/print) as we discussed previously.
    Here are a few thoughts: what do we do about the opportunity for cultures and languages to take their newfound faith and express it in original songs/hymns? Along with the “let’s teach them English” mindset, is the mindset of “let’s translate our great and superior hymnology into their tongue while retaining all of the prose and cultural nuance that means far more to us than it ever will to them…” (big breath). I would love to see individuals trained and passionate about equipping new believers in foreign lands with the tools and resources to write original hymnology that comes out of the culture and the language or that group of believers. While we must still continue to translate the “GREATS” (ala “How Great Thou Art”, “In Christ Alone”, and yes, an occasional Tomlin tune that’s not too syncopated), we must teach new believing cultures that singing is a mandate and that our English hymnology/song-books shouldn’t be the single source of their corporate worship music (the same argument applies to their Christian books as well). Thoughts?

    • Davis Prickett

      Hey, great thoughts Josh. There are some resources related to helping different cultures create and develop their own worship music. A person with a background in ethnomusicology can be tremendously helpful in allowing a people group to own their own worship music and not just have it be imported from another culture. Also, there are workshops where different people groups can get together to help form new songs in their own language. These workshops will usually use Scripture that has been translated into their own language and help them find a way to turn those Scripture passages into songs that reflect their own culture. Many cultures and peoples seem to be inherently more musical, but there is a great need to help them use those talents for creating Christ-exalting and truth-proclaiming music. But if there are a few people meeting the great needs in Bible translation, there is an even greater lack of people trained to help with the development of worship music.

      • http://twitter.com/Joshua_Spacht Joshua Spacht

        Davis, thanks for the feedback. I knew that what I was suggesting wasn’t entirely original, but so few in the “American/Westernized” church think about the fact that there are vast amounts of believing people groups that have yet to sing praise to Christ with original/fresh hymnology. I guess it just excites me to hear of unique avenues to help that along, much the same way it would excite a linguist to realize that they can help facilitate putting the Word of God in the original tongue of a people group. The first step towards practically helping this along is to “get my two cents” in under the comments of your most excellent post! Thanks again, brother…

    • Miss Wendy Rees

      Wycliffe Bible Translators has a course on ethnomusicology. A coworker of mine took the course and helped brethren of the Kuna tribe in Panama to compose Kuna style choruses. They were composed in the traditional style and played on traditional instruments. I have a recording of one that’s an impressive missionary challenge.

  • Heather

    This is one of the best series of articles you guys have put up on this site. I don’t understand why they aren’t overcome with comments?? What is the good of soaking in all the wonderful theology you guys teach here if we don’t have a heart to share it with those who have NEVER heard it?

    I think #2 is the most important step listed here. (How can we go unless the Spirit sets us aside and sends us? And how can we know the mind of God in sending us unless we are in earnest prayer to hear the still small voice of the Spirit speaking to us? We must be on our knees asking the Lord to send workers into the harvest, with a full heart to BE the worker to go, should He be pleased to send you). When you look at this world and the absolute volume of people still unreached with the Gospel, it can overwhelm you with grief. Overwhelmed that we have so much in Him and they have nothing in Him, nor have they even heard of Him before. We, more than any previous generation, have the most wealth and most opportunity to go to these countries to help these people – and so we go for a month or two or send our money, but are we willing to forsake all to live among them and bring them to know the love of Christ? Where are our earnest, heart wrenching prayers for these people!? We may have the most wealth and think we are doing the most good than any previous generation, but perhaps the previous generations have been on their knees in prayer for the lost more than us, because they didn’t have the means to physically do as much as we can? Perhaps their lack of opportunity was a means to walk more in faith rather than by sight? Imagine then, the POTENTIAL of our generation if we walked by faith as the previous generations did!? (Where are the George Muller’s and Amy Carmichaels today!?). The Lord could absolutely saturate these dark lands with His servants from this generation, should He please to do so. Let’s get on our knees and ask Him to do that! What a wondrous and overwhelming thought.

    I would go move to one of these countries in a heartbeat, but the Lord has not been pleased to send me yet, and I must obey His voice and follow Him above all others (I’ve been asking Him to send me since I was 17. I’ve been waiting for 10 years now, but all I can say is blessed be His name for it!) At least I can pray! And, oh, I am so thankful I can go to my quiet room and pour out my heart in prayer for these lost people. (I use joshuaproject.net and I’ve been praying for unreached people groups in Niger. The Lord gives a burden to those whom He wishes to give a burden to. Heed His voice and commit yourself to what He gives you to do!).

    We must start with prayer, above anything else. You may not have money to give, or the Lord may not send you, but you have your heart of prayer to give to these lost souls! May we pray for the lost and so, may the Spirit have the freedom to move us to labor for the lost.

    Wonderful article! Amen!

    • Miss Wendy Rees

      God hasn’t sent you?! What about Mt. 28:20 and Acts 1:8??

      • Heather

        Right :)

        Yes, I absolutely agree with you that we have all already been “sent”, in the way that you mean. I don’t believe sharing the gospel was meant to be left only for the evangelists and missionaries to do, but for every son and daughter of God to do. Just like in Acts 1:8, it must start at home first. I’ve been laboring for the Lord in my hometown where He has “sent” me right now. Should the Lord eventually direct me to go “unto the uttermost part of the earth” then I’ll willingly and happily go.

  • Miss Wendy Rees

    I was preparing a presentation for a Paraguayan church about the remaining task of world evangelization when it struck me–that number of unreached people groups–2,500 groups is so FEW in relation to the number of sound churches in the world. How many churches per unreached language do you suppose that would divide up to be? If a handful of churches decided to colaborate to take responsibility to reach one specific ethnic group, and another few churches for another minority, and so on, each Christless group would be reached relatively quickly. [This idea didn't originate with me.]

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