Did you know there are 17,000 people groups in the world? And 7,000 people groups (3.2 billion people) currently have no witness to Jesus Christ among them? In light of these staggering facts and the mandate God has given his followers to make disciples of all nations, we must each ask ourselves this question: “What’s my role?”
The answer to that question depends on two things: God’s investment in you and God’s assignment for you.
God’s investment in you.
God has given each of his children spiritual gifts which he “apportions to each one individually as he wills” (1 Corinthians 12:11). He has also given you other resources such as time, money, and health. Remember Jesus’s words in Luke 12:48? “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.” What gifts has God entrusted to you for his use?
God’s assignment for you.
Global needs are so large that no one person could possibly meet them all. But you can do something! What is it that God has for you to do at this time in this stage of your life? How can you help bring the life of Jesus to those who have yet to hear about his grace? God has a specific assignment for you, and you’ll have to discern his will for you once you have given your life and body to him as a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1-2).
Consider these suggestions as you prayerfully evaluate your personal involvement in making disciples of the nations.
1. Come and join a hundred others for First Friday Prayer each month. After a light meal together, we worship, learn, and pray for our strategic partners and missionaries around the world.
2. Join a Barnabas Team to pray each month with others for a specific College Park missionary. Many of these teams meet on Sunday mornings and are a simple, but powerful, way to impact the world from right here in Indianapolis.
3. Host an international student for Thanksgiving. You’ll pick up a student (or two) from IU Indy and bring them to your home to share in this very American tradition. It’s very likely that your student will be from an unreached part of the world! This one-time commitment could lead to an ongoing relationship with your student(s).
4. Go on a Vision Trip. Details for each trip are available by the end of November for the following year’s trips. Join our annual call-out meeting each January to meet the leaders and learn more about trips available.
If each of us continues to do life just as we did this past year, it’s unlikely that these 3.2 billion unreached people will ever hear the gospel. For the unreached to hear, something needs to change in those who have the gospel. What change might you make in this coming year? What role will you play?
