Nations1

Lately I had to ask myself ” Why have another or even “a” blog on missions?”

Good question.  There are several reasons I have sought to do this. Let me share.

The first reason for this blog is that God has planted missions deep in my heart.  Twenty years ago I could care less about missions.  Then God confronted me with the scripture and brought me to my life’s calling.  I do it because I cannot help it,  it runs deep in me.

The second reason comes from scripture. It was not until 1997 after I had moved home from Russia that I begin to learn about how much missions is in the scripture.

Let me explain: Beginning in Genesis 12 and running all through the Bible to Rev. 5:9 and 7:9, is the idea that God desires to be worshiped and glorified among all ethnic groups. The word we normally associate with missions is the word nations in the New Testament. In the Old Testament the word nations also appears, as does the word pagan or heathens depending on the translation ( The same word for nations in the OT is also translated pagan or heathen depending on the the translation).  One thing is clear, God desires to be glorified among the nations.  But then it was pointed out to me that nations does not mean countries.

Note: The words in the Old and New Testament for nations, peoples, pagans, heathen and a few other words all come from just a few Hebrew and Greek words. These words all mean the basically the same thing. Instead of countries all these words refer to different ethno linguistic people groups. An ethnic group is one that speaks a distinct language and has a distinct set of customs and culture.

The word nations, pagan, heathen in the scripture definitely does not refer to geo-political countries. Most all biblical scholars will say that using the word nations, referring to political countries, is totally  inaccurate. (I know of one scholars who went to a certain bible translator to get the company to change the word from nations to the more accurate translation of ethnics or even ethnos. While acknowledging the request was accurate they would not do it due to Bible sales.)

The theme of God being glorified among the different ethnic groups runs throughout the entire scope of the scriptures. When I saw this I could not believe that we had had missed it for so long.  Many still miss it.

The great commission is not about simply getting baptisms. The great commission is about making disciples among ethnic groups.  See Matt. 28:19-20.  It is the call of the church to make disciples among the different ethnic groups. Missions is not about trips. It has more to do with a long term engagement of people than a one time event to share the gospel.

The scripture also tells us that Christ’ second coming will not happen till the Gospel has gone out to all the ethnic groups.  See Matt. 24:14.

Currently there are anywhere form 3000 to 6000 ethnic people groups who have no gospel witness in their language group.  These are called unreached people groups or UPG’s.  As my friend Bruce Ashford says, “They could walk for days and weeks and never find a person who speaks their language to tell them about Jesus”.

As I began to learn the depth of this in scriptures I began to compare that to what I saw churches doing in their mission efforts. The results were amazing. Few, no make that very few, churches understand this concept of going to the ethnos nor do they apply it in their church. Unfortunately few ,no make that very few, pastors understand the depth to which the scriptures speak of the ethnos and our role in reaching them.

Most churches see missions as simply something they give money to, a one time trip, or something they hand off to a Para church organization to do on their behalf.

Consider that 95% of the world’s pastors live in America serving 5% of the population. 90% of all our missionaries serve in places that already have a viable gospel witness in their language. Only 10% of the worlds missionary force serve in the 1.7 billion who have no access to the gospel. No Access is huge !Only about .03% of all money given to a churches in America goes to reach the least reached places in the world.

Missions is about the church taking on the task of making disciples among ethnic groups in America or over seas.

My passion is to help churches move beyond themselves to see the depth of the scriptural mandate to reach ethnic groups to the glory of God. They are hard to reach for a reason.  It is expensive, it is hot, it is far away, it is difficult to live there, and on and on. We have kept these excuses for so long that I think God is beginning to pass us by.  Of course that has not stopped many pastors who continue leading their people to safe easy places that are “fun”.

I think time is short for us in America to turn our hearts toward what God values.  My fear is that He will find someone else to carry out His plan for the nations.  Unfortunately I do not think it will be us in America.  We have turned our attention toward things that do not matter.  Large buildings, big budgets, slick TV campaigns and so forth.  Meanwhile my friends overseas suffer and strive to bring the gospel to UPG’s around the world.

Here are just a few of the scriptures to show this idea of ethnos:

Gen. 12:1-4 , Gen. 17:4 , I Chron. 16:24, Ps. 22:27, Ps. 67:1-4, Matt 24:14, Matt. 28:19-20,  Luke 24:47, Acts 3:25( referencing Gen. 12) Rev. 5:9, Rev. 7:9

For further reading see “Let the Nations Be Glad”  by John Piper.

For sermons on this issue John Piper is the best I have heard.  You can access his sermons here.