What are "Unreached" People Groups?

Christians, it seems, are focused on "catch phrases" in their personal ministries.

When I was in Bible College (several decades ago) a sweet, old lady asked me if I had heard of "the Spirit-filled life." I cautiously answered that I had and she was so excited that I had read "Dr. Ihavethenewesttrend's" book on the SFL. (Yes, she used the initials.) When I told her that I not only had not read the book, but had never heard of Dr. Ihavethenewesttrend, she was deeply offended. She did, however, offer to buy me the book.

She did. I read it. It was good, but the concept of living a Spirit-filled life did not start from him. He just put it into "catch phrases" that made it easy for us to remember.

Other "catch phrases" have come into focus over the years. I did not know anything about the "10-40 window." I thought perhaps it was where people met for their morning coffee break until I found out that I actually lived IN the "10-40 window." (I am at about 13˚ S.)

I have the books on fresh fire, the prayer of Jabez and all the "purpose-driven" programmes and really enjoy them. I have even used many – alright, MOST – of them in my teaching here in Zambia. There has never really been a problem with any of them. My friend, Jerry Thorpe, advised me to watch for "the bones" in these new and improved programmes. I have and generally found them quite useful. Several members of our church have really enjoyed "The Purpose Driven Life" and have shared it with their friends. I've read it several times myself.

Suddenly I have come across a new (at least to me) catch phrase. I was asked by a church if I was working with "unreached people groups." This seems to be the latest focus in churches. My reply to that request was (in true missionary form) "How do you define 'unreached' in your question?"

There has been a Gospel witness in Africa since the first century after Christ. Phillip led the Ethiopian to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ not long after the famous Pentecost encounter in Jerusalem. David Livingstone brought the Gospel to in his journeys to Central Africa 150 years ago. We have a book in our personal library by Daniel Crawford who described his ministry here in our part of the word 115 years ago. Has Zambia been "reached" yet? Hardly!

We have churches, assemblies, cathedrals and even "gospel tents" in Zambia. You can turn on the television on Saturday afternoon and watch almost any "flavour" of tele-evangelist. Benny Hinn and Earnest Angely have weekly broadcasts and Joyce Meiers is on the tube almost every night. We even have a Roman Catholic bishop who was married to a Japanese lady by "Rev" Moon. The Watch Tower Society has a huge following and even the LDS Mormons – racist though their theology may be – have moved into our town. Has Zambia been "reached" with the Gospel? Not even close.

The influx of religious "junk" has been misinterpreted by many people as considering Zambia – and much of the rest of Africa – "Christian." One former president of Zambia went so far as to "declare" Zambia to be a "Christian nation." The Hindus, Muslims, Jews and Satan all laughed. They knew better – and so do the Christians in Zambia.

Earlier this week a high school student came into the Christian Resource Centre that we have in Luanshya. The CRC is a library where Sherry and I have put several hundred of our books and have opened the room up to the public. Pastors, teachers and other church members are able to come in and read books that they could never afford to buy. We also have a Correspondence Bible School with almost 3,500 students who receive free Bible lessons. This young lady came in with her finished lesson, but the answers were a bit confusing. She goes to church "almost" every Sunday at a large church in our town with a bit of a different "flavour" than ours so I began asking her a few questions. It was not long before I realised that she not only did not know the Lord Jesus Christ as her Saviour, but she was more concerned about her standing in her church than she was about her standing before God. I gave her a small booklet to read and she promised to come back and talk to me. We'll see...

Was she "reached?" Certainly, but by the wrong people.

We are "reaching" the misdirected, misguided and misinformed. The same religious organisations that work in American neighbourhoods are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars evangelising the "developing world" while Christians (the REAL ones) are being duped into believing that the job is almost done. Money is rolling in from Salt Lake City to propagate the lie that "you can be a god." The Watch Tower Society has a plan to put a Kingdom Hall every five miles along the main roads in Zambia. In many villages the only permanent building in the whole village is the neat, clean, well-built Kingdom Hall, so the whole village gravitates to the "church" built by "our American friends."

Are they "reached?" Absolutely, but again, by the wrong people.

Are nice buildings the "answer" to reaching the world for Christ? No. The answer is still the one-to-one method set out by Christ in John 3. It is still the "foolishness of preaching" in 1 Corinthians 1:21 that bring a soul to a saving knowledge of the Saviour. Of course, a comfortable seat in a proper room never hurt the atmosphere. (Try turning off the air conditioning in your auditorium this Sunday and listen to the "compliments" you'll hear after the service.)

Ask a fire fighter when it is safe to walk away from a fire and he'll tell you, "When every spark is out." Ask a missionary when it is "safe" to walk away from a mission field and he'll tell you, "When every soul is reached…for the Gospel."

We can't leave the job unfinished.

Together in His Service,
Patrick Coleman
Re-reaching the Mis-reached in Zambia