“Did you know that Jesus loves you?” we asked the local tribal peoples. “What’s a Jesus? Is that some kind of a medicine?” Well, close but no cigar.
“Did you know that Jesus loves you?” we asked the local tribal peoples. “What’s a Jesus? Is that some kind of a medicine?” Well, close but no cigar. “Jesus? Is that a soap?” someone else asked us. The most memorable response was, “Oh, he’s not here right now, but he’ll be back next week.”
Years ago, on the border of China and Vietnam, we came across a girl who was wearing a silver cross around her neck. “Do you know the meaning of that cross?” we asked her. “No.” “It is the cross of Jesus,” we told her. The confused look on her face was very telling. “Oh, Jesus. Isn’t he some sort of French priest?” she asked.
What’s the point of all these random stories, you ask? Simple. There are ethnic people groups that exist in the twenty-first century who have still never heard of Jesus Christ.
Does that surprise you? Honestly it should. It should surprise all of us who have daily access to our personal Bibles, praise and worship music, Christian bookstores, and a slew of choices about which church to attend based on personal preference, style and convenience.
Okay, it should do more than surprise us. It should make us angry. It should break our hearts that they still don’t know who Jesus is, and we’ll tell you why: because it breaks the heart of God.
Does your heart break for the things that break the heart of God?
Want to reach unreached people groups? It’s not that much of a mystery. Here’s is how it works:
After tens of hours of driving over potholed highways and bumpy mountain roads, we finally pull into the local township. It feels like the middle of nowhere. Back-bent grannies walk by with a heavy load of firewood. Smoke rises in the village on the mountain to the west. A water buffalo struts slowly along a muddy footpath. There’s a little shack behind you. They sell spam and brittle biscuits and soft drinks. “One Coke please,” you request the vender. And there, in the middle of nowhere, in a tiny shack along a muddy village road, a lady hands you a red tin can with the famous lettering: Coca Cola.
You pull the aluminum tab and hear that fizzing tssk sound. It echoes across the mountains and valleys where the name of Jesus is virtually unknown.
I know, you’re busy. We all are. But it’s funny how we get so busy with the mundane; with the things that don’t really make a difference in eternity.
Well, I guess it’s not that funny, now is it?
Today we want to encourage and challenge you to join us in reaching out to unreached people groups who have never heard of Jesus before. They’re more familiar with a fizzy Coke than they are the Son of God. But together we can change that.
The Within Reach Global team travels to these unreached people groups every week. Can’t travel around the world? That’s okay. You can make a difference by funding our local co-workers’ travels this week. Can’t speak the language? That’s fine. Our underground leaders are having a conversation with an unreached people group as you read this. God sees your sacrifice. Give to Within Reach Global today, and make a difference in eternity for those lost in darkness.
Coca Cola may be more popular than Jesus in some parts of the world, but we’re helping change that one person at a time.