This has all been pioneer work, bringing the Message only to places where Jesus was not yet known.
Click To Tweet

Enter the Within Reach Global local missionary team.

 Like Within Reach Global on Facebook.

 Follow Within Reach Global on Twitter.

This band of ragamuffin misfits and fiery church planters comprise of the most unassuming type: former AK-47-brandishing child soldiers, sons of voodoo witch doctors, foaming-at-the-mouth demoniacs whose demons have been exorcized, the poorest of the poor, and marginalized tribals.

But their stories did not conclude with hopelessness. Today these persecuting Saul’s-turned-Paul’s and impoverished untouchables cast the brilliant luminance of the Gospel of God’s grace and glory into regions that know nothing more than darkness. Their newfound passion: honoring God by reaching the unreached people groups of the 10/40 Window.

These persecuting Saul’s-turned-Paul’s cast the brilliant luminance of the Gospel.
Click To Tweet

The following vignettes are modest glimpses of Within Reach Global outreach among peoples who have still never heard of Jesus.

Week after week, we strap on our hiking shoes and hit the precipitous mountain ranges where the unreached reside. Our indigenous missionaries serve among the Miao, Yi, Yao, Wa, Hui, to name only a few ethnic tribes. God’s love the motivating force behind our missional passion, we reach out to the poorest of the poor, the unreached, underprivileged, elderly, and orphaned. Many of these are the “left-behinds” abandoned by mother, father, son or daughter in search of the “Chinese dream” in urbanizing cities. Whole villages are unreached, clutched in the claws of an age-old dragon, forgotten and without a witness of the Gospel.

Of these regions, 19th-century missionary Robert Moffat said,

“In the vast plain to the north I have sometimes seen, in the morning sun, the smoke of a thousand villages where no missionary has ever been—villages whose people are without Christ, without God, and without hope in the world.”

In other villages, among the Miao tribe, for example, there exists a shred of Gospel witness: old government-run churches where the presence of the Holy Spirit is no longer allowed to occupy. We visit these vast regions to kindle revival, spark true repentance, and cultivate spiritual growth.

The shoddy roads to these villages are a steep, slippery incline of mud and gravel. Come rainy days, these narrow paths become treacherous. Landslides are common and whole roads have disappeared into gaping valleys as the torrents rip tree root from rock. We have often dodged boulders and stones as they hurl from above to the roads we travel. Night travel—a necessary evil of arduous jaunts in China’s agrarian countryside—is a grave endeavor. With every step near sheer cliff, we pray God’s protection over our missionary team. That and courage. Missionary work of this sort is not for the weak of heart. But our missionaries are unwavering in purpose, thankful for God’s divine leading and the promise of protection.

We believe in faith in action, an expression of the holistic Christian Gospel. When we travel to these unreached regions to share the Gospel message we often bring rice, vegetable, spices, and basic necessities. Hearts open when we reach out in love by meeting physical human needs.

We believe in faith in action, an expression of the holistic Christian Gospel.
Click To Tweet

This tribal grandmother takes care of her mute and deaf granddaughter. The child’s parents have abandoned her in search of a better life in the nearby county. Whenever we visit her we sense a spark of hope and joy arise in this elderly woman. It is natural for people to feel the love of God radiating from the body of Christ! We took this photo as we were leaving her dilapidated home. She didn’t want us to go and so she continued standing outside her house, begging us to stay longer. We promised to return and visit her.

It is natural for people to feel the love of God radiating from the body of Christ!
Click To Tweet

This elderly woman lives alone in a ten square meter mud hut. Her poverty was evident, eating nothing but wild greens on a daily basis. Once while we were praying for and ministering to her, she suddenly fainted. We were alarmed, concluding that old age and her meager diet had weakened her body over time. We helped her to her bed, worshipping together around her bedside and reading passages of scripture. A single light bulb hung over us, casting faint light. But the light of the Gospel in the face of Jesus was radiant!

Upon further visits, we marveled that her strength slowly began to return. She now listens to God’s word and worship on an MP3 player that we gifted her. This small dose of generosity has been a lifeline to her. The last time we visited this granny she said “I am getting older and weaker. I’m not sure how much longer I have. I’m afraid that the next time you come back to visit me, I won’t be here anymore.” We pray for the seed of truth to bloom in her heart and pray that we will someday see her dancing on streets of gold.

Brother Liao is one of our new “Timothy’s”. His first encounter with the Gospel was when we shared about God’s glory during an Easter outreach. After a week of discipleship, he was baptized with the Holy Spirit! We strive to make disciples who live like Jesus. Our greatest desire is to see Him glorified through our lives despite the difficulties and challenges of being a Christian in this country. And so it is with our new Brother Liao. Every day we spend time together with him, praying, reading the Bible, sharing meals, and serving the Lord so that he might see the full life that we have in Jesus! We continue to hope and pray that he hears the call of God to minister alongside us in reaching the unreached.

“And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others.” 2 Timothy 2:2

One of the most life-giving outreaches at Within Reach Global is caring for orphans in the mountainous regions where we minister. Although most of them have lost their parents, they have found new hope after realizing that their Heavenly Father loves and cares for them.

Our prayer, one which we invite you to join us in praying, is that these children will grow in the love of God and bear lasting fruit. Please pray also that God will provide us with the finances and co-laborers to establish a “Father’s House” children’s home for these precious little ones.

There is not enough time to share all the incredible stories of God’s grace with you! We have been encouraged by the many testimonies of changed lives among these orphaned children. Many of them are growing in their spiritual lives and, even at a young age, are learning to preach the Gospel! These bold little prayer warriors are standing in the gap for people around them, finding deep joy in prayer, and crying out to God for the lost.

These bold little orphans are prayer warriors, crying out to God for the lost!
Click To Tweet

In our China context, street preaching and overt outreach are highly illegal. Still, we often stand in the city square, singing worship songs and openly preaching the Gospel! When the Holy Spirit leads us into seemingly precarious situations, we have no choice but to gladly obey Him. We lay hands on perfect strangers and pray for their needs. Once while we were preaching openly on the streets, a police officer pushed his way to the front of the crowd. Initially, we presumed that we were in trouble and another long interrogation at the police station would soon follow. Instead, the police officer had come to hear the Gospel message! We prayed for him and for his family.

When the Holy Spirit leads us into precarious situations, we gladly obey Him.
Click To Tweet

During yet another time of public street preaching, a middle-aged man came to the city square to hear the Gospel message that we were sharing. That day, he had been planning to commit suicide, but after hearing the message of Jesus he repented, burst into tears, and told us the depths of his difficult life journey. We ministered to him long into the evening. We are to be a light in the midst of darkness! Praise God for his grace!

We also regularly go to the hospitals to pray for the sick. This missional outreach has opened many doors for the Gospel to take root and countless lives have heard the Gospel for the very first time—many just in the nick of time as they lay on their death beds!

This is the advent of the Kingdom of God. God’s grace and glory know no boundaries. Geographical coordinates are a trivial notion to a God who dwells outside the restraints of time and space. Christian outreach in Seattle or Dallas or Boston is as meaningful to God as Kingdom ministry in Bangkok or Beijing, Copenhagen or Cairo.

This is the advent of the Kingdom of God. God’s grace and glory know no boundaries.
Click To Tweet

Our prayer is that you are encouraged and inspired to join us in reaching the unreached and taking the Gospel message to places that have never heard.

To love the things of God—to adore God Himself—is to care about the things He cares for, namely people. People everywhere, not just at home. Souls on the brink of eternity at every geographical juncture of our planet.

And as Jesus is lifted up, men, women, and children are mysteriously drawn to Him only to find the source of true life.

The post Vignettes and glimpses of Within Reach Global outreach appeared first on Within Reach Global.

Like Within Reach Global on Facebook.

Bags packed, vehicles loaded with 20 Americans from The Rock of Roseville church, we began our journey from megacity toward the bucolic landscapes of Southwest China.

Outside the window, the milieu shifted: expansive rice fields, precipitous mountains, then cavernous valleys bejeweled with occasional packed mud homes and ramshackle residences. These hills are home to numerous unreached people groups.

One week prior, the view that our short-term team witnessed was altogether different: long stretches of smooth Western highway, vehicles magically driving in their proper lanes, here and there a Walmart, Starbucks, In-N-Out Burger.

Now, criss-crossing the mountain ranges, up we ascended, higher, higher into the plains and plateaus that the global Church, in large part, has long overlooked and even forgotten.

One of our three vehicles cannot make the uphill journey. We alight, walk the rest of the way, lightening the load for the gutless-wonder-of-a-van.

 

“The Bible talks about going out into the world and preaching the Gospel. That doesn’t always mean comfort. In fact, the Gospel often spreads quicker amidst discomfort and where there is hardship. That’s the culture that Christianity blossomed in.” — Brandon

The unreached are unreached for a reason. They dwell on silent mountaintops where trickling streams tucked between craggy ranges flow along lofty elevations. The sporadic clucking of chickens and clanking of rice pots in these village settings startle birds overhead; a pig squeals, a water buffalo stirs beneath stilted hut.

It’s remarkable how the advent of the Kingdom of God is much less subtle than we might have expected—quiet at first, a fiery flicker, like kindling, a spark that will soon become a blazing flame among those who have never heard of Jesus before.

“Do you know who Jesus is?” I ask. A blank stare is the only response, often followed by, “Jesus? Is that some kind of soap?”

They do not know. The Gospel, still a fantasy in these parts is shrouded in secrecy—an unthinkable travesty. And how can they find out about the heart of God unless we go? That is why we’re here today.

“But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!” — Romans 10:14-15

 

“The reality of unreached people groups is such an injustice. The Church should be sending people to these villages. We should be going. We should care more. My heart really opened up and realized that it is a huge deal that people still don’t know who Jesus is.” — Morgan

All day, we lounge (uncomfortably) on six-inch stools, breaking sunflower seeds with our molars, chatting, listening to the village chatter. We lend a hand to the locals and slaughter a goat, some chickens, slice and debone fish. We sense the Spirit of God hovering over these mountains. The advent of God’s Kingdom is nigh. A scaly dragon, long keeper of these hills, shifts restlessly, knowing his time is short. For where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom.

In our going, hearts slowly awaken to the reality of God’s grace and glory. The going is slow—reluctant, we think, perhaps even sedated according to our monochromatic manner of time. But where seed is sown, a harvest is sure to come; the harvest is in the seed.

 

“Unreached peoples are no different than Americans; they’re just normal people. This realization demystifies missions. We find that they are not an obscure, nameless, faceless conglomeration of individuals. But it is heartbreaking that the Gospel may never reach them.” — Faith

At Within Reach Global, we long to see salvation spring up among those who have never heard the Gospel message before. We desire to see new disciples, churches planted, local leaders emerge, revival fire fall. This happens as we lay down our own frivolous and myopic desires, die to self, and take the Kingdom news to regions still waiting at the other end of our obedience.

Smoke billows from the fire pit, cloaking the decrepit living space in soot and darkness. But suddenly a light breaks forth as we stretch out our hands, praying for the locals, empowering the two lone indigenous missionaries to thousands across these sprawling mountain ranges. Tears of joy fall, Christian love arising in a most unassuming spot.

A twelve-year-old girl starts crying. Little did we imagine the impact our seemingly menial presence had upon her little heart. One-by-one, the girls from The Rock of Roseville team hug her. I cup this little sister’s face in my big brother hands. “No matter where you go, no matter what you do,” I begin, “Jesus loves you with all His heart! You are God’s princess! You are precious! You are valuable.”

Instances like these are not as mysterious as they might seem. To demystify global missions, think on this: We, the body of Christ, carry around the all-surpassing power of the Kingdom in cracked and leaky jars of clay. And thank God for the fractures in our weak selves! How else might the glorious power of God flow out to those who are waiting to understand the love of God?

These unreached regions—these places and peoples who have long been overlooked and under-prioritized—the time has come for them to find out about our Savior Jesus! If Revelation 7:9 is to come to pass—every nation and tribe and people and language standing before the throne of God—do we not have a part to play in partnering with God to make this a reality?

John Piper is fond of saying, “Go, send, or disobey.” I, too, find no other alternative to the command of Jesus.

So choose your response today. Countless lives hinge upon your decision to join God’s epic redemptive plan in the nations.

To hear more incredible stories of travels among the unreached, buy The Space Between Memories: Recollections from a 21st Century Missionary by David Joannes!

The post A short-term American team’s journey to unreached regions appeared first on Within Reach Global.

#Orphan kids and Chinese college students join us in a journey to #unreached peoples!
Click To Tweet

The words of Robert Moffat aptly describe this dire reality:

“In the vast plain to the north I have sometimes seen, in the morning sun, the smoke of a thousand villages where no missionary has ever been—villages whose people are without Christ, without God, and without hope in the world.”

But God in His sovereignty ever sees the ones that He loves. And because of His ardent passion for the people He created, He beckons His sons and daughters to join Him in reaching these lost ones. We have heard His call to bring good news to the poor, to comfort the brokenhearted, to give a crown of beauty for ashes and a joyous blessing instead of mourning.

Like Within Reach Global on Facebook and Follow Within Reach Global on Twitter.

Last week, Within Reach Global missionaries drove a caravan of vehicles five hours over rugged roads and winding country trails to an unreached village. 20 orphan children from Father’s Heart children’s home joined them, giggly and excited to bestow the love of Jesus upon the kids who awaited them.

Within Reach Global and Love For The Poor have partnered together for years. Chinese college students from our English corner outreach regularly join our missionaries in teaching English to the marginalized kids of Father’s House.

These children have grown in their love for the Lord, and we thought it the perfect time for them to shine like little lights in the darkness.

We watched these #orphans shine like little lights in the darkness. #Gospel
Click To Tweet

And so Within Reach Global missionaries and Love For The Poor kids bumped over the pitted, bone-shaking roads until at long last they arrived at a sleepy unreached village.

We, of course, came bearing gifts. For what are the cultural keys to unlocking salvation among unreached people groups if not long balloons shaped into adorable animals and spectacular swords?

We also brought school supplies, backpacks, and new clothing—tokens of love for the precious children in the village.

These small gifts accompanied by a warm human touch express the love of a Heavenly Father.

And who were these that showed, through a gentle touch and a caring smile, such a glorious witness of the Gospel? They were orphans and underprivileged children, the “least of these” who have come to know the heart of their Heavenly Father.

Dressed in their traditional minority outfits, the children of Father’s House have been so transformed over the years that they have now become resplendent lights in dark parts.

Their little voices express the eternal compassion of the Divine; their eyes shine with radiant refulgence to declare the goodness of God.

The children were also joined by volunteer college students who attend our weekly English corner outreach.

Our team set up four play stations in the open courtyard of the village. Each play table filled with fun activities: bracelet making, balloon blowing, crayon coloring, and language learning.

The whole village came to witness the rare form of entertainment.

Reaching unreached people groups is not an easy task. It requires an intentional focus and strong commitment.

We desire to see every people, tongue, tribe, and language standing before the throne of God, and we know that this will not occur by happenstance.

That’s why we go. That’s why we leave our Jerusalem, depart from our Judea, and abandon our Samaria for the ends of the earth.

For “this Gospel of the Kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” (Matthew 24:14)

Will you take a moment to pray about how God might use you to shine the light of the Gospel to the ends of the earth? People are waiting at the other end of our obedience.

Every Christian is called to take part in the Great Commission—to go, send, or disobey. We pray that you respond to the heart of God in a worthy manner.

Every #Christian is called to take part in the #GreatCommission—to go, send, or disobey.
Click To Tweet

Are you interested in more stories about the unreached and God’s mission heart? Buy The Space Between Memories: Recollections from a 21st Century Missionary by David Joannes.

The post Orphan kids and Chinese college students join us in a journey to unreached peoples appeared first on Within Reach Global.

Sure, you might be missing the bowls of spicy fish, the explosive chaos of fireworks, the family gatherings and overall festivity that marks the lunar calendar. But you can still play a part by making a special donation to our missionaries at Within Reach Global.

Make a special donation to our missionaries at Within Reach Global! @within_reach
Click To Tweet

Red packets (also known as red envelopes or 红包 in Chinese) are monetary gifts which are given during holidays and particularly during Chinese New Year.

It’s the perfect time to make a special donation to our missionaries at Within Reach Global. And we’ve decided to make it easy for you by embedding the form below for you to give right now! Please, no pressure… although this is a cultural norm you don’t want to miss!

Giving a red packet 红包 is a cultural norm you don’t want to miss!
Click To Tweet

Here’s why we invite you to give: our missionaries are taking the Gospel to regions where it has never gone before. They are seeing salvations, baptisms and revival among unreached ethnic tribes. There is fruit in this ministry, and we invite you to sow where the Kingdom is at hand!

There is fruit in this ministry, and we invite you to sow where the Kingdom is at hand!
Click To Tweet

Millions of Chinese have returned home to their provinces or villages to spend time with family and friends. This year, the year of the rooster, the number of travelers have increased dramatically. Check out this incredible post by CNN.

Post highlights include the following: 

• Chinese authorities expect 2.5 billion trips by land during the “chunyun” mass migration; 
• Total distance traveled is 1.2 billion kilometers—equivalent of traveling from Earth to Saturn!

Happy Chinese New Year from all our missionaries at Within Reach Global!

The post Give Your Red Packet (红包) For Chinese New Year appeared first on Within Reach Global.

Power-packed Christmas party in China, side-splitting laughter, intense importance.
Click To Tweet

No, pause for a moment to remember that this party happened in China, home to the “nones”, to the “unaffiliated”, to those who don’t adhere to any kind of spiritual creed. China, where ancient Confucianist, Daoist, and Buddhist beliefs once gripped the hearts of its inhabitants; where communism tore apart the fabric of society during the Cultural Revolution; where today’s youth are strangely unaware of a “Higher Presence” or relational Father God.

This is where our Christmas party took place. And when a Chinese college student hears that God is real, that He loves him/her, that He is passionate about them and cares for them—that’s when things change.

Every week we host multiple English corners throughout the city where Chinese college students come to practice their foreign language skills, meet new friends, and join a community of Christ-centered individuals. This is true discipleship, messy and raw, gritty and life-changing.

There were songs and games, gift-giving and glory. We shared the true meaning of Christmas, and for many, it was their very first time to hear about Jesus Christ.

We pray that as you read these stories and see these photos, you would be inspired to join us in taking the Gospel message where it has never been known. This is fertile soil! This is where the future leaders of China are being raised! This is where the Kingdom of God is falling! Be a part of this divine story.

This is fertile soil! This is where the future leaders of China are being raised!
Click To Tweet

Take part with us by join our Monthly Prayer and Financial Support Team, giving a special donation, praying for our Chinese college campus outreach, and bringing your team on a short-term trip.

God is ever speaking, penning the details of this epic redemption narrative. You are a part. Always remember that: you are a part of this glorious end-time revival!

Always remember that: you are a part of this glorious end-time revival!
Click To Tweet

The post A Powerful Christmas Party in China appeared first on Within Reach Global.

That’s what we told the youth at Lifepointe Church in Prescott Valley, Arizona on Wednesday night.

Note: Our secret church service was not related to David Platt’s Secret Church.

Secret Church: Replica Of An Underground Meeting. #persecution
Click To Tweet

“Just attending this service may be risky,” we told them, and we could see the concern on their faces.

Just attending this service may be risky,” we told them, and we could see their concern.
Click To Tweet

Not long after they arrived for the regular midday youth group, we marched 60 junior high and high school youth outside in the cold, signaled across the campus with flashlights, and told them not to make a sound. They snuck in the back of the church building in silence, ascended a darkened stairwell, and crammed inside a small room.

In hushed tones, I recounted stories of my many interrogations in China while traveling among unreached people groups. I shared testimonies of life transformation through our ministry, Within Reach Global.

One of the highlights of the secret church service to remember our persecuted brothers and sisters was talking to one of our Chinese missionaries live online. This young lady who got saved through our college student ministry ministers to and oversees 250 orphans in 74 villages in rural China. We’ll call her “Bright Eyes”.

She spoke Mandarin Chinese as I translated for the group of American young people. There was pin drop silence in the small room. Everyone was riveted to the screen, to her powerful testimony, to the reality of the persecuted world.

“I pray that you would remember this night,” I told the group. “Remember that you have a part to play in God’s epic redemptive salvation plan.”

Remember this night. You have a part to play in God’s epic redemptive salvation plan.
Click To Tweet

We prayed for Bright Eyes in English. She prayed for us in Chinese. Then everyone gathered around me and prayed for the ministry of Within Reach Global. We ended the evening with a single guitar and whispered worship, singing, “Jesus, Holy and Anointed One.”

The presence of God was palpable. The Holy Spirit invaded our space and the Kingdom of God altered the atmosphere. I pray that the young people who attended this replica of the secret church will never be the same again.

If you want to get involved at Within Reach Global, you can volunteer, come on a short-term trip, become a long-term missionary, join the monthly prayer and financial support team, and continue to pray for our team of pioneer missionaries.

Hear more moving stories from the mission field in David Joannes’ book, The Space Between Memories: Recollections from a 21st Century Missionary.

The post Secret Church: Replica Of An Underground Meeting appeared first on Within Reach Global.

Because of the pressures that Chinese college students face, especially during nationwide exams, is taking its toll on society.

The suicide rate in China is staggering. According to a 2011 Center for Disease Control and Prevention report, China’s suicide rate is 22.23 people out of every 100,000. This rate places the country among the countries with the highest suicide per capita in the world.

The suicide rate in China is staggering, one of the world’s highest per capita.
Click To Tweet

In recent months, a young student jumped from the tenth floor of her dormitory. She could not cope with the pressures of school. But it’s more than just school. It’s the expectation to perform, to create a better future for family, and to find one’s place in society.

When I came across The Angel of Nanjing, a film about a man who rescues people from attempted suicide on a popular bridge in Nanjing city, I was astounded. Though Chen Si is not a Christian, he is bringing hope to a hopeless generation.

But can’t the Gospel of Jesus Christ create a more powerful effect among suicidal young people?

The Gospel of Jesus Christ creates a powerful effect among suicidal young people.
Click To Tweet

Will you pray for this generation in China with us? Pray that God would open their eyes to see who He is, how much He loves them, and how He wants to transform their lives.

At Within Reach Global, we are focusing on raising up disciples among college students at The Hub and The Bridge outreach centers. Join us in this holy passion!

Image credit: chinasmack.com

The post Suicide Among Chinese College Students And Gospel Hope appeared first on Within Reach Global.

SHARE THIS: Want to be a #missions #mobilizer? Host a @within_reach Vision Cast!
Click To Tweet

You want to make Jesus famous among the nations, but you can’t just up and leave your job, your church, or your hometown and move across the pond. But you can become a powerful missions mobilizer and help people learn how to sow their prayer and finances into Kingdom ministry.

How is this possible?

It’s simple really. We have compiled all the information you need to host a Within Reach Global Vision Cast in your home or church. You provide the coffee and desserts; the Holy Spirit does the rest!

What’s a Within Reach Global Vision Cast?

A Vision Cast is essentially a small group gathering or fundraising banquet. Think of it however you want. We like to call it a Vision Cast. It’s a couple of hours where you can invite your friends, family, small group, and church members to hear exciting missionary stories straight from the mission field.

Check out our Vision Cast guidelines here.

These missional videos and stories coupled alongside a personal connection with you will help people realize that it’s actually easy to take part in global missions. You can even arrange the time of the Vision Cast so that David Joannes, president of Within Reach Global, can video call in live from Southeast Asia.

What’s the point of a Vision Cast?

We need your help to grow prayer warriors and financial vision partners for the ministry among unreached people groups, Chinese college students, drug-addicted communities, and orphaned children.

We need more missions mobilizers, and we think that you are the perfect fit!

We need more #missions #mobilizers, and we think that you are the perfect fit!
Click To Tweet

We have compiled all the information that you will need to host a Within Reach Global Vision Cast in your home. Check out the package here.

So, now you’re interested. That’s obvious. Let’s schedule a time and set up a Vision Cast! Because we know that your heart beats for those without access to the Christian Gospel.

Contact us for more information or check out our Vision Cast guidelines here.

We’re excited to joins hearts and hands to reach the unreached with you!

The post You Can Be A Missions Mobilizer By Hosting A Vision Cast! appeared first on Within Reach Global.

Life With God Versus Life Without God: A Chinese College Student perspective
Click To Tweet

We call it our “big net”. It’s a place where we cast our nets into the massive student population of Southwest China, searching for students who are hungry for spiritual things.

And we’ve caught a bunch of fish!

Every week, we see over 100 college students attend our English Corner outreach. But we have a strategic plan. From our “big net” we find students who show a sincere interest in learning more about God. These students are ushered into our discipleship process.

That’s what we call our “small net”. It’s a focused gathering of Chinese college students who are getting saved, being discipled, and introduced into our house church setting.

We’re seeing many hearts open to the Christian Gospel!

Check out photos on Facebook from our college outreach!

Chinese college students move from “big net” to “small net” #evangelism to #discipleship
Click To Tweet

Just last week, we asked them to write down a bunch of reasons why should or should not become Christians. Their answers were intriguing, giving us a glimpse into the heart of China’s shifting cultural values.

Some of the pros of following God were:

• Peaceful
• Stronger
• Younger
• Miracle experience
• Learn to forgive

Here’s some of the cons for following God:

• Less friends
• No parties
• Guilt/conviction
• Mysterious

The pros of life without God included “safety from cults”, “easier to find a job” and “normal life”. The cons of life without God included “uncertainty”, “emptiness”, and “boring life”.

Pretty incredible glimpses into the thought process of Chinese college students, right?

Honestly, they are facing similar struggles as college students worldwide. They’re not as different as you might think. For more on the issues that Chinese [Christians] are dealing with, check out the recent Missions Blab with guest Brent Fulton, president of China Source, entitled: China’s Urban Christians: A Light That Cannot Be Hidden.

Will you commit to pray with us for the Chinese college students at The Hub and The Bridge? We need your prayers and support. Join us in this holy endeavor to bring the Gospel message to hungry hearts.

The post Life With God Versus Life Without God: A Chinese College Student Perspective appeared first on Within Reach Global.

Listen to the podcast here.

The idea here is that you have people from an unreached people group—especially young people who go to university in the city. And instead of hiking up to a rural village, if you’re already in the city, you can impact multiple unreached people groups in the urban context.

In 1800, there were 3 cities with a population of one million or more.
In 1900, there were 16.
In 1950, there were 74.
In 2010, there were 442.

Populations in rural settings are disappearing as they move to burgeoning cities in search of a better life. And so we must change of thinking as we intentionally focus on reaching unreached people groups.

A mega city is an urban setting with a population of 10 million or more. In 1975 there were 3 mega cities: Mexico City, Tokyo, New York City. Today there are over 21 mega cities!

 

Time, technology and population growth have massively accelerated the advent of this new urbanized era. Already more than half the world lives in cities, and the percentage is growing rapidly. But just 100 cities account for 30% of the world’s economy, and almost all of its innovation. — Foreign Policy, Beyond City Limits, 2010

The goal is, obviously, to see whole people groups reached with the gospel. Then those new believers take the gospel back to their own people, tribe and language. There has been a recalibrating in my mind and spirit about how we go about reaching unreached people groups in the China setting.

There has been a recalibrating about how we reach #unreached people groups.
Click To Tweet

When these people come from the village, they break kinship ties, they are far away from family, in a relationally precarious setting, and they’re living in a pluralistic society. They’re actually quite easy to reach in the city setting.

As you focus on reaching unreached people groups, I pray that God will enlighten your heart to new, creative ideas to cause impact among these precious despised.

The post Intentionally Reaching Unreached People Groups In The Urban Setting [Podcast] appeared first on Within Reach Global.