UNREACHED
In Revelation 7, John shares his vision of heaven with members from every tribe, tongue, people and language standing in the throne room before the Lamb.
Yet today there are still over 7,000 unreached people groups around the world.
For the last six years, my family and friends have been on a journey to find, vet and fund the task remaining.
Come journey with us to the ends of the earth as we share the supernatural stories of God at work through the men and women he has called to reach the UNREACHED.
UNREACHED
LIVE! The Mission of God with Dr. Todd Ahrend
Dr. Todd Ahrend takes us deep into understanding the mission of God from Genesis to Revelation, revealing how we are called to prioritize reaching the 7,000 unreached people groups around the world with the gospel.
• God's mission begins in Genesis 12 when He promises to make Abraham into a great nation that will bless all nations
• Israel was meant to be God's "treasured possession," "kingdom of priests," and "holy nation" to show who God is to all nations
• Where Israel failed in their mission, Jesus prevailed perfectly, then established the church to continue reaching all peoples
• The five Great Commission texts together command us to go make disciples in every people group through the power of the Holy Spirit
• From approximately 17,000 people groups worldwide, about 7,000 remain "unreached" with no sustainable gospel witness
• The "1040 Window" contains most unreached peoples, dominated by Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and animistic religions
• Every Christian is called to be a "global Christian" by welcoming internationals, praying strategically, and supporting missions efforts
• We must shift our priorities from polishing our "rocks" (savings, safety, resume, relaxation) to participating in God's global purpose
You can find "The Abrahamic Revolution" by Dr. Todd Ahrend at the link below.
https://www.amazon.com/Abrahamic-Revolution-Todd-Ahrend/dp/1935651277/ref=sr_1_4?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.LTdpfJRWcKVmRFHUuMbKwPJmRzBQ5GCM5xLv7TEcZ5c6B1PSducQBWBTZcncztPHru3uU78BhMK6b-UfpJ1W9g.QKZZiHc-dm8adHQOZiWM_bdZZncZwh7FBK3fVGdLkzg&dib_tag=se&qid=1747336175&refinements=p_27%3ATodd+Ahrend&s=books&sr=1-4
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In Revelation 7, john shares his vision of heaven, with members from every tribe, tongue, people and language standing in the throne room before the Lamb. Yet today there are still over 7,000 unreached people groups around the world. For the last six years, my family and friends have been on a journey to find, vet and fund the task remaining. Come journey with us to the ends of the earth as we share the supernatural stories of God at work for the men and women he has called to reach the unreached.
Speaker 2:Hey friends, today we have an incredibly special episode of the Unreached podcast. We just hosted an event in collaboration with Bless at Austin Ridge Bible Church, where Dr Todd Aaron came in to talk to us about the mission of God. This episode was recorded in front of a live audience and we cannot wait for you to hear all that God has for you today. So check this out with Dr Todd Aaron.
Speaker 3:Thank you for coming. I was speaking at a church in Alabama and a guy picks me up from the airport in his Prius and I'm like cool Prius says no one, and him and his wife were in the front seat. This is Birmingham, alabama. And I'm in the back seat and I say tell me about yourselves. He's like my name's Rick. This is my wife, charlotte, and we lived our whole life. We retired and we lived our whole life so we could cruise the world. And I'm like you want to cruise the world with retirement? He's like yes, he's like we went on our first cruise and we just went on our last cruise and I was like what do you mean? Your first and only last cruise? He's like Todd, first cruise after retirement.
Speaker 3:I'm sitting by the pool on the cruise ship. First day we're cruising the Panama Canal. I'm reading a book. I look up, there's a man floating in the pool. I throw my book, I say Charlotte, I run, I jump in, I pull the man to the side, I start resuscitation. Todd, he'd been dead for 20 minutes. His wife's on the phone, doesn't even know.
Speaker 3:First day of retirement, on our first cruise. I'm sitting by a dead man at the pool and I look up and I say, charlotte, is this what I gave my life for? People dying while I tan? He said, todd, I'm 60 years old and I don't know my purpose. And then we drove to the church and I thought, wow, wow, welcome to American Christianity. Confusion, living for things that are not appropriate for our time, talent and treasure should go. And I said, man, what would have happened if this man would have been anchored in the mission of God from his teenage years? What if he grew up knowing the mission of God and what his purpose was? And so it is imperative that we leave here this afternoon knowing what is the mission of God. What am I supposed to do with my time, talent and treasures? How do I give? How do I live? How do I raise my kids? And so, if you had no knowledge of the Bible and you picked one up, the first 11 chapters is just the introduction. The first 11 chapters is just the introduction. The first 11 chapters is just the introduction. You can reduce the first 11 chapters into four words Creation, fall flood nations. You can reduce the first 11 chapters of the Bible into four words Creation, fall flood nations.
Speaker 3:And as you turn to Genesis, chapter 11,. God has said fill the earth, fill the earth, fill the earth. But listen to what happens to humanity Now. The whole earth had one language and a common speech, one language on planet earth. As men moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar. They're supposed to be filling the earth with God's glory, except they say come, let us go down and confuse their language. Come, let us build ourselves a city with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth. This is direct disobedience. God has said fill the earth, fill the earth, fill the earth. Humanity says no thanks. And so God comes down and he brings confusion, judgment and a scattering. And now, in Genesis 11, the nations are scattered. We go from one language to 70 languages. God creates 70 languages in Genesis chapter 11.
Speaker 3:Now, if you had no knowledge of the Bible and you got to Genesis chapter 11, you should have anxiety. You should say man, what's going to happen? How is he going to bring back all these nations under his glory? And all you have to do to relieve the tension of how is God going to respond is turn the page. Genesis chapter 12 is where the mission of God becomes clear.
Speaker 3:Genesis, chapter 12,. The mission of God becomes clear. God is going to pick a man. From that man, create a family. From that man, create a family. From that family, create a nation and from that nation, create a great nation that will bless all nations. The man is Abram. The family is Israel. The Lord said to Abram leave your country, your people, your father's household and go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you. I'll make your name great. You'll be a blessing. I'll bless those who bless you, and whoever curse you I'll curse. But here it is. All the 70 nations that I scattered in Genesis 11 are going to be regathered under my glory. Through you, all peoples of the earth are going to be blessed through you. I was a believer for a decade before I realized the importance of Genesis 12. I had no idea.
Speaker 3:Genesis 12, all of scripture hung. The entire scripture can be encapsulated in what God's going to do in Genesis 12, 1 through 3. This is so important that it's going to be repeated four more times in Genesis. Abram second time Genesis 18, will become a great and mighty nation and all the nations on earth will be blessed Third time. Genesis 22,.
Speaker 3:Abram, in your offspring, all the nations on earth will be blessed. Now to Abraham's son, isaac, isaac. Just like your father and your father's household, your descendants will be as numerous as the stars in the sky and give them all these lands. And to your offspring, all nations on earth will be blessed. Jacob, genesis 28. Just like your father, isaac, and your father's father, abraham, the mission of God comes to you. Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth and they will spread out to the west, to the east, to the north, to the south.
Speaker 3:Genesis 12, on repeat. Here it is all nations on earth will be blessed through you. This is where God's going. The question is are you? That's the only question. I flew in from Fayetteville, arkansas, behind our house, we've got three acres. It's. This is where God's going. The question is are you? That's the only question.
Speaker 3:I flew in from Fayetteville, arkansas, behind our house. We've got three acres. It's mostly forest. My kids take my good spoons and they go back there and dig Drives me bananas. They take my good spoons.
Speaker 3:And one day my daughter came running in. She's like dad, dad, dad. I said what is itissy? She says I just found an ancient Indian arrowhead. I held it. I'm like, oh my gosh, this is, this is an ancient Indian arrowhead. She says I gotta clean it. She gets in the sink, she clogs the sink, she gets the water in the sink, she grabs the Clorox, the magic eraser, her brother's toothbrush and for 30 minutes she starts cleaning this ancient Indian arrowhead and after 30 minutes this is what I hear starts cleaning this ancient Indian arrowhead and after 30 minutes, this is what I hear. Are you kidding me? That's all I hear. I said what is it, camden? She said Dad, this isn't an ancient Indian arrowhead, this is a rock.
Speaker 3:She said I spent a half an hour polishing a rock. I said homeschool moment. I walked up to her. I said Camden, the world offers you a rock to polish. God gives you a purpose to pursue. She wept God gives us a purpose to pursue. The world offers you a rock to polish. And Christians are polishing the rock. Christians are polishing their rock and God says are you going to join me in my global, eternal and unfulfilled purpose to reach all peoples? My daughter spent 30 minutes polishing a rock. Some of us spend 30 years polishing a portfolio, a resume or a savings.
Speaker 3:From a man comes a family, from the family comes a nation. From a nation comes a great nation to bless all nations. At the end of Genesis, when you come to the end of Genesis, if the family of Abraham was on this back wall and took a selfie, you could all fit in the selfie. There's 70. There's 70.
Speaker 3:Genesis, chapter 50 tells us 70 members of Jacob's family. Oh my gosh, that's a sign. There's 70 languages. God's going to use this family to reach the languages. God has to create them into a nation, and so he has to hibernate them for 400 years. A good Pharaoh says to the family of Jacob, the 70,. He says Joseph and Jacob, bring your family into Egypt, go to Goshen, the choice land, and there live.
Speaker 3:Why does, in Genesis 50, god bring the nation of Israel into Egypt? He has to grow them. They have to become a nation. They're 70 after 430 years. When we changed from Genesis 50 and we turned the page to Exodus 1, we do it in a matter of seconds. But turning the page from Genesis 50 to Exodus 1 was 430 years and now they don't number 70. Now they number 3 million. Can't fit in a selfie. 3 million.
Speaker 3:Eight pharaohs later. The new pharaoh hates the nation of Israel, but God says come out. You're now a nation. You're going to come out and represent me to all nations. I've taken you from a man to a family, to a nation. Come out Now. I've raised you up, pharaoh. I've shown you these sites that my name might be proclaimed in all nations Genesis 12.
Speaker 3:Here we go, let's go. You're coming out. They part the Red Sea. There's three million. They're walking through the desert. You're going to represent me to the nations. Why us God? Why who are we that you brought us out of Egypt? They need to know their identity. Us out of Egypt. They need to know their identity.
Speaker 3:God tells them as they're walking across the desert, he says this. Then Moses went up to God and the Lord called him from the mountain. This is what you just say to the nation of Israel. You have seen what I did to Egypt and how I carried you on eagle's wings and brought you to myself. Now, if you obey me fully and keep my covenant myself, now, if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, this is who you are. You are my treasured possession. That means I own you and I move you where I want. You are my kingdom of priests. What does a priest do? You mediate. I bless you. You pass it on to the nations. You're my go-between, you are my treasured possession. You are my kingdom of priests. Go-between, you are my treasured possession. You are my kingdom of priests. You are my holy nation.
Speaker 3:You will wear Kadesh La Yahweh, holy, belonging to God, on your chest and you will show the nations Kadesh La Yahweh, come and see who God is. You will bear my name to the nations. Lord, this is incredible. We want a Kadesh La Yahweh, you to the nations. We just have a problem we don't know who you are. We don't know what grieves you. We don't know what you love. We don't know what you long for.
Speaker 3:I'm gonna give you the law it is my grace to give you, so that you may know me and Kadeshla Yahweh me to the nations. He says this I have taught you these decrees and laws, as the Lord, my God, commanded me. Observe them carefully, for this will show your wisdom and understanding Kadesh La Yahweh, holy, belonging to God, to the nations. You will tell the nations come and see who God is. This is unbelievable. We're a treasured possession. We're a holy nation. We're a kingdom of priests. We have the law, god. We don't have a place To tell the nations to come. I'm going to give you the land between the Nile and the Euphrates, the fertile crescent, the crossroads of the nations, the pathway to the nations, and you're going to have the land to worship me in.
Speaker 3:From a man came a family, came a nation, came a great nation, and then they have the law, they have the land, and God just gives them an extra little kiss. He says, israel, I am going to dwell in your midst. Heaven and earth is going to touch in a place called your temple. It's where heaven and earth touches. If anyone in all the world wants to know who I am, they need to walk to this temple. I don't care if they're in Egypt, Morocco, spain or India. They walk to this temple. It took seven years to build.
Speaker 3:Listen to what Solomon says. As for the foreigner who does not belong to your people, israel, but has come from a distant land, for they will hear of your name, we will bear in your name. We are Kadesh LaYahweh. When he comes to this temple and he prays respond, lord, do whatever they ask so that Genesis 12 will be fulfilled, so that all the peoples of the earth may know your name. My friends, it's working. It's working. They're bearing his name, they're in the land, they're obeying the law. The nations are coming. The queen of Sheba travels 1,600 miles from Yemen to Jerusalem to sit at the feet of Solomon. Solomon was greater in riches and wisdom than all the other kings of the earth. The whole world sought audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom that God had put in his heart. It's working.
Speaker 3:Now picture yourself. Picture yourself walking along the road with a fellow Israelite and the fellow Israelite says to you this you know, I don't feel a passion to bear his name for the nations. I don't feel called. That's not really my heart. The other Israelite would look at you and say that doesn't matter, it's your identity. It doesn't matter how you feel about bearing his name to the nations, it's who you are. Another Israelite says yeah, I feel the same way. I'm more of an entrepreneur, business person. I don't want to bear his name to the nations. That's not really the age and stage that I'm at. What are you talking about? This is who you are. It has nothing to do with how passionate or how much of a heart or if you get chills. It doesn't matter how you feel about bearing his name to the nations. If you feel good about it, that's just a bonus. But you are to bear his name to the nations. How you feel about it is a moot point. This is your identity and it's working.
Speaker 3:Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all peoples, for great is the Lord and greatly to be praised. He is to be feared of all the gods, for all the gods of the earth are worthless idols, buddhism worthless, hinduism worthless, islam worthless. It's working, my friends. It's working. From a man comes a family, comes a nation, comes a great nation to bear his name, kadeshla Yahweh, among all nations. And God gave Israel everything they needed to bear his name. He has given them the law, the prophets, the temple, the scriptures, the protection, the sacrifices, the Sabbath. He's given them the spirit, the hymns, the Torah, the Psalms. What could possibly go wrong? Something happens when God blesses you. We forget the blesser. Israel forgot the blesser. They fell in love with the blessing and thought they were the ones who brought it upon themselves. And God says this at the end of the Old Testament wherever they went among the nations, they profaned my holy name. Aren't you, kadeshla, yahweh Aren't you holy, belonging to God. Why have you forsaken him? I had concern for my holy name, which the house of Israel profaned among the nations.
Speaker 3:Every morning, I fight against saying four words out loud. I don't like saying these four words out loud because I just I don't. But my heart tells on me. The first word that I say comes out before I even hit the floor with my feet. I have this app on my phone. I grab my phone from the dresser, I go in, I go into this app. It's connected to my banking account and the first thing my heart says in the morning is savings, check your savings. And I go into my savings grow, grow, little guy. Get a comma in there. And then I go downstairs.
Speaker 3:I go downstairs, I make a cup of coffee. My son comes up cup of coffee. My son comes up from the basement. My other son comes up from the basement. My other son comes up from the basement. My other son comes up from the basement. My daughter comes up from the basement, my other daughter comes up from the basement.
Speaker 3:And I get all six of my kids in a circle and the second word comes out Keep them safe, lord, keep them safe. And then I go to work and a third word comes out Resume, make me more famous than any friend I know. And then I come home and the fourth word comes out Relax, kick your feet up, you deserve it, go play some golf. Those four words savings, safety, resume, relax, it's what the vast amount of Christ followers are living for. And God comes along and invites us into his global, eternal, unfulfilled purpose to reach all peoples. And I say, lord, I am all in. But does it affect these four words? Yes, drastically. Then have me excused, this just isn't really my calling, I don't have a passion for it and this isn't the right age or stage. And so I go to church, I tithe and I don't celebrate Halloween and I think I'm doing okay.
Speaker 3:Meanwhile, where Israel fails, jesus prevails. Where Israel fails, jesus prevails. The perfect Israel, kadesh, layahweh, perfectly bearing God's name, holy, and he lives and teaches and dies and rises again, and he will spend 40 days after the resurrection, before the ascension, and he establishes something called the church. And now the church is the mechanism God will use to reach the nations. He flips the script Israel was to come and see. Now the church is to go and tell. Israel was to say come and see. Now we are to go and tell, and Jesus will give us five Great Commission texts. Why five? One would be enough. Why five? Each one builds on the other. Now, the way we read the Great Commission text in our Bible is Matthew, mark, luke, john and Acts, but that's not how the disciples heard them.
Speaker 3:I'm going to give you the Great Commission text in chronological order, the way the disciples heard them. The first Great Commission text is John 20, 21. As the Father sent me, I am sending you. If all we had for our mission as a church was John 20, 21, and someone came up to you in the foyer of your church and said what's your mission, you would say this I'm a sent one To where. He didn't tell me what are you supposed to say when you get there. He didn't tell me how long is it going to take. He didn't tell me what's your goal. He didn't tell me how far are you to go. He didn't tell me If all we had was John 20, 21, we are to be sent ones. But Jesus gives us other Great Commission texts and, like looking at a beautiful diamond, it shows itself off in different angles.
Speaker 3:The Great Commission texts tell us more. The second Great Commission text in chronological order is Luke 24. This tells us where we're to go and what we're to say. This is written Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day. That's what we're to say. That's called the gospel. Christ lived, died and rose again. And you're to respond that is the gospel. And you're to offer this gospel to people from where All the nations, lord, not just to the Jews. No, you want us to go to India. Yes, thomas, you're going to India. Matthew, you're going to Egypt, james. You're going to Russia, mark, you're going to Alexandria, thomas, you're going to learn Hindu and go to India. Because this thing's going to all nations. Because this thing's going to all nations, the third Great Commission text tells us exactly what the first two tell us. If all we had was the first two texts, we are to go and proclaim the gospel to the nations. And guess what? The third Great Commission tells us Exactly that it is a summary of the first two. Exactly that it is a summary of the first two.
Speaker 3:If all we had was the first three Great Commission texts and someone says to you what's the goal of missions? You would say this world evangelism. But that's not the goal of missions. What is the goal of missions? Well, matthew 28 adds a layer to it. World evangelization is not the goal of missions. What is the goal of missions? Well, mark Matthew 28 adds a layer to it. World evangelization is not the goal of missions.
Speaker 3:You are to go and make disciples. Do you know how much harder it just got? Sharing the gospel with the world is easy. Making a disciple from a new convert is difficult Nine months to grow a baby, 19 years to get that baby out of your house. You know how hard it is to make a disciple. Wait a second, lord. You mean you want us to go to India, learn Hindi, declare the gospel. If they respond, teach them everything you taught us. How are we going to do this? This is impossible. It is, but I'm going to give you my Holy Spirit, and the fifth Great Commission text shows us the power and the ability for us to do it. My friends, this is the most important thing. I for us to do it. My friends, this is the most important thing I'm going to say in 90 minutes.
Speaker 3:If you want to know your mission, take the five Great Commission texts and key words in each, formulate a sentence and put it on the mantle of your house. Take all five Great Commission texts and the key words in each. Three out of the five say go. One of them says make disciples. Four of them say gospel. Three of them say nations. One of them says the Holy Spirit. All of them say proclaim. One of them says the Holy Spirit. All of them say proclaim, speak or declare. So, my friends, take those five different phrases, go make disciples, speak or proclaim nations, nations, holy Spirit. And then formulate a sentence. And then go do that. This is your mission. If you do this, you're not going to miss the mission of God.
Speaker 3:Why does he give us five Great Commission texts? Does he give us five great commission texts? Because there's a little Israel in us all. There's a little bit of Israel in us all. When I get that blessing, I think my kids belong to me. I think my savings belong to me. I think my affluence belongs to me. I think my savings belong to me. I think my affluence belongs to me. I think my time belongs to me. I'll give God three percent. Love you, lord.
Speaker 3:Think about the New Testament authors and what they say to the church. Remember Israel was a treasured possession, a holy nation, a kingdom of priests. Peter says this you, church, you people of God, you are a treasured possession. That means he moves you where he wants. You're a kingdom of priests. You bear his name to the nations. You're a royal priesthood.
Speaker 3:Paul the apostle wrote 13 New Testament books. He was the Jew to the core. He knew that temple was the holiest dwelling place of God. He knew if you lived anywhere, you walked to that temple. He knew to know who God is. You go to that temple and he does something that is astonishing to us and it's astonishing to us. You, when you show up in Laos, they can know God. The temple is there. When you go to work at three o'clock this afternoon now, your coworkers, they can know who God is without coming to church, because the temple's among them. You are now bearing his name to the nations. Hey, paul, when did you get a heart for the world At conversion? It's who we are. Salvation equals an obligation to reach the nations.
Speaker 3:Genesis 1 through 11, creation fall flood nations. Genesis 12, the mission of God begins. He creates Israel, blesses Israel. From a man comes a family, comes a nation, comes a great nation. Where Israel fails, jesus prevails. The church is now go and tell and the conclusion is found in Revelation 5, 9. It worksesis 12 will be fulfilled. And I looked and there was a great multitude and there was a scroll and jesus opened the scroll. You purchase men for god from every tribe, language, people and nation. When I'm on a podcast and someone asks me what is the goal of the church Community of Christ followers making disciples in every language group, community of Christ followers making disciples in every language group so the question we have to ask what language groups do not have communities of Christ's followers and they get first priority?
Speaker 3:That's the question we need to ask. We don't just keep sending Christians to help Christians become better Christians. That's not the goal of missions. The goal of missions is not to just send Christians to help Christians become better Christians. The goal of missions is this who doesn't have communities of gospel, making disciple movements? And let's go there? What's crazy? I have the list of every language group that does not have the gospel. I have the list. Not only do I have the list, I can tell you where they're located in Indonesia, vietnam, laos, cambodia and Saudi. Not only do I have the list, I can tell you where they're located, I even have how many there are. The Mandar, there's 30 million. The Pong, there's 20,000. The Fainoi there's 50,000. I know where they are, who they are, how many they are. I know what they believe. They're Buddhist, they're Hindu, they're tribal, they're animist, they're Confucius. I have the list. I know who they are, where they are, how many there are, what they believe. The only thing I'm missing is volunteers to go, that's the only thing we're missing Workers.
Speaker 3:Where do we get this idea to take it to all language groups? When Jesus gives us Matthew 28,. He says go and make disciples of all nations. Now, in 2025, when we think of that word nation, we think, oh, India, China, Cambodia, Nigeria, but that's not what the word meant. The word ethnos in Greek, the word nation in ethnos in Greek, means people groups. Well, what's the difference between a nation and a people group? Are we just splitting hairs? Well, here's a nation. This is Nigeria. But Nigeria is made up of 455 languages. So we don't need a missionary team to Nigeria. I need them to the houses, the Yoruba, the Igboos. I need them to the 455 language groups. So we need to be making disciples in every people group.
Speaker 3:What people groups do not have the gospel and how many people groups in the world? If there's 214 nations, how many people groups in the world? If there's 214 nations, how many people groups? There's roughly 17,000 people groups. Well, how many of those do not have communities of Christ's followers making disciples in their language? How many of the 17,000?. Making disciples in their language? How many of the 17,000? 7,000. 7,000.
Speaker 3:National Geographic did a survey. They found that one out of every 10 North Americans cannot point to North America on a map. North America is virtually last in locating geography. That means if a North American got kidnapped by an alien and had to take a space Uber home, they could not find their continent. Now we laugh about that. But when Jesus says, for God, so loves the world, we in this room we're not goers, we're senders and we have limited time, talent and treasure. So we better know what the world looks like to best allocate our funding, our giving, our praying, where our kids are going to be mobilized to go. If the sender doesn't know what the world looks like, there's a huge mission problem because the resources get totally misappropriated. So if, when you walked in, I didn't give you a hamburger, instead I gave you a map of the world, and you sat down at the table and I got up on stage and I said take out a pen top right, tell me how many missionaries in the world Top left, tell me how many languages in the world. Bottom right, tell me how many languages don't have the Bible. Bottom left, tell me how many missionaries in the unreached. Top right, tell me how many Muslim countries. Top left, tell me how many Buddhist countries. Bottom right tell me how much money goes to missions. Bottom left tell me how many people groups are still remaining without the gospel. How would you, as a sender, have done? Would you have crushed it or would you have been like we have to know the map.
Speaker 3:1792, William Carey. Before he left London to India. Someone said to him, Carey, how do you know God's will? He said to know God's will you need two things an open Bible and an open map.
Speaker 3:Your church probably does a great job of opening the Bible. How do they do on Sunday? Opening the map, Praying for the world, Sharing with you the unengaged people, groups, Challenging the young adults to go, Pointing to where there's no gospel communities of believers and providing a pathway to get there. Hey, if you're between 18 and 25 on a Sunday morning, we're inviting you to go to Laos. It's a 13-year commitment. The church has a pipeline to get you there. Your parents have been praying for you to go Meet me in the foyer. I know who they are, I know where they are, I know how many there are, I know what they believe. I'm only missing one thing the volunteers. Where do we get this idea that we have to give priority to those without the gospel From Paul the Apostle. Paul the Apostle says this From Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum. I have fully proclaimed the gospel. Now there is no more work in these places.
Speaker 1:Paul.
Speaker 3:Paul, paul, paul. From Jerusalem to Illyricum, paul, there's only 8,000 believers. Between Jerusalem and Illyricum, there's 30 million people. Between Jerusalem and Illyricum, there's 30 million. Between Jerusalem and Illyricum. There's 30 million. Between Jerusalem and Illyricum, paul, there's only 8,000 believers. But yet you say what? I have to go to Spain, I have to go to Spain, I got to go to Spain, go to Spain, I got to go to Spain. What you can't find, paul, says man, between Jerusalem and Illyricum there are communities of gospels making disciples, believers, but between Rome and Spain there's zero believers and 30 million people. So Paul left the fruitful land of Jerusalem to Illyricum where he was church planting, picked up and started heading to Spain. He left a fruitful ministry because he knew the goal is not just to send Christians, to help Christians become better Christians. The goal is who are the unreached? And we have to give them priority.
Speaker 3:What is the difference between those who are reached and those who are unreached? The world is not made up of lost and saved. The world is made up of someone who's reached. Someone who's reached is Hamburg, germany, a 22-year-old girl. She lives on the sixth floor of her apartment. She's not a Jesus follower, but if she wants to know the gospel. There's someone in her apartment complex that speaks German who has the gospel. If she wants to know the gospel, she can go to a German-speaking church two blocks away. She can check into the embassy suites in Hamburg, open the drawer and there's a German New Testament. She's lost by her choice. She's reached but lost. The unreached is a 16 to 19 year old girl in Saudi Arabia, riyadh. She'll never meet an Arabic-speaking Jesus follower. She'll never hold an Arabic New Testament. She'll never go to an Arabic speaking church. She's unreached not even by her choice, but by our choice not to go there. So the world is not just reached and unreached. The world is also lost those without access and those with access. So you and I here's our ministry we need to reach the reached In Austin. Keep giving them the gospel. Students at UT in the back, keep giving those people the gospel. But we also need to give priority to the unreached.
Speaker 3:Five cruise ships simultaneously sinking. One is five miles off the coast, one is 10 miles off the coast, one is 15, 20, and 25 miles off the coast and the commanding officer of the Navy SEALs summons you to duty and says go save the people. You load up in the helicopter and you go to the first cruise ship because it makes sense, it's the closest, you load people up on the helicopter, you bring them back to the shore. Now you have a decision to make. You go back to the first cruise ship. You don't have time to go to the second cruise ship or third cruise ship or fourth cruise ship. So you think, man, I got to go to the first cruise ship, come back to base. Go to the first cruise ship, come back to base. Go to the first cruise ship. Come back to base. Sorry, rest of the cruise ships, but I can't fly over the needs of the first cruise ship to get to you. We don't have the time.
Speaker 3:But now let's change the commanding officer's command. Same scenario five cruise ships simultaneously sinking 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 miles off the shore. But now the commanding officer says to you this. But now the commanding officer says to you this I want a representative from every cruise ship on this shore looking at the media telling them what happened aboard their boat. That changes the whole strategy. Now we gotta go to the fifth cruise ship first, then the fourth, then the third, and no cruise ship is to be visited twice before. Every cruise ship is visited once. The commanding officer has said he wants a representative from every cruise ship. So that means we have to fly over the needs of others because the commanding officer has issued his command he wants a representative from every cruise ship.
Speaker 3:My friends, I'm here to tell you this morning there is not one cruise ship or five cruise ships. There are 17,000 cruise ships, known as people groups. My friends, I'm here to tell you that this afternoon there is not one helicopter for rescue. There are hundreds of thousands of churches that are rescue helicopters. However, the vast amount of rescue helicopters are crashing into each other on the first cruise ship while the others are taking joy rides around the island. Nobody is saying who does not have communities of disciples in their language and they get first priority. Instead, we take our helicopter, we go to that first cruise ship while sightseeing the trees on the coast of where they're sinking.
Speaker 3:Where are the parts of the world where the unreached are? They're known as the 1040 window. This is where all those communities who don't have believers live. There are more missionaries outside of the 1040 window than inside the 1040 window. There's more taxi drivers in Vegas than missionaries in that box. There's more taxi drivers in Vegas than missionaries in that box. That box is 62 countries. The vast amount of those 82% who live in this box will be born, will live and will die and never shake hands with a believer. And we need to be people of the box. How we give, how we live and how we raise our kids point to the box. It points to the box. It points to the box. What makes the box so hard? It's made up of obstacles.
Speaker 3:The tribal world very difficult to reach. I mean so many 849 languages in Papua New Guinea alone. If you go and you do missions, work in Papua New Guinea, you're going to have to at least learn two languages. I heard this story from a friend of mine two weeks ago. He's in Papua New Guinea. He's very close to being fluent in the language he's in the tribe. He can't talk spiritual language, yet he doesn't know the words for it. He can't talk spiritual language, yet he doesn't know the words for it.
Speaker 3:He's in a canoe. He's in a canoe with five other tribal people and they're floating down the river at night. They're coasting down the river looking up at the stars and the moon. One of the tribesmen says I see you stars, I see you stars. I know there's a God behind you, stars, but you don't have teeth, you don't have a mouth, you don't have a tongue, you don't have a tongue. You can't tell me who this God is. I see you, moon. I know there's a God behind you, but moon, you don't have teeth. And moon, you don't have a tongue. And moon, you don't have teeth. And man, you don't have a tongue. And man, you don't have a mouth. My friend said Lord, let me learn quickly. We are the mouth and the tongue and the teeth.
Speaker 3:The Hindu world very difficult to reach. The Hindu world More gods in India than people in America. Hinduism is the third largest religion in the world. Christianity is 33% at first, islam is 33% at second Put those in that order on purpose. And then Hinduism is third at about 15%. India four out of five people are Hindu. Christians are 2.3%. Hinduism is the third largest religion in the world.
Speaker 3:And maybe God wants to use you to live and give and raise your kids to reach the Hindu world. They're on your kids' soccer teams, they're in your offices, they're in your communities, they're in your neighborhoods. Have you welcomed them? Have you reached out to them? Have you said? I'm going to start with the Hindus in my backyard. What about the Chinese world? We adopted a little boy from China. I walked into the orphanage and I said to the orphan lady I said, hey, my son, he's five. What religion would he be raised here in China? And she said if your son was raised in China, he would have three religions, that he could be Confucius, taoist or Buddhist. All three of those have no word for God and maybe God wants to use you to reach the Chinese world, to pray, live and give to reach them. What about the Muslim world? Two out of every seven people are Muslim.
Speaker 3:The founder of Islam is a man named Muhammad Ibn Abdullah. He was born in Mecca, saudi Arabia. He thought there was over 300 different gods. He came across people who were Jews, he came across people who were Christians, and these people began to sway him to the one God concept. It is said that he had a vision of an angel and the angel said you are Muhammad. There is one God, his name is Allah and you are his prophet. You are Muhammad. There is one God, his name is Allah and you are his prophet. And Muhammad spent from age 40 to age 63 teaching who God is. He denied the crucifixion, he denied the divinity of Christ and he denied the resurrection. And for 23 years he traveled. He traveled in this area and when he died of a fever at age 63, the green represents Islam After 30 years and then after 100 years.
Speaker 3:Every spring break we take two vans of university students from the University of Arkansas and we drive 24 hours to Los Angeles. We get the privilege of taking these students to a Buddhist temple, a Hindu temple, a Muslim mosque, and we expose them to the world in LA. We train them in how to reach Buddhists, hindus and Muslims. Then we send them back to University of Arkansas and unleash them. And this last spring break I'm in a mosque in Los Angeles and the imam, the priest, is so gracious. He's like come here, come here, and he takes me to this back wall of the mosque and he says look, look, look, it's in Arabic. Oh, I'm sorry. This is the map of the world, and the green represents the map of the world. And the green represents the areas of the world that are highly Islamic. The pink and red represents the areas of the world where there's virtually no Muslims. We're asking Allah to send our youth to the pink and the red.
Speaker 3:I didn't do it, but I wanted to. I didn't do it, but I wanted to. I didn't do it, but I wanted to. I almost leaned in and said you know what? We could market this and call it the 80-80 window, and I could really get this out to Moss all across the US. But I didn't. And maybe God wants to use you to reach the Muslims there and here by raising your children to learn Arabic and an expectation that they would be church planters. What else would you want them to do? I mean, engineering Sounds so lame. Yeah, my son he's. You know, he's a lawyer. We talked him out of being a church planter to the Arab world. We're really proud of that.
Speaker 3:You have obstacles in the 1040 window the Muslim world, the Hindu world, the Chinese world, the tribal world. 600 years before Jesus walked this earth, there was a Hindu named Siddhartha Gautama and he was a Hindu to the core. But he became disillusioned with Hinduism. He ended up thinking that it was all a sham, it was fake. So in 600 BC, he walks from Nepal to India to learn what truth is. My friends, had he gone west to Jerusalem, he could have set with Jeremiah the prophet, but he didn't. He went south and he realized there is no God and there is no soul. Jeremiah the prophet, but he didn't. He went south and he realized there is no God and there is no soul and he became enlightened. He said and the language that they were speaking in India at that time is the Pali language? And how do you say enlightened in the Pali language? Buddha, buddha, buddha. And so Siddhartha Gautama dropped the name Siddhartha Gautama and took on the name Buddha, traveled from age 29 to age 80. Teaching people no God and no soul. And at age 80, someone put a bad piece of meat in his beggar's bowl and he died of food poisoning. And maybe God wants to use you to reach the Buddhists, both there and here and here. There was a woman born in Vietnam. Parents came over, first generation Grandparents were Buddhist monks. They moved to LA. She raised Buddhists. That's all she knew. When the la wildfires hit a few months ago, the buddhist monks went to her parents and made sure they were okay. They're embedded in the buddhist monk community in la.
Speaker 3:She becomes an entrepreneur. She gets invited on a podcast. She's freaking out because she's never been on a podcast of this magnitude. So she does what anybody does when you're on an important podcast. You google what do I say on a podcast? She comes across something that says this If you don't know what to say on a podcast, pray to God. She says, oh my gosh, I got nothing else to lose. She prays. The podcast crushes God. You must be real. She does what she does every morning and goes walking on a trail. But this morning, after the podcast, as she's looking and scrolling through all that's going on, with this going viral, a young boy says ma'am, this is for you, and keeps walking. She's like who is this kid? Never seen him before, never seen him again. He hands her this piece of paper. She opens the paper it's a picture of Jesus. It's a picture of Jesus. She kneels down and she says God, I want to know you. And she finds a church and three weeks ago she was baptized. Tammy, will you stand up?
Speaker 3:Thank you. It's happening. God is on the move, but we're just so busy managing our blessings we don't look up to say, can I join you? We're so busy managing our blessings that we don't look up and say, god, can I join you? We're so busy managing our blessings that we don't look up and say, god, can I join you? And we're so consumed with sending Christians to help Christians become better Christians. We're just so consumed with that and when anybody does anything in missions, we're like we're proud of you, whatever, whatever you do, and no one stops to think, hey, what are you going to be doing? Where are you going to be going and how are you going to be reaching the unreached through this? Instead, we're like go Do it. We're so excited when anybody does anything in missions that no one stops to think what are you doing and how is it reaching the unreached? Mauritania 99% Muslim. Yemen 99% Muslim Maldives 99% Muslim Turkey 96% Muslim. Thailand 85% Buddhist Cambodia 83% Buddhist Myanmar 80% Buddhist Bhutan 75% Buddhist India 75% Hindu. Nepal 75% Hindu. Think about these stats. But we're just so consumed with that first cruise ship crashing into each other. Or have you seen the islands by the cruise ships where they crashed? The islands are beautiful. You should come with me to see the islands.
Speaker 3:Every blue dot represents a community of 50,000 Christians. Every blue dot represents a community of 50,000 Christians. Every green dot represents 50,000 Muslims. Every green dot represents a community of 50,000 Muslims. Every green dot represents a community of 50,000 Muslims. Every orange dot represents a community of 50,000 Buddhists. Every orange dot represents 50,000 Buddhists. And every yellow dot represents 50,000 Hindus and every yellow dot represents 50,000 Hindus.
Speaker 3:So when someone says to me, todd, we're the top five most neediest countries in the world, I say India, india, india, india, china. And how are we to live and how are we to give and how are we to raise our kids? Based on being a sender in Austin man, what do I do? How do I do it? Well, we are all to be global Christians. No matter where you live, you are to be a global Christian, someone who understands the truth and needs of God's unfulfilled purpose to reach all peoples. Now, what does it mean to be a global Christian? It means that you welcome the nations around us. The nations are here Refugees, immigrants, international students, people you work with. Initiate with them. I know Christians. You're not going to believe this and that's okay, you're not going to believe this. I know Christians who don't have someone from another country that they're ministering to. I know them. I know we get so busy with soccer practice we don't look up and say Lord, use me. Think about the amount of university students that are studying here, ut in our backyard. I mean holy moly.
Speaker 3:One of the verses that I enjoy, acts chapter 17. You know you're standing in line at Starbucks and in front of you is a Muslim from Tunis, tunisia, and it's like wow, how did this guy get to Bee Cave Road Starbucks in 2025, at 137,? And I'm here too, and he's in front of me. The dude is in front of me and he's a Muslim from Tunis, tunisia, and I got six minutes. He's a Muslim from Tunis, tunisia, and I got six minutes. Excuse me, sir? Yes, are you from here? No, where are you from?
Speaker 3:I'm from Tunis, tunisia.
Speaker 3:I have no idea where that's at. What brought you here? Well, I studied in London, got a master's and I work for this tech company on Bee Cave. I have no idea what the Muslim faith is. I've never even read the Quran. Have you read the Bible much? I don't know what the Bible is. Can I get your number. Maybe we can meet back here. I'd love to read the Quran with you and you can read the Bible and we can just talk about our religions. I'm so curious.
Speaker 3:Now, one of those books is a double-edged sword piercing the heart, and one of them is not. I'm not going to tell you which one it is. Not only have you made a friend, but you're now initiating the gospel. Not only have you made a friend, but you're now initiating the gospel. How did he get here? From Tunis, tunisia, from one man. He made the nations who should inhabit the earth, and God determined the times and the exact places where they're gonna be. He determined Starbucks. 137, b Cave Road, behind you. Why? So that this Tunis man may know him, that he could meet a temple and see the temple Of the top 10 nations who are studying at UT. Just take the nations at UT and the top 10 nations at UT and if you blow that out to America, here's the top 10 nations. This is mirrored with UT. Now take out the nations that are not inside the 1040 window. Leave only the nations in the 1040 window. Leave only the nations in the 1040 window. The unreached are in our backyards.
Speaker 3:I was at K-State. Bear with me here while I tell you a college story about a friend I was at K-State University. There's a student there named Andrew I'm sorry, Spencer and I say to Spencer I say Spencer, there's a thousand Christians at K-State. I said man, this is like in the fall I was speaking there. I said there's a thousand students at K-State. I said Christians. I said do you have any international friends? He's like Todd, I don't. They live way over on the other side of campus. They're hard to get to. I'm like, spencer, you're wanting to cross an ocean, but you can't even cross a campus. I'm like get your fanny over there and meet the international students. He's like okay. So he tells me this story. He said, todd, it took me till May, but May 1st I was in the student union and I saw a Chinese student and I began to talk to him and he became a friend and I was so excited I said, oh my gosh, we got to be friends.
Speaker 3:And the Chinese student said something that was devastating to me. He said I'm a senior, I'm graduating in May, I'm graduating next Saturday. I was like wait, you're leaving me in seven days. He gave him his number. Spencer did and he said if you need anything, text me. And so what happened was Friday night, spencer gets a text hey, man, this is me. You know, can I get a ride to the airport? Spencer's like, of course. Spencer's like, of course. He says, okay, I leave tomorrow.
Speaker 3:At one, spencer pulls around the dorm, the guy brings out this huge hockey bag. They push it and push it, and push it, they finally get it in the SUV, they shut the trunk and the Chinese person says I have a second one. Well, the Manhattan airport's only two miles off campus. And so what happens is they, they, they, they bolt it to, they strap it to the top, the second one, the second hockey bag. And they're going to the airport and spencer's striking up a conversation and he asked a chinese student. He says, hey, what's in the bags? And the Chinese student says, oh, it's my souvenirs. And Spencer says man, you must have a ton of friends back home that you're taking gifts to. And the Chinese student says, no, it's my souvenirs I brought here to give to my American friends. I made none. That's a tragedy.
Speaker 3:Are we welcoming the nations? What about praying? Are we people of prayer? The way most people pray, the way I pray, is like it's me, and then it's my wife, and then it's my family, and then it goes back to me. That's sort of my concentric circles.
Speaker 3:If you were to ask Paul the Apostle hey Paul, how do you pray? What do you start with? He's going to say well, first of all, pray for the kings of the world, just that they would leave Christianity alone. If they leave Christianity alone, it will grow. So, first of all, pray for the kings, prime ministers, the dictators, for the kings, prime ministers, the dictators. So what I did was I put together a little prayer list. I Googled 1040 window countries and then I started, one by one, putting together the kings and the princesses and the dictators and the prime ministers. And so now for Bible study. I can be like, hey, you pray for Benin. You know what if in your Bible studies or community groups you said, hey, let's research the 1040 window countries, let's research the kings and the dictators and let's pray for them, and all of a sudden your heart starts to grow. Oh, my goodness, burkina Faso. I had no idea the tragedy that's going on there. I had no idea the king and's going on there. I had no idea the king and what he's doing to the Christians. And now you start to care.
Speaker 3:There's an app, it's called Unreached of the Day. Every morning you can click on it and it will tell you. So this is today's Tells you an unreached. It tells you who they are, it tells you where they are. It tells you an unreached. It tells you who they are, it tells you where they are, it tells you what they believe and it tells you how many there are. And so, in my family, what do we do? Well, at 10.02, at 10.02, my family's alarms go off A silent alarm you can set one right now on your phone and we pray for an unreached. Why 10.02? Because the nine words of Jesus the harvest is plentiful, the workers are few. The harvest is plentiful, the workers are few. Therefore, have a conference. Therefore, have a conference. Therefore, have a meeting. Therefore, worship, no Pray. Ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest field.
Speaker 3:Now, that word send out is a very unique word. It's actually this is the only time it's used in this context. The Greek word for send out is interesting. The Greek word for send out is ekbalo. Now, ekbalo might not mean much to you, but ekbalo is the word Jesus used to send out demons. So when Jesus came across someone who was demon possessed, he would say get out. That's the intensity. That's the exact same word he inserts when he says pray, the Lord would send out. That means we're in our small groups, in our quiet time, in our churches. Lord, send them out. Get them out now. This is not a half-hearted yawn, lord. If, when you want, now, let the mouths, let the tongues, let the teeth be out, and the senders, the senders.
Speaker 3:What is a sender? A sender is someone who is here, who is praying, giving, welcoming. You're not a second-class Christian if you're here and you're a sender. Matter of fact, david instituted a rule in the Israelite army the share of the man who stays with the supplies and supplies the front lines, they will share alike in the bounty. You're not a second class Christian if you're here. What is a sender? A sender is someone who's aware of the map. They know the map. They know where the unreached are. They know who they are. They're giving their time, talent and treasure. A sender is someone who's aware of what God's doing in the world. They're praying for Luke 10 too. They're inviting others. Oh, my goodness, you would make a great missionary to Laos. I'll take my two-week vacation. We can go there and I'll introduce you to the missionaries they're inviting.
Speaker 3:Behind missionaries are senders mobilizing them and then, once they're on the field, the sender is helping to care for them. Hey, do you need homeschool materials? Do you need respite when you come home? Do you need a van? Do you need a hotel? Do you need Airbnb? How are you doing at being a sender? Are you aware of what God's doing in the world? Are you praying? Are you inviting others? Are you helping while they're there?
Speaker 3:Because guess what senders? You got a lot of work to do, because 83% of the church has no clue what the Great Commission is, 83% of Christians. When you ask them what is the Great Commission, they say this love your neighbor as yourself. That's close. That's the Great Commandment. We need the Great Commission and what happens is we make the great commission the great option and then we completely move it off our desk. With the great omission in 1961, jfk stood up before the nation and said this at the end of the decade, I want to put a man on the moon and I want him to safely return. And at the end of the decade, three men boarded the space shuttle, but it took 400,000 to get him there. You might be on the space shuttle, you might be in this room, but everyone plays a part, thank you thank you for listening to unreached.
Speaker 1:our sincere desire is that what you've heard today will cause you to see the mission of God differently and your role in it more clearly. If this adds value for you and we hope it does would you please rate and review the podcast wherever you listen. Also, share with your family, your friends, your church, your life group, small group, d group, wherever you do life, and if you want to connect with us, find us on Instagram at unreachedpodcast, or email us at unreachedpodcast at gmailcom.
