Message Magazine Online - Vol. 54, No. 01, Spring 2006

In This Issue

• The Big Picture
  By Donna Messenger
• To the End of the Earth - Are We There Yet?
  By Michael G. Loftis, President
• The End of the Earth - Are We There Yet?
  By Donna Messenger
• A DISTANT THUNDER
  By Bill Commons
• Sent Out from the Developing World
  By Craig Kennedy, Philippines
• The Missionary Family: MK Education Abroad
  By Russell E. Ebersole, Jr.
• Cultivating Heart Soil
  By Wayne Haston
• Reaching Farther Through Healthcare Ministries
  By Becky Davey
• Ministering to the Disabled
  By Diane Koroski
• Reaching Street Kids on the Sidewalks of Brazil
  By Tim Hoganson, Brazil
• Three Certainties: Death, Taxes, and Missions
  By Spencer Jackson
• Children's Corner
  

To the End of the Earth—Are We There Yet?

Michael G. Loftis, President

The title of this issue of the Message comes close to the question the disciples asked Jesus on many occasions, “Lord, is this the time?” (Matthew 24:3, Acts 1:6). The answer to this question is important because Jesus stated that the proclamation of the gospel to all the peoples of the world is a major sign of the end times (Matthew 24:14). Another reason the answer to this question matters is that it also indicates to what extent our hearts line up with the priorities of God’s heart to redeem broken people from every nation, tribe, and tongue through the blood of His Son. Perhaps a different way to phrase the question is, Have we been fully obedient yet?

Having a clear understanding of what the church is accomplishing in world evangelization is part of the crucial task in missions today. Many different organizations have gathered statistics in the past few decades in order to answer the question, Are we finished yet? The answers vary based on how researchers define key terms, such as Christianity, gospel, church, or evangelical.

At the end of 2005, we checked various websites which catalog the peoples of the earth and the status of evangelical Christianity among them. Although these sources disagree on precise numbers, current researchers indicate that well over 6,500 people groups comprising over 2.5 billion people fit into the category of severely to completely unreached with the gospel.

Such a state of affairs would indicate to us that we still have a huge mountain to climb in order to proclaim the gospel to the end of the earth. As you read this issue of the Message, perhaps your heart will begin to beat faster as you sense that the need is great, and God is up to something big in the arena of world missions these days.

That excitement continues to grow as we realize that God is calling more workers from many nations. We can now almost tangibly hear, see, and touch the momentum of the church as we facilitate church-planting movements in every nation that are able to launch missions movements for the glory of God. As you peer through our window on the world framed by this issue of the Message, our prayer is that you will be motivated as never before to join us in this great cause.