by Dr. Ray Thompson, Vice-President & Executive Director

“…I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” Matthew 16:18

Jesus avowed that the gates of hell would not remain strong and overpower His church. In the Scriptures, “gates” represent power and authority. By His death and resurrection, Jesus Christ conquered death and hell. Here, Christ affirmed that He would “storm the gates” and deliver the captives from the organized power of Satan and death.

This is the first time the word church is found in the New Testament. It is the Greek word ekklesia — “a called-out assembly.” The word is used 114 times and in at least 90 of these references, a local church (assembly) is represented.

As stated, God is the one who builds His Church. His plan has always been to work through those who have been washed in His blood and delivered from the realm of the damned. The Lord, through the Holy Spirit, empowers His called-out assembly to do His work of church planting throughout the world. The Apostle Paul, a church planter, said, “…we are labourers together with God…” (I Cor. 3:9).

Over two thousand years have passed since Jesus said He would build His church. Even now, the minds of most Christians are far removed from His command — “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” The church of the twenty-first century, in fact the third millennium, has the awesome task of proclaiming the Gospel to over six billion souls around the world. Christ’s Greatest Commandment has not changed and will not change. We have the same Master, the same Mandate, the same Message and the same Might (power) that was given to the church 2000 years ago. Why has it yet to be totally obeyed? “Opportunity is not postponed; it is lost, eternally lost.” Gone forever are the opportunities of the generations of our fathers, who might have accomplished in any one generation the great task of preaching the Gospel to every creature. As a result millions of souls have been swept into a lost eternity without ever hearing Christ’s invitation to accept His offer of eternal life.

What is the present status of the mission of the church and what is the remaining task? What are the final frontiers?

Approximately a third of the people in today’s world live in reached people groups. This does not mean that all are Christians; it just means they live where it is possible for them to respond to a clear presentation of the Gospel in their own language.

The rest of the world’s population live in unreached people groups.

Most of the unreached groups are located geographically in what some mission leaders call “The 10/40 Window.” This area stretches from Africa across Asia between the latitudes of ten and forty degrees north.

Within the 10/40 window you will discover:

» most — not all — of the world’s unreached peoples…

» two-thirds of the world’s population, occupying only one-third of the earth’s land mass…

» the birthplace of the world’s five major religions…

» the heart of the Islamic, Hindu and Buddhist religions…

» eight out of ten of the poorest of the world’s poor, enduring the world’s lowest quality of living

» people having not only suffered hunger and a low quality of life, but having been kept from the transforming, life giving power of the Gospel…

» The stronghold of Satan!

In Acts 1:8, the Lord told His apostles that they would receive the Holy Ghost and that they would be witnesses of Him in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the uttermost part of the earth. In Acts 2, we see the results of this powerful witness in Jerusalem. Thousands of souls were saved and baptized, and served in a local church. However, the witness to Judea and Samaria was not apparent before Acts 8. The church experienced great power and great grace, but there was also great persecution. In Acts 8: l & 4 God allowed this persecution to disperse the church throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria. They went everywhere preaching the Word. In Acts 11:19 they went as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, still preaching the Word, but only to the Jews.

What will it take to awaken the churches of America? Must there be a great persecution?

Paul told the church in Corinth that they must “Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame” (1 Corinthians 15:34). Like the church at Corinth, too many church members through the centuries have shamefully dishonored Christ and His holy command to evangelize the world. It is shameful that so few around the world have any knowledge of God’s Word and His work of redemption. The sins of carnality and deeds of unrighteousness have kept believers from being effective witnesses for Christ. God uses only those that have clean hands and pure hearts. We need a genuine Missions Revival in our churches today.

This may be the terminal generation! Our last opportunity! We must understand what our Lord meant in John 4:32, when He said, “…I have meat to eat that ye know not of” in response to the disciples request that He eat the food they had brought to Him. His hunger was expressed in verse 34: “…My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.” To know His will and to do His work must be the goal of every believer.

Jesus has given us the power and authority to invade the territory of the damned and rescue the perishing. We must know His will and do His work. Paul said in I Corinthians 3:9, “For we are labourers together with God….”

It has been rightly said “The mission of the church is missions, and the mission of missions is church planting.” Thank God there are “Pauls” and “Timothys” today who serve as missionaries with BIMI, going where Christ is not named. They have set bold and aggressive goals to penetrate the final frontiers. They are taking the Mark 16.phpect of the Great Commission: Go! Preach! to all people who have not heard the Good News in their own language and in a culturally relevant context. Other cross-cultural workers are following the Matthew 28 command: Go! Teach! Literally thousands of new Macedonians, standing on the shores of their nations, are calling come over and help us; teach us the Word in such a way that we can teach others.

As a result of obeying “…the mission of missions…church planting,” there are 1300+ churches in other countries and 800+ churches in America that have been planted by BIMI missionaries and their disciples. This obedience and compliance to the Great Commission has resulted in scores of Third World missionaries. The best example of the effectiveness of this timely mission of church planting is found in the Philippines, Africa, Central America, and the Caribbean Islands.

The Good News: The task can be done! We have the resources!

When we think of the many people groups that are yet to be reached, the task can seem discouraging—until we realize all the resources God has entrusted to our fundamental Baptist churches. In AD 100, there were about 12 unreached people groups for every one of the existing churches. Each congregation would have had to target 12 cultures in order to even begin discipling the nations! That must have been discouraging! Today, for each remaining unreached people group, it has been estimated that there are about 600 Bible-believing churches in America! What could happen if 600 churches were accountable for one unreached people group? A church could be planted in every town and village if the 600 churches would be willing to deputize church planters and would provide the prayer and financial support needed.

Consequently it’s only a matter of when and through whom.

God will accomplish His purpose. The gates of hell that bar the unreached peoples of the world cannot withstand His Church! At the end of time Christ will be exalted with the song “Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation” (Revelation 5:9).

Will there be a reward for you and me and for your church and my church, for having obeyed God’s Command to take the Gospel to the unreached peoples of our generation?