For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” Romans 10:13-15 ESV
Key Terms
Sender: A person involved in making disciples of all nations by:
- Giving strategically and sacrificially
- Encouraging and caring for goers
- Praying for specific work God is doing in the world
- Mobilizing their friends to give, pray, go, and care
Goer: A person who leaves the place they call home and moves to a place in need of the gospel in an effort to fulfill the Great Commission and make disciples of all nations.
We are all called to be involved in the Great Commission. That was a command that was given to all believers. We should all be involved in making disciples wherever we are. That includes all of our circles of influence – family, neighborhood, friends, at work, etc.
We are also all called to be involved in global missions – the evangelization of people groups around the world. There are two ways to be involved in global missions. We can either be involved in sending, going, or both. If we are involved in sending, we help to mobilize others, we educate others about missions, we pray for missions, we support missions financially.
If we are involved in going, we actually go to these foreign lands in fulfillment of the Great Commission. God has a special plan for each and every one of us in regards to our involvement in global missions. It requires each one of us to be open to hearing from God as to what He is calling us to do. This requires us to set aside our hopes and dreams for our life. It requires us to submit our wishes and desires to God’s wishes and desires. Only then, can we hear from Him as to what He would have us to do in regards to fulfilling the Great Commission and reaching all the nations with the gospel.
At The Nations, we believe one of the greatest need today exists among all unengaged and unreached people groups. Our desire is to see the fulfillment of Revelation 7:9 and our strategic focus is the ethnic Tibetan Buddhist people groups of the Himalayas. We believe that seeing Christ exalted at the top of the world provides an opportunity for the Gospel to continue throughout the majority of the unreached world and back to Jerusalem.
Something special is happening in the Himalayas. God seems to be doing something historically unique in our days. God is drawing Tibetan Buddhists into His kingdom in powerful ways. He is working supernaturally to bring families and communities into His presence. He is transforming lives through ways only He can do. However, there are many who still sit in darkness, and it is an impossible task for any one person. As disciples of Jesus, it’s our calling to go and to send where the Gospel is not being shared. As such, we want to encourage you to be involved in missions through the following methods:
LEARN: Continue to explore and learn about God’s plan to bless all peoples, how God has blessed all peoples, what remains to finish His work, and how you can join God to accomplish His plan for all peoples. Learn more about unreached and unengaged people groups through a class like Perspectives of the World Christian Movement or read biographies of pioneering missionaries (e.g. Hudson Taylor and William Carey).
PRAY: There is tremendous power in prayer. Pray with heartfelt urgency for the unreached and the lost of the Himalayas. Pray for the Good News to be heard. Pray that the Lord will send more teachers and pastors to help the unreached learn and grow, and that they will be eager to learn and follow Christ. One practically idea is to start a Focus Group at The Nations focused on sharing, learning, and praying for the unreached and the lost of the Himalayas as well as our missionary families there now.
MOBILIZE: As an ambassador of Christ, we believe you are called to be an ambassador for the unreached world. Help mobilize your friends, family, church members, and others for God’s calling on their lives to be a blessing to others. If you need practical ideas on how you can do this more please don’t hesitate to ask! Please feel free to send an email to missions@younghop1.sg-host.com
WELCOME: The nations are here and actually in our community! Welcome the nations by finding ways to spend time with those who are entering here and engaging within the community. We have church members who are doing this actively right now and would be happy to connect you with them. You can also welcome and encourage missionaries who may be visiting from the field.
GO: Maybe the Lord is calling you to a short-term trip, mid-term or long-term involvement in God’s global mission. Ask the Lord about how He wants to utilize you. There is a short-term mission trip planned for October 2019. Please contact missions@younghop1.sg-host.com as soon as possible if you are interested. We would love to encourage and be praying with you in that journey.
SEND/GIVE: Financially support God’s mission to see His name be known to the ends of the earth. Bless the strategic purpose and heart to see the 23 unreached people groups of the Himalayas reached for Christ. Simply pray about a mission worker God might want you to encourage or support. The harvest is ready but the workers are few.
You can also learn much more about these 6 ways to be involved in global missions here.
It is difficult to fathom that in the 2,000 years since Jesus walked the earth training His followers to bear His image to all the peoples of the world that we have not yet carried out His orders to the church. There are large areas of the globe that are not filled with the knowledge of His Glory (Habakkuk 2:14). There are cities with tens of millions of people without a viable witness for Jesus. There are entire people groups who have still never heard.
Let us commit to be the last generation to witness a world in which every people group has not had an opportunity to respond to the Gospel. In our day, when God is doing something that hasn’t been accomplished before, we have an opportunity to partner with Him to change the landscape of eternity.
NUBRI UPG
One of the 23 UPGs in the Himalayas
The Nubri people live only a kilometer away from Nepal’s northern border with Tibet, which ensures that life for these people remains isolated from the rest of Nepal and is heavily influenced by the culture and religion of Tibet. The people of Nubri also cross the northern border to trade in Tibet.
The Nubri depend on Buddhist lamas in many ways, including keeping the peace between the communities and the spirits. The people will go to great lengths to appease demons that they believe can bring disaster upon their villages. Much of the religion in these areas is dominated by fear of spirits.
Many teams have gone to the Nubri Valley carrying the gospel. A precious few have believed. Those that do, face intense persecution, as evidenced by the martyrdom of 2 believers several years ago because of their faith in Christ.
Prayer Points
- Pray specifically for the Nubri people, that their hearts and minds would be open to hear the Good News and that the current believers would have continued boldness and perseverance in sharing the Gospel.
- Pray that The Nations will be a strong sending church, not only in raising, equipping, and sending missionaries but also in supporting well those that we send. Pray for God to form a strong support team of committed people around Joe and Julie Mason.
- Ask the Lord to reveal His calling for your life and how to be His disciple as a sender or a goer.