WHO ARE THE NATIONS?

Reaching the Unreached Peoples of the World

Who are the Nations?
Throughout history God has made it clear that His purposes will not be restricted by the efforts of men. When Solomon offered his prayer of dedication, it was declared even then that the nations would come from afar and offer their worship to the Lord. "As for the foreigner who does not belong to Your people Israel but has come from a distant land because of Your name--for men will hear of Your great name and Your mighty hand and Your outstretched arm--when he comes and prays toward this temple, then hear from heaven, Your dwelling place, and do whatever the foreigner asks of You, so that all the peoples of the earth may know Your name and fear You, as do Your own people Israel, and may know that this house I have built bears Your Name" (1 Kings 8:41-43). The cry of the psalmist echoes the same: "All the nations You have made will come and worship before You, O LORD; they will bring glory to Your name" (Psalm 86:9).

Theocentric Mission
God is the chief focus in missions and it is for His name's sake that He gathers people from all the nations of the earth. David recognized God's passion for Himself when he declared, "... who is like Your people Israel--the one nation on earth whose God went out to redeem a people for Himself, and to make a name for Yourself..." (1 Chronicles 17:21). God has sovereignly ordained that the means by which the gospel message will go to all peoples is through the preaching of His Word. "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. How, then, can they call on the One they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the One of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, 'How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news'" (Romans 10:13-15). The chief desire of a believer should be to see the name of the Redeemer exalted and praised throughout the earth. God has mercifully allowed us to fulfill this passion by calling us to go to the nations of the world.

What Defines a People Group?
The term 'nations,' as rendered in the Bible, has for the most part been misunderstood within the church. The Bible is not speaking of an established governing body such as the United Nations. The references in the Bible that point to nations are referring to a particular group of people who speak the same language and can be distinguished from all other peoples. A people group consists of "a significantly large grouping of individuals who perceive themselves to have a common affinity for one another because of their shared language, religion, ethnicity, residence, occupation, class or caste, situation, etc., or combinations of these" (Ralph Winter, Mission Frontier). For evangelistic purposes, it is "the largest group within which the Gospel can spread as a church planting movement without encountering barriers of understanding or acceptance."

What Defines an Unreached People?
The term "unreached peoples" carries with it numerous questions that need to be clarified. Most obviously, one needs to have an understanding of the working definition of an unreached people. Unreached people (i.e. "...a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language…" Revelation 7:9) can be rendered as "a people group among which there is no indigenous community of believing Christians with adequate numbers and resources to evangelize their people group without requiring outside (cross-cultural) assistance" (Ralph Winter, Mission Frontier). The unreached peoples are certainly a reality in the world today, yet most Christians are unaware of the geographical locations that contain them, as well as the available resources to join in seeking to reach these people.

The Importance of Planting Churches
The Bible teaches the need for churches to continue in growth once they have been established. This task is in accordance with our Lord's command of "making disciples of all the nations" (Matthew 28:19). The need of equipping new believers that reside in these unreached groups is crucial for the furthering of the gospel in that region. Once the Apostle Paul had established a firm foundation within the local churches, he moved on to the next region. He remained in contact with them through letters, by his prayers (e.g; Ephesians 1:16; Colossians 1:3), through personal visits, and through teaching and encouraging (Acts 20:2) as he moved to his next destination. Paul's passion for declaring God's glory amongst the unreached peoples is what drove him to reach to the uttermost parts of the earth (Romans 15:24, 28).

Romans 15:18-21--"I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me in leading the Gentiles to obey God by what I have said and done-- by the power of signs and miracles, through the power of the Spirit. So from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum, I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ. It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else's foundation. Rather, as it is written: 'Those who were not told about him will see, and those who have not heard will understand.'"

Romans 15:18-21--"I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me in leading the Gentiles to obey God by what I have said and done-- by the power of signs and miracles, through the power of the Spirit. So from Jerusalem