The Unreached are Everywhere

The Unreached are Everywhere

Maybe you feel called to global missions and have the opportunity to travel across the world to share the gospel. Or you might be the person who works an “everyday” job in the same city you grew up in. In either case, we all come into contact with individuals who do not know the Lord, and we may be the only people they know who believes in and can share the good news of Jesus Christ.

I can immediately think of a multitude of friends as well as family members who do not believe in or have a relationship with the Lord. In some cases, they have heard the gospel but have not been in a place in their lives where their hearts are ready to receive it. Others used to consider themselves Christians and/or grew up in a Christian family but were hurt by the church. Plenty have fallen in love with what the world has to offer as opposed to desiring the precious gift of Jesus Christ. And there are many who in times of suffering have been faced with the question of how a God that is good could allow bad things to happen. Without a sufficient answer, some of these people have decided he is not a god they wish to believe in or serve. This is but a small sampling of the some of the reasons why someone may reject the gospel.

I would be lying if I said that in each of these situations I have taken every opportunity to share truth with these friends and family members. It would also be untrue to pretend I have all the answers to these questions. I wish I could say I prayed as often and as fervently as I should for each of these people in my life. But it is hard to be bold with our faith and continue to share the gospel when we may have been rejected before and feel it is certain to happen again. The truth of the matter is that these are people we care about, and we do not want to be rejected by them. Yet, part of the truth of the gospel is that we as Christians will be rejected by the world, but have also been chosen by God and sent out to teach his truth. Romans 10 proclaims that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. If we truly care for these people in our lives, we will value their salvation over our reputation.

In John 15:18-19, Jesus reminds His disciples that the world hated Him first. He says, “If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.” My flesh desperately desires acceptance and it is hard for me to be content with being rejected by the world. Yet how much sweeter is it to be claimed by God, my Father, and welcomed into His kingdom?

The apostle John paints a picture of the kingdom of God in the book of Revelation, and this picture both excites and convicts me. In Revelation 7:9-10 it is written, “After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.’” Worship continues with all the angels and living creatures in verse 12: “Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”

Praise the Lord for the future He has made for us! Shame on us if we keep His blessings and inheritance to ourselves out of fear. May it be our prayer that we will be bold in our faith, sharing the truth and the blessings of the Lord with those who have not yet come to know Christ. We do this so that they may join us around the throne of God in the kingdom of heaven!

Brianna Oakley