Desperate Praying
I spent the day at Johnson Ferry Baptist Church attending the Embrace the Great Commission Conference put on by the International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention. The purpose of this gathering of over 180 churches was to connect churches and associations with one of the 3,650 Unengaged Unreached People Groups in the world. A simple definition of an UUPG is a group of people connected by language and culture in which there are no Christians or very few Christians and no multiplying churches. You can see a list of them by going to the IMB web site at www.imb.org.
It was a very informative conference, and I was glad to see the interest from so many churches. I went with a prayer in my heart for God to show me what our church should do. We have adopted the Japanese people as our Unreached People Group. We are praying for them and for our missionaries there continually. We have several people who are ready to take a trip to Nagoya to help Jeff and Lori in their work. I am trying to learn some Japanese, so I can share a little myself. However, the Japanese are not categorized as an "unengaged people group" since there are Christians and some churches that are spreading the gospel in some areas. I wanted the Lord to show me, if He wanted us to try to help reach some UUPG, too.
I believe God showed me the answer. As I listened to the speakers, God showed me that for all practical purposes the Japanese are an UUPG, even if they are barely across the statistical line. There are only about .5% of the people who are Christians and a few hundred churches for 128,000,000 people. From what I have been able to discern not very many of these churches are multiplying. Therefore, the Japanese are very worthy of a lifelong commitment to reach them for Christ and to do whatever we can do to see a Church Planting Movement begin among the Japanese people. My heart was re-energized in that direction.
Dr. Tom Eliff, the new President of the IMB began the day with a stirring message on "Desperate Praying" from Luke 11:1-13. That is where we must begin as a church. Then, we can prepare and plan, but without that desperate prayer, we will not accomplish God's will, especially in a culture that is so resistant to the Gospel. I would ask you to join with me in this desperate praying for the Japanese people, for Jeff and Lori, and for all of the other missionaries and Christians in Japan.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Ezekiel 20-22.
It was a very informative conference, and I was glad to see the interest from so many churches. I went with a prayer in my heart for God to show me what our church should do. We have adopted the Japanese people as our Unreached People Group. We are praying for them and for our missionaries there continually. We have several people who are ready to take a trip to Nagoya to help Jeff and Lori in their work. I am trying to learn some Japanese, so I can share a little myself. However, the Japanese are not categorized as an "unengaged people group" since there are Christians and some churches that are spreading the gospel in some areas. I wanted the Lord to show me, if He wanted us to try to help reach some UUPG, too.
I believe God showed me the answer. As I listened to the speakers, God showed me that for all practical purposes the Japanese are an UUPG, even if they are barely across the statistical line. There are only about .5% of the people who are Christians and a few hundred churches for 128,000,000 people. From what I have been able to discern not very many of these churches are multiplying. Therefore, the Japanese are very worthy of a lifelong commitment to reach them for Christ and to do whatever we can do to see a Church Planting Movement begin among the Japanese people. My heart was re-energized in that direction.
Dr. Tom Eliff, the new President of the IMB began the day with a stirring message on "Desperate Praying" from Luke 11:1-13. That is where we must begin as a church. Then, we can prepare and plan, but without that desperate prayer, we will not accomplish God's will, especially in a culture that is so resistant to the Gospel. I would ask you to join with me in this desperate praying for the Japanese people, for Jeff and Lori, and for all of the other missionaries and Christians in Japan.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Ezekiel 20-22.