Few missionaries live in Muslim countries, and those few who do, tend to bunch up together in cities that are quite comfortable, such as Istanbul. Don’t misunderstand—there is nothing wrong with this. But with an IKEA and about 38 Starbucks coffee shops in Istanbul, missionaries are making Muslim friends in a familiar environment. We had to find a word that challenged new missionaries to go where there are no Starbucks, no IKEA’s, and no missionaries. That word is unengaged.
Unengaged—A population where there is no viable, sustainable, Gospel witness in their midst or any such effort underway. In short, there is no missionary, no church—period.
To engage a Muslim people group is to go to the final frontiers. Truly engaging a Muslim people group means residing in the homeland, learning the local language, staying serious about planting churches, and remaining there for a longer period of time (ten years, not ten months).
John Piper, a renowned Christian author and pastor, has been a vocal advocate for reaching the unengaged. A portion of a favorite sermon of mine he once gave on the topic can be seen below.
Paul often talked about the final frontiers; he wrote, “I no longer have any room for work in these regions.” The work of the church had begun, and beginning the work was the main thing for the apostle Paul. He wrote, “I made it my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ is not known, so that those who have never heard might hear, and those who have never seen might see.” At that time, Paul was on his way to Spain—the final frontier in the first century.
Where is the final frontier today? It is not a place, not a coastline. I believe the final frontier today is found in Jesus’ words when He said, “This gospel of the kingdom must be preached as a testimony to all the ethne/nations, and then the end shall come.” This is the only place in the Bible these six words are used: And then the end shall come.
In humble obedience, we are seriously trying to complete the Great Commission in the Muslim world by beginning the work of planting churches among the remaining 1,108 unengaged Muslim people groups.
So then, where are these peoples? They are in India; in Pakistan, in Chad and Sudan; in the Caucasus region of southern Russia, in the Arabian Peninsula, and on the great island of Sumatra.
Eighty percent of the Muslim people groups that still remain unengaged reside in these six regions. These are the Final Frontiers.
We are blessed to be a blessing to all the families of the earth, including Muslims families. They need God’s love.
“For God so love Muslims that he gave His only son, that Muslims who believe in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his son into the world to condemn Muslims, but that Muslims might be saved through Christ.”
I think of the Toubou people who live in Niger and Chad in Africa. You can read more about the Toubou here. One day Ronaldo, a Frontiers team leader asked,” What are we doing for the Toubou people?” Frankly, we had never heard of them. Ronaldo said, “There is no Christian witness among them. What are we going to do?” Ronaldo was commissioned to move to Niger and start making disciples among the Toubou.
The Toubou are now an engaged Muslim people group.
The work has begun; the final frontiers are still ahead.
Let’s go forward in obedience to Jesus. At some time, when Jesus says the work has been completed, the end will come. And the kingdoms of this world will become the kingdoms of our Lord.
Original article: www.frontiersusa.org/blog/article/the-unengaged-the-final-frontiers
