ORDINARY PEOPLE – AIMing for a Bullseye

By Joy Casey

ORDINARY PEOPLE – AIMing for a Bullseye 

What is the difference between ‘lost’ people and ‘unreached people? 

Lost:  Everyone in the world needs the saving work of Jesus Christ on the cross in order to spend eternity in the presence of God. This offer of eternal life is for everyone on this planet. We (the human race) are lost and we need the Gospel to save us. 

Unreached:  People we commonly label as unreached are lost like the rest of humanity who haven’t accepted Jesus -- plus they have no access to the Gospel.  

People in the Pacific Northwest, for instance, are not unreached even though there are plenty who are lost. Where we live there are Christians and churches who are relatively close by that can share the gospel. 

Why does bringing the Gospel to the unreached matter?   

If nothing changes, people who live in countries or among people groups that have no Christian presence at all, will be born, live and die lost. They will spend eternity separated from God … because there are no Christ-followers to introduce them to the Savior. 

Lost people who do not come to the Father through Jesus Christ will also spend eternity apart from God … but living here or other reached places gives them access to a plethora of ways to hear the Gospel and connect with Christians. 

If God is sovereign and in control and will accomplish his plans, then why do I need to go tell people? Won’t He save with or without me? 

God is sovereign over the end (Revelation 7) and the means. He commands us to go next door and to the ends of the earth as salt and light bringing the hope of Good News. Your giving, your praying, your going to the people around you and to those who have never met a Christian before is how God chooses to build His Kingdom. 

Jesus said it:  Go into all the world and proclaim the Gospel to all creation (all ethnos – people groups).  Mark 16:15 

Early church did it:  But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth (Acts 1:8).  And the entire book of Acts gives us example after example of how these new Christians spread the Good News. 

I’m a Christian but I just don’t feel qualified 

It was a ragtag group of disciples Jesus picked to hang around with Him! None of them had anything extraordinary to offer. But, after the anointing of the Holy Spirit, you only have to read Acts 8 to see how these ordinary followers of Jesus changed the world. 

Think about the people who started the church at Antioch, one of the most influential churches in history. We don’t know their names or anything about them. They are unnamed, ordinary, forgotten. We only know they had the Holy Spirit, just like you do. Showing up and saying yes to Jesus puts you in very good company! Don’t sell God short for what He wants to do using everyday people.  Questioning your abilities and holding back because you feel unqualified is a lack of trust that the Holy Spirit can use your ordinariness just as He has done with multitudes of common people over the centuries. 

How can I start to activate my faith and impact my world? 

Educate yourself on what God is doing right now around the world.  

• Learn about and pray for High Pointe’s mission partners that are displayed on the wall in the foyer.  Steven Hinkeldey would love to connect you with others at High Pointe involved with our global partners so you can gather more information. 

• Join a prayer group the fourth Sunday of every month at 9 a.m. who pray for the world and God’s purposes for High Pointe. Uncomfortable praying? Just listen and learn … but come.   

• Engage with the persecuted church around the world.  There are several wonderful organizations offering reliable information:  Voice of the Martyrs, Open Door, Radical.net, Pray1040.com and many more. 

• 
  

Join with God and what He is doing!