"What's Wrong with Those People?"

Often when crossing the globe with the gospel, one stumbles upon strange and even godless customs and practices among the people. Sometimes the travelling missionary or evangelist may even leave theese places feeling fruitless or even a sense of failure. These emotions may stem from the hardness of the soil where he has gone to preach. Those in the arid regions of the world will often reject the goood news of Christ at first exposure. The people have hardly known the unsearchable riches of Christ and are likely to show apprehension at first glance. Such is the case when taking the gospel to a people that have been been trapped by false religions and by the unbiblical traditons of their ancestors.

In watching the the news media from Europe and America, and seeing the distress found in parts of the world least evangelized, some might say either consciously or otherwise, "What's wrong with those people"? Hearing of a mob attacking a church and burning it to the ground sounds so egregious. Thinking of a Hindu man drinking the urine of a cow as means of honoring this supposed sacred beast leaves those of us in the West puzzled. We are not better than others, but we are awed by the un-Christian practices seen in areas of the world in which the gospel has not yet found root. We find ourselves questioning how any rational human beings could abuse themselves and their fellow man in ways they do.

Baptism in NE India

In March of 2022, I had the blessing of representing both the Savior and our local church in Florida as I carried the gospel message to India, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan on a three-week tour that included preaching in 23 churches, 3 Bible Colleges/ Institutes. as well as showing gospel films in regions known primarily for Hinduism and Islam. God blessed with 543 saved and 45 new converts being baptized. Most of these accepting Christ had little or no exposure previously to a sound explanation of what is biblical salvation. The absence of our missional involvement in this region of the world has left teeming millions ignorant of both scriptural truth and saving light.

If we are going to truly make a difference in the world unaffected by the gospel of Jesus in 2022, we must change our way of thinking. We must move from asking, "What is wrong with those people"? to instead asking, "What is wrong with ourselves"? The church of Jesus Christ in the West must begin to wonder, "Why haven't we done our part to carry the message of salvation to places unreached?" We need to rethink our evangelistic stategy and make a priority of reaching the unreached of the Middle East and parts of Asia. We must redesignate funds and time to do so if we want to be serious about this endeavor. There has to be a purposeful determination by our churches and pastors to think beyond the next phone call, email, or prayer letter which comes by mail in order than we might strategize our missions commitments. We must ask ourselves, "Where is the gospel needed most?" The groping of those in the darkest corners of the planet will continue to be unheard if we don't listen intently for their cries. So long as we take our annual missions trips to Mexico and the Philippines to the neglect of the hard to reach regions, we are sure to fail in having a global approach to missions. 

Rooftop Church in Pakistan

I may have the reader lost by now, so allow me to make my point through an illustration . When I was in Bible College in the late 80's I heard my mentor and the founder of the school say, "In Jacksonville, Florida there is an estimate of 500 Baptist churches". I have lived here in this region for more than 3 decades now, and know from my experience that his statement is an accurate assessment.  It is hard to say how many fundamental churches there are in the US entirely. Probably there are somewhere between 6,000 to 10,000 Independent Baptist Churches and about 50,000 Southern Baptist Churches in the US alone. This would not include Bible Churches, Evangelical Churches and others that are committed to proclaiming the gospel of salvation by grace through faith alone. These totals are in a state of decline, but when compared to much of the world are still gargantuan. When one even compares the level of evangelical or gospel-centered churches in places like Kenya, to regions where I viisited in Pakistan or Saudi Arabia, there is just no comparison. Kenya has between 3,000 to 4,000 Independent Baptist Churches alone. Compare this to Pakistan, a

land of 220 million, and one has to be shocked by the dirth of evangelism in this 5th largest nation on the planet. Though churches do not typically publish their location and programs in the predominately muslim world due to security issues, qualified and knowledgeable sources tell us that in this land known for its mountainous and rich culture, there are only a handful of truly Christ-centered churches.

Due to the void of Biblical truth in Pakistan, the people have missed being exposed to the peace that only comes through Christ. As Paul said in II Corithians 4:3, "But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost". In man's lost estate, he cannot find peace. He will find himself hopelessly grasping at straws in search of an inner contentment. Due to poverty and sometimes illeteracy a society can be fooled into chasing after this hope in vain places such a superstitions, and ancestrial fables. In the end, a life of doom and despair will be the lot of millions. The "hidden" gospel will remain "hidden". The frustation of the people will run over into the streets, blaming the corrupt government, competing tribes, and even the Christian missionaries who came to show them the truth in Christ. 

Baptism in Pakistan

We have the the TRUTH. The solution to dispelling darkness is more LIGHT!!! It is our calling and commission. We must take by force the places overcome by darkness through means of carrying the LIGHT of Jesus to them. If we fail to bring this radiant love of God, and the people continue to grope in a perpetual darkness, then we must ask ourselves, "What is wrong with us?"