Who’s Missing? Whose Mission?
More than 1.5 billion people are missing out on the opportunity to hear the Gospel. They are living in pockets of lostness, hidden behind cultural, physical, political and language barriers to a Gospel witness. God is calling our church and each of us individually to be on mission with Him to break down these barriers. We all can do something, whether it be praying, going or giving. During this Lottie Moon Christmas Offering season, let’s not let insufficient giving to support our missionaries be one of the barriers!
Help find the missing persons
People have always been missing from God's kingdom. But this year it's even worse. It's worse because we Southern Baptists, impacted by the U.S. economy, were unable to give as much as in previous years to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering. And our gifts last year were way off the expected need to make a significant dent in the number of lost people in the world. That means fewer workers are able to take their places overseas to do their part in helping reach God's missing peoples. So this year's offering is exceptionally important. When our church gives, we reduce the number of missing persons. The national Lottie Moon offering goal is $175 million. Our church’s goal is $1,800.00.
Pockets of lostness fast facts
Many of the world's people missing from God's family live in concentrated pockets of lostness. They number more than 1.5 billion people, and not only are they missing, they are missing the opportunity to even hear the Gospel. Of course, the total number of lost people in the world is much greater – but those living in pockets of lostness are hidden behind barriers that shield them from a Christian witness. The pockets we are focusing on in 2009 comprise:
- About 40 nations and 700 languages
- 34 percent Muslim
- 32 percent Hindu
- 13.5 percent animist
- 6 percent Buddhist
- 6 percent unknown religion
- 4 percent nonreligious/other
We read in Psalm 86:9 that "All the nations You have made will come and bow down before You, Lord, and will honor Your name" (HCSB). God is planning the biggest celebration of all time, inviting people of every color, language and culture to gather around His throne! But some people still haven't gotten their invitations. Join us Sunday, 11/29/2009 as we explore “Who’s Missing? Whose Mission?” We will watch A Challenge by Jerry Rankin, IMB president, who explores the question, “How could it be that after 2,000 years of Christian history, so many people groups remain untouched?”
Born into privilege on a Virginia plantation, Charlotte Digges Moon was a smart, forceful woman who could have achieved most any goal. But God’s call focused Lottie’s life on sharing Christ’s love with China’s lost masses. For 37 years she endured hardship and danger in a land oppressed by famine, disease and war. In the end, she loved the Chinese people more than life itself, giving her own food to starving neighbors – eventually dying of starvation herself.
Why is Southern Baptists’ international missions offering named for this early missionary? Throughout her career, Lottie wrote numerous letters home urging Southern Baptists to greater missions involvement and support. One of those letters, excerpted below, triggered Southern Baptists’ first offering for international missions in 1888 – enough to send three more missionaries to China.
“How many there are … who imagine that because Jesus paid it all, they need pay nothing, forgetting that the prime object of their salvation was that they should follow in the footsteps of Jesus Christ in bringing back a lost world to God.”
Missionaries depend on your prayers as they take the Gospel into the hard places. Nov. 29-Dec. 6, our church will join thousands of Southern Baptist churches to pray for IMB missionaries working to tear down the barriers to the message of Christ in pockets of lostness around the world. Look for your Week of Prayer guide in your church bulletin starting on Sunday, 11/29/2009.
Your giving matters!
Think your gift to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering won’t make a difference? Every penny given to Lottie Moon is used to help support nearly 5,600 Southern Baptist missionaries serving worldwide. Last year, those missionaries reported almost 27,000 new churches and 566,000 baptisms. The lost are believing because you give!
To learn more about Lottie Moon, click here.
