During every Christmas season as far back as I can recall I have sung the carol “Hark the Herald Angels Sing”. Charles Wesley wrote the words in 1739. Inspired by the sound of London church bells he heard as he walked to church on Christmas Day, Wesley originally wrote the opening line as, “Hark , how the welkin rings”. Welkin (of course, as everyone knows) is an archaic English word meaning “sky” or “heavens”.

But as I sang the beloved carol for the first time this year, it was another line that got my attention: “Joyful all ye nations rise, join the triumph of the skies”. As I thought about those words, I realized they were actually an invitation being extended to the nations, one that many have yet to hear. A survey of the word translated “nations” or “peoples” in the Bible reveals two primary truths for us to consider; this invitation will be given to the nations, and they will indeed hear it and “join the triumph of the skies.”

The Psalms are filled with assurances of the former:

He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalm 46:10

So that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations. Psalm 67:2

Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples. Psalm 96:3

The LORD is exalted over all the nations, his glory above the heavens. Psalm 113:4

And prophecy assures us of the latter:

In the last days the mountain of the LORD’s temple will be established as the highest of the mountains; it will be exalted above the hills, and all nations will stream to it. Isaiah 2:2

At that time they will call Jerusalem The Throne of the LORD, and all nations will gather in Jerusalem to honor the name of the LORD. No longer will they follow the stubbornness of their evil hearts. Jeremiah 3:17

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne.  All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. Matthew 25:32

After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. Revelation 7:9

Who will not fear you, Lord, and bring glory to your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous acts have been revealed. Revelation 15:4

These scriptures and many others give us hope and encouragement that our labor in the mission fields of the world is certainly not in vain. They inspire us to embrace the Lord’s invitation for us, His children, to join Him in His worldwide recruitment of His Christmas Choir –

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20

So when you sing that great old Christmas carol this year, listen for that invitation you are extending for ALL THE WORLD to ”JOIN THE TRIUMPH OF THE SKIES” While you’re at it, listen for God’s call to you to make disciples of all nations.

Here’s the most recent report on the status of the Unengaged, Unreached People Groups or UUPGs across the globe. The first chart reports a total of 3,684 UUPGs, breaking those down by Affinity Groups. The second shows  the population size of the various UUPGs, revealing that 72 have a population greater than 1 million. The third chart presents the exertion level experienced by these people groups, indicating that over 1500 UUPGs live in extreme poverty situations. The fourth chart demonstrates why many peoples are still unreached due to the level of difficulty in accessing them. The final chart demonstrates how the various people groups are deprived of gospel materials.

The Unengaged, Unreached People Groups of the World

July 2011 (Based on June 2011 GSEC Report)

Fast Fact: 2,830 UUPGs have no known evangelical churches or believer.

Population

Fast Fact: The 72 UUPGs with populations of one million or more account for 156.7 million (or, more than 44 %) of the 354 million total population of all 3,684 UUPGs.

Physical Exertion (country level)

Fast Fact: 1,589 UUPGs are located in countries with low standards of living and short life expectancies.

Government Restrictions and Social Hostility toward Minority Religions

Fast Fact: 1,046 UUPGs reside in countries with both significant government restrictions and social hostilities toward minority religious beliefs and practices.

Resource Availability

Fast Fact: 845 of the world’s UUPGs, representing a combined population of 31.8 million people, have no known oral or written Christian resource.

 
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 Great new tool from IMB to get connected with Unreached People Groups (UPGs) !

“Getting There” is an on-line tool designed to help you explore, discover, and interact with UPGs and UUPGs. What’s a UPG? Glad you asked. UPG is the IMB acronym for Unreached People Group. UUPG stands for Unengaged and Unreached People Group. Still sound like a foreign language? Let’s break down the meaning word by word, starting with the largest denominator.

A People Group is defined as a population of people over which the gospel can flow freely, without cultural barriers of understanding and acceptance

Unreached is a missiological term that identifies a certain minimum percentage of evangelicals and churches encountered in the people group before it is considered “Reached” This percentage varies according to who you are talking to, but for IMB purposes it is under 2% evangelized.

Unengaged means that no one has a strategy in place to reach this people group with the gospel.

The “Getting There” site is an exciting interactive way for missions leaders to explore UUPGs that have been identified all over the world. You can ”let your mouse do the walking” across the globe by zooming in and out in a “Google Map” type format. Search by Affinity Group, People group name, or nations to pinpoint a certain group. Orange and Green Dots on the map representing UUPGs can be clicked on to zoom in on that particular people group and get more information, or even start the process for your chuch to adopt it! (Orange = no one has adopeted this UUPG, Green = someone has adopted this UUPG, but you can join with them).

There’s even an inspirational “Getting There Journal” to help guide you on your virtual journey of exploring UUPGs!

Has the Lord given you a heart and passion for Bhutanese/Nepalese?

Join us March 3-4, 2011, in Nashville ,Tennessee at LifeWay, where you can learn how to move forward in your involvement in reaching this people group for Christ. If you are just getting your feet wet, experienced leaders will be there to help equip you. If you are already ministering, it is an opportunity to receive more training and information to help you go the next step. Here are a few things you can expect from this network meeting: 

• How your church/association can be equipped to strategically minister to Bhutanese/Nepalese around you and around the world
• How to connect with other leaders and explore opportunities for partnership
• How to connect to short-term mission trip opportunities
• How to engage in stateside prayer advocacy and other prayer initiatives

Conference Logistics:

• Check-In: March 3, 2011 from 10 AM –  12noon ( Meal Provided at noon)
• Last Session ends at noon March 4 – (box dinner provided)
• Conference Fee: $85.00 (includes meals [except breakfast] and resources)
• Last day to register is February 15, 2011 Schedule will be available soon

*Please Note – Childcare will not be provided*

Registration open soon.