International (MNN) — This Sunday, May 28 is the International Day for the Unreached, as well as Pentecost Sunday. You may know Pentecost Sunday celebrates the day in Scripture when God’s people received the Holy Spirit to spread the Gospel.

Fittingly celebrated the same day as Pentecost Sunday, the International Day for the Unreached is highlighting unreached people around the world and the need to get the Gospel to them.

(Photo courtesy of A Third Of Us)

Greg Kelley with World Mission explains, “The unreached are people who don’t have access to the Gospel. So think of no access to the Bible, think of no missionary, think of no church, think of no pastor. They’ll never meet a Christian in their life.”

Roughly one-third of the entire global population is denied access to the Good News of Jesus Christ.

“When I came to the studio that we’re at right now, I passed by 50 churches as I was driving. [Unreached] people will never see a single Evangelical church from the day they’re born until the day that they die.”

So how do we most effectively reach unreached people for Christ? Kelley says, “I love the idea of reaching people by mobilizing leaders. I’m thoroughly convinced that the key ingredient to reaching the ends of the earth is through leadership training to raise up leaders.”

For example, World Mission has new leadership training launching in Pakistan to do just that: Train Christian leaders to reach the unreached.

“The first round of leaders coming through there are going to be former Taliban members — people have come to know Jesus — and they are going to go into Afghanistan and preach the Gospel.”

(Photo courtesy of A Third Of Us)

There are several ways you can get involved with International Day for the Unreached. First, visit athirdofus.com to join the #AThirdOfUs movement.

You can also download a Church Kit or Family Guide with educational materials on the needs of the unreached and ways to make an impact for the Great Commission.

There’s also the 1:11 Prayer Challenge! We will be praying at 1:11pm on Sunday, May 28th on the International Day for the Unreached. You can join here: https://athirdofus.com/idu/#take-action.

Finally, Kelley says, “I think we need to pray as Jesus said when He came down and He looked out and He said, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore, pray to the Lord of the harvest.’ I really believe that.”

 

Header photo courtesy of A Third Of Us.