ONE OF THE MOST FREQUENT QUESTIONS I FIELD IS:
“Why is your ministry so focused on doing evangelism and building orphanages in Asia? There is so much need in the US. Why not reach out at home?”
I don’t think the individuals posing these questions are trying to be mean-spirited or contrary. Many of them are just curious. “Why spend the time and money flying halfway across the world when people here in America, in your own ‘backyard,’ don’t know Christ?”
As of this month, there are officially 7 billion people in the world.
Of those 7 billion, 2.2 billion call themselves Christians – this includes Roman Catholics, Protestants, and Evangelicals. Assuming that all 2.2 billion people that label themselves Christians ARE following Christ, that leaves us with 4.7 billion “lost” people. 4.7 billion people who have not professed faith in Jesus Christ.
Of those 4.7 billion “lost” people, 50% have never heard the Gospel and a staggering 33% have never even HEARD the name of Jesus Christ. It’s true. A little over 1.5 BILLION people have not even heard the name of Jesus Christ.
Where do these 1.5 billion people live?
ASIA.
In India, for instance, there is 1 full-time Christian worker for every 44,000 people. In America, there is 1 full-time Christian worker for very 400 people.
In the US, there is LITERALLY a church on every corner. There are five 24/7 Christian TV stations. There is a Christian radio station in virtually every city. There are Christian billboards, Christian Universities, Christian High Schools, Christian dating websites, Christian holidays. The Gospel is clearly within reach of every American. Not to say, the work in America is OVER. It certainly is NOT.
However, based on the Red Letters of Scripture, God’s heart is beating and frantically searching – not for the 99 who are already in the fold– but for the ONE who is yet lost. God’s heart is BEATING for Asia. I believe that the salvation of the people of Asia is profoundly on his mind. It is a tragedy, perhaps an indictment, on this generation of Christ followers that 1.5 billion have never heard his name. The body of Christ in the US alone has enough MONEY, enough MAN POWER, and enough EDUCATION to spread the Gospel throughout all of Asia in the next 5 years.
There is only ONE THING God needs:
YOU.
– Dominic