Session 2

Well, good morning, everyone. It's a great privilege for me to be here. Can everybody hear me?

When we talk about mission, we just heard some insight into what overseas or cross-cultural mission looks like.

And oftentimes we think that involves language, that involves culture, that involves study.

You need to have skills as a speaker or skills as a teacher or insight as an apologist.

But I can say to you from a human standpoint, the reason why I'm standing here today is a Christian named Alan invited me to church.

I didn't go to church. I didn't believe in God. I saw no need to do either.

And I encountered this man, Alan, 27 years ago when I moved to Scotland.

We shared a flat just off the High Street in the center of Edinburgh on Coburn Street, that windy street that goes down to Waverly.

And Alan was a Christian. And the first thing Alan did was find a church.

It happened to be Buclue Free Church, where I've been ever since.

And Alan had a personal and a profound and an obvious relationship with Jesus.

Now, I didn't know what the gospel was. I didn't know who Jesus was.

But I did know who Alan was.

And I could tell that there was something in him that was different and positive and engaging.

So sometimes we think of mission and we think of the challenges, and there are.

And we think of the preparation, and there is.

But I would suggest that each one of us here, if we know Jesus, if we love Jesus,

then he has given to us the work of mission, whether local or national or international.

And we live in a day where we might be tempted to despair.

We might be tempted to say there's so much, so much darkness.

There's so much ignorance. There's so many difficulties.

And that's all true.

But if the day is characterized by darkness, doesn't that mean that light would be even more apparent?

If we live in a day that is characterized by confusion, doesn't that imply that clarity becomes ever more obvious?

So never lose sight of what you can do, not there and then, but here and now.

With that brief introduction, I'd like to take you to a very distant place.

If you go as far south as you can and you go as far west as you can in China,

there is a monument with a plaque that's written in three languages.

And it's written in the language of Mandarin Chinese, it's written in the language of the Lisu people,

and it's also written in English.

The English inscription reads this,

Today, the Lisu people live in three countries predominantly.

There's approximately 900,000 Lisu people in China,

350,000 in Myanmar, Burma,

and about 40,000 in Thailand.

Now, the Lisu population in China is 45% evangelical.

By evangelical, we're evangelical.

We believe the gospel.

We recognize Jesus as Savior and Lord.

We recognize the Bible as the word of God.

We recognize that salvation is the work of God through Christ applied by the Holy Spirit.

So these are believers as we would recognize believers.

So 45% of the Chinese, the Lisu people within China are evangelical.

52% of the Lisu people in Myanmar are evangelical.

And 34% of the Lisu people in Thailand are evangelical.

Now, I hope today that I'll give you some information.

I'm not expecting anybody to remember statistics.

But remember that this plaque was from the Lisu church in recognition of one man,

giving thanks and praise to God for his work.

So today, if you look at the Joshua Project, and if you've never seen this website,

I'd encourage you to go.

The Joshua Project looks at the world and all of the peoples of the world

and gives you an insight into each of these people.

So you can look up any people group.

You can look up any nation.

And you can see the progress of the gospel in that place and among those people.

So these statistics are as accurate as we can get at the present time.

This is 2017.

In 1908, when James O. Fraser went to...

Well, he left for China in 1908.

He arrived and settled in the far southwest by 1910.

And that was the first time he encountered the Lisu people.

They had traditional dress that was different from the Chinese.

They had language that was different from the Chinese people.

They had customs that were different.

But the one thing that struck James Fraser was this,

that the Lisu people knew absolutely nothing about Jesus Christ.

So we are talking about 109 years ago,

that the Lisu people were unreached,

unpenetrated, unengaged with the gospel of Jesus.

And today, let's say 110 years later,

these are a people who are predominantly evangelical believers.

Now, how does this happen?

How did this happen?

And how can we be a part of what God is doing?

So this church and these people...

Now, James O. Fraser was a missionary

with what was then known as the China Inland Mission.

It's now known as OMF, Overseas Missionary Fellowship.

And this is a missionary organization that is operating

in many of the countries of Eastern Asia,

involved in work among the Asian peoples

and the Chinese people and the Chinese diaspora.

But let me take you back, because I want us to be inspired.

Because as we consider these great figures of the past,

we might be inclined to say,

that's great for him.

That's great for them.

But what can I do?

Or what can we do?

Well, just to take you back a little bit.

So when James Fraser, he was born in 1886.

When he was 20 years old, he graduated.

He had a degree in engineering.

He also happened to be a very accomplished pianist.

And he was going to pursue a career in engineering.

He was a Christian.

And then a friend gave him a leaflet, a pamphlet.

And the title of the pamphlet was,

Do Not Say.

Do Not Say.

And the subtitle was,

The Church's Excuses for Neglecting the Heathen.

Now by heathen means the foreigners,

the people living in distant countries,

but particularly foreigners who do not know the gospel.

And this is a remarkable pamphlet.

It's about 80 pages.

And this pamphlet profoundly transformed the thinking

and profoundly transformed the life of James Fraser

and through his life,

profoundly transformed the Lisu people group.

So maybe we can begin by asking ourselves,

what excuses are we making?

What excuses are we making individually?

What excuses are we making as a church?

That we look at this world today,

roughly 7.4 billion people on this big planet,

and it's growing.

We think of the diversity,

all different kinds of philosophies,

all different kinds of religions,

all different kinds of customs.

We think of those areas of the world

where there are barriers and obstacles,

and there are many.

We think of those areas of the world

where being a Christian is dangerous.

And we're proclaiming Jesus could be very dangerous.

And we can all make excuses individually.

I'm too young.

I'm too old.

I'm not good with languages.

I find it difficult to eat unusual food.

It's too far.

It's too tough.

We don't have enough money.

This is a reason.

In my own church, the free church,

this is a constant refrain.

We don't have the resources.

We don't have the people.

We don't have the funding.

But this pamphlet was reminding us

that one day,

Jesus Christ will return.

And one day,

Jesus will ask us to give an account.

And this pamphlet that Fraser read,

and this pamphlet,

which you can read,

it's there online if you'd like to see it,

it's suggested that the excuses that we make now

will appear to be very hollow then.

They won't be very persuasive

when Jesus gives us the opportunity

to make our excuses

or to give the reasons for which

we have not shared the gospel with our neighbors,

nor have we shared the gospel

with the distant peoples of the world.

So let's keep in mind this man, James Fraser.

Let's keep in mind a people

that had no knowledge of the gospel

about a hundred years ago.

And that a people today

who are characterized

by a vibrant and by a vital Christian church,

not a perfect Christian church.

As much as you have to celebrate

in Brunsfield Evangelical Church,

yours is not a perfect church.

Beclew Free Church on the other side of the meadows,

certainly not a perfect church.

Why?

Because we're composed of people.

So the Lord Jesus is not waiting to work

in the lives of perfect people

or in the fellowships of perfect churches.

If he was, he would have no one to work with

and no congregations to work with.

But do we have a vision

for what God is up to?

Because as you read the Bible,

and just a few moments ago,

Alistair read two chapters.

He read a chapter from the middle of the Bible,

Psalm 67.

He read a chapter from the end of the Bible,

Revelation chapter 7.

Revelation 7 · chapter mention

If I could read a few verses

from the beginning of the Bible,

if you look, for example,

at Genesis chapter 12.

Genesis 12 · chapter mention

This is one of the profound encounters

of the Bible.

The Lord said to Abram,

go from your country

and your kindred

and your father's house

to the land that I will show you.

And I will make of you a great nation.

And I will bless you

and make your name great

so that you will be a blessing.

I will bless those that bless you.

And him who dishonors you,

I will curse.

And in you,

all the families of the earth

shall be blessed.

Now, as we read the Bible,

there are threads

that unite the whole of Scripture.

The gospel is one of those threads.

The message of salvation

through faith

is one of these threads

that unites the whole of Scripture.

Because when God spoke to Abraham,

what do we read?

We read that Abraham believed God

and that God credited

his faith as righteousness.

So it's all about trusting in God.

It's not about us,

what we do,

but it's about God

and what he has done.

Now, Abraham saw Jesus

from a distance.

We have a much clearer picture,

don't we,

of who Jesus is

and what Jesus has done.

So the thread of the gospel

runs from Genesis

through to Revelation.

There is no other message

because there is no other Savior.

But I would suggest equally

that the thread of mission

runs through the whole of Scripture.

It becomes clearer

and more focused

as we go from old to new

or as we go from the beginning

of the Old Testament

through to the Psalms,

through to the prophets,

through to Isaiah,

that we see a growing picture

that God has a care and concern

not for some or few,

but for all.

All families,

all tribes,

all nations,

all peoples,

and that God chose

to work in the life

of Abraham,

one,

that Abraham would become

a nation,

a nation based on faith.

So wherever you see Abraham,

think faith.

There is the father

of the faithful.

So God built a great nation

out of one man.

But the desire was

that not only this one nation

would know God,

but that this one nation

would show God off

to the nations

that they would desire

to come

to see God

for themselves.

And that's what God

is doing

in the lives

of his people today.

He not only is concerned

about your salvation,

your eternal destiny,

he's not only concerned

about your welfare,

but God wants

to show himself off

in your life

and through your life

so that the people

you work with,

the people that you

live next door to,

the people within

your household,

the people that you

rub shoulders with

as you go to church,

or the people that

you just have

good friendships with,

that they want to say

there's something about him

and there's something

about her

and there's something

about us.

That's different.

And when God

shows himself off,

what does he show off?

He shows off his power.

He shows off his mercy.

He shows off his grace.

He shows off his goodness.

We sang a version

of Amazing Grace

just a few moments ago.

God demonstrated his power

and his mercy

in the life of John Newton,

a man whose life

was characterized

by infidelity.

He was an unbeliever,

a man whose life

was characterized

by sin and licentiousness.

God met him.

God changed him.

God transformed him.

So when he said,

Amazing grace,

how sweet the sound

that saved a wretch like me.

I once was lost,

but now am found,

was blind.

But now I see

that John Newton

was testifying personally

to the grace

and to the power

of the gospel.

So as we survey

the scriptures,

Abraham will be

the father of a nation

and that nation

through him,

through that nation

and through Abraham

that all the nations

of the earth

will be blessed.

God be merciful

and bless us

that the blessing

that we desire

for ourselves

in Psalm 67

is an overflowing blessing

so that others

might see,

that others might taste,

that others might enjoy,

and others might benefit.

And as we come

to this final picture

in the book of Revelation,

we have that there's

a multitude,

so many that they

cannot be numbered,

that they are clothed,

they're wearing white,

they have been made pure,

they've come out

of the tribulation,

they've washed their robes

and made them white

in the blood of the Lamb.

And how are these described?

A great multitude

that no one could number

from every nation,

from all tribes

and peoples and languages,

standing before the throne,

before the Lamb,

clothed in white branches,

in white robes

with palm branches

in their hand

and crying out

with a loud voice,

salvation belongs

to our God

who sits on the throne

and to the Lamb.

All peoples,

all nations,

all families

will be represented

where?

In glory,

in front of the Lamb.

So the promise

to Abraham

and the fulfillment

of Revelation,

these are the great bookends.

And here we are

right in the middle.

We are in the middle

of God's redemptive plan.

And right now,

we can say

that there is a world

and that there are peoples

in this world

who do not yet know

and have not yet heard.

The Lisu people

now have heard.

They have an indigenous church.

They have a growing church

that is able

to reach its own people

and even reach beyond

its own people group.

Let me remind you

just of those words

of the Great Commission,

Matthew 28.

If you think of Matthew 28,

verses 18 to 23,

three verses

shows how my mind works.

I often think of food.

Think of a sandwich,

right?

A sandwich,

you have a piece of bread,

you have something

in the middle,

you have a piece of bread.

This is a sandwich

because you have two statements

and in the middle

you have a command.

Statement number one,

and Jesus came

and said to them,

all authority in heaven

and on earth

has been given to me.

That's who Jesus is.

The other half

of the sandwich

is the statement

in verse 20,

and behold,

I am with you always

to the end of the age.

So what do we have?

We have the power of Jesus

and we have the presence

of Jesus.

So all power,

all authority,

and his presence

is with us

from now until forever.

Now you understand

those brackets

or the bread

of the sandwich.

You then come

to the command

because if you look

at the command

on its own

you would say,

I can't do it.

We can't do it.

This is impossible.

But if you have

all powerful Jesus

and all present Jesus,

then the command

go therefore

and make disciples

of all the nations,

baptizing them

in the name

of the Father

and of the Son

and of the Holy Spirit,

teaching them

to observe

all that I

have commanded you.

Now that command

comes now

into a much

different focus.

Because if the power

belongs to Jesus,

can he do this?

Absolutely.

If the presence

of Jesus is there,

will he do this?

Absolutely.

All the power,

all the resources,

all that we need,

the wisdom,

the grace,

the strength,

the courage,

the comfort,

we are not doing

this on our own,

but he is with us

every step,

every journey,

every challenge.

So if you think

of the Great Commission

in that way,

you realize

that it's still

all about Jesus.

the work of the cross,

the work of salvation,

is that a joint venture

on our part

that we give

and he gives

that we do

and he does?

No.

It's his work

on our behalf

and all the benefit

comes to us.

Now in the work

of mission,

in a sense,

yes,

we go,

we respond,

we proclaim,

but it's his work

from beginning

to end.

It's his power.

It's his authority.

It's his presence.

It's his agenda.

All the praise

on all the credit

and all the glory

will ultimately

come to him.

Now when you think

to that story

of James Fraser,

let me give you

an insight

into what kind

of person

Fraser was.

Now you might say

he's an educated man

and he was.

He was gifted

in acquiring language

and understanding

a different culture,

which he was.

So much so

that the

Lisu alphabet

that was adopted

by the Chinese government,

you see,

the Lisu people

are one of 55

minority people groups

within the

People's Republic

of China.

The government

of China

recognized

that the Fraser alphabet

was the best

representation

of the Lisu

language

that has ever

been developed.

So here's a man

with gifts,

absolutely.

But listen to his

insight into the

work of mission.

He said,

I used to think

that prayer should

have the first place

and teaching the second.

Now I feel that it

would be truer to

give prayer

the first,

second,

and third place

and teaching

the fourth.

Now this is the

challenge.

We might not all

have the gifts

to teach.

We might not have

all the gifts

to acquire language.

We might not all

have the gifts

to evangelize

or to give an

apologetic,

a reason,

or a response.

But prayer

is something

that we all

can do.

Prayer is something

that we are all

able to do.

And in prayer

we are drawing

upon the resources,

the strength,

the power

of the one

who has all

power,

all strength.

In one of his

prayer letters

he wrote to

his supporters,

Fraser said this,

he said,

I am not asking

you just to

give help

in prayer

as a sort

of sideline,

but I am

trying to roll

the main

responsibility

of prayer

on you.

I want you

to take

the burden

of spiritual

warfare,

the burden

of warfare,

the burden

of these people

on your shoulders.

I want you

to wrestle

with God

for them.

So it's very easy

to look at

someone like

Fraser and to say

what a great

missionary,

what a great

example of.

But I think

he would be

the first to say

and was the

first to say

that it was

not him,

but it was

the prayers

of God's

people,

but even more,

it was the

God to whom

they were

praying.

He was the

one who

achieved.

He was the

one who

accomplished.

He was the

one who

transformed

the spiritual

lives of

these people.

It was not

him,

but it was

God himself.

So there

you have

the great

commission.

There you

have the

reminder of

what God

has done

and is

doing.

You're

celebrating

these years,

67 to

2017,

50 years.

Let me

take you

back to a

key moment

in that

period.

It was in

1974.

In 1974,

a group of

leaders from

all over the

world gathered

in Lausanne,

Switzerland.

It became

known as the

Committee for

Worldwide

Evangelism,

and they

published a

covenant.

You see,

the recognition

was this.

On one

level,

by 1974,

all the

nations of

the world,

the nation

states,

had been

penetrated to

some extent

by the

gospel.

So there

was a

perception,

among some

at least,

was,

overseas

mission has

now been

fulfilled.

Listen to

these words.

We affirm

that Christ

sends his

redeemed

people into

the world

as the

Father sent

him,

and that

this calls

for a

similar deep

and costly

penetration

of the

world.

We need

to break

out of

our

ecclesiastical

ghettos and

permeate

non-Christian

society.

In the

church's

mission of

sacrificial

service,

evangelism is

primary.

world's

evangelization

requires the

whole church

to take

the whole

gospel to

the whole

world.

I think

we can

celebrate

here,

Brunsfield

Evangelical

Church,

Buclew Free

Church,

Charlotte

Baptist

Chapel,

Corubber's

Christian

Cloth.

We have

many churches

in the

city of

Edinburgh

that have

the whole

gospel.

We'll

differ on

some small

points,

but that

doesn't

matter.

But we

have the

message.

We have

the message

of Jesus.

But are

we aware

of our

responsibility?

The whole

church,

that doesn't

just mean

everyone of

Brunsfield

Evangelical,

but it

means all

the believers

within the

city of

Edinburgh,

within the

nation of

Scotland,

the whole

church needs

to take

this whole

gospel.

We don't

give the

world anything

less than

what we

have,

but we

need to

take it

to the

whole of

this world,

to all

of its

people.

If you

look at

the Bible,

in Acts

Acts 1 · chapter mention

chapter 1,

there were

about 120

people who

met together

for prayer.

By Acts

Acts 2 · chapter mention

chapter 2,

3,000 had

been added to

the church at

the end of

Peter's

Pentecost

sermon.

Acts chapter

Acts 4 · chapter mention

4,

we're told

that many

of those

who had

heard the

word believed

and the

number of

men came

to about

5,000.

By Acts

Acts 17 · chapter mention

chapter 17,

when Jason

had welcomed

some of the

brothers into

his home,

we're told

that these

men who

have turned

the world

upside down

have come

here also.

Jason has

received them

and they are

all acting

against the

decrees of

Caesar.

saying that

there is

another

king,

Jesus.

So there

is a rapid

spread of

the gospel

within the

biblical period.

120,

3,000,

5,000.

The world

turned upside

down.

Now, I'm a

student of

history.

When I came

to this

country, I

came to

study the

history of

Scotland.

So it

wasn't church

history, but it

was the history

of the Scottish

people, the

political history

of Scotland, and

it was a

comparative

study between

Scotland and

Ireland.

If you want

more information

that can tell

you fascinating

stuff.

But having

become a

Christian, my

love for

history is

still there.

And when I

read the

biographies of

Fraser, or

read William

Carey, or

read of

Hudson Taylor,

or read of

Charles Spurgeon,

and I'll be

referencing some

of these folks

later today, I

love the

history.

So let me

give you an

idea of

history, because

if you think

of 1900,

1900 probably

was the

high-water

mark of

Western

missionary

activity in

the nations,

overseas,

foreign mission

activities,

probably at

its height by

1900, certainly

1900, 1910.

In 1900,

Africa had

10 million

Christians, and

that was about

10% of the

population.

By 2000, this

figure had

grown to

360 million

Christians,

representing

half the

population.

Quantitatively,

this may well

be the largest

shift in

religious

affiliation that

has ever

occurred anywhere.

I don't know

about you, but

I have this

perception.

I have lived

in Scotland

27 years.

You kind of

see the

church here, and

you kind of

think, well, I

guess that's the

way it is

everywhere.

It's not the

way it is

everywhere.

In the world

today, the

gospel is

reaching new

people, and the

church of Jesus

is growing, and

in some cases

growing rapidly.

If I could

recommend one

book to you,

you might be

familiar with

John Piper.

John Piper

wrote, let

the nations

be glad, the

supremacy of

God in

missions.

If you want

one book that

will fire you

up to pray, and

maybe even to

go, I would

say that this is

the book to

read.

Because Piper

will capture the

biblical imperative,

and Piper will

fire you and

enthuse you with,

if you've ever

seen Piper or

heard Piper, he's

got a great

enthusiasm about

his preaching, and

it comes through in

his writing.

But think of

this, 10% of

Africa, at the

height of the

Western missionary

endeavor, in

1900, 10% of

the population

was Christian.

Today, when

many of the

Western missionary

agencies have

withdrawn or

reduced, so you

see, God is

working, and he's

working in

remarkable ways,

and he's

developing and

growing local

churches,

remarkably, in

the continent

of Africa, and

to the ends of

the earth.

Just to give

you another

statistic that

you might find

interesting.

In 1900, 2.5%

of the world's

population were

categorized as

believers in

Jesus.

2.5%.

So that meant

it took 18

centuries for the

gospel to reach

1 out of 40

people.

That figure was

doubled by the

year 1970.

So 5% of the

world's population

by 1970.

That's remarkable.

18 centuries,

2.5%.

70 years, now

to 5%.

Today, we're

probably around

the 12, 12.5% to

15%.

So you go from

1 out of 40 in

1900.

You're now to

1 out of 8 in

2017.

There's still

plenty to go.

But I was

shocked by these

statistics because I

thought in my

mind that we

would have been

seeing, if not a

sharp decline, but a

steady decline in

the expansion of the

gospel.

Why?

Because we've seen a

steady decline here

within the United

Kingdom or within

Scotland.

But no.

The work of the

gospel, the advance

of the gospel, is

proceeding, and in

some cases, rapidly.

But let me give you

an insight.

You don't need to

remember the numbers,

but think of the

scale here.

Remember in 1974,

there was a

recognition that

describing world

mission by nations

was inadequate.

In the United

Nations today, there

are 193 nations

in the UN.

In the most

recent Olympics, the

Rio Olympics 2016,

206 nations

competed.

Missiologists

suggest that in

the world there

are approximately

17,000 people

groups.

Now, these might be

distinguished because

of language, or by

culture, or by

both.

But that's a much

different picture,

isn't it?

193 nations in the

UN, 206 nations in

the Olympics.

Now, 16, let's say

17,000 people

groups.

And out of those

17,000, 7,000 are

in the category of

unreached, like the

Lisu people in

1910.

They did not know

the gospel.

They had no

meaningful engagement

with the message of

Jesus Christ.

They had no

scriptures in their

language.

They had no

indigenous church.

church.

They had no

significant effort of

bringing the gospel to

them.

So 7,000 people

groups today represent

over 3 billion

people on this

planet.

This afternoon, we're

going to be looking at

what mission looks like

locally.

And if we're honest,

mission among our own

people is tough.

Now, in every church

there will be some

people who come to

church regularly who

are not Christians.

But they might come

because of family, they

might come because of

curiosity, or maybe just

come because of custom.

But at least they're

accustomed to church,

right?

Now, these people know

what church is like.

They have a familiarity

at least with what the

message of the church

is.

So as a preacher,

they're part of the

audience.

You don't need to do

much work to get them.

They're there in front

of you.

So you can preach the

gospel, you can encourage

them or exhort them

because they're there

in front of you.

The next step, of course,

for you or for me, is

how do we reach the

Scottish people, the

people that live in

Edinburgh, work in

Edinburgh, are from

Edinburgh, how do we

reach them meaningfully

for the gospel?

And that's tough.

Because these are

people that don't go to

church.

They probably don't read

the Bible.

They may or may not

have any knowledge or

background about

Christianity.

Christianity.

But when we talk

about these 7,000

people groups, these

are very different

types of people.

They have very

different languages.

They have very

different cultures.

They have a, the

distance culturally

between them and us

is vast.

Now you might say

the difference between

a person who goes to

church, believes in

Jesus, Scottish person,

and the Scottish person

who doesn't go to

church, there's a

gap there, absolutely.

But that's a relatively

small gap.

You speak the same

language, you're from

the same culture, you

understand the nuances,

you understand roughly

what people think, what

people feel, etc.

But if you're trying now

to reach a nomadic

group in Saharan

Africa, they have a

very different language

than we do, they have

very different cultures

than we do, they don't

have settled communities

as we would see them,

that is a huge

missiological gap from

where we are to where

they are.

But if we are committed

to the command that

Jesus gives, and you'll

notice in the Bible,

Jesus never really does

give suggestions.

Jesus never really does

offer advice.

Jesus tells us what to

do.

He gives us what we

need, but he doesn't

give us ten tips for a

happy life.

He doesn't give us

five insights to a

healthy church.

He says, I want you to

make disciples of all

the nations.

Remember that pamphlet,

the church's excuses

for neglecting the

heathens.

These 7,000 people,

groups, who do not

have the gospel, they

are geographically

remote, they are

culturally very

different, many of

them are hostile to

what they perceive to

be the gospel.

They're not Christians

and they don't

particularly want to be

Christians.

There may be

restrictions that mean

that you and I cannot

easily go to those

places.

Now, those sound like

good excuses.

Jesus, the language is

really different.

Jesus, the culture is

very different.

Jesus, they don't

really want to be

Christians anyway.

Their countries or

their leaders are

hostile.

hostile.

That excuse, to

you and to me, I

think we can convince

each other.

I think we can give

each other a fair

number of reasons why

reaching these 7,000

people groups is beyond

our capacity.

We're few, there are

many, we're limited

financially, the

cultural and all these

things.

We could list a number

of excuses, but the

pamphlet's title was

do not say.

So, 3.1 billion

people on this

planet have no

meaningful connection

to the gospel.

Does that bother

us?

3 billion people.

Now, you might say that

there are lost people

wherever you go.

There might be lost

people in your family,

people that you love

dearly, that do not yet

know the Lord Jesus.

And they, you know,

I once was lost, but

now I'm found.

So, the Bible does

give you this kind of

binary category.

Amazing grace means

you're found by

Jesus.

But the, apart from

the amazing grace of

Jesus, you're lost.

But these people are

not just lost.

They have no

meaningful way of

being found.

Now, does that mean

that God is, absolutely,

God is not limited.

God can do what he

wants, as he wants,

how he wants, when he

wants.

God can do anything

he wants.

And yet, God chooses

to use you and me.

I would choose other

people, to be honest.

I would choose more

able people.

I would choose more

gifted people.

I would choose more

enthusiastic people.

Jesus tends to

choose us.

He chooses ordinary

people.

Why?

Because when

extraordinary things are

accomplished by

ordinary people, the

credit must go

somewhere else.

When extraordinary

things are accomplished

by extraordinary

people, then, well,

they must have the

credit.

He's great at this,

she's good at that.

No.

When we realize that

we're not good at

these things, and

we're not naturally

able to these things,

and when we realize

that it must be

Jesus, and Jesus

alone who does it,

then the credit, the

praise, and the honor

goes to him.

I'm going to give

you one final

statistic, which is

even more striking.

So 7,000 people

groups, 3 billion

people, unreached.

There are 3,000

people groups.

These are often

very small, very

isolated, very

remote.

There are 3,000

people that are

described in this

way, unengaged,

unreached groups.

So there's

approximately 4,000

people groups, and

attempt to reach

them.

They're on

somebody's radar.

They're on a

mission organization.

They're on a

church.

Somebody is trying

to reach these

4,000 people.

But there are

3,000 people

groups, roughly

200 million

people.

That means 40

people for every

Scottish person.

So 40 times the

population of

Scotland.

200 million

people, and all

we know about

them is that they

exist as a people

group.

They have no

indigenous church.

They have no

indigenous believers

in Jesus, and

nobody is attempting

to reach them yet.

So humanly speaking,

they're lost with

absolutely no way of

being found, and no

prospect of being

found.

So as poorly as we

evangelize Edinburgh,

at least the people

of Edinburgh have

access.

They could come to

Brunsfield tomorrow.

They could come to

Becloot tomorrow.

If they want the

Bible, they could get

any number of

copies of any

number of

editions of the

Bible.

But these 7,000

people groups can't

easily go to church,

and these 3,000

certainly can't go to

church.

There's no church for

them to go to.

There's no Bible for

them to purchase.

Even if they could

purchase it, it just

doesn't exist.

James Fraser, 1910,

comes to China, and

he encounters these

people, and they're

obvious.

They have different

culture.

They wear different

clothes.

They speak a different

language.

And when he found out

that they had no

knowledge of Jesus, he

dedicated the rest of

his life, the next 30

years, to learning their

language, to teaching

them the gospel.

And God used him and

others powerfully,

remarkably, to reach this

group of people, so

that today there is a

worshiping church among

the Lisu people in

Burma, in China, in

Thailand.

They know Jesus.

They love Jesus.

They are passing on that

knowledge to their

children and passing on

that knowledge to the

rest of their people.

The task is great.

The challenges are many.

The resources are few.

The time is short.

How do we look upon the

world?

How do we look upon people

who don't know the

gospel?

How do we look upon the

people groups that don't

have a meaningful

connection or a meaningful

opportunity?

Does that move our

hearts?

Does that enliven our

prayers?

Does that elicit a

response?

Maybe you can't go, but

maybe you can send

someone.

Maybe you can't speak

that language, but

maybe you can devote

yourself to prayer.

Remember Fraser saying,

I used to think it was

prayer was the first and

teaching was the second,

but now I'm convinced

prayer is the first,

second, and third, and

teaching is the fourth.

I'm convicting myself

here.

If worldwide evangelism

depended upon the

frequency and fervency of

my prayers, it would be

hopeless.

But if we have a genuine

love for Jesus, which we do,

every believer has a genuine

love for Jesus, and if we

realize what Jesus has done

for us, and if we realize

what we now have, and if we

realize what we once were, and

if we realize where we are

going, and if we understand

that one day we will be in

that great multitude,

Revelation chapter 7, and

Revelation 7 · chapter mention

we will have the white robes,

and we will have the palm

branches, and we will be in

that great multitude from

every language, nation,

tribe, we know that that's

where we'll be.

How can we best use our time

now?

How can we best use our

talents now?

How can we best use our

resources now?

The work of mission is the

work of taking Jesus, his

message, his life, his

death, his resurrection,

taking the gospel of Jesus

to people who do not yet

have it.

They might be our

neighbors, but let's spare a

thought, and let's consider

what we have to say and what

we can do for the three

billion people that are

unreached.

For the 200 million people

that are not only unreached,

but not even engaged, can we

see those numbers reduced?

Because as many as 7,000 are,

the Lisu people are no longer

in that group.

A hundred years ago they were.

Today they're not.

What will we be able to

celebrate 10 years from now?

What will you be able to

celebrate 50 years from now?

A vibrant, growing church?

Maybe planting new churches

within Edinburgh, but will you

as a church be able to

celebrate and say, we have

attempted by the grace of God

to reach people in this world

who have not heard the gospel

and praise be to God.

He has been pleased to use us,

to use our prayers, to use our

efforts, to use our service at

home, abroad, and to the ends

of the earth, and the praise and

the glory is all his.

In loving memory of James O.

Fraser, 1886 to 1938,

how beautiful are the feet of

those who bring good news.

With deepest love, remember you

always, the Lisu Church.

Can we pray that there'll be more

and more monuments of living

churches to those who have

taken the good news of the

Lord Jesus Christ and that

many today who are lost will

find themselves at that place

in glory, in front of the Lamb,

with the robes, holding the palm

branches, singing the song of the

redeemed.

So may God bless us.

May God encourage us.

May God challenge us.

May God inspire us.

I tell you this, ordinary people

accomplish extraordinary things

because we have an

extraordinary God, we have an

extraordinary Savior, and we

have an extraordinary gospel.

May God bless you and us all.

Amen.