There are many arguments of which fields are the most neglected fields in the world. People would argue about people groups, countries and even cities, but I can tell you, hands down, there is one group that has been neglected for centuries! That is the Muslim world!
You see when Islam began its rise Christians did not know how to respond to it and did not capitalize on an opportunity to take the gospel to them. As it grew through war and expansion, instead of a missionary response, the Christian world responded with force and war. Hoping that taking the fight to the Muslim world would stop its spread. But if instead of war we had sent missionaries, maybe the spread and impact of Islam would have been stopped.
Really it wasn’t until the 1300s that the first known missionary to the Muslims, Raymond Lull, went to them! But guess what! Look throughout the centuries and the years and you will see missionaries going to all sorts of places, but still sitting neglected is the Muslim world. Go, try to find a large list of missionaries to the Muslim world of the past and you will have a short list with people like Lull, Zwemer and Falconer to name a few.
But let us fast forward today. There is much talk about the 10/40 window in churches today, but little has been done to go to the Muslim world! If you go into most churches and put pins on the map of where their missionaries are, you will see a certain place that would maybe have a few pins but not many. That would be the Muslim world. The Middle East and Central Asia have been neglected and are in need of the gospel! I think we need to keep sending missionaries all over the world because the need is great every where! But we have neglected an entire mission field throughout the centuries! The Muslim world has gone unevangelized because we have sat idly by and not sent people to these fields.
People say they are closed, they are dangerous, they are difficult, Those could all be true, but if businesses can get there why can’t the gospel? If we can go to many of these countries on vacations, why can’t we go there as missionaries? It is time for people to take serious the need in the Muslim world! It is time for Christians to step out in faith and take the gospel to a world blinded by Islam! Let’s flood the Muslim world with the Gospel and let it become not the most neglected mission field, but the most reached mission field in the world! Lets take the gospel to the Muslim world!
When you hear Sweden, what comes to mind? For many it may be Swedish fish, or maybe everyones favorite, build-your-own, furniture company, IKEA. But hopefully, in this article, you can learn more about Sweden and its needs for the Gospel. On paper and looking at stats, you would think Sweden is a majority “Christian” country, but the truth is, it is not. It is a country that is filled with darkness and need for the Gospel! Maybe you do not know much about Sweden, but hopefully, this article will stir your heart to pray for Sweden and also help you learn more about the country!
Something that is a big deal and a part of culture in Sweden is called “fika” which means coffee or cake break. This is a huge cultural thing and twice a day Swedes take a fika where they will stop and take a break. Almost all companies and places in Sweden observe this and it is even said if you do not participate you are being rude. Although they may not eat a cake or drink coffee every time, it is a chance for them to stop and take a breather from the day and clear their mind. Maybe the next time you are taking a break from work you could remember to pray for the country of Sweden.
Many people in Sweden would say they are member of the church of Sweden, but only about 2% actually attend. Most would tell you they are irreligious. There is also a growing Muslim population in Sweden that makes up about 5% of the population. There is a spiritual darkness in Sweden and many people are trusting in their wealth and country to take care of them, but without Christ they will die and spend eternity in hell. Will you join us in praying for Sweden. Let’s pray for God to raise up some laborers who will go to Sweden, plant churches and see Swedes trained to plant churches all across Sweden. Let’s pray that we can see Sweden reached with the gospel in this generation! Will you consider giving your life to go to Sweden and bring the message of salvation to them?
Some facts about Sweden:
Population: 10.3 million people
Capital City: Stockholm
Language: Swedish
Every year in Sweden there is an entire hotel that is made out of ice!
Some popular companies are from Sweden and include IKEA, Volvo, Ericsson and Electrolux
They are known for their Swedish meatball which are meatballs served with gravy.
Because of being close to the Arctic Circle, Sweden has long, dark winters with some places only seeing a few days of daylight during the whole winter!
Sweden is a monarchy.
Sweden is a beautiful country, over 50% covered by forrest!
Join us in praying for Sweden to be reached with the Gospel in this generation!
As a pastor who is responsible to preach about missions and the need in the world, there should be specific things he studies so he can bring this before the church. Not only should the pastor of the church be studying these things, so should we! So, let’s look at what three areas pastors and Christians should be looking at to help see the need for missions in the world.
The world in its sin and misery— Study the world. Get to know the whole world and the different countries of the world. What is said today, is most Christians and pastors only know a handful of countries and where they are, but we should know all about the world and learn as much as we can about the countries of the world. Not only get to know individual countries and where they are, but also, see the great need in these countries. See that in many countries people are dying each and every minute and waking up to spend eternity in hell! See the over 7.6 billion people in the world and the state is which they are. The fact is that most have never heard the gospel and are heading straight towards hell. Keep looking and seeing the statistics of death in countries and let it break your heart. Don’t see it just as numbers, but as individuals, as souls, as people just like you and me, but with no one to share with them the good news of salvation. Then think of what state you would be in if no one shared with you the gospel and know that billions of people are like that all over the world! Let it break your heart and motivate you to do something. If we would stop looking just at our community, our city, our county, our state and our country and start looking at the whole world, it would move us to do something. It would make us realize how great a need for the gospel is all over the world!
Christ’s love— After looking at the sin and great need in the world, we must look at the love of Christ. Realizing that John 3:16 is not just a verse to quote, but to seriously think about the love of Christ. That He would leave heaven, to come to earth, to suffer and die for you and for me, but not just for you and for me, but for the whole world! Dwell upon and mediate upon this love that Christ showed. How awesome and how humbling it is for us to think of Christ loving us and dying for us WHILE WE WERE STILL DEAD IN OUR TRESPASSES AND SINS! While we and the world had no desire for Him, He loved us and desired us to be His and gave His life for us. As you dwell upon how much Christ loved you, it should constrain you and motivate you to action! It is why we do what we do as Christians. It is the only reason we must go! The love of Christ should compel and urge us forward. But not only do you think of His love, but of His power. The fact that because He loved us and died for us, He has the power and authority to command us to go. But He promised not to leave us alone in the task of reaching the world. He said He would go with us. That He would give us the same power to overcome the world and to reach it with the gospel!
As Christians and as churches we are the link between the two— We are the link between the world and the love of Christ. You see we have been shown the love of Christ and it should compel us to go to a sinful world and proclaim the message of salvation! That, as Christians and churches, is the whole purpose for being on the earth— to get the gospel to the whole world. The supreme end of the church is missions! God is waiting and wanting to use us to get the gospel all around the world and yet, we have been so inwardly focused we have missed seeing the great need all over the world!
We have seen the three things that pastors, but also, we as Christians should focus on when it comes to world evangelism. If we would take all three of these things seriously and dwell on and think about these things we would then go to God in prayer as to what we can do to reach the world in this generation! If pastors resolve in their heart and mind that the missionary problem is a personal one, they can convey the need to their churches and if we, as Christians, realized the missionary problem is a personal one then we will do what must be done to get the gospel all around the world!
On October 30th Izmir, Turkey was hit by a 7.0 magnitude earthquake. Many buildings were damaged and several buildings collapsed. One of the apartment buildings that collapsed was near an area I would go by from time to time. As soon as buildings fell, people began to try to rescue others trapped in the rubble.
You can look up the article and see the list of people and ages who have been pulled out. One of these was a 70 year old man who was pulled out of the rubble after being trapped under it for many hours. You can read his story here.
65 hours after the building fell 3-year-old Elif was pulled out of the rubble. Then 91 hours after the collapse of a building, another 3-year-old girl named Ayda was pulled out of the rubble. You can read their stories here: and here.
It is exciting to hear the stories of those that they are still finding alive. We should be praying as they continue to go through the rubble looking for survivors. Pray for all those who have been pulled out that they would make a full recovery.
Yet, what is most heartbreaking is the death toll. 115 people have died. Little Ayda, when pulled out, was calling for her mom, but shortly afterwards they found her mom had passed away in the rubble. These are not just people, these are souls.
Most, if not all who died, probably never heard the Gospel and when they died, they woke up in hell because they grew up believing that if they followed Islam, they would make it to heaven. It is heartbreaking to hear of those who have died.
Will you not only pray for the people of Turkey and those affected by the earthquake but will you join us in praying for more laborers for Turkey? At the moment, there is an open door in Turkey to share the Gospel. Will you pray God will use this to open peoples’ hearts and minds to the Gospel and that Turkey will be reached with the Gospel in this generation?
But Why Consider Taking the Gospel to a Muslim Country?
Why should someone even think about going to a Muslim country? Why should someone leave the US and go to a place that will be difficult? You may not see much fruit and it could be dangerous. Shouldn’t they just stay here in the states and give the gospel here. Isn’t there a great need here in the US for the gospel? I would say yes, there is a need in the US for the gospel, but there is so much light already here! There are thousands of churches in most communities. It is time for those Christians to wake up and do the job that was given to us from Christ. It is time for them to obey the Great Commission. SO why go? Well, here are some reasons people should consider going instead of staying:
We have been commanded to take the gospel to the whole world — The Great Commission was given and we were commanded to take the gospel to a lost and dying world. Many Christians today take it as a suggestion instead of a command. Well, it is a command and we need to be doing it. We need to be going and taking the gospel to those who have never heard.
Islam is growing while Christianity is shrinking— Islam is one of the fastest growing religions in the world. It is a missionary religion and they are willing to go for a false prophet and a false god and take their message all around. Why won’t we as Christians go and take the news of Christ to them? Our Saviour is alive and we owe everything we have to Christ so why stay when we need to be going!
If no one goes they will die and go to hell— Hell is a real place and those who do not trust Christ as their Saviour will die and spend eternity there. The Muslims all around the world have been blinded by Satan and do not know about Christ. Someone must go. Many people must go and take the gospel to them because if not, they will die and go to hell. Not necessarily for rejecting Christ, but because they never knew of what He did for them!
Christ died on the cross, not only for us but for them— Why do people need to go to the Muslims? Because Christ died on the cross for them. Christ and God love them and want them to be saved, but without someone willing to take the message to them they will never know of that love.
But they don’t deserve it!—Guess what! We did not deserve salvation. We deserved hell and yet Christ came and died for us that we might have life eternal! So in all reality, nobody deserves heaven. Everyone deserves hell. But because Christ came and died and rose again the third day for us, then everyone deserves to hear and know no matter who they are or what they have done.
The love of Christ— The love of Christ should constrain us to go! We must look at them through the eyes of Christ not the eyes of an American, the news media or others. We must look at them as souls in need of a Saviour!
There are many more reasons why you should consider going to a Muslim country but these were just a few of the top reasons. What a great need in the Muslim world. Would you consider giving your life to go and take the gospel to them? Will you show them the love of Christ? Will you go to the Muslim world? If you are interested in going to the Muslim world or knowing more about it we would love to hear from you. Feel free to email us or comment below!
