From Mary Ann's Desk...

“And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all nations, and then the end will come.”
Mt. 24:14 NKJV

“FINISH THE WORK”

    Fourteen years ago, this month, I preached a message entitled “Finish the Work” in a Missions Conference hosted by Mark and Julie in their home church in Juneau, Alaska. It was the first of many times I preached that message. No matter when or where I was invited to speak for several years after that, the Lord directed me to preach that message. Again, and again.

Sadly, I cannot say that anything changed in those places where the message was preached.

The thread of the message was for the church to busy itself more forcefully toward finishing the work of the Great Commission. 

Several biblical examples were cited that showed the need for an assigned task to be completed before the next thing God wanted to do could be accomplished: Noah finishing the ark; Jesus declaring his sacrificial death was accomplished; Paul declaring that he had finished his course. So, also, God cannot do the “next thing” until the church finishes its assigned task: The Great Commission.

A NEW ASSIGNMENT

Now, fourteen years later, I find myself with a new assignment from the Lord. The focus is the same (Finish the Work); but, the angle is different. It is a cry for many more laborers to go into the harvest fields of this world. 

“Cast the net

to the younger generations

for full-time missionary service.”

I humbly suggest the greater focus must be on the unreached fields of this world, i.e. those unreached people groups that still have never heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

According to the Joshua Project (a ministry of Frontier Ventures) and Global Frontier Missions, there are still about 6,500 unreached people groups in the world.

Of the 7.2 billion people in the world, these unreached peoples number 3.0 billion.

That translates into 41% of the world’s total population still has not heard the Gospel.

95% of them live in the 10/40 Window.

ONLY 10% OF ALL MISSIONARY WORK IS DONE AMONG THESE PEOPLE.

THE VAST MAJORITY OF LTI’S WORK HAS BEEN INSIDE THE 10/40 WINDOW. 

I cannot help but wonder...How long will it take for the church to complete its assignment in the earth? 

I do not believe all the missionaries must come from the American church. The job is too big for us alone. But, that does not mean America is excluded from sending more missionaries to these far-reaching parts of the world.

For some time, I have been telling our main leaders in Nigeria and India that it is time for them to look outside their own nations and engage in missionary activities to those nations who have not yet been reached. 

ALL of God’s children are responsible to Go, regardless of nationality.

It will not be easy. It will not be without sacrifice on everyone’s part. But it must be done.

May God help us rise to His occasion. I believe He is saying, again, I want you to Finish the Work.

TO OUR PARTNERS

Thank you for laboring with us in the fields where God has sent us. You are doing a good work. A necessary work. I believe your reward will be great in heaven. May it be so, is my prayer.

According to Pew Research Center, there are 2.2 billion Christians in the world today. This does not tell us that everyone else has not yet heard. It only tells us that in all the places where the Gospel has been preached in our time, 2.2 billion of those people have professed their faith in Jesus Christ for salvation. What it does mean is that there are still people in those reached areas that have not believed. That is why we have been saying for so many years….

Because there are over 4.4 billion people in the world who still need Jesus, I remain

Yours in missions,

Mary Ann Cassidy