“The Day of Pentecost takes us back to Acts 1 and 2. Jesus promises to His disciples that they should go to Jerusalem and wait [because] He’s going to send the Holy Spirit, which will empower them to bring His message to the whole world,” York Aspacher with the Alliance for the Unreached says.

Two thousand years later, the Gospel remains out of reach for a third of humanity.

“Three billion people in the world today are without access to the good news of Jesus. Many Christians just don’t realize that.”

You can help change this on the International Day for the Unreached. Learn more here. “We hope the people who come to the live event on Facebook and connect with us will then turn around and share that in an ongoing way,” Aspacher says.

The 1:11 Prayer Challenge kicks off on Sunday, too. You can register here.

Starting at 1:11 pm Eastern Time, Aspacher will lead short prayer sessions on Facebook Live for the world’s unreached people groups. “We will meet for 11 minutes. I’m going to walk people through a few introductory comments, we’re going to look at an [unreached] community, and then we’ll spend a few minutes praying together for that group,” Aspacher says.

(Graphic courtesy of A Third of Us)

“We’ll [meet at 1:11 pm in] each different timezone – Central Time, Mountain, and then Pacific – [and] we’ll introduce a different ethnic people group that we’re going to pray for at that time.”

Can’t make it? Don’t worry – you can still be part of the movement. “[The 1:11 Prayer Challenge will] last for 33 days from whenever anybody starts it, but we’re hoping many people will [begin] on the day of Pentecost, this coming Sunday,” Aspacher says.

“Set your alarm. Stop at 1:11 [pm] every day for a few minutes, learn something about people who need the Gospel, and pray for them.”

Ask the Lord how He wants you to respond. Then, find your place in the story!

“We live in this environment where many of us go to church every week, many of us live in a community with other believers – which is wonderful – but so many people around the world do not have access to that,” Aspacher says.

“If there really are 3 billion people in this world right now, today, who do not have access to Jesus, that’s a huge problem. And now that I know about it, it’s incumbent upon me to do something.”

Sunday, May 23, is the International Day for the Unreached. Join Francis Chan and many others who are praying and bringing awareness to the third of the world who are still denied access to the Gospel. Draw the three lines and start the conversation. (Photo, caption courtesy of A Third of Us)

Would these figures be different if Pentecost never happened?  What if the Spirit moved again like He did on Pentecost Sunday?

Recall what’s written in Acts 2 about the Day of Pentecost: God’s Holy Spirit fell on the apostles, and they proclaimed His Gospel to people from every nation who were in Jerusalem that day.

This basic idea – getting Christ’s message of hope to every tribe and tongue – is the heartbeat of the Alliance for the Unreached.

(Photo courtesy of Nathan Dumlao via Unsplash)

As Dave Meyers of ZimZam Global – an Alliance member – describes, “It’s a consortium of like-minded organizations and ministries for one single purpose, and that’s getting the Gospel out to those who have never heard.”  ZimZam Global believes kids are key to church growth. So, they equip and develop church planters and leaders with this perspective in mind. More about ZimZam’s approach here.

On the first Day of Pentecost, people of all nations encountered the Gospel message. Alliance members pray for another Spirit-led movement among today’s unreached people groups. Will you join them?

IDU: praying for another Pentecost

Each year on Pentecost Sunday, Alliance members – including Mission Network News – call on Christians to make the world’s two billion unreached people a priority.

“We’re rallying together, cooperating and collaborating together to proclaim the message of Jesus Christ around the world…specifically [to] those without access to the Gospel.”

Dubbed “International Day for the Unreached,” or IDU, the event is coming up this weekend. On Sunday, June 9, the Alliance will premiere a special IDU webcast on its website and Facebook page. Join the broadcast event on Facebook here.

(Graphic courtesy of International Day for the Unreached)

Through its webcast, the Alliance wants to teach believers and churches about the world’s unreached population — how many people are considered “unreached,” where they live, why they’re unreached, et cetera. Free resources like these equip believers to apply that knowledge by taking specific action.

“We are practicing that principle of one Body unifying together, moving forward for the Great Commission,” Meyers says of the Alliance and IDU. “Pray that…we would really make headway into the darkness and that we would see God penetrate the hearts and transform lives.

“We want to see that list of over two billion people without access to the Gospel diminished.”

Header image courtesy of Lawrence OP via Flickr.