04/10/2026
Missions Month 2026
Worship Sunday | October 4, 2026
Speaker: Elder Josiah Jayzon Mangangot
๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ก๐๐ ๐ง๐ข ๐ง๐๐ ๐ก๐๐ง๐๐ข๐ก๐ฆ ๐คฒ
The word advance means to move forward. It means refusing to remain where we are when God is calling us to move.
And when we talk about advancing to the nations, one question naturally comes to mind: Why are there still people who have not been reached with the Gospel?
WHY ARE THEY UNREACHED?
An Unreached People Group, or UPG, refers to an ethnic or cultural community where there is not yet a sufficiently established local Christian community capable of sharing the Gospel with its own people without outside assistance.
There are many reasons why people groups remain unreached.
1. Location
Some communities live in remote islands, mountains, forests, or places that are difficult to access. Geography can become a barrier. If people are physically difficult to reach, fewer opportunities exist for the Gospel to reach them.
2. Cultural and language barriers
Every group has its own language, traditions, values, and worldview. If we enter a community without understanding its culture, we may unintentionally create distance instead of building relationships. Language is especially important. Paul understood this principle. He did not simply enter a place, preach, and leave. He adapted himself to different people and different cultures for the sake of the Gospel.
He said in 1 Corinthians 9:22: โI have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some.โ Paul was willing to meet people where they were without compromising the truth of the Gospel.
3. Political and social hindrances
There are places where openly sharing the Christian faith is restricted or strongly discouraged. In some communities, religious beliefs, social structures, persecution, or political restrictions make evangelism extremely difficult. These barriers remind us that missions is not simply about going somewhere.
Missions requires understanding, sacrifice, wisdom, courage, and dependence on God.
How do we advance to the nations?
Paul's life demonstrates what it means to answer God's call and remain committed to the Great Commission.
I. Paulโs calling to the mission
In Acts 9:15, the Lord said concerning Saul: โThis man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel.โ
What makes Paul's calling remarkable? Paul was the most unlikely candidate.
Before becoming an apostle, Paul was a fierce persecutor of Christians. He was highly educated in Jewish law and had studied under Gamaliel, one of the respected teachers of Jewish law. He was also a Roman citizen.But despite his knowledge and abilities, Paul used those things against the followers of Christ. He was present when Stephen was persecuted. He went from place to place looking for Christians to imprison. And yet, God chose him. What a powerful picture of God's grace. The man who once persecuted the Church became one of its greatest missionaries. Paul encountered Jesus on the road to Damascus, and his life completely changed. His direction changed. His purpose changed. His mission changed. The persecutor became the preacher. The enemy of the Gospel became one of its greatest messengers.
Paul later testified in Acts 26:16โ18 that Jesus had called him to open people's eyes and turn them from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God.
And Paul responded. He said yes to God's calling. That is the first lesson for us. We may look at ourselves and say: "I'm not qualified." "I don't know enough," "There are other people who are more spiritual than me." "I don't have the ability to become a missionary." But remember Paul. God does not call people because they are already perfect. God calls people, transforms people, equips people, and uses people. What matters is not only who you were before Christ. What matters is who you are now in Christ.
Paul understood this deeply. Despite everything God accomplished through him, his view of himself became increasingly humble. He called himself an apostle. Later, he called himself the least of the apostles. Later still, he described himself as less than the least of God's people. And near the end of his life, he wrote that Christ Jesus came to save sinners, โof whom I am the worst.โ The longer Paul walked with Christ, the smaller Paul became and the greater Christ became.
II. Pauโs commitment to the Great Commission
Paul did not merely receive the calling. He committed his life to it. His life gives us several pictures of what commitment to the Great Commission looks like.
1. Paul used what he had
Paul worked with his own hands as a tentmaker. He did not use the lack of resources as an excuse to stop doing ministry. He used his skills and profession to support his mission. This teaches us something important: We can use whatever God has already placed in our hands. Whatever God has given you can become an instrument for His mission.
2. Paul adapted to different cultures.
Paul crossed cultural boundaries. He learned to communicate with different people and adjusted his approach without compromising the Gospel. That is especially important when we talk about unreached people groups. We cannot simply expect people to understand us.
Paul's approach was clear, โI have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some.โ
3. Paul sacrificed his comfort and safety.
Paul experienced beatings, imprisonment, hunger, thirst, danger, betrayal, and shipwreck. He was even stoned and left for dead in Lystra. And yet, after everything that happened to him, he continued preaching. Imagine that kind of commitment.Many of us become discouraged because of inconvenience. Paul endured suffering because the mission mattered more than his comfort. How much are we willing to sacrifice for the Gospel?
4. Paul went to unreached regions.
Paul traveled to places where the Gospel had not yet been established. His journeys were difficult. There were no airplanes, comfortable hotels, or convenient transportation. Travel was dangerous, expensive, and exhausting. Yet Paul continued to go. Because he understood that the Gospel needed to reach people who had not yet heard. That is the heart of missions. We go because there are people who still need to hear.
5. The mission was his priority.
Paul made the mission a priority. Even after being beaten and nearly killed, he continued.His circumstances did not determine his commitment. His commitment was determined by his calling.
Where does the Great Commission rank in our priorities? Is it something we think about only during Missions Month? Or is it part of our everyday life? Because our mission field is not necessarily somewhere far away. Our mission field may be our family, workplace, school, neighborhood, friends, or community. You are certainly called to the people God has placed ways to advance the Gospel. If you cannot go, you can pray. If you cannot preach, you can encourage. If you cannot travel, you can support. If you cannot stand on a platform, you can disciple someone. If you have resources, you can give. If you have skills, you can use them. There is always a way to participate in God's mission.
We are all called to participate.
Not everyone will become a missionary like Paul. Not everyone will preach before thousands. Not everyone will travel to another country. But every believer can participate in the Great Commission.
Jesus has already given us the command โGo and make disciples of all nations.โ
The calling is clear. The question is: Are we responding? There are still nations to reach. There are still groups of people groups that have not heard. There are still communities waiting for someone to cross the distance. And God is inviting us to advance with His presence, together, to the end.
