The following is a blog entry from my friend Omar Garcia's blog. It was just so insightful and well written that I had to post it here:
The 10/40 Window is a rectangular shaped area located between 10 degrees and 40 degrees latitude north of the equator. This geographical region stretches from North Africa all the way to East Asia and is home to the world’s least reached people groups. Here are a few fast facts about the 10/40 Window.
Did you know…
• 4.1 billion of the worlds 5.6 billion people live in the 10/40 Window.
• 97% of the world’s remaining unreached people groups are located in the 10/40 Window.
What if we could hear God’s heartbeat for the nations? What if we strategically and intentionally reached out to the world’s remaining unreached people groups?
Did you know…
• 82% of the poorest of the poor live in the 10/40 Window.
• Over 2.4 billion people (40% of the world’s population) live on less than $1.40 per day in the 10/40 Window.
What if we ate less and gave more? What if we gave up one fast-food meal per week and invested that money in reaching the unreached in the 10/40 Window?
Did you know…
• Most of the 62 nations in the 10/40 Window are closed to western missionaries.
• The top 50 least evangelized cities in the world are all located in the 10/40 Window.
What if you responded to God’s call to pray and go to one of the mega-cities in the 10/40 Window? What if you offered your vocational expertise to serve the interests of God’s kingdom in the 10/40 Window?
Did you know…
• The seat of every major non-Christian religion is headquartered in the 10/40 Window, including Islam, Buddhism, Animism, Atheism, and Sikhism.
What if we learned to better articulate our biblical worldview? What if we truly understood the significance of Christ’s exclusive claims?
Did you know…
• The 10/40 Window contains over 70% of the world’s population but only 8% of the world’s missionary efforts.
• Less than one-half of 1% of the budget of our churches goes to reach people in the 10/40 Window.
What if we sent out more short-term mission teams to the world’s hard places? What if we weighted our missions giving in favor of those still waiting to hear?
Did you know…
• Most of the people in the 10/40 Window have never met a Christian, seen a Bible, or entered a church.
• Most of the people in the 10/40 Window are kept in darkness by hostile cultures, governments, and religions.
What if we partnered with those who are igniting church planting movements in closed or restricted countries? What if we involved those who cannot travel abroad to join initiatives to reach people from 10/40 Window countries who now live in our own community?
Did you know…
• The 10/40 Window is also known as the “resistance belt” and remains the darkest and most inhospitable territory to the cause of Christ and represents the greatest remaining stronghold of Satan?
What if we mobilized teams to prayer-walk in countries closed to the gospel? What if we interceded for the people of the 10/40 Window on a regular basis?
What Will It Take to Reach the Peoples of the 10/40 Window?
Open Your Eyes | Ask God to enlarge your view of the world.
Lengthen Your Reach | Respond to opportunities to reach beyond your community to the ends of the earth.
Get on Your Knees | Mobilize your small group to pray for unreached peoples.
Use Your Head | Learn about the plight of unreached people groups and those who are trying to reach them.
Roll Up Your Sleeves | Develop a heart for the unreached by working at home and abroad.
Dig Into Your Pockets | Invest in initiatives that target unreached people groups.
Pack Your Bags | Take a short-term mission trip to the other end of the Great Commission.
“And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world
as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.”
Jesus | Matthew 24:14
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