“I need to get going. I have a lot of people to serve.” –God, played by Morgan Freeman in Evan Almighty.

I love that movie! So its not a real account of the flood story in Gen 6-9 and the Ark of scripture doesn’t exactly end up on Capitol Hill, but, the movie is a great reminder of the faith that is required of us, no matter how insane we might feel about it.

While the Evan Almighty version focuses on an affluent, suburb of Washington D.C., we know that in the story of the flood in scripture, the setting is the entire world.

I think it’s important that no matter where we live, we are aware of just how big our world really is. I believe that Christianity has always been global. The Israelites were the minority called to serve the majority and I don’t things have changed for us today. God always had the whole world in mind throughout all of scripture and history. I believe we are to be global Christians always.

According to the CIA World Fact Book  as of July 2008, there are 6,677,563,921 people in the world. There are also 238 countries in the world today. Within every country, or nation, there are people groups. For example, India is 1 nation with 454 people groups.

Jesus stated in Matt. 28:19-20, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

The Greek (language of the New Testament) for ‘make disciples of all nations’ is ‘matheteusate panta ta ethne.’ Ethne is the Greek word for nations. It comes from the Hebrew (language of the Old Testament) word phulai, which means ‘families.’ The NIV translates families to be clans.

Often times we think of the calling of Abram as the father of all nations, as the first time God makes mention of his global plan of redemption. However, I think we see mention of it right after the flood account. In Gen. 10 we are given a table of nations. Or, an account of 3 different people groups God used to repopulate the earth post flood.

 Today, there are 16,319 people groups in the world. Of this amount, 40.6% of the worlds over 6 billion people, are unreached with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  

In Evan Almighty, anytime “Heaven Evan” asked God questions regarding the reasons behind the madness of building a giant boat in modern day suburbia Virgina, God always answered, “Because I love you.”  So why is all of this world, people groups, population, nations talk so important for us today?  

Because, God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

For more info on nations, people groups and the unreached, check out The Joshua Project. 

If you are interested in knowing how to pray for every nation and the people groups within them, be sure and check out Operation World.