The Great Commission and the Muslim World

When Jesus gave the Great Commission, He didn’t say, “Go if it’s easy,” or “Go where it’s safe.” In Matthew 28:19, He said, “Go and make disciples of all the nations”. That instruction still applies to us today - and that means we cannot ignore Islamic nations around the world.

There are nearly 2 billion Muslims on the planet. That’s about one in four people alive today! And most of them live in places where the Gospel is barely known, where churches are few (or non-existent) and where it’s possible to go an entire lifetime without ever meeting a Christian. Not only are many Muslims unsaved - they’re unreached.

According to the Joshua Project, unreached groups are those who lack enough followers of Christ and resources to evangelize their own people.

An estimated 41.6% of the world (roughly 3.42 billion) can be categorized as unreached. Nearly half of the world’s population may not have ever heard of Jesus! They may have no access to a Bible, no church nearby and no opportunity to learn about Jesus unless someone crosses a language, cultural, or even political boundary to share the Good News.

Jesus knew exactly what He was asking when He said “all the nations” - every people group, every tribe, every language. That includes Arabs, Persians, Turks, Kurds, Malays, Somalis and others from Muslim backgrounds. The Muslim world isn’t optional – it’s part of the assignment.

It’s the story of the whole Bible. God told Abraham that “all the families of the earth” would be blessed through him (Genesis 12:3). The Psalms are filled with songs calling the nations to praise God. And in Revelation 7, we see the end of the story: a great multitude from every nation, tribe, people and language standing before the throne, worshiping Jesus. God’s vision for His Kingdom has always included the Muslim world - and so should ours.

We don’t need to be experts in Islamic theology to care. We don’t need to book a flight overseas to begin. We just need to care enough to pray. To learn. To support those on the mission field. To love our Muslim neighbors with the same bold, barrier-breaking love that Jesus showed us.

The Muslim world is not unreachable, so let our hearts be stirred. Let’s not settle for a version of the Great Commission that skips over the unreached nations of the world. Let’s say yes to the whole mission - and trust Jesus to do what only He can do.

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Sources: Joshua Project – Muslims by People Group: https://www.joshuaproject.net