10/40 Window

THE 10/40 WINDOW

The majority of the unreached people live in a rectangular shaped window that has come to be known as the 10/40 Window.  The window extends from the coast of West Africa to the Eastern coast of Japan - from 10 degrees north of the equator to 40 degrees north.  This region contains most of the world’s Muslims, Hindus, and Buddhist.  Not only are these people spiritually poor, they are also without a much needed Christian witness through a solid local church movement. If we are to bring completion to the Great Commission we must face the compelling reality of this region of the world. 

Let’s look at the facts concerning this critical region of the world:

I.          The Historical and Biblical significance of the 10/40 window.

           A.        Almost at the center of the window is the Garden of Eden. The origin of man and the original  
                       mandate given by God took place in the heart of this window.

          B.         Sin entered here through Satan and man was robbed of his rightful place as administrator of 
                      earth. 

          C.         Man’s sinful behavior increased until God sent judgment through the flood.
          D.        Tower of Babel.

1.         A people in rebellion and pride.

2.         God intervenes and judges their rebellion - also forming the nations of the earth.

•  Ancient history began here as powerful empires rose and fell.
•  God raised up a people from Abraham to be a light to the nations.
•   Christ was born, ministered and was crucified on the cross here.

H.        He rose again and gave his disciples their last and only marching orders here.

I.       Not until Paul’s second missionary journey did Biblical history travel outside of the 10/40 window.

II.         Most of the Unevangelized live here.

              A.        The ‘unevangelized’ are people who have a minimal witness or no knowledge of the gospel, 
                         and have no valid opportunity to respond to it.

B.         60% of the world’s people live in the 10/40 window - 3.6 Billion people.

C.         Of the world’s 52 least evangelized countries, 31 are within the window.

1.         Those 37 countries equal 95% of the total population of the 52 countries!!!

2.         This brings us to the heart of the challenge of reaching the unreached.

D.        Jesus is calling all believers to all unbelievers!!!

III.       This area contains three of the world’s dominant religious blocs.

A.  The majority of those held captive by Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism live within the 10/40 window.  The populations in the window are:

1.         724 million Muslims

2          787 million Hindus

3.         240 million Buddhist

B.    Islam is reaching out strategically to all parts of the world.

            *We must seek to penetrate the heart of Islam with the Gospel.

C.  India is projected to be the most populated country in the world by the year 2020.  A 1991 survey identified 4,635 people groups within this nation.

D.        Religion in China is a mix of folklore, mysticism, animism and occult practices mixed with some Eastern religion.  The Chinese represent the largest single bloc of people in the window.

IV.       The poor live here.
A.        Of the poorest of the poor, more than 7 of 10 (77%) live in the 10/40 window.

B.         Over half the world lives in poverty with income less than $500 per person per year. 2 billion of these live in the 10/40 window.

C.         Also, those things that affect the quality of life are lowest in the window:

1.         Life expectancy is lower

2.         Infant mortality is higher

3.         Literacy is lower

D.        Of the 50 countries with the lowest quality of life, 8 of 10 people from these countries live here.

E.         ONLY SEVEN PERCENT OF ALL THE MISSIONARIES WORK AMONG THESE PEOPLE!!

F.         We must be reminded that the law, the prophets, the wisdom books, and the teaching and ministry of 
Jesus all stress God’s concern for the materially poor and our duty to defend and care for them.

G.        We cannot ignore the reality there is a remarkable overlap between the poorest countries in the world and those which are least evangelized or least reached.

V.        The Most Persecuted live here

        A.        86% of the countries with the most severe religious persecution are in or touching the windo
        B          Of the 22 worst countries in the world, 15 are in the window, and 4 are touching it.

VI.       The 10/40 Window is strategic because it contains the majority of the world’s least evangelized mega-cities.

A.        World class mega-cities are those with populations of more than 1 million.  There are 305 of these.

B.         In the last 50 years, more than 400 million people have moved into populated and growing cities. 
Another 700 million will move into those same urban areas in the next 20 years.

C.         Of the top 50 cities on the list, all 50 are in the window!

VII.      This area of the world is a major stronghold of Satan.

A.        The people living in the 10/40 window have suffered not only from poverty and a lower quality of life, but they have also been kept from the transforming power of the gospel. 

      1.         2 Cor 4:4

      2.         Satan has established a territorial stronghold to restrain the advance of the gospel here.

      3.         Daniel faced a similar stronghold (Dan 10:12-13)
      4.         The Persia that Daniel dealt with is now Iran, still a stronghold in the window!

B.         We must not view the situation with an “Impossible” attitude.

      1.         2 Cor 10:3‑4

      2.         We must not give one inch of land or one person to our enemy. 

             We must advance the gospel.

C.         George Otis Jr. has concluded that two powerful demonic forces, with great biblical significance stand in the very center of the unreached world:

1.         The Prince of Persia - Iran

2.         The Spirit of Babylon - Iraq

 

VIII.     What must we do?

A.        We must find our place as an active participant in advancing the gospel and reaching the unreached in the 10/40 window.

God Bless us Indeed

Ps. Jithro C. Alesna

International Teams Phil.

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