You might have wanted to call out and say, "Why did you do that? Now you are going to have to climb over and get it!" To which, the boys would reply with sly and knowing grins, "Exactly. That's the whole idea."

President John F. Kennedy referenced this story in 1963 when speaking of his commitment to space exploration despite the dangers and many unknown factors. He explained how O'Connor and his friends "would make their way across the countryside, and when they came to an orchard wall that seemed too high and too difficult to permit their voyage to continue, they would take off their hats and toss them over the wall -- and then they had no choice but to follow them." Kennedy then applied this to the nation and declared that the United States had now "thrown its hat over the wall of space and had no choice but to follow it."

When it comes to the willingness to take the Gospel to those who have never heard it, I am convinced that we share a similar position and outlook that our nation held when considering the prospects of sending a man to the moon. Standing beside what seems an insurmountable wall of fear, excuses, distractions and, if we are honest, selfishness, we sit down. Or we turn around. Or we try to find some other wall that is easier to climb.

Often, though, all it would take for us to follow God to the ends of the earth is to stop the analysis and debate and instead take off our hats, hold them firmly in our hands, and throw them over the wall by faith. If we made that decision to reach the unreached, then we would have no choice but to find a way over the wall to reach them.

After returning from a 10-day trip to southern Madagascar for the purpose of establishing a plan to send teams of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary students to reach the Antandroy people with the Gospel, the question I have been asked most frequently is, "So, what exactly are you all going to be doing there?"

This fair and honest question and others similar to it often come when someone learns of the great lengths or expense one takes to visit a people so very different than those around the corner. In short, they are asking not just what are we doing there but why are we even wanting to go in the first place. Why would a seminary send two vice presidents, an academic dean and other staff halfway around the world to explore this distant culture? In these cases, Romans 15 and Coca-Cola often come to mind as a way to respond.

The book of Romans gives the model example of a missionary-theologian. As Paul concludes his letter containing life-changing theological explication, he reveals his ultimate ambition. Paul hopes to travel to see the believers in Rome but then to continue to the then-known ends of the earth, Spain. In chapter 15, Paul explains that in the geographic area where he has labored for his entire ministry he has "fulfilled the ministry of the Gospel of Christ" (15:19). The idea here is not that he preached the Gospel to every individual but rather that he sufficiently established in every area believers and churches to take over that task. Seeking now not to "build on someone else's foundation," Paul desires to move on to areas where Christ has not yet been named (15:20).

By way of further explanation of this specific calling, Paul quotes Isaiah 52:15, "Those who have never been told of him will see, and those who have never heard will understand." In this passage, Isaiah tells of a day when peoples who have not heard of the Messiah would see and understand. Paul is acknowledging, by the use of this verse, that such a day had come with the advent of Christ and the proclamation of the Gospel.

The U.S. Center for World Mission documents that more than 90 percent of the global evangelical missionary effort is concentrated among the 60 percent of the world that is reached or within reach. This means that only 10 percent of our missionary force is working among the remaining 40 percent who have never heard the Gospel or have little access to the Gospel.

To those who would rightfully remind the ones zealous for unengaged peoples that there are plenty of lost and even unreached peoples at home, I gladly acknowledge that the call to leave all and go is not universal. However, Romans 15 makes clear that a specific calling exists in the New Testament for believers to see that the Gospel is taken to the unengaged and unreached peoples of the world. While not the specific vocational call for all believers, all are to contribute to the task. Just as Paul left some working behind in the reached areas, many should stay behind today. But, just as Paul sought to enlist those believers in Rome and other cities to aid in reaching the unreached, all should support that ultimate task to see the fulfillment of Psalm 67 for God's saving power to be made known among all nations.

Even with advancements in technology and travel, one reason why there exist still many people who have not heard of Jesus Christ is simply because travel to them remains very difficult. The Antandroy, meaning "people of the thorns," live among thorny plants in the bush. You will find the majority of these 850,000 people along a remote 400-mile stretch across the southern portion of Madagascar. With a single unpaved road traversable only part of the year, exposure to the Gospel for these people created in God's image has only just begun. However, difficult to reach does not mean unreachable. Continued...