With over eight billion people in the world, it is easy to get lost in the sheer number of the masses. There is much evidence of such a large population. Across the planet, cities are expanding at alarming rates, popular tourist spots are constantly overcrowded, highways and skyways are packed to the limit, and all the while, the global population continues to rise. Quite simply, there is a massive number of people in the world today! Considering we’re each just one among 8 billion, it can certainly make one feel quite minuscule and overlooked.
In addition, according to some reports, there are approximately 3,000,000 members of the church of Christ world-wide. That is a lot of Christians! Yet, when compared to a population of 8 billion, it calculates to only 0.0375% (not even 1%) of people on the planet! In other words, that is only one person out of every two thousand, six hundred and sixty people in the world who are counted as members of the Lord’s church. Yet, we could also look at it as each member of the church having 2,660 opportunities to evangelize – for each is a precious soul! When you consider the numbers from that perspective, it greatly highlights what Jesus said, “The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” (Luke 10:2)
The truth is, God has always known that there would only be a “few” who will obey Him. Through the prophet Isaiah, He said, “And it shall come to pass in that day that the remnant of Israel, … will depend on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, in truth. … For though your people, O Israel, be as the sand of the sea, a remnant of them will return.” (Isaiah 10:20-22; Romans 9:27) By the time Israel was defeated and carried off into captivity, the population of the nation consisted of millions of people (cf. 2 Samuel 24:9). Yet, Ezra states that the number of those who returned (the “remnant”) of, “The whole assembly together was forty-two thousand three hundred and sixty,” (Ezra 2:64). From among God’s own chosen people, that’s a rather small number of those who remained faithful!
Jesus later confirmed this same truth of there only being a “few” faithful in the world, when He preached the Parable of the Wedding Feast and said, “For many are called, but few are chosen,” (Matthew 22:14). This is such a hard truth for many to accept! Many have often wondered why certain religious groups and denominations have numerous adherents while the Lord’s church seems to be so small in comparison. Why is it that more people haven’t obeyed the true Gospel? Shouldn’t the church of Christ be the largest church on earth? Well, even Jesus’ earliest disciples asked similar questions. Then one said to Him, “Lord, are there few who are saved?” And He said to them, “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able.” … “Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” (Luke 13:23-24 and Matthew 7:14) There’s a right way and a wrong way that leads to salvation and only a few find it.
Here is the most important thing to know: each of us may only be one among billions of people, we may feel small and insignificant, but God knows who you are! The Bible says, “for the Lord searches all hearts and understands all the intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever” (1 Chron 28:9). And, Paul said that God “is not far from each one of us,” (Acts 17:27). Therefore, the real question isn’t about the number of the saved, but rather, “Are YOU among the few who are?