The suprising truth about extreme global poverty
It’s impossible to do communications for a group of missionaries and not understand that there are desperately poor people all over the earth. I see the photos; I know the statistics; I edit the stories. It all fails to do justice to the plight of the 26,500 children who died today because of preventable causes related to their extreme poverty.
Yet, the surprising truth about extreme global poverty is that we can do something about it. There hasn’t always been a huge gap between the wealthy and the poor, and we can use our wealth to help the poor escape death. But will we?
In The Hole in Our Gospel, Richard Stearns list three major impediments that prevented past generations from eradicating extreme poverty: awareness, access, and ability. Previous generations weren’t aware of the problem, so they couldn’t address it. That changed in the last 100 years with mass media, video, and the internet making the wealthy (i.e., you and me) aware.
Increased awareness couldn’t make any difference, however, unless people had access to those in need. As commercial air travel made it possible for anyone to travel internationally, we all gained the access needed to help the poor. You could be in a desperately poor part of the world tomorrow; your donation can get there instantly.
Yet even being aware of and physically near a problem doesn’t give one the ability to address it. Only the last few generations have known how to treat illnesses like smallpox and typhoid or prevent disease through basic first aid and good hygiene. Moreover, we understand better than ever how to prevent disease, increase food yield through better agriculture methods, and assist the poor in starting microbusinesses so they can permanently escape poverty. We also have the surplus gained from our prosperity to fund the initiatives needed.
We have the awareness, the access, and the ability to virtually eradicate extreme poverty. No longer are the world’s poor someone else’s responsibility; they are our neighbors, and Jesus calls us to love them as we love ourselves.
Reach the lost… or love your neighbor?
I’ve found myself wondering in recent days which is most important – evangelism that focuses on eternal salvation or matters relating to social justice. I’ve always known they aren’t mutually exclusive, but their relative priority has remained a mystery. God works the details of each individual’s calling out, but all share a common call. Is it primarily about reaching the lost or loving our neighbors? Which is more important – the second greatest commandment or the great commission?
I’ve been reading The Hole in the Gospel, which is authored by the president of World Vision. He didn’t seek the role; in fact, he tried to run from it. In chapter after chapter, the author addresses the questions I have. What does God require of every Christian? What does he require of me? To answer those questions, I intend to study the related teachings of Jesus. Meanwhile, the book has already given me that study in a nutshell. He reminded me of the way Jesus summed up what God requires of us all:
- Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind
- Love your neighbor as yourself
But then he addresses what he says just might be the third greatest commandment – the great commission. The way he ties the greatest commandments to the great commission is enlightening. The Great Commission calls us to make followers of Christ who do what Jesus commanded: “Teach them to obey everything I have commanded.” And God has commanded that we love God and love people.
If we are obedient to the Great Commission, we are influencing people to take care of the poor and fight for justice for the oppressed. If we love the poor, we find that they also often becomes followers of Jesus who share his message with others. It’s not accurate to only say that these two aspects of the Christian message – salvation and social justice – aren’t mutually exclusive; we have to realize that they are simultaneous, even synergistic, working in perfect harmony together to create more than they could alone. We are to teach the nations to obey everything Jesus commanded. And if they do, the injustices, poverty, and disease rampant in the world will be addressed, because the people obeying Jesus’ commands will be loving their neighbors.
Perhaps that is the essence of missions today. We must make disciples of every nation, teaching them to love God and love their neighbors. Where there are Christians, we serve with them in loving neighbors and discipling believers. Where there are no Christians, we spread the message of the Kingdom of God through word and deed, teaching the people to obey everything Jesus commanded.
Missions should be about fulfilling the Lord’s prayer, “Your Kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven.” Share the good news everywhere, and the goal of missions is met. And as you share that good news, teach them to obey everything Jesus commanded – love God, love others, and teach everyone to do the same. That’s the goal and the method and the sustainable cycle of missions.
The Motions
This might hurt, it’s not safe
But I know that I’ve gotta make a change
I don’t care if I break,
At least I’ll be feeling something
Cause just okay is not enough
Help me fight through the nothingness of lifeI don’t wanna go through the motions
I don’t wanna go one more day
Without Your all consuming passion inside of me
I don’t wanna spend my whole life asking,
What if I had given everything,
Instead of going through the motions?
- The Motions, by Matthew West
Church Loyalty and Customer Satisfaction
Two items that caught my eye this week seem to have something in common – Customer Satisfaction Doesn’t Matter and Americans not losing their religion, but changing it often. Both discuss how people change brands – or churches – even though they aren’t disatisfied with what they have been getting. Consider this:
By every metric you could choose to assign to my experience, I’m a satisfied customer.
Now let me tell you something that should scare you, no matter what business you’re in. If something even slightly better came along as another option for me, I would switch without hesitation. (Customer Satisfaction Doesn’t Matter)
Her shift in religion was gradual, said Case, 41, a freelance writer and editor in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
“It wasn’t so much ‘You people stink and I am out of here,’ as ‘I like this better and this is what I want to do.’ ” (Americans not losing their religion…)
In the church world, some say the Christians are to blame for being finicky and immature. Others blame churches for either not adapting to people’s desires or for failing to create mature Christians who remain loyal.
Instead, I see a different reason. Customers and church goers alike have little loyalty these days. It’s the result of a mobile society, where relationships and their counterpart – loyalty – take a backseat to what is best for the moment. Can churches counteract this?
Some people are surprised that I have remained loyal to my home church, where I have attended for 15 years. It’s a good church, but there was a time when I wasn’t a satisfied member. Yet I stayed because of a few key relationships and a network of acquaintances. Today, I couldn’t be happier.
Likewise, I remain committed to the denomination – not because it’s perfect, but because it’s my family. I see its short-comings, and I’m not motivated to remain because of a misguided elitism. I want to serve as part of the team that reached me, taught me, and trained me.
Yet, I don’t know how to connect with others in the denomination who share similar interests or are engaged in the types of ministries I’m truly passionate about. I know they exist, but the people who I personally know that do the things I really care about aren’t part of my denomination. I wonder at times if it isn’t God’s hand at work, leading me to the people He wants me to be with. Meanwhile, a few key relationships and a network of acquaintances keep me loyal.
