“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Luke 4:18-19
“Combating poverty will require the rare sort of commitment if we are to change the status quo. The battle for lasting relief will take relentless leadership, because victory will require the mobilization of millions of the nonpoor who will choose to give and to go where the pockets of poverty are most extreme and who will remain there long-term in order to reverse the time of intolerable conditions. Millions of Christians will need to get actively involved in easing the suffering of those who live in conditions of extreme need and to bring reform to the unjust systems that perpetuate indefensible disparities of wealth and health. But the millions needed to stem the time of global poverty will make the decision to enter the battle one soldier at a time. It will do no good for them to enlist if they will not persist to the end of the struggle.”
John Rowell in To Give or Not to Give: Rethinking Dependency, Restoring Generosity, and Redefining Sustainability (Tyrone: Authentic, 2006) 227-228.
I am speaking at an international missions conference at Sarang Community Church in Seoul on 4 June 2016. My remarks are linked to “Sustainability and Missions” and my focus is shifting the thinking of listeners from “financial sustainability” to “faithful stewardship” as money is not the driving money for missions God is, and God’s design is to work through faithful stewards who “give and go” by deploying their gifts and goods to make known the gospel.
Are you giving and going to help those in need? I have a call scheduled in the next few days with Edgar and Gladys Güitz of Potter’s House in Guatemala. Part of the reason for the call is to plan a visit there later this year. Sending money to the destitute does not combat poverty. Giving and going is the answer. If you are looking for a place to give and go, consider that organization. Remember, Jesus did not send help. He came. Our giving must be combined with going.