The Hole In Our Gospel

I am reading:  The Hole in Our Gospel by Richard Stearns, President of World Vision U.S.  Passages like Isaiah 58, Matthew 25, John 3:16-20, Job 29:11-17, Isaiah 61, 2 Corinthians 9:6-15, the Beatitudes, and so many others are jumping off the page, causing me to realize that there is a hole in our Gospel and I am strongly convicted.

Jesus had an expectation that we – his followers – not the government - should feed the hungry, give water to the thirsty, care for the sick, clothe the naked and give shelter to the homeless.  That’s what he said.  I assume he meant it.

“ . . . I could see that all across the world people were crying out in desperation to God for help, for comfort; widows, orphans, the sick, the disabled, the poor and the exploited.  These millions of prayers were being lifted up to God, and we, each of us who claim to be His followers, were to be His answer.  We were the ones who would bring the “good news” of Christ to the poor in their suffering.  God has sent us.  This was the good news of the gospel – good news indeed for the poor.”  Stearns.

I WAS HUNGRY:  25,000 people die each day of hunger or its related causes – about 9 million people per year.

I WAS THIRSTY:  As many as five million people die every year of water-related illnesses.

I WAS SICK:  Three diseases alone – malaria, TB and AIDS – result in more than five million deaths per year and half a billion new infections, virtually all in the world’s poorest countries.  AIDS has left 15 million children orphans.

Almost ten million children will be dead in a year, before they reach the age of five, caused by birth complication, pneumonia, diarrheal diseases, neonatal (infant) illnesses, malaria, measles, AIDS, injuries, and other.

(Statistics from Hole in Our Gospel)

My concern is more for the poor in other countries where they are starving to death every day, where there is no clean water and they walk hours every day to haul water that is contaminated and is killing them, where little children have no clothes at all and others have only what they are wearing, where they live in unsanitary conditions on dirt floors or maybe with no shelter at all, where a tooth infection or wounds mean death and there is little to no medicine or medical help available, no food stamps, and no government support such as in the U.S.  These people in poor countries are beyond desperate – they are a living tragedy, making some of our poor look rich.  That being said, through World Vision, one may make contributions to help kids in U.S.