Our Global Mission: PEACE on Earth

This has created chaos in the world. Zechariah 10:2 says, “People wander around like lost sheep. They are in trouble because they have no leader” (TEV). Proverbs 11:14 says, “Without wise leadership, a nation falls” (NLT). We must teach leaders at all levels that sound leadership requires a moral foundation (Proverbs 16:12).

A: Assist the Poor

More than half of the world — that’s 3 billion people — live on less than two dollars a day. One-sixth of the world’s population lives in slums.

Research by the Christian relief organization World Vision suggests that about 600 million people in the world could get out of poverty quickly if someone would simply give them a small loan— not a gift, a loan — so they could start a small business and begin to pull themselves out of poverty.

For instance, I have a friend in South Africa who teaches people how to plant gardens. From those vegetable gardens, they’re able to feed their own family, AIDS orphans, and other poor people in their church, and then they have a bit left over to sell for income.

Another friend in Guinea helps prostitutes get off the street by teaching them how to style hair or how to sew and then gives them a sewing machine. They’re usually able to pay back the cost of the machine over 16 weeks, and none of these women have gone back to prostitution.

Proverbs 29:7 says, “The righteous care about justice for the poor, but the wicked have no such concern” (NIV).

C: Care for the Sick

Tragically, hundreds of millions of people around the world are dying from preventable illnesses. Even though we found a cure for these diseases in the 19th and 20th centuries, people in the 21st century are still dying from them.

Think about this: Eleven million children die every year — that’s 27,000 every single day — from preventable illnesses. The number one reason that children die is diseases that come from unclean water. We know how to clean up water, yet millions of children are dying every year from diseases they get from drinking unclean water.

My prayer is that we can mobilize the health care professionals in faith communities across our country. These professionals have knowledge, expertise, and experience that can make life better for millions of people around our world.

My wife is a breast cancer survivor. When she was diagnosed with the disease, we were able to get her the best treatment available anywhere. She had great doctors and received the needed medications. But there are so many in our world that have no hope as they face disease and death. It grieves me greatly, knowing there are other husbands who must watch their wives suffer and die because they cannot get the medical help they need.