The Third World

I realize that I'm blasting into 2011 with a rather boring topic to most people, but my thoughts about people living in the Third World have been kindled more lately as I've been reading "Revolution in World Missions" by K.P. Yohannan, the founder of Gospel for Asia.  It was written nearly 25 years ago, but to my understanding is still a very popular and impacting read.

Rather than do a book review or summarize what the book talks about, I mention it only because it got me thinking more about the lives of the many people of our planet that live in what we call the Third World.  In fact, even before starting this book, 2010 was a year when God spoke to me on many occasions about these people, perhaps triggered by the horrific earthquake in Haiti last January.

So what has God spoken to my heart about those living in the Third World, especially about how we as Christians should view them and respond to their needs?

First of all, I think we in the Developed World or the West - or whatever you want to call it - have this impression that somehow we have it all figured out, that we're the standard that the rest of the world should aspire to.  I've read and watched many stories about people coming to North America, for example, from the Third World because they think it's paradise on earth and that being able to live there means that all their dreams will be fulfilled.

However, aside from having clean drinking water, access to better medical care, and a fairly reliable electrical grid and transportation infrastructure, the moral abyss that the West is sinking into makes it pretty obvious that we don't have it all figured out, and that our standard is based upon the almighty dollar and no longer the Almighty God that allowed us to achieve peace and unparalleled wealth in the first place.  And too many of them eventually get caught up in the emptiness of the consumer lifestyle, buying the Western idea that money and things will be the means to their dreams being fulfilled, even though each new purchase and financial milestone isn't as fulfilling as the last one or as fulfilling as they think the next one will be.

These immigrants, nor many of the people born in the West, don't realize that the incredible blessings our society has received was entirely the result of following biblical principles.  That's not to say that all the founding fathers of Western nations believed in God or the Bible, but even the non-believers had a respect for biblical principles and practiced them to a large degree.  Anyone who disagrees with this assertion needs only listen to an excellent 11-part audio series by Dr. Vishal Mangalwadi entitled "Must The Sun Set On The West?" that addresses the rise of modern Western civilization but also the fall that appears to be coming as it abandons its Judeo-Christian roots.  It's an excellent resource for anyone interested in viewing our society from a non-Western perspective.

Second, many Westerners over the years have had the idea that the only hope for the Third World has been to turn it, country by country, into a clone of us.  Unfortunately, this has largely failed because it hasn't taken local history or culture into account, and imposing a culture founded upon Judeo-Christian values has only caused resentment and even wars and bloodshed.

But what has happened with the abandonment of these values in the West?  Oh, the crusade to create Western clones is still in full swing, but this time its purpose is to create converts of consumerism.  Western corporate interests are fully behind the efforts of Western governments and aid organizations to "develop" the Third World because better lifestyles and more money in the hands of the billions of people considered to be in that part of the world means more potential consumers.  More consumers means more money in corporate coffers.  More places to advertise means more people enslaved to the idea of consumerism meeting the emotional needs in one's life instead of the one thing that will actually fill those needs, namely a personal relationship with God.

So how should Western Christians respond to the ideas that we're the gold standard in the world and that the world needs what we have?

Christians seem to fall into two main camps regarding these ideas.  There is the one camp that seems to ignore the issue of the great gap between rich and poor in this world, and instead focuses on getting all they can for themselves.  These people are referred to as wanting to "name it and claim it", using God as a cosmic bellhop to fill their every need by naming what they want and claiming its arrival in advance in Jesus' name.  If they don't get the material possessions they ask for or the healing they want, their leaders accuse their followers of not having enough "faith".  This "Prosperity Gospel" has been created by those who twist the Bible to justify their desires for wealth and self-gain, and has lived on in different forms under many different leaders for years from the likes of Jim Bakker (who has renounced this perversion of the Gospel) to Benny Hinn.

The other Christian camp seems to have a guilt complex about this great gap and is characterized by people who live on as little as possible so that they can give the rest to others less fortunate.  It's almost as though by doing so they can make up for the guilt they feel - imposed either from within or from Christian leaders - of being financially blessed or by living in a wealthy part of the world.  Never mind the fact that God allowed them to be born where they were and to enjoy the blessings of where they live.  In any case, it's difficult to tell whether those living a deliberately frugal lifestyle are doing it out of sincere love for others or as a way of trying to please God out of guilt or for a potential future payback for their sacrifices.

As with most things in life, I think taking the balanced approach - a middle ground perspective - is the best way to approach our view of people living in the Third World and their needs.  I think any Christian who feels a sincere and lasting burden to help others, whether in a country considered a Third World nation or living in bad conditions right here in the West, needs to get on their knees and ask God for how they should respond in a healthy and balanced manner.

Some Western Christians think they need to forsake the blessings provided by success and give them all up to minister in a Third World setting, when perhaps God was perfectly satisfied with them giving a portion of their income to others less financially blessed but willing to do the same.  Others think they need to get involved in some sort of official ministry instead of ministering to the everyday needs around them outside of a ministry or position with a fancy name or title.

K.P. Yohannan earnestly sought God's will about how he could be used to reach the poor and the lost, and the result was Gospel for Asia, a massive organization that trains native missionaries to reach their very own countrymen with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  But it goes far beyond preaching and church planting into the realm of providing people with water wells and water purification systems to farm animals that will provide food and/or income to the people that receive them as gifts from Western donors.

What will God speak to your heart if you have a burden for those in the Third World?  Will he give you the means to acquire wealth so that you can give a healthy portion to ministries that will impact those parts of the world?  Or will you be a visionary on fire for God who is led to start an organization on the magnitude of Gospel for Asia that will impact millions for Christ?

Whatever your burden, it all must start with prayer, and my prayer for you is that God will reveal your next step on His terms, in a way that is free from the desires of people who are only looking out for themselves and their own agendas.  May He give you a desire for what burdens Him, and may you respond in a manner that is healthy and balanced unless God reveals otherwise.