God calls us to bring His hope into every area of life, including social justice. Listen as Susie talks with Scott Todd of Compassion International about his new book, Hope Rising.

We can bring gospel justice into the area of extreme poverty. Scott issues a call for the Church to mobilize, pray, see it, and end it in our lifetime. He points to the amazing grace God has given the American church alone. “138 million of us with $2.5 trillion of income every year – He’s resourced us to accomplish incredible stuff,” including ending poverty.

What would it take to end extreme poverty? What might happen if we used technology, social media, finances, and training to alleviate poverty and enable everyone to provide for themselves and their families?

Scott is optimistic and passionate about banding the Church together to free those living in poverty. Every day around the world, 18,000 children die from preventable causes, including dirty water, disease, and hunger.  Scott has seen much of the suffering firsthand, and has vowed to work to change it, in Jesus’ Name. “I will do whatever I can with whatever influence God gives me to not be too late.” And now, thanks to the efforts of Compassion and other organizations, those changes are coming about. Scott describes encouraging statistics:

• The number of those stricken with malaria has been cut in half since 2000.
• In eight years, measles deaths dropped by 78 %.
• The percentage of those living in poverty in developing nations has dropped from 52% to 21%.

What can we do to increase and speed these results? Here are three avenues we can explore in service:

The public sector
Actively support candidates and officials who work for public generosity

The business sector
Choose to buy from companies that promote healthy living and safe products

The social sector
Organize non-profits, prayer teams, and local events to redirect resources and funds to those in need

Key Scriptures: Isaiah 58:11-12; Matthew 25:31-46

Theme Song: The Power of Your Name by Lincoln Brewster

Highlight : The hope of a child

Hope rising

 

This program has been previously aired.