Change in Perspective

I've been taking a class entitled "Perspectives on the World Christian Movement" and it has completely given me a new perspective (as promised) ! I'm not sure I'll be able to read the Bible the same, share the Gospel the same, or view the world the same. As referenced in my last post, ordinary life as I knew it is long gone.

So this brings me to the purpose of this post. One of the sections of the course is the Historical Perspective of Missions. This section discusses the different mechanisms that the Lord has used to spread His Word. Briefly they are "Voluntary Going", "Involuntary Going", "Voluntary Coming", and "Involuntary Coming".

Before I continue I have to flash back to a conversation I had many years ago. I've had MANY conversations over the years about immigration but this one has always stuck with me. My friend asked me about a certain situation he was faced with... the janitor at his church was an illegal immigrant. He asked me how I would handle the situation. My answer came very quickly... "circumstances don't dictate truth". The specific details of this person's story did nothing to sway my position; he was here in this country illegally and something needed to be done about it.

As I read about "Involuntary Coming" and this mechanism that the Lord used to bring people to a land they might not otherwise come to, due to the circumstances they left behind, I started to rethink my position. I still believe that truth is not dictated by circumstances or emotions, and I still believe (quite strongly) that the government needs to fix our immigration policy. What changed is my perspective. What is my responsibility in all of this? What opportunities are we missing in all of this if we focus on the political side of the issue. Think about it? MILLIONS of foreigners are in this country and while the details of each of their stories may be different, the reality remains the same - they are here! Many of these foreigners come from countries that missionaries aren't able to go to... and the Lord brought them to our doorstep!

What a difference we could make for the Kingdom if we reached out to them. They may be able to return to their own countries with a citizenship in heaven that they are ready to share with others. Many of these 'visitors' are never invited in to American homes. How can we share the love of Christ with them if we don't meet them.

Here's what I'm doing about it... I'm learning how to teach them English. Actually, I've been learning and start tutoring a lady from Brazil this week. She's been in this country for many years, but is wanting to get her GED and needs some help preparing for the essay portion. Pray for me as I spend time with Elizabeth. Pray that she will be able to see the love of Christ in my life as I share Him with her. I look forward to meeting many others like in Elizabeth in this coming year as I reach out to those the Lord has brought here for us to minister to. I'm grateful to my church for thinking of this ministry and being on the front lines of changing the conversation on immigration among believers.

Until the World Hears!