The Idol of Legality: Creating the Worst Missionaries
It blows my mind when Christians both refuse to travel to the nations with the message of the gospel - AND - do everything in their power to keep those very same people from literally moving to their neighborhoods.
I imagine the Father's heart breaking when, as His children in the USA fiscally and theologically grow to the point where we are thoroughly capable of bringing the Kingdom of God to the end of the earth - yet we are trending downwards. I can only imagine what He thinks as most of us don't even consider the potential of being used to take the goodness of his Kingdom to those living in darkness. We easily sing His praises on Sunday mornings, yet quickly reject any thought that He may be calling us to more, outside of our county or country lines.
Then, perhaps in a desperate attempt to reach the lost with His love, he begins creating opportunities for those very same people to get on planes and boats and arrive at our shores - this land that we so quickly claim to hold the blessings of God. And what do we do? We feel unsafe, so we do everything we can to pass legislation to send them back to their lands of war and genocide. We take no effort to connect with them while they are here, we support racist and fear-mongering voices in their derision, and we vote to send them away. How is that being the hands and feet of Christ?
I struggle to imagine the conversation at the pearly gates when our only defense to Christ is, "they were here illegally and I thought they may be dangerous". I beg you, I implore you - - if at all possible let us distance ourselves from this worldly, political thinking and see the great opportunity that these days have delivered. We literally have people from all over the world living in our neighborhoods, and perhaps only for a very limited time if the masses still fight to send them away.
Christian - I implore you - see past a legal status in order to see an opportunity to love the lost, poor, broken and oppressed immigrants in your neighborhood. Before you complain of broken English, pray for compassion to see past the grammatical errors in order to see the pain and difficulty that almost always accompanies the human being before you.
Even if they are terrorists - join me in loving the enemy, blessing those who curse you, and serving those most in need. We can't continue being a church that perverts the Kingdom of God to fit into the laws of a secular country.
I have done a terrible job of stepping out to meet these people, to love and serve them - and today the Father calls each of us to do more - to be more for those seeking refuge.
If vocalizing our disagreement with how someone enters this country creates a stumbling block in our ability to love them with the love of Christ - then we are allowing the rule of law to become an idol that we worship above God and obedience to the great commission.
More to come.
Grace and peace.
I imagine the Father's heart breaking when, as His children in the USA fiscally and theologically grow to the point where we are thoroughly capable of bringing the Kingdom of God to the end of the earth - yet we are trending downwards. I can only imagine what He thinks as most of us don't even consider the potential of being used to take the goodness of his Kingdom to those living in darkness. We easily sing His praises on Sunday mornings, yet quickly reject any thought that He may be calling us to more, outside of our county or country lines.
Then, perhaps in a desperate attempt to reach the lost with His love, he begins creating opportunities for those very same people to get on planes and boats and arrive at our shores - this land that we so quickly claim to hold the blessings of God. And what do we do? We feel unsafe, so we do everything we can to pass legislation to send them back to their lands of war and genocide. We take no effort to connect with them while they are here, we support racist and fear-mongering voices in their derision, and we vote to send them away. How is that being the hands and feet of Christ?
I struggle to imagine the conversation at the pearly gates when our only defense to Christ is, "they were here illegally and I thought they may be dangerous". I beg you, I implore you - - if at all possible let us distance ourselves from this worldly, political thinking and see the great opportunity that these days have delivered. We literally have people from all over the world living in our neighborhoods, and perhaps only for a very limited time if the masses still fight to send them away.
Christian - I implore you - see past a legal status in order to see an opportunity to love the lost, poor, broken and oppressed immigrants in your neighborhood. Before you complain of broken English, pray for compassion to see past the grammatical errors in order to see the pain and difficulty that almost always accompanies the human being before you.
Even if they are terrorists - join me in loving the enemy, blessing those who curse you, and serving those most in need. We can't continue being a church that perverts the Kingdom of God to fit into the laws of a secular country.
I have done a terrible job of stepping out to meet these people, to love and serve them - and today the Father calls each of us to do more - to be more for those seeking refuge.
If vocalizing our disagreement with how someone enters this country creates a stumbling block in our ability to love them with the love of Christ - then we are allowing the rule of law to become an idol that we worship above God and obedience to the great commission.
More to come.
Grace and peace.
Comments
Post a Comment