By Jonathan Moseley
If you’ve been a Christian for any amount of time, then you often feel the tension over topics like immigration reform. On one hand, all people—including those seeking asylum from various parts of the world—should do so in a way that respects the laws of that country, since Paul says submitting to rulers is honoring to God (Romans 13:1). Government is God-ordained, and its most basic roles include promoting the welfare and protection of its citizens. In this way, Christians can support policies that uphold these aims.
But on the other hand, Jesus shows us that love serves and welcomes the poor and the hurting (Luke 14:13-14), eliminates hostility and pride often created by social, ethnic, and cultural differences (Ephesians 2:14) and fills in misunderstandings with trust, not suspicion (1 Corinthians 13:7). So, Christians should be against policies that both show indifference to the victimized and marginalized and policies that are forged out of fear.
But my goal here is not to influence public support one way or another on policy. That discussion is nuanced. And provided that Christians have wrestled long and hard with God’s words in matters like these, we should not condemn one another if we disagree. Nonetheless, there are foreigners and immigrants and refugees and international students all around us. Rather than waiting on policies to be perfect, what can we do?
Consider the foreigner intentionally and strategically placed in your life by God.
Abraham was called by God to leave his country (Gen 12:1). Because of a great famine, Jacob’s sons sought relief in Egypt (Gen. 47:1-6). Ruth became Naomi’s daughter-in-law because Naomi and her sons sojourned to the land of Moab (Ruth 1:1-4). Jesus, himself, was a refugee. Joseph and Mary fled to Egypt with him as a young child in order to escape Herod’s massacre of baby boys two years and younger across the region of Judea (Matthew 2:13-15). The first Christians scatter in search of safety because of persecution; but in their scattering, they take the Gospel to new places (Acts 11:19-20). God’s redemptive plan has always included foreigners. Regardless of the means taken to reside in the United States, you can be sure that their relationship to you is no accident. God’s sovereignty is behind it.
Offer them all the support you can allow, and then some more.
Foreigners have a difficult time assimilating into a culture different than their own. The struggles are many and the help is scarce. But one way a Christian can tangibly show God’s heart is to mirror his refuge-like, all-inclusive, ever-costly, lovingly-pursuant care and protection for those in need (Psalm 46:1). Yes, it’s hard and time consuming, but let your devotion to them point to a greater reality, namely, the Father-like provision God supplies.
Pray for open doors to share the Gospel and their reception of it.
Dare I say, there is nothing more powerful on earth than the prayers of God’s people. Most Christians know this, but few pursue God in prayer with a sense of brokenness for the lost and a level of desperation for God to open up hard, calloused hearts. Paul shows us how to pray like this. With unceasing anguish, he pleads that God would save Israel (Romans 9:1-3; 10:1). He knows salvation is not up to him. It’s up to God. That’s why Paul prays with total dependency and asks God to do this work. However, Paul knows his part is to faithfully share it. So, he prays for boldness (Ephesians 6:19-20). For the foreigners among us, we must labor to win their heart so that we might win their ear. But as we go and share the Good News of Jesus, let us precede this proclamation with humble, urgent, emboldening prayer.
As Christians, we need to think deeply about how to engage our culture in the realm of politics. But we must move beyond the identity of an American citizen. Because as members of heaven, we look to something more than policies; we look to souls.
Jonathan Moseley is the Director of Community and Operations at Renewal Church.