Leveraging Immigration to Fulfill the Great Commission

Seeing the People Behind Policies

It is a good thing to care about politics. In particular, it is a good thing to care about immigration policies. Christians should be well informed about the issue and go to the polls with conviction based on thorough research. Immigration is a complex issue and faithful Christians may come to different conclusions for how to fix our undeniably broken system. But regardless of where we may fall on the political spectrum, we must be careful not to let policies keep us from seeing the people behind them.

I have worked for the past two years as an English as a Second Language teacher at a public high school. The majority of the teenagers I work with did not have a choice in moving to the United States. In fact, many did not want to come at all. They left their entire lives behind – their friends, their family, their culture, their language. Now, everything around them is new. A few have expressed to me how exhausting it is to not have a single familiar thing to fall back on.

Several of my students live with extended family members or friends while their parents are still working on coming to the US. Some are forced to move again with little notice if their caretaker finds better work or housing in a different location. Homelessness is not uncommon among immigrant students. While they are missing their homes, worried about the future, and trying to acclimate to a new country, they are also being asked to navigate high school and learn algebra, biology, and history from a teacher speaking a language that sounds like gibberish.

What these kids and their families need more than anything is not a well thought out political debate or any help feeling more lonely and misunderstood than they already do. They need to feel welcomed. They need a friendly face. They need patience from those around them as they acclimate to life in America. More than anything, they need the hope of the gospel found in Jesus Christ.

The Bible’s Message for the Nations

The Bible has much to say about the nations. It is clear that from the beginning of creation, it was always God’s plan to fill the earth with people from every tribe, language, and nation who would worship him. Adam and Eve were created in the image of God and were instructed to multiply and fill the earth with more image bearers who would bring God glory. But Adam and Eve sinned. And when they did, God immediately promised a son who would redeem the whole world from the curse of sin (Genesis 3:15). Later, God would call Abraham to leave his place of origin and immigrate to a land he would show him. He reiterated his promise to send a son and told Abraham that he would have offspring in whom all the nations of earth would be blessed (Genesis 22:18). David, a descendent of Abraham and one of Israel’s most famous kings, was told that the promised son would come through his line and that God would establish a kingdom through this son that would never end (2 Chronicles 17:11-14). He and others filled the Psalms with reminders of God’s plan and promise to redeem the world from sin and to fill the earth with those who would give God the glory he deserves.

Psalm 33:8 – “Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the people of the world revere him.”

Psalm 67:3 – “Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you!

Psalm 72:11 – “All kings will bow down to him and all nations will serve him.”

Psalm 86:9 – “All the nations you have made will come and worship before you, O Lord; they will bring glory to your name.”

Psalm 117:1 – “Praise the LORD, all you nations; extol him, all you peoples.”

In the New Testament, the promised son arrived. His name was Jesus. He was fully God and yet fully man. He lived, died, and rose again to “purchase men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.” (Revelation 5:9) Before he ascended into heaven, he spoke these words to his disciples:

“‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’” Matthew 28:18-20

Jesus’s last words echo what the Old Testament teaches us about God – that his desire is for people from all parts of the earth to worship him. In his grace he has invited his followers to participate in this mission. And not only has he invited us to make disciples of all nations, he has instructed us to do so. This is a command not only for those who feel a unique call to foreign missions, but for all who are believers in Christ. Some may obey the call to go and make disciples of all nations by going overseas and ministering in a foreign country. Others of us, however, have the opportunity to obey the call to go and make disciples of all nations by going just down the street and meeting the immigrant family who lives in our neighborhood.

What Is the Christian Response to the Nations at Our Doorstep?

We are living in the middle of an incredible opportunity. God has brought the nations to us, and we can see the nations come to Christ without ever having to leave our zip codes. Unfortunately, however, I fear that many believers squander this opportunity by focusing too much on politics and what needs to be changed about immigration on the national level. We may even resent immigrants based on assumptions about them and what we’ve heard in the media. But if we allow political allegiance or resentment to eclipse obedience to God’s word, frankly, we are in sin.

Immigration is complex, but this truth is simple: God has instructed us to make disciples of the nations and the nations are here. While it is important to be well informed about politics, it is much more important and effective to focus on caring for the immigrants in our communities. It is my prayer that the Christian response to this great migration would be to leverage it as an opportunity to fulfill the great commission.

Here are some ways you can do that:

1. Initiate a conversation. Just say hi! Ask, “Where are you from?” followed with, “What is it like there?” My students love to talk about where they are from. I love seeing them light up when given the opportunity to talk about their home country. Be curious! Ask questions! And even if there is a language barrier, a smiling face and a clear interest in their life can go a long way in making them feel more comfortable in their new home.

2. Learn their language. Ask an immigrant to teach you how to say some common phrases in their language. You can also look up how to say some things online. You don’t have to become bilingual overnight, but making the effort to learn how to say a few things in your neighbor’s heart language can mean a lot.

3. Invite them to dinner. The Bible has much to say about hospitality. Asking someone to join you for dinner is about more than sharing a meal. It is a gesture that says “You’re welcome here and I want to be your friend.” You could even ask your dinner guests to teach you how to cook food from their culture and learn how to make a tasty new dish!

4. Befriend international students. Many immigrants come to the United States on a student visa. At my alma mater, the majority of international students are from India and China, two countries that are home to many unreached people groups. You may never have the opportunity to travel to these countries to share the gospel, but you can share the gospel with the students who are here for a little while, who can then bring the gospel back home with them. Most colleges have programs for their international students designed to give them support while in the United States. If you live near campus, ask how you can get involved.

5. Support their businesses. When you can, drop into an immigrant-owned business. Even if you don’t buy much, it’s a way to make connections that could potentially lead to friendships and gospel conversations. Go to a restaurant and try a new food! Explore a grocery store that sells things from another country! Check out an artisan shop and praise God for the way he’s gifted people with such creativity!

6. Pray for them and the countries they’re coming from. Pray that the Lord would help them thrive in the United States and that they would believe the gospel. Pray for healing if the circumstances of their move were traumatic. Pray for the nation they came from – that the Lord would strengthen the church there and that many in that country would hear and believe the gospel. If you have the opportunity, tell them you’ve been praying for them and their country and ask if there’s anything specific you can be praying for as well.

7. Share the gospel. Many people who move to the United States are coming from countries where it is illegal to evangelize or to convert to Christianity. But when they’re here, we have freedom to boldly proclaim the truth of the gospel. Do not waste this opportunity! Christ commanded us to make disciples of all nations and he has placed us in a unique time where the nations are as close as our next door neighbors. Love them by speaking up about the hope you have in Christ.

In Revelation, 7:9-10, we get a beautiful glimpse of our future. It says, “After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!’”

Not only did God plan from the beginning of creation to fill the earth with worshippers, he has sovereignly seen to it that it will come to pass. When we arrive in heaven, politics will cease to matter and American English will be only one of thousands of languages represented around the throne of God.

The next time we hear a foreign accent, I pray our first thoughts would not be political. Instead, may we hear it as an opportunity to be obedient to the great commission so that God might be praised among the nations.

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Andrea Mathews teaches Spanish and English as a Second Language at a public high school in Western North Carolina. She and her husband are members of Grace Baptist Church of West Asheville where she enjoys teaching the ladies’ Sunday school class. She is pursuing a MA in Ministry to Women with Biblical Counseling at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. You can connect with her on Instagram.