This week, we have a guest post by Joe. Joe is working in a part of Asia where Christians are persecuted, and so his identity and location must be kept secret. He and his wife are helping to spread the Gospel and doing a great job serving the people of Asia. I interviewed Joe on the podcast a couple of weeks ago. I encourage you to listen to it here, and you’ll hear his heart for the people he and his wife serve.
Recently, Joe spent a few days with the Bhutanese Nepali pastors in Portland. He is excited to see a local Foursquare Church partnering with the Nepali refugees. Here is a quick video you can watch, to see what Beaverton Foursquare Church is currently doing. We have a wonderful opportunity to reach many nations, just by stepping out our door. Our cities are a melting pot of nations and cultures. When we prayerfully step out of our comfort zones to love and serve others the Good News of Jesus spreads far beyond our own boundaries. I hope you enjoy this guest post. Please continue to pray for Joe and the people he serves.
It is exciting to hear about so many churches reaching across multiple barriers to engage and embrace the “culturally and linguistically different” people. In cities large and small we see the nations in our neighborhoods. This presents us with incredible opportunities to share the Good News of Jesus with people from different cultures and backgrounds.
Here are Six Ways to Reach the Nations on Our Doorstep:
- A quick internet search on demographics for your city or neighborhood will tell you who lives around you. Learn a little about those people. When you run into someone who seems culturally different, ask if they are originally from the U.S. – strike up a conversation. Ask about their history and culture. It is often easy to build a relationship from that point.
- Find out what other culturally different churches meet in your area. Pay them a visit just to learn about them and how they worship, and what life is like for them.
- Contact a local college and ask if they have any international students who may not have a place to go on significant holidays, especially Christmas & Easter. Invite them to your home for a meal with your family and simply share the story of what those days and your traditions mean to you.
- Consider hosting an international student in your home (some friends of ours have a young man from Saudi Arabia living with them right now).
- If your church has property, perhaps your congregation could develop a relationship with and even share facilities with a culturally different group that needs a place to meet. Who is in your area that may be a good “match”?
- Ask God to give you eyes to see and a heart to pray for the culturally different people in your area.
The Lord has brought the nations to us. What a wonderful opportunity!
Joe and I are among the more than two dozen missionaries supported by the Foursquare Missions International Global Missions Fund. To support our global missions efforts, visit The Global Missions Fund.
Debbie and I serve as the FMI Global Associate Director for MENACA and Europe. We focus on cultivating disciples, leaders, and church planting movements.
