The Great Commission in Reverse
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Thanks to guest author Alice Klement for two articles on serving cross-culturally. --KK
Jesus commanded his followers to go into all the world to teach, baptize, and make disciples. In my opinion, though, we haven�t exactly been filling planes with eager folks going into all the world to share the Gospel.
But I�ve seen an amazing thing in my corner of the world, and I�ll bet it�s happening where you live, too. God is giving us another chance! He�s bringing all the world to America. I noticed this when my little grocery was suddenly filled with people from different cultures, whose conversations I didn�t understand. I soon discovered that there is a refugee resettlement area between my home and my church. In addition, my church is located on the edge of the large University of Texas Health Science Center which brings in a wealth of international students every year.
I felt a responsibility for all these people. God had placed them literally in our backyard. Who was going to reach out to them in His name, if my church didn�t?
God also opened doors, sometimes dramatically. One day Bo, a student at the medical center, walked into the church office and asked for someone to teach him about God. Well, that was a call to action, if there ever was one!
It�s hard for people to believe we want them in Heaven if we don�t want them in our living room.�
�Ralph D. Winter, missionary
Ouch. This quote hit me between the eyes! You see, I have been involved in cross cultural ministry for some time. In fact, I�m working to mobilize my entire congregation to impact our international community for Christ. (See �The Great Commission in Reverse.� LINK) I teach in my congregation�s ESL school, I share Saturday breakfasts with international students, and I�ve led mission teams to Hong Kong, Poland, Macau and Haiti. I thought I was doing a great job crossing cultures. . . . (continue reading)