DJ from the orphanage

“If you support the general US policy on immigrants, you should cancel your missions trip.” This line was recently posted on Facebook and shared by many people. I don’t agree with the statement, but it brings up an interesting point. How much does our politics interfere with our testimony? How much does our contempt for other political parties or nationalities impact our mission’s goals?

What we spend our time on, what we focus on, what we promote in our lives and social media, says everything about our priorities. The enemy will do everything in his power to distract us from what is essential, to distract us from seeking God first and representing Him well. With today’s non-stop cycle of political news, from an ever more slanted perspective from either side, it’s easy to get distracted from what truly matters.

A while back, a very good friend of mine, a strong Christian and missions-minded person, was spending an inordinate amount of time on social media promoting and sharing his support of the 2nd amendment. We eventually had a conversation where I pointed out that he might be focused more on defending the constitution than actually supporting and defending the Gospel. (He got my point.) The constitution is, in the grand scheme of things, temporary. All things of man are. Eventually, the constitution and the US will fade away and become a footnote in history. The only things that last are the things of God. Too many people are chasing after the shiny object of the temporary, and ignoring the eternal.

Anyone who’s read the news or watched the 24-hour flood of news channels is aware that much of the church is increasingly focused on political issues. The vitriol and fury that so many Christians are demonstrating are, to be honest, embarrassing, and increasingly problematic. “They shall know them by their love.” has been replaced by, “They shall know them by their snarky Facebook posts attacking people they don’t agree with.”

I’m not saying we shouldn’t have an opinion; we have an obligation to stand up for the weak, the defenseless, those in need around us. This is Jesus’ example to us. But how we stand up for others matters a great deal. Jesus was not political; He didn’t pick a side other than hanging out with the rejects of society. He knew there was deep political corruption, He knew it was a broken political system, but He also knew it just didn’t matter. He focused on the individual in front of Him; He focused on what was important.

My team, and many of the groups we host have been helping with the migrant camps in Tijuana. These camps are hosting people from Costa Rica, Haiti, etc. Many of these people left horrifying circumstances for the slim chance of not just a better life, but of survival. A donor to our ministry heard about this and let us know that he would reach out to his church. He was sure they would help with supplies. He was amazed and disappointed when his church gave a very firm, “No.” They would not support “those people.” Think that through, they refused to help migrants because they felt these people should “just go home.” They didn’t like the politics, so it was OK to turn a blind eye. This is counter to everything the Gospel represents. Even if we do see people we don’t agree with as the enemy, we have explicit instruction as to what our response should be. We are called to love our enemy, pray for our enemy, heap blessing on them.

How many of us deserve the blessings and grace that God pours out on us everyday? None of us are worthy, none of us have a right to this grace, but God pours grace in abundance on us anyway.

Jesus taught extensively on this topic. From the good Samaritan to reaching out to lepers, the Gospel leaves no wiggle room as to how we are to serve our fellow human beings. The Gospel does not say only bless those we agree with, only help those who are worthy, only pray for people who are making decisions we agree with. And yet, the church today is increasingly divided into political factions, divided by agendas that have no lasting value. How can we share the Gospel overflowing with grace, acceptance, and love when so much of our lives are bathed in contempt for those around us?

Going back to the line this blog started with: “If you support the general US policy on immigrants, you should cancel your missions trip.” I disagree with that line. Whatever your stance on immigrants is, you should take a missions trip. Spend time studying and understanding the issues from different angles before you go. Go and meet the people that you see on so many news clips. However you feel about their actions or them personally, you are called to love your enemy. By spending time with them, you might find your perceived enemy is actually your fellow child of God, that your enemy is someone that our Heavenly Father cares deeply about.

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