Q1. Loving the Aliens in our Midst

[JoanG]

I find that older people fear those that are different from themselves. It is a learned habit passed down through the generations. They do not have the ability not to judge a book by its cover. My grandparents were notorious for this type of thinking. They judged everyone on a standard that was close to themselves. Nothing could ever be different.

 

I feel that we need to get to know more about other people. I feel that the internet had made this more possible. We are no longer immobile to visit other lands. It does not take a passport to read about others.

 

I feel that churches need to open their doors and hearts to all people. We need to find common ground. We need to dismiss those things that are different in people. We need to unite all people who believe in God and Jesus. 

[Ray B]

Q1. (Isaiah 49:1-13) Why do people tend to disregard or even discriminate against aliens in their country? Because they are not native and often seen as second class citizens.

How can you increase your love for people of other nationalities? They are God's children and my brothers sisters, Jesus says that we should treat our neighbour as our own.

God's people are called to be a "light to the nations." What might that entail for the church in your community? By friending, caring for and discipling all people of all nations for God's glory.

 

[Krissi]

Every society has an ethos, a set of values and expectations that allow society to cohere and become "a people." When aliens come to a land while denying the ethos of those who live in their homeland, their presence weakens the social fabric that had once allowed that particular society to cohere and function smoothly. 

We must love those who could be aliens by helping them maintain and stay in their own homeland. We must help them not be aliens, which is incredibly difficult and painful, but residents in their own homelands. In this way we can be light and salt. Generosity to others in their homelands is the cure for political and material alienation.

But more than material goods, they need to hear the gospel. We must send missionaries and other people to lands which may tear apart and create an exodus of aliens. They need to hear the good news. 

The good news isn't entering in a country that's considered more prosperous than one's own -- the good news is salvation from sin, not poverty. God promises to meet our daily needs. He doesn't promise that we'll be as wealthy as our neighbors and specifically condemns envy and dishonest behavior.