Neighbors to the Nations

By Matt McGuire

Being a disciple of Jesus means participating in Jesus’ mission. He invites us to join Him in actively advancing His Kingdom in every area of our city, state, country, and world.

One thing I’ve noticed about the people of God, myself included, is our tendency to pick and choose who we believe should be reached with the Gospel. It’s easy to be drawn toward people who look and act like us because, quite honestly, it’s comfortable. But as God advances His Kingdom, no person or place is left off limits. We see this continually in Jesus’ earthly life as He entered into spaces where Jews would not go, bringing healing and salvation to those who were considered unclean sinners and enemies of God.

I’m oftentimes slow to remember just how unclean I once was, how I used to be an enemy of God, and how my life was ruled by sin. When I forget what I was when apart from the blood of Christ, God’s mercy is lost on me. And if I forget the mercy He has shown me, how can I share His mercy with others?

I ask this as someone who was quick to disregard and slow to engage the refugees in my city, Louisville. I’d forgotten God’s mercy in my own life and Christ’s willingness to leave Heaven’s perfection to enter the brokenness of this sinful world to meet me right where I am. I saw these neighbors as too far off—how could I engage them? How could I befriend someone I honestly feared?

Then I was struck by the truth of the Gospel in my own life. I remembered who I was without Christ and how He has transformed my life and given me a purpose: to show His mercy and grace to those who have not met Him, who need to know His name.

No One's Off Limits

When I think about refugees and strangers, the story of the Good Samaritan comes to mind. One day, a Hebrew lawyer asks Jesus what it takes to inherit eternal life. In response, Jesus asks the man to turn to the law of Moses for an answer. The lawyer answers correctly: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” (Luke 10:27)

The lawyer knows the answer: to live a life of true faith means loving God fully and loving people genuinely. But the lawyer wants to justify himself and nitpick the commandments, doing as little as necessary to get God’s approval. “And who is my neighbor?” he asks. (Luke 10:29)

This is all of us, isn’t it? We are quicker to question who our neighbor is than we are to reach out and actually be a neighbor to whomever the Lord has put in our path.

For me, it wasn’t until a couple years ago that God opened my eyes to all the nations He has brought to Louisville. I became aware of the neighbors in my own city who have so many needs as they adjust to a new country. God broke down the walls in my own heart toward those I would have considered off limits to the Gospel. These people soon became my friends as He led me to serve them.

Unlikely Heroes

I love how Jesus goes on to tell His parable to the self-righteous lawyer in Luke 10. Jesus actually makes the Samaritan the hero of the story! Samaritans were enemies of the Jews, so this would have been extremely offensive to everyone listening.

I can’t help but relate to this parable. Before I got to know them, I’d written off local Muslim refugees as helpless and hopeless. But God has used some of these people as heroes in my life. I’ve learned more about hospitality from my new Muslim friends than anyone else. They have taught me about the value of living in community as they share their lives, their stories, and their homes with me. These friends have shown me what it looks like to be truly present with one another, not just rushing on to the next thing in our restless American lifestyle.

Just as God has blessed me through these Muslim friends, He has opened a door to make me a blessing to them, sharing the truth and love of His Son. In all this, God constantly reminds me of His grace: He entered a broken world to bring freedom and salvation despite the brokenness He was stepping into. The Gospel spurs me on to step into places and go to people who fall outside of my normal comfort zone. I want to see God move in those places; I want to walk in the power of His Spirit as He speaks through me and my actions in the lives of my new neighbors.

And this isn’t just God’s call for me. You too can play a part in reaching out to refugees in our region.

Meet Your Neighbors

As a church, we partner with a local ministry called Refuge Louisville. Let me encourage you to check out their website at refugelouisville.com. Refuge exists to mobilize local churches to embrace refugees with the love of Christ, and the ministry offers many opportunities to engage with refugees throughout our region.

Dive in. I promise you won’t regret it.