A few weeks ago, a friend on Facebook who posts a lot of SJW statuses and memes posted one that hit close home for me. The photo had what appeared to be children in Africa on the top, and what was supposed to be a homeless person in America on the bottom. The meme called out Christians, asking the age-old question, “Why do you have to go to the other side of the earth to help people when there are people who need help right here in America?”
It’s not a new question. In fact, I even hear it asked by fellow Christians all the time. I tend to answer this question differently when discussing it between Christians and non-Christians. In the case of UnFinished International, the answer is somewhat easy to provide as we help both. We support kids in Kenya that need help, and we have programs for kids and parents right here in our backyard.
It’s often a moot point to enter into a discussion with many people on the topic, however. Most people who have asked me about it did not support anyone anywhere and were only trying to incite an argument or offend me in bringing this up. However, as Christians, we do need to understand the basic principles of working and supporting in international missions. Particularly in today’s environment as the world becomes more and more nationalistic. Why should we as Christians support organizations and church projects and programs that send money to help those outside our own country?
Most Christian organizations will point to Acts 1:8 when defending their mission work. He said to them, “but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.” The, He, being Jesus, we really don’t need any other reason as Christians to be “witness” to the end of the earth. However, the Bible actually addresses the subject long before Jesus gave this mandate. In fact, Jesus Himself discusses two instances of this occurring.
In Luke 4, Jesus stands before a synagogue and reads from the book of the prophet Isaiah. Once He finishes, he says to the congregation, “I say to you in truth, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the sky was shut up for three years and six months, when a great famine came over all the land; and yet Elijah was sent to none of them, but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.”
Clearly, this passage tells us that there were many widows within the borders of Israel. However, God did not send the great prophet Elijah to any of them. God sent Elijah to minister to a widow outside of Israel. Likewise, we are told there were many lepers within the borders of Israel during the prophetic times of Elisha. But God sent Elisha to cleans not an Israelite, but a Syrian. During the times of two different prophets, there were people within each prophet’s country that needed both provision and healing. However, God did not send neither Elijah nor Elisha to any of them. God sent both prophets to do his work internationally.
Why does God send us to care for people in other countries when there are people who need help right here in our own country? There are many answers to this question. However, for this post, I will only point out one. God’s love is unconditional. God’s love, mercy, and grace are not based on where you are born. God has no obligation to provide for only those who live in America, or Israel, or any other place for that matter. God’s love, mercy, and grace are available to all, especially children with special needs or disabilities in the darkest of places.
Now, that is not to say those in our own country are not able to receive provision and healing from God. What it does say, however, is they are not the only ones who should receive it. When God called Elijah and Elisha to go outside the boundaries of Israel to do His work, they did not argue with Him. God called them, and they answered. They understood it does not matter who you are, or where you live. They understood that God so loved…. the world.
We as Christians are called to help the least of these. We are called to pick up our crosses and follow Jesus. Many times, that will lead us to places we had not anticipated. We are called to be a light in the darkest of places. While there are indeed plenty of dark places here in the United States, God is not a God exclusively of America. For instance, in 1 Corinthians 12 Paul teaches that the local and international body of Christians is made up of many members. So, what we must understand is that we are missing out on the blessing and fruit of God’s work when we are not pouring into international missions. As Shannon L. Alder put it, “One of the most important things you can do on this earth is to let people know they are not alone.”
Brian in Real Life 