Torch, Spring/Summer 2012

But Jesus saw the Samaritans and said to the disciples, “Open your eyes.” Remove your filters. Recalibrate your thinking. His request is a shockingly tall order, overturning generations of elders’ teaching and nationalistic pride. The disciples didn’t fully get it until Acts 11:18 when they said, “Well then, God has granted to the Gentiles also the repentance that leads to life.” The call of the Great Commission in Acts 1:8 was for believers to send out the Gospel message to Judea, Samaria, and the uttermost parts of the earth. What happens when the “ends of the earth” won’t wait there, and the people come here? The result is a growing population — call it “Samerica”— that the Church is not reaching. In 2000, the U.S. Census Bureau projected that by the year 2050, multiethnic people will be the majority in the United States. In 2006, they accelerated that prediction twice to 2046 and then 2042. A Clear Vision Like the disciples during the time of Christ, Christians today have filters when it comes to immigration. There are four theological lenses through which we should see the harvest: 1. Christology. Jesus is Lord. He is the Savior. When He says, “Open your eyes and see them,” we’d better obey. There’s little need to explore the topic further if we can’t grasp this fundamental truth. 2. Anthropology. So much of the rhetoric about immigration in the media is dehumanizing. Former presidential candidate Herman Cain declared at a campaign rally that we should “electrify the fence.” Whether immigrants are here legally or illegally, they are eternal souls made in the image of God. I am not saying that we need to let all immigrants come into this country. I am saying that their God-given humanity should be enough to give us pause to check the integrity of our speech. 3. Missiology. Matthew 28:19–20 says, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations.” This directive includes undocumented people. When we get detached from this mission, the Church loses its heart and soul. The mission to disciple is clear. This is what defines, focuses, and unifies us. 4. Ecclesiology. The Church is God’s representative on earth to equip people to accomplish His mission. Jesus loved the Church, yet its effectiveness over the ages is a direct result of its obedience to His call. The Church at its best is God’s Church triumphant — expectant, sacrificial, multiplying. In Matthew 28, Jesus says He is with us always. I don’t ever want to count the Church out. A Discerning Spirit Along with the four theological lenses, we must also ask the question: where does the government fit in? Human government, while it is God-ordained (Rom. 13), has the power to fulfill or obstruct the Great Commission. How should we respond? The German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer was not saved in Europe. He traveled to America in the 1930s and came to Christ in an African-American church. He heard firsthand accounts about racial inequality and the suffering his African- American brothers had endured. Bonhoeffer returned home thinking, “I’m glad we don’t 6 TORCH | Spring-Summer 2012 MICHAŁ KAMINSKI | ISTOCKPHOTO