Quotes & Sayings


We, and creation itself, actualize the possibilities of the God who sustains the world, towards becoming in the world in a fuller, more deeper way. - R.E. Slater

There is urgency in coming to see the world as a web of interrelated processes of which we are integral parts, so that all of our choices and actions have [consequential effects upon] the world around us. - Process Metaphysician Alfred North Whitehead

Kurt Gödel's Incompleteness Theorem says (i) all closed systems are unprovable within themselves and, that (ii) all open systems are rightly understood as incomplete. - R.E. Slater

The most true thing about you is what God has said to you in Christ, "You are My Beloved." - Tripp Fuller

The God among us is the God who refuses to be God without us, so great is God's Love. - Tripp Fuller

According to some Christian outlooks we were made for another world. Perhaps, rather, we were made for this world to recreate, reclaim, redeem, and renew unto God's future aspiration by the power of His Spirit. - R.E. Slater

Our eschatological ethos is to love. To stand with those who are oppressed. To stand against those who are oppressing. It is that simple. Love is our only calling and Christian Hope. - R.E. Slater

Secularization theory has been massively falsified. We don't live in an age of secularity. We live in an age of explosive, pervasive religiosity... an age of religious pluralism. - Peter L. Berger

Exploring the edge of life and faith in a post-everything world. - Todd Littleton

I don't need another reason to believe, your love is all around for me to see. – Anon

Thou art our need; and in giving us more of thyself thou givest us all. - Khalil Gibran, Prayer XXIII

Be careful what you pretend to be. You become what you pretend to be. - Kurt Vonnegut

Religious beliefs, far from being primary, are often shaped and adjusted by our social goals. - Jim Forest

We become who we are by what we believe and can justify. - R.E. Slater

People, even more than things, need to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed; never throw out anyone. – Anon

Certainly, God's love has made fools of us all. - R.E. Slater

An apocalyptic Christian faith doesn't wait for Jesus to come, but for Jesus to become in our midst. - R.E. Slater

Christian belief in God begins with the cross and resurrection of Jesus, not with rational apologetics. - Eberhard Jüngel, Jürgen Moltmann

Our knowledge of God is through the 'I-Thou' encounter, not in finding God at the end of a syllogism or argument. There is a grave danger in any Christian treatment of God as an object. The God of Jesus Christ and Scripture is irreducibly subject and never made as an object, a force, a power, or a principle that can be manipulated. - Emil Brunner

“Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh” means "I will be that who I have yet to become." - God (Ex 3.14) or, conversely, “I AM who I AM Becoming.”

Our job is to love others without stopping to inquire whether or not they are worthy. - Thomas Merton

The church is God's world-changing social experiment of bringing unlikes and differents to the Eucharist/Communion table to share life with one another as a new kind of family. When this happens, we show to the world what love, justice, peace, reconciliation, and life together is designed by God to be. The church is God's show-and-tell for the world to see how God wants us to live as a blended, global, polypluralistic family united with one will, by one Lord, and baptized by one Spirit. – Anon

The cross that is planted at the heart of the history of the world cannot be uprooted. - Jacques Ellul

The Unity in whose loving presence the universe unfolds is inside each person as a call to welcome the stranger, protect animals and the earth, respect the dignity of each person, think new thoughts, and help bring about ecological civilizations. - John Cobb & Farhan A. Shah

If you board the wrong train it is of no use running along the corridors of the train in the other direction. - Dietrich Bonhoeffer

God's justice is restorative rather than punitive; His discipline is merciful rather than punishing; His power is made perfect in weakness; and His grace is sufficient for all. – Anon

Our little [biblical] systems have their day; they have their day and cease to be. They are but broken lights of Thee, and Thou, O God art more than they. - Alfred Lord Tennyson

We can’t control God; God is uncontrollable. God can’t control us; God’s love is uncontrolling! - Thomas Jay Oord

Life in perspective but always in process... as we are relational beings in process to one another, so life events are in process in relation to each event... as God is to Self, is to world, is to us... like Father, like sons and daughters, like events... life in process yet always in perspective. - R.E. Slater

To promote societal transition to sustainable ways of living and a global society founded on a shared ethical framework which includes respect and care for the community of life, ecological integrity, universal human rights, respect for diversity, economic justice, democracy, and a culture of peace. - The Earth Charter Mission Statement

Christian humanism is the belief that human freedom, individual conscience, and unencumbered rational inquiry are compatible with the practice of Christianity or even intrinsic in its doctrine. It represents a philosophical union of Christian faith and classical humanist principles. - Scott Postma

It is never wise to have a self-appointed religious institution determine a nation's moral code. The opportunities for moral compromise and failure are high; the moral codes and creeds assuredly racist, discriminatory, or subjectively and religiously defined; and the pronouncement of inhumanitarian political objectives quite predictable. - R.E. Slater

God's love must both center and define the Christian faith and all religious or human faiths seeking human and ecological balance in worlds of subtraction, harm, tragedy, and evil. - R.E. Slater

In Whitehead’s process ontology, we can think of the experiential ground of reality as an eternal pulse whereby what is objectively public in one moment becomes subjectively prehended in the next, and whereby the subject that emerges from its feelings then perishes into public expression as an object (or “superject”) aiming for novelty. There is a rhythm of Being between object and subject, not an ontological division. This rhythm powers the creative growth of the universe from one occasion of experience to the next. This is the Whiteheadian mantra: “The many become one and are increased by one.” - Matthew Segall

Without Love there is no Truth. And True Truth is always Loving. There is no dichotomy between these terms but only seamless integration. This is the premier centering focus of a Processual Theology of Love. - R.E. Slater

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Note: Generally I do not respond to commentary. I may read the comments but wish to reserve my time to write (or write off the comments I read). Instead, I'd like to see our community help one another and in the helping encourage and exhort each of us towards Christian love in Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior. - re slater

Showing posts with label Charities - Giving to Refugees. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Charities - Giving to Refugees. Show all posts

Sunday, January 7, 2024

Bible Verses About Immigration



Bible Verses About Immigration

Compiled by The BibleStudyTools Staff


What does the Bible say about immigration? Although the Bible does not give a complete set of guidelines for immigration, it does give us some specific commandments that can lead to an understanding of God’s view on immigration. There are examples of commandments that shed light on having the same law for an immigrate and the native-born. “At the end of seven years, you shall have a release of debts … Of a foreigner you may require it; but you shall give up your claim to what is owed by your brother” (Deuteronomy 15:1-3). Learn more from our list of Bible verses about immigration below.

For a more in-depth study on immigration, visit these informative articles:

5 Then you shall declare before the LORD your God: “My father was a wandering Aramean, and he went down into Egypt with a few people and lived there and became a great nation, powerful and numerous.

19 “Cursed is anyone who withholds justice from the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow.” Then all the people shall say, “Amen!”

49 The same law applies both to the native-born and to the foreigner residing among you.”

21 “Do not mistreat or oppress a foreigner, for you were foreigners in Egypt.

9 “Do not oppress a foreigner; you yourselves know how it feels to be foreigners, because you were foreigners in Egypt.

7 In you they have treated father and mother with contempt; in you they have oppressed the foreigner and mistreated the fatherless and the widow.

28 There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

18 He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing.

19 And you are to love those who are foreigners, for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt.

14 Do not take advantage of a hired worker who is poor and needy, whether that worker is a fellow Israelite or a foreigner residing in one of your towns.

1 The LORD had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.


10 Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to live there for a while because the famine was severe.

2 Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.

27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

22 “ ‘When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and for the foreigner residing among you. I am the LORD your God.’ ”

22 You are to have the same law for the foreigner and the native-born. I am the LORD your God.’ ”

35 “ ‘If any of your fellow Israelites become poor and are unable to support themselves among you, help them as you would a foreigner and stranger, so they can continue to live among you.


5 “So I will come to put you on trial. I will be quick to testify against sorcerers, adulterers and perjurers, against those who defraud laborers of their wages, who oppress the widows and the fatherless, and deprive the foreigners among you of justice, but do not fear me,” says the LORD Almighty.

35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,

20 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,

9 The LORD watches over the foreigner and sustains the fatherless and the widow, but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.

33 “ ‘When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them.
34 The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the LORD your God.

9 “This is what the LORD Almighty said: ‘Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another.
10 Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor. Do not plot evil against each other.’

18 He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing.
19 And you are to love those who are foreigners, for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt.

5 If you really change your ways and your actions and deal with each other justly,
6 if you do not oppress the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow and do not shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not follow other gods to your own harm,
7 then I will let you live in this place, in the land I gave your ancestors for ever and ever.


19 When you are harvesting in your field and you overlook a sheaf, do not go back to get it. Leave it for the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow, so that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands.
20 When you beat the olives from your trees, do not go over the branches a second time. Leave what remains for the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow.
21 When you harvest the grapes in your vineyard, do not go over the vines again. Leave what remains for the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow.
22 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt. That is why I command you to do this.

1 Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.
2 Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.
3 For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended.
4 For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.
5 Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience.
6 This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing.
7 Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.

1 Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.
2 Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.
3 For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended.
4 For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.
5 Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience.
6 This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing.
7 Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.
8 Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law.
9 The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,” and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
10 Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
11 And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.
12 The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.
13 Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy.
14 Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.

31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne.
32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.
35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,
36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?
38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?
39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink,
43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

1 Now the whole world had one language and a common speech.
2 As people moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there.
3 They said to each other, “Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar.
4 Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.”
5 But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower the people were building.
6 The LORD said, “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them.
7 Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.”
8 So the LORD scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city.
9 That is why it was called Babel —because there the LORD confused the language of the whole world. From there the LORD scattered them over the face of the whole earth.
10 This is the account of Shem’s family line. Two years after the flood, when Shem was 100 years old, he became the father of Arphaxad.
11 And after he became the father of Arphaxad, Shem lived 500 years and had other sons and daughters.
12 When Arphaxad had lived 35 years, he became the father of Shelah.
13 And after he became the father of Shelah, Arphaxad lived 403 years and had other sons and daughters.
14 When Shelah had lived 30 years, he became the father of Eber.
15 And after he became the father of Eber, Shelah lived 403 years and had other sons and daughters.
16 When Eber had lived 34 years, he became the father of Peleg.
17 And after he became the father of Peleg, Eber lived 430 years and had other sons and daughters.
18 When Peleg had lived 30 years, he became the father of Reu.
19 And after he became the father of Reu, Peleg lived 209 years and had other sons and daughters.
20 When Reu had lived 32 years, he became the father of Serug.
21 And after he became the father of Serug, Reu lived 207 years and had other sons and daughters.
22 When Serug had lived 30 years, he became the father of Nahor.
23 And after he became the father of Nahor, Serug lived 200 years and had other sons and daughters.
24 When Nahor had lived 29 years, he became the father of Terah.
25 And after he became the father of Terah, Nahor lived 119 years and had other sons and daughters.
26 After Terah had lived 70 years, he became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran.
27 This is the account of Terah’s family line. Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran. And Haran became the father of Lot.
28 While his father Terah was still alive, Haran died in Ur of the Chaldeans, in the land of his birth.
29 Abram and Nahor both married. The name of Abram’s wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor’s wife was Milkah; she was the daughter of Haran, the father of both Milkah and Iskah.
30 Now Sarai was childless because she was not able to conceive.
31 Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, the wife of his son Abram, and together they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan. But when they came to Harran, they settled there.
32 Terah lived 205 years, and he died in Harran.



What does the Bible say about refugees and displaced people?


Artiom (pictured at age 2) and his sister, Yeva (pictured at age 5), play at World Vision’s child-safe play area while their mother, Diana, shops for supplies in Romania’s Romexpo, a center that was converted at the onset of the crisis to offer housing and access to essential resources such as hygiene materials, clothing, and food. Diana drove her children from Ukraine through Moldova to Romania, leaving her husband, parents, and in-laws behind. (©2022 World Vision/photo by Laura Reinhardt)

What does the Bible say about refugees
and displaced people?

by Denise C. Koenig
June 8, 2023


You won’t find the term “refugee” in the Bible. But the Word of God has plenty to say about people called “strangers” and “sojourners” or “foreigners” in our translations.

“Strangers” and “foreigners” refer to anybody who lived among the Jews but was from another ethnic group — no matter what category they might represent in today’s terms.

For instance, the book of Ruth is about a widow from the tribe of Moab who chooses to accompany her mother-in-law, Naomi, back to Israel and live there with her. In Ruth 2:10, we see her ask Boaz, in whose field she is gleaning, “Why have I found such favor in your eyes that you notice me — a foreigner?” She understands her status as being outside the tribe of Israel.

“Sojourners” are people who are temporarily living in Israel or traveling through the country.


Today’s strangers, foreigners, and sojourners

We use many different terms today for what the Bible calls strangers, foreigners, and sojourners. Here are a few:Refugees — individuals who have fled their home country due to a well-founded fear of persecution, war, violence, or serious harm to their life, physical well-being, or freedom. When someone meets the criteria of a refugee, they are entitled under international law to protection and assistance. In many cases, the circumstances that force families to flee their homes are ongoing crises that make it unsafe for them to return for many years — or leave them without a home to return to — resulting in prolonged displacement.

Asylum seekers — anyone who seeks international protection due to persecution or harm in their home country. Every refugee was initially an asylum-seeker, so when this term is used, it is often meant to indicate someone who is seeking but has not yet been officially granted refugee status by a host country. When an individual applies for asylum, the host country’s government evaluates the claim and determines if the individual meets the criteria for refugee status under international law. If so, they are then formally recognized as a refugee and granted the according protections. If denied, they may be required to leave the country they sought refuge in.

Internally displaced people (IDPs) — individuals who have been forced to flee their home but have not crossed an international border to seek protection. IDPs are like refugees in that they have been uprooted from their homes due to natural disasters, conflict, persecution, or other threats of harm. However, IDPs remain within their country of origin, often living in temporary shelters, in camps, or with host families. IDPs typically return home if it becomes safe and feasible to do so.

Migrants — those who have chosen to leave their home country, mainly to overcome poverty. Migrants are making a permanent move to reunite with family or improve their conditions by pursuing work or education opportunities and would not return to their home country unless conditions improved significantly.

Immigrants — people who choose to move to another country for any number of reasons, such as marriage or other family ties, employment, or business opportunities. The term “immigrants” encompasses a broad range of people, while “migrants” specifically refers to people who move to escape poverty.

Stateless people — those who are not citizens under the laws of any country. A person can experience statelessness when a country ceases to exist or when a country adopts discriminatory laws that do not recognize certain ethnic groups within its borders.

There are principles in God’s Word about how His people are to treat strangers, foreigners, and sojourners.


Temporary shelters lining a park walkway in Turkey (Türkiye) accommodate people who were displaced by the earthquake near the Turkey-Syria border on February 6, 2023. World Vision staff in the area are working to reach those affected with water, sanitation, and hygiene support, educational and livelihoods programs, health and nutrition assistance, shelter and survival items, cash vouchers, and child protection services. (©2023 World Vision)

Jesus said we should show disciple-like behavior in how we treat “strangers.”

"… I was a stranger and you invited me in." - Matthew 25:35 (NIV)


Middle Eastern cultures have always been famous for their hospitality. For example, Abraham invited the angelic visitors into his tent and provided a lavish meal for them (Genesis 18:1­–8). Even so, strangers among the different tribal groups were looked at with suspicion, often conned or taken advantage of, and generally mistreated, especially if they were poor. Against this cultural backdrop, God’s directives in the Old Testament are counter-cultural.

Jesus builds upon the Old Testament precedent and takes it a step further by emphasizing that how we treat strangers indicates whether we are His followers. As His disciples, we are to invite the stranger in.


Foreigners or refugees are not to be oppressed.

"Do not oppress a foreigner; you yourselves know how it feels to be
foreigners, because you were foreigners in Egypt." -  Exodus 23:9 (NIV)


The principle here is clear: Honor the dignity and humanity of foreigners. Notice that the Scripture gives Israel a reason why: because they knew how it felt to be foreigners. Israelites were to call on their empathy for refugees because they had been treated cruelly as refugees when they were made into slaves in Egypt. They were instructed not to cheat foreigners or take advantage of them in any way.


Treat foreigners or refugees as citizens — and with love.
"The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the Lord your God." - Leviticus 19:34 (NIV)

Most Christians know Jesus’ instruction to “love your neighbor as yourself” but may not be aware that Mosaic Law has the same instruction for how to treat foreigners. The command to treat them as “native-born” would have been shocking to people in Moses’ day.

Historically and currently, displaced people may live away from their homes for a short period or even many years. In today’s world, over 100 million people have been forcibly displaced from their homes, according to the U.N. Refugee Agency.

This instruction in Leviticus is as relevant now as ever before.

God has set a high standard for treating those who are foreigners. His people are to love them like we love ourselves and to treat them as citizens. And the reason given? Because God — the “I Am” — commands it.


Make foreigners part of the community.

Miscellaneous instructions in the Law of Moses — the first five books of the Bible — made sure foreigners were included in the Jewish community. They included provisions for them to be treated equally under the law and to be included in festivals and celebrations of the community.

  • Cities of refuge were available to Israelites and foreigners in cases of accidental killing (Numbers 35:15).
  • Foreigners were to be included in festivals and celebrations mandated in the Law (Deuteronomy 16:14; 26:11).
  • Some of the tithes collected by the priests were to be used to not only feed them and their families, but also to help provide food for foreigners, widows, and orphans (Deuteronomy 14:28­­–29).
  • Farmers were instructed to leave the gleanings of their fields for the poor and the foreigner (Leviticus 23:22).
  • The command to care for the stranger was so embedded in the Law that it was used as the basis for how God’s people were to treat each other: Israelites were to treat their own poor as they would the stranger or the foreigner (Leviticus 25:35).

Notice how these verses address the importance of meeting the needs of displaced people, particularly with regard to food. What needs would someone have coming to the U.S. with a prearranged job as a research scientist in a pharmaceutical lab? How about someone from Ukraine who lost their business and home and sought refuge in Poland? The inequalities are striking. God’s people are called to help meet needs for those struggling with access to food and a means of income, sparing them the devastating effects of extreme poverty and hunger.

Rose and her children, refugees from South Sudan, enjoy their first real meal in weeks at the Goboro transit center in Uganda. This hot meal was provided by World Vision for Rose’s family and hundreds of others on their way to more permanent shelter. (©2018 World Vision/photo by Moses Mukitale)

Show hospitality to strangers.
"Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters. Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it." - Hebrews 13:1-2 (NIV)

In this passage and a few others (Romans 12:13; 1 Peter 4:9; 3 John 1:5–8), the habit of showing hospitality is highlighted as a characteristic of those who follow Jesus. The church is to support one another, including strangers who come to worship. This became especially important once the Jews were forced from Jerusalem and Palestine in 70 A.D. by the Romans. Then and now, the church should be a welcoming community to all.


All believers are strangers on earth.

"… live out your time as foreigners here with reverent fear." - 1 Peter 1:17 (NIV)


This is a principle for God’s people of all times. Moses instructed the Israelites not to sell any of the land permanently, because the land belonged to God and they were only foreigners living there (Leviticus 25:23).

Think of how graciously God treats us, the foreigners living in His world. His kindness to us can guide our thoughts and actions toward those living as strangers among us.

All believers in Jesus Christ belong
to the kingdom of God.
"Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household." -Ephesians 2:19 (NIV)

This verse follows the great passage in Ephesians that lays out how we have been saved by grace through faith in Jesus (2:8–10). The terms “foreigners” and “strangers” are used here as metaphors for our condition before our faith in Jesus Christ. Before we believed, we were outside the covenant and considered foreigners or strangers in God’s kingdom (2:11–13). But because of our faith in Him, we are now part of God’s community — strangers who have been welcomed in.

Most people can relate to feeling like an outsider at some point in their lives — whether it be due to their race, ethnicity, economic status, religion, nationality, gender, or other factors. For believers, this feeling can be an opportunity for solidarity with the displaced and marginalized — especially when we recognize that we too were once strangers to God’s kingdom but were welcomed in through the grace and mercy of Christ. In this way, the biblical commandment to welcome strangers becomes a powerful expression of our shared humanity and a reflection of the divine love that transcends all boundaries.


Wednesday, November 18, 2015

Syrian Refugees In Crisis - Why, How to Give, What to Do


The European Refugee Crisis and Syria Explained





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Syrian Refugee Project - Do More - https://www.frontiersusa.org/churchproject


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Refugees in Crisis

The Scary Thing About Immigrants
http://alwaysloved.net/2015/09/11/the-scary-thing-about-immigrants/

by Andre Rabe
September 11, 2015

Why are we secretly afraid of people who are different – whether it’s their culture, race or language? Yes, differences might make us uncomfortable, unsure how to speak or act in their company … but I think what scares us most is not their difference, but the possibility that they might be more like us than what we are willing to admit.

When we are insecure in ourselves, the differences between us and others becomes essential in giving us a sense of identity. It is the differences that makes us unique. And so while we openly draw attention to the differences and consequently the superiority of our own culture and way of life, while we attempt to stir fear by emphasizing the unknown … what we actually fear more is that others might be too much like us. For if my identity is based on my superior difference, then the discovery of likeness will make me, well, … ordinary, even unnecessary.

Only when we find a way out of our own insecurities, our sense of lack and deficiency, will we no longer perceive likeness as rivalry. When we find peace within ourselves, the likeness of others becomes an opportunity for friendship, and their differences an intriguing opportunity to discover even more about ourselves. We find our most authentic selves not in desperately protecting the boundaries of our self-made identities … but in giving ourselves for the benefit of others. Mother Teresa once diagnosed the world’s ills in this way: we’ve just “forgotten that we belong to each other.”

For me this was one of the reasons why the image of the drowned little migrant boy was so powerfully disturbing. The innocence of this child reminded us that we are not just dealing with scary ’different’ people … but with people who might be very much like us. What beautiful courage has been shown by Germany and a few others, to rise above their own fears and insecurities and welcome others as their own.






Comments

Lee Schwartzrock on September 13th, 2015 - 9:19pm

I find it sad to see how immigrants are denied friendship, and fellowship in the first world countries today. We see them as a source of our economic troubles. We fail to see the real causes of our poverty. We forget that we, or our recent forefathers, were similar immigrants.

The cause of economic weakness, is due to the failure to give a fair wage to anyone, for a fair day’s work. If you have ample room to house more citizens, welcome immigrants, and pay them well. They will strengthen your economy. Seeing them as a source of inexpensive labor, and paying them less than what we would be willing to do the same work for, is asking for economic weakness. People with income, spend that income, and empower the demand for goods and services. The newcomer isn’t the culprit; he is the victim along with all the existing citizens who are displaced when employers seek to gain at the expense of the newcomer.

Anyone who gives less in a transaction, than he is receiving, is cutting his own throat. True, he won’t feel the effects for some time, but they will eventually catch up with him. Capitalism can work, but only when the players learn this important rule: If anyone is cheated, all will eventually suffer.

The current trend of seeking the cheapest labor market, in which to manufacture goods, is foolish beyond words. We seek low prices, but look for a high price for our goods. Low priced goods are the surest way to import our own poverty. The high market is sought as the place to sell the underpriced goods, but this soon destroys the high wage jobs in that marketplace, which created the high market in the first place. You cannot steal from your brother without impoverishing yourself.

The first-world’s lust for cheap products, and our use of China to get them, lead to a one-way flow of money out of the first-world nations, which could only be supported by borrowing. As the manufacturing jobs were outsourced, they were replaced by construction jobs, as lenders sought to cash in on the ballooning prices in real estate. When you loan money to individuals who do not have good jobs, chances are you are not going to be repaid. It wasn’t long before the housing bubble burst, and the huge debt hanging on the deflating real estate market began to show itself for what it was, a source of wealth that never existed.

The reality that wealth is simply the production of raw materials times price, is something that few understand. Today we believe a myth that wealth is created by central banks. Well, the central banks have worked their magic, creating wealth out of thin air, and have bought up most of the bad debt. So now we find ourselves atop an unsustainable house of cards that must constantly be propped up every time a new crack shows. When will we learn that you cannot funnel most of the world’s wealth into the coffers of the few, and expect things to motor along smoothly?

Yes things are going to go south, and it’s all to be blamed on the immigrants. Nope, I place the blame squarely on laissez faire economics. Greed does motivate, but it cannot stop until everything built is also torn down.


Tuesday, September 8, 2015

Welcoming Refugees into Your Country













Why Now is The Church's Moment &
It Will Take All of Us Not to Miss It
#WeWelcomeRefugees


5 Ways To Stand Up & Be The Church in
The World’s Worst Refugee Crisis Since World War II
http://www.aholyexperience.com/2015/09/5-ways-to-stand-up-be-the-church-in-the-worlds-worst-refugee-crisis-since-world-war-ii/

September 5, 2015


1. Be Moved


AFP/Getty Images

  • THE WORLD IS IN THE WORST REFUGEE CRISIS SINCE WORLD WAR II.
  • AND SYRIA’S CIVIL WAR AND THE RISING OF ISIS IS THE WORST HUMANITARIAN DISASTER OF OUR TIME.
  • THE NUMBER OF INNOCENT CIVILIANS SUFFERING: MORE THAN 11 MILLION PEOPLE ARE DISPLACED.
  • HALF OF THOSE 11 MILLION REFUGEES ARE UNDER THE AGE OF 18. THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS OTHER PEOPLE’S CHILDREN. THEY ARE ALL OF OUR CHILDREN.

They are risking everything, — because these families consider themselves dead already..

Right now Syrians consider themselves dead.

Maybe not physically, but psychologically and socially [a Syrian] is a destroyed human being, he’s reached the point of death.” –> Experience the risk of desperate journey for yourself

–> Tweet a photo of yourself holding a sign saying “Refugees Welcome” and tag your government and or your government representative #refugeecrisis; #refugeeswelcomehere



2. Each One … Do Just One Thing:

Daniel Etter/The New York Times

Mauricio Lima/The New York Times

CHOOSE ONE OF THESE ORGANIZATIONS:
DO FOR ONE WHAT YOU WANT TO DO FOR ALL


–> World Relief (donate to provide backpacks for resettled children here)



–> Doctors Without Borders: Has three rescue ships in the Mediterranean, on Tuesday alone they rescued 1,658 people

–> UNICEF

–> Hand in Hand for Syria: Working within Syrian borders to provide aid. Donations are made via British currency but these are easily converted from US donations during the transaction.

SUPPORT GRASSROOTS EFFORTS


Watch how One Family Is Saving the Lives of Thousands of Migrants — Help them?

(More of their unforgettable story here: American Family Use Assets To Save Refugees Headed For Europe)


–> Lending a Hand in Hungary for refugees (volunteers bring food, clothing, and emotional support to refugees)

–>Refugees Welcome (for UK and Europe)

3. PURCHASE SPECIFIC NEEDED ITEMS

Bernadett Szabo/Reuters

Alkis Konstantinidis/Reuters

If you’d like to help Syrian refugees stranded on the Greek Island of Lesvos,
see the list below, and mail to:

Hellenic Postal Office of Mythymna
℅ The Captain’s Table
Molyvos 81108, Lesvos, Greece

ITEMS TO SEND for SYRIAN REFUGEES on GREEK ISLAND OF LESVOS:

  • Sneakers, gym shoes for men, women and children (all sizes) are a HIGH PRIORITY
  • Sweatpants of all sizes.
  • Briefs/underwear for men, women and children (all sizes)
  • Men’s trousers (small, medium and large) and shoes
  • Baby powder milk
  • Any non-perishables like nut butters or other long-lasting foods.
  • Diapers
  • Feminine products
  • Sleeping bags
  • Plastic to cover the floor/for shade
  • Tents/tarpaulin
  • Mats (camping or yoga mats)
  • Hats and caps for sunshade (adults and children/light colours because of the sun)
  • Electric Plug for multiple devices (european voltage)

4. SIGN A PETITION CALLING FOR ACTION

Vassil Donev/EPA


Valdrin Xhemaj/EPA)


Petition Canadian government to welcome the refugees

Petition to the UK to welcome asylum seekers

Petition for Australia to create asylum seeker policies

5. SPONSOR A REFUGEE

picture alliance / dpa

Petros Giannakouris/Associated Press

Attila Kisbenedek/AFP/Getty Images





–> Americans, Use this US map to find an agency near you and offer to support a newly arrived refugee family. There are 9 Voluntary Agencies in the US that sponsor refugees to come the the United States and build their own local networks to resettle refugees — where is one close to you?


–> Americans, help RefugeeOne meet needs of refugees already settled who may have seasonal needs, etc.


Sunday, July 29, 2012

Mawadda International Aid




The Mawaada International Aid Worldwide


Mawadda international aid is an international humanitarian organization committed to end world suffering, we work in extremely difficult locations to improve the quality of life of people suffering due to armed conflicts, disasters and poverty zones through developing education, local skills and available technologies.We are focused on war zones, newly formed governmental situations in middle east and north Africa and internationally where needed.
Middle East and Africa: Due to the civil unrest and official repression related to the Arab Spring many Arab nations are subjected to crimes and disasters, Mawadda international aid’s main goal right now is to respond to the urgent and immediate needs in North Africa and the Middle East as well as the African region as a whole initially Libya and to supply medical and other essential aids to help the Libyan people survive from massacres and crimes committed against them.With violent unrest arising in Libya, thousands are leaving the country looking for security and stability. The Libyan- Tunisian borders and Libyan- Egyptian borders are flooded with people, desperate to get out of the country. Without sufficient food, water, housing and other necessary resources, the situation could be impossible for many civilians to survive.


Activities On Behalf Of People Affected By War

We are dedicated to respond swiftly and proficiently to humanitarian needs of individuals by providing vital support such as water, food shelter and medical aid whenever a disaster strikes due to armed conflicts, hostilities environments, natural catastrophes or any disastrous situation deemed to require immediate relief. We exert all our efforts to bring hope and solidarity to Oppressed communities, standing side by side to end poverty and injustice.Mawadda International Aid is known as an efficient charity for its capability to deploy speedily into many situations around the world. Our main goal is to support North African countries and follow the situation from our UK head quarters, Tripoli-Libya base and international offices.We are working to raise the standards of humanitarian aid and ensure that the funds raised are spent effectively to finance humanitarian relief and are headed to the right destinations in the aim of delivering effective and timely relief to people most in need and providing equal access to essentials such as clean water, education and healthcare.