Being A Cross Cultural Missionary – At Home

“…you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” - Acts 1:8

These were the last recorded words of Jesus before he ascended into heaven and they have been the marching orders of Christians from that time forward. We carry out that mission in many ways. The term missionary has been most closely associated with cross-cultural missions and began with men like Philip and Paul in the New Testament. Over the centuries since Biblical times, missions and the methods of missions have been constantly redefined. William Carey, the first modern missionary opened up new doors about how we do missions. In many ways it would be difficult to compare what Carey did with what our American Baptist missionaries do today. Yet in every case, dedicated men and women have always labored to carry out the mission of Jesus as he challenged Christians in Acts 1:8. They have adjusted to the needs and times in which they worked

Today because our world continues to change, there is a whole new field of cross-cultural missions. We need to continue to support our missionaries who “go over there” because there are more than a billion people who still have not heard the name of Jesus. However, the world is now coming to us. The US population is growing faster due to immigration (legal immigration I must hasten to add) than births. The mission field among these people is a fertile one and again, as Jesus said, “the harvesters are few” but that shouldn’t be the case.

There are three distinct groups to whom we can minister cross-culturally right in our own communities.

First, we know that there are more than 2000 Karen refugees in the Denver area alone. These are people from the first tribe that began to convert as a result of our early missionaries to Burma. As refugees they are in dire need of our support and help as they learn to live in a strange new land. As these refugees learn to live in our culture, many are moving to other communities in our Region and beyond where they can find jobs. We can be the cross-cultural missionaries who help them become established and build new lives in America.

Second, many communities across our Region have colleges that serve foreign students. Many are not Christian, nor have they heard of Jesus in their countries. Inviting them into our homes is a great opportunity to build relationships that open the door to sharing the Gospel. Often these are students who will become leaders in their own countries.

Finally, many who immigrate here by choice or as refugees have never heard the Gospel because it was not allowed in their native countries. Reaching out to these new Americans follows the mandate of Christ and frees them from the bondage of the beliefs they brought with them.

What are the opportunities in your community? How will you answer the mandate from Jesus?

 

 

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