"So show your love for the alien, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt."--Deuteronomy 10:19. Moses, showing that since God showed love toward the alien or foreigner so ought His people to show love toward the alien.
So here is the scenario. Sunday morning church services. Someone walks in that you have never seen before. This person is sitting in the back pew. You notice this person because he is different. This person might have a piercing or two or three and two or three tattoos. Furthermore, this person has long hair, a goatee and might not exactly be wearing his "Sunday best." You had seen this person before and even heard a little bit about this person's lifestyle and it's not very good. You never thought this person would show up to church services but now here he is. What do you do?
Everybody is welcome. Given the description the simple fact is there will be those that shy away from this person. As we read this passage here in Deuteronomy 10:19, we see that God was not opposed to foreigners altogether. Yes He was opposed to their sin but when we read through the New Testament, we see how there are some foreigners that became great people of God such as Rahab in the book of Joshua and Ruth in the Old Testament book that bears her name. Might I add that both of these are in the genealogy of Jesus. Yes these foreigners were expected to submit to God but God did not exclude them from the opportunity to follow Him.
Everybody is welcome. In Deuteronomy 10:19, the command to show love for the alien is reinforced by the fact that Israel was a foreigner or alien in the land of Egypt as well and it is in Egypt that God demonstrated His love for them. As we read through the Bible, when Egypt is mentioned it is used a symbol of captivity and by the time we get into the New Testament, Egypt comes to symbolize our previous bondage to sin and how God rescued us from "Egypt" through the redemptive blood of Jesus Christ and through obedience to the gospel message which is for both Jew and Gentile (Romans 1:16).
Everybody is welcome. So going back to the scenario. As I mentioned many will shy away form talking to the person I described. I know this because I have seen it happen and on occasion, I hate to admit that in the past I have been guilty of it myself. However, any good gospel preacher and/or any Christian serious about reaching lost souls will tell you that it is those "aliens" that come into our church building and fill our pews that we need to reach most of all. Why? Because the very fact that they have showed up to church services indicates that they are searching for something. Whether that person realizes it or not, what that person is truly searching for is Jesus Christ. And if we as Christians do not give and confess Jesus to this person, then they no longer have any hope.
Everybody is welcome. So my encouragement to you is this. Next time you see someone that might look a little different and/or someone you don't know or have never seen at church services before, don't shy away. The fact is we were all "aliens" and what we need to realize is that someone loved us enough to share Jesus Christ with us. And most importantly God loved us enough to give His only Son to die on the cross for our sins so that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16). So while talking to an "alien" does require a certain amount of wisdom, never pass up the opportunity to share Christ with that person who may have never even set foot in a church building before showing up at ours. So finally, my encouragement to you is at your next church gathering, be it Sunday morning or midweek Bible study, look for that person you may not know or have never seen before and take the time to form a friendship with that person. Furthermore, see what you can do to point that person toward the cross of Jesus Christ. Why? Because EVERYBODY IS WELCOME.
DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! PRAY ABOUT IT! LOVE Y'ALL! GOD BLESS!
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