Hello, friends, and welcome back to Nations 4 Jesus.
Today, I want to talk about something that generates a lot of heated debate in our country right now—something that can divide families, churches, and communities.
The illegal immigration issue in America garners much impassioned talk from both sides. Personally, I am in favor of immigration. Our daughter Grace is an immigrant from China. My father's family...two generations ago...came from Poland and Slovakia to America. More recently, beginning in 2021, I have had the privilege of helping many from Afghanistan who were coming here through legal channels.
At the same time, I am not in favor of illegal immigration. I am concerned about the influx of crime coming across our borders, the increase in taxpayers' money going to support undocumented immigrants, the strain on social services and schools. I am concerned about the targeting of ICE officers who are trying to enforce our immigration laws.
I’ve also lived in three different countries where my family and I had to follow all the laws concerning our entry into that country. Also, we had to go through a lot of paperwork, time and money to follow all the immigration laws so that our daughter Grace could become a legal citizen of the United States.
Yet, for some time now God has been speaking to my heart about this issue. I don’t think it’s as black and white as we would like it to be. How does God feel about the alien...illegal or legal? And how should that shape how the Christian Church responds?
Deuteronomy 10:18-19 says: "He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing. And you are to love those who are aliens, for you yourselves were aliens in Egypt”
There's another powerful passage in Leviticus 19:33-34 that says: "When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. 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."
Love them as yourself. That's not a minor command, friends. That's Jesus' second greatest commandment applied specifically to immigrants.
And listen to this from Exodus 23:9: "Do not oppress a foreigner; you yourselves know how it feels to be foreigners, because you were foreigners in Egypt."
Over and over again, God reminds His people: remember when you were strangers. Remember when you were foreigners. Remember when you were vulnerable and displaced. And treat the aliens among you with the same compassion you wish you had received.
Now, here's something I've been thinking about a lot. In America today, there is a huge influx of people coming across our borders who know very little about Jesus. Yes, many come from Catholic countries, but in many of those countries, the religion practiced is often mixed with folk beliefs, superstition, or other practices that have little to do with a genuine relationship with Christ. Very few of them, I would guess, have a deep, personal relationship with Jesus.
And what about all the Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists and those with no faith at all?
So beyond the politics of the situation—beyond the debates about walls and borders and legal status—what is the Church in America to do?
Well, if we follow God's Word to us, we are to "love those who are aliens." It's not optional. It's not dependent on their legal status. It's a command.
And friends, think about this from a missional perspective: What if God has allowed these people to come to America—however they got here—so that they will have an opportunity to hear the message of Jesus in a land where the Gospel is still freely preached? What if this isn't primarily a political crisis, but a spiritual opportunity?
Some churches get this. They're already living it out. Let me tell you about a few examples.
The church where my husband grew up in Fayetteville, North Carolina—Northwood Temple—has had a Spanish-speaking service for many years. They saw the growing Hispanic population in their community and said, "These are people God loves. These are people who need Jesus. How can we reach them?" And they did something about it.
And here's something that gives me so much hope about what God is doing right here in Charleston. Charleston's Gadsden's Wharf received as many as 260,000 slaves from 1670 to 1808—it was one of the major ports for enslaved people in our nation's tragic history. But today, with help from The Hub Ministry Center at Centerpoint Church, Charleston has become a modern day "Ellis Island" for refugees coming from Africa, the Middle East, and Central and South America.
What a beautiful picture of redemption—a place that once tore families apart through the evil of slavery is now welcoming the displaced and helping them rebuild their lives. The Hub provides refugees with transitional assistance and care in transportation, education, recreation, and vocational training, as well as relational care. Nearly 50 Congolese refugees who had been living in refugee camps for more than 20 years in Tanzania, South Africa, and Zimbabwe have found new life and new hope in Charleston through The Hub. And here's what's remarkable: Craig Tuck, the associational missions strategist for Charleston Baptist Association, said "Some of them are Muslim who are coming to our church every week because they find community and feel loved."
Friends, this is what happens when we obey God's command to love the stranger. Steve and Melinda McMillan, former missionaries to Congo who retired in Charleston five years ago, now lead a Bible study for these Congolese refugees. God prepared them and placed them exactly where they needed to be. This is the gospel in action—turning a place of historical pain into a harbor of hope and redemption.
World Relief, the humanitarian arm of the National Association of Evangelicals, has been partnering with local churches to welcome and serve refugees and immigrants for decades. In 2024, they launched a national movement called "Churches of Welcome"—a network of churches from all different backgrounds and denominations who are committing to engage in immigrant and refugee ministry.
Daniel Yang, the National Director of Churches of Welcome, put it this way: "While refugee and immigration issues are obviously a heated political issue at the moment, for the church, this is first and foremost a missional opportunity, a chance to faithfully obey God's commands to love our neighbors, to practice hospitality and to make disciples of all nations."
One church in Washington D.C., Grace Capital City, partnered with Churches of Welcome, and a ministry leader named Krista shared their story. She said, "Before we partnered with World Relief, our church had a heart for immigrants and refugees but didn't know where to start. We wanted to help, but we lacked the knowledge and structure to engage in a meaningful way."
Through the Churches of Welcome initiative, her church received training on Biblical hospitality, cross-cultural engagement, and practical ways to support newly arrived refugees. And you know what happened? Krista said, "What we didn't expect was how much this ministry would change us. As we walked alongside our new neighbors, our own faith deepened. We saw the gospel in action—not just in what we were doing, but in how God was transforming our hearts."
More churches need to do this, friends. There are so many ways churches can reach immigrants—language classes, legal assistance, job training, food pantries, ESL tutoring, friendship and hospitality. The opportunities are endless.
But what about each of us as individuals? What about you and me? How will we respond?
Let me tell you a story that's stuck with me. A local pastor at Crosstowne Christian Church here in Charleston, Pastor Paul, was driving down the road right around Christmas a few years ago. He saw a Hispanic man next to his broken-down car on the side of the road.
He was about to pass him by—and he was honest about this—wondering in his heart whether this guy might be a drug dealer or a violent criminal. All the fears were running through his mind.
But then his wife cried out, "Paul, there are children in the car!"
He immediately stopped. They helped the family, took them home to a very poor trailer park, and said goodbye. But Pastor Paul sensed that God wanted him to do more. He couldn't shake the feeling that this encounter wasn't random—it was a divine appointment.
So on Christmas, he and his wife Susan went back to that trailer park with gifts and food for the family. The children were so happy. And this family wasn't the only one blessed that day—Paul and Susan were blessed too. Their hearts were changed. Their perspective was shifted. They saw Jesus in the faces of strangers.
That's the heart of Christianity, friends. That's what it looks like to love the alien among us.
Jesus said in John 13:35, "By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." And in the parable of the sheep and the goats in Matthew 25, Jesus makes it clear that how we treat "the least of these"—the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the sick, the imprisoned—is how we treat Him.
Now, let me be clear: I'm not saying we should have completely open borders with no immigration laws. I'm not saying there shouldn't be a legal process. I'm not saying national security doesn't matter.
We can and should advocate for secure borders, support immigration reform and have legitimate concerns about the process.
But we must also—at the same time—love the immigrants among us. We must see them as people, not problems. We must look for opportunities to share Christ with them.
So what can you do? How can you live this out?
First, pray. Pray for immigrants and refugees. Pray that they would encounter Jesus. Pray for churches who are ministering to them. Pray for your own heart—that God would give you His compassion for the stranger.
Second, educate yourself. Learn about the challenges immigrants face. Read their stories. Try to understand their journey.
Third, look for opportunities in your community. Is there a church near you that ministers to immigrants? Could you volunteer? Could you teach English as a second language? Could you provide friendship and hospitality?
Fourth, examine your words. How do you talk about immigrants? Do your words reflect the heart of God? Remember, our words matter. They reveal what's in our hearts.
Fifth, if you're part of a church, ask your leaders: What is our church doing to reach immigrants in our community? How can we be more intentional about loving the stranger among us?
Friends, we live in a country with immigration challenges. Yes, it's complicated. Yes, there are no easy answers to the policy questions.
But the question of how we love people? That's not complicated at all. Jesus made it crystal clear.
God loves the alien. God commands us to love the alien. God created the immigrant in His image. God sent His Son to die for them just as much as He died for us.
Heavenly Father, help your Church to be known for Your love, shining out through us. Help us to see immigrants not as invaders but as individuals. Not as problems but as people. Not as threats but as opportunities to demonstrate the radical, surprising, boundary-crossing love of Jesus Christ. Guide our thoughts and opinions to be in line with Yours. Use us to reach the nations that are here at our doorstep. Open our eyes to those around us who need to hear about You and Your love for them. In Jesus name, amen.
Thank you for joining me today in this important—and I know, challenging—conversation. I pray it's stirred your heart the way God has been stirring mine. Whatever He's saying to you right now, don't ignore it. Respond.
Until next time, keep your eyes on the nations, remember that every person is created in God's image, and love like Jesus—even when it's hard. Especially when it's hard.
You can hear this in podcast form at Spotify podcast
