Diasporas Missions: An Opportunity in Waiting

The movement of people around the world is not a new phenomenon. This movement is known as diaspora and is defined as the dispersion or movement of people from their homeland. The diaspora can migrate for many different reasons, including famine, natural disasters, war, or persecution. In Scripture, you see people on the move from the banishment from the garden in Genesis to the persecution of the church in Acts. God is constantly directing the movement of people and is sovereign over when and where people will reside. You may be more aware of the diasporas due to your access to various types of media, but that does not change the fact that people have always been on the move.

I became more aware of this fact after living in East Asia for two years. Suddenly, everywhere I looked, I noticed people of different ethnicities. I knew that America was the melting pot where all people desired to be for opportunity. But now I could see that these different people lived all around me. They were the Hispanic couple across the street, the international student from India at the local university, and the businessman living alone in the city. You may also be like me. You know that other ethnicities are living in your city, but never really paid much attention until recently.

God is Sovereign Over the Movements of People

“And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us.” Acts 17:26-27

As believers, we must understand that God is the one orchestrating where people move and live. We must recognize that the movement of people allows us, as believers, the opportunity to share the gospel with the nations. For however long they are living among us, God has placed people in our path who have possibly come from a place where they have little to no access to the gospel. What if we started seeing people from another ethnicity as image bearers in need of the gospel? What would happen if we made ourselves available and sought out opportunities to develop relationships with them?

Recently, I have developed a relationship with a lady from Colombia who attends our church. She is learning English but still relies on Google Translate to have conversations with us within the church. We have had her into our home, and she has taught me how to cook some food from her culture. My children have come to love her. Through our relationship with her, my family has been invited into her family’s home to share a meal. What an opportunity to encourage her in her faith so that she will be bold in sharing with her unbelieving family. One of her family members lives just around the corner from us. If we don’t recognize that God has placed people within our lives for gospel opportunities, then we miss the joy of seeing the Holy Spirit work in their lives.

Understanding Cultural Differences Is a Must

“To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some.” 1 Corinthians 9:22

We live in an individualistic society, where the individual is more important than the group. This cultural concept is not in and of itself wrong, but it can sometimes cause us to miss opportunities to understand and develop relationships with those of a different culture. Many of the people who are moving to America come from cultures that are collective in nature. This means that they place more importance on the group than on the individual. Everything they do happens in community with others. When they move to a new country, they still long for that community.

As believers, we emphasize community within the church but often fail to see the opportunity for community outside the church. We must seek opportunities to build relationships with people outside of the church. Do you know the families that your children play sports with or go to school with? Are you intentional with the new neighbors from a different country who moved in next door? They long for community. Let us be that community.

Hospitality is Key

As mentioned above, many of the diaspora who have moved to the United States place more importance on the community than the individual. This means that hospitality is a part of their everyday life. They are used to spending a significant amount of time in homes, sitting around the table, and living life with neighbors, friends, and family.

While living in East Asia, I developed relationships with local high school students. Eventually, those relationships granted me an invitation back to their home village to meet their family. I was overwhelmed by the welcome I received from the student’s family. They had never met me, but because their student knew me, I was considered family. They prepared the best meal and gave up their room for me. They were willing to listen to me share the gospel because of the relationship I had with their family member.

As believers, we must willingly welcome people into our lives and our homes. We understand through Scripture that God offers us forgiveness through Jesus Christ, and, by repentance and faith, welcomes us into His family. Because of this welcome, we too should welcome others into our lives so that we can share God’s love and welcome them into an eternal family. The diaspora is all around us, arriving every day and desiring community. May we, as believers, look out toward the diaspora and seek ways in which we can practice hospitality among them, reaching them with the gospel to the glory of God.