Alive Now Extended

By Adam Bayer

Saw Lo (known to his American friends simply as “Luke”) grew up in Burma (now Myanmar) and spent time in South Korea and Thailand before coming to the United States. He works full-time in Dallas for an organization that brings other Burmese refugees to America. Beyond his work at the office, Luke serves his refugee friends who often knock on his door “because they need something.”

As a refugee himself, Luke identifies three main problems that refugees face. First (and foremost) is the language barrier, which presents a nearly insurmountable obstacle to assimilating into American culture. Many refugees speak so little English that something as simple as grocery shopping presents a predicament. Second is finding employment. Many aliens possess skills needed in their home countries but not in America. Coupled with the language barrier, the lack of marketable skills often makes it difficult for refugees to acquire decent jobs. Finally, if these individuals overcome these two hurdles, a new quandary often emerges—transportation. “A trip that takes thirty minutes by car may take three hours by public transportation,” remarks Luke. A six-hour commute added to an eight-hour workday leaves little time for family, learning English, or loving neighbors.

The Bible offers a number of reasons that we are to love and accept people, including refugees. Most simply, God instructs people to love their neighbors as themselves (Leviticus 19:18; Matthew 22:39). As Jesus made clear in the parable of the Good Samaritan, our “neighbors” are anyone we encounter who is in need. We don’t have the luxury of picking who that is. In addition, the Israelites were instructed to treat resident aliens as citizens and to “love” them, based on their experiences as aliens in the land of Egypt (Leviticus 19:34). In the New Testament, Paul tells the Philippians, “Our citizenship is in heaven” (Philippians 3:20). This verse insists that Christians are refugees. We belong in heaven, but live on earth.

How should the church respond to refugees and their problems? First John 3:18 instructs Christians to “love not in word or speech, but in truth and action.” The letter of James provides rationale for such a command by offering Christians a hypothetical scenario: “Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, ‘Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?” (James 2:15-16, NIV). He assumes an answer of, “None.”

James specifies that Christians ought to meet the physical needs of the impoverished. If those needs include food and clothes, then we are called to give food and clothes. If those needs go beyond these daily necessities, are we not called to go the extra mile as well? In fact, Luke comments that few refugees go without food. Instead of food and clothing, the refugees need to learn English, they need jobs, they need transportation, and they need “to feel loved.”

Luke remarks that his employer prohibits official church involvement in his job but that refugees rarely complain about churches that offer them physical assistance before, or in conjunction with, spiritual guidance. Quite the contrary – they tend to listen to the message of those churches. The lesson? People care what Christians know when they show they care.

Investigate the opportunities your city. Give of your time to help those in need. Come and serve alongside Christians like Luke. Experience a small aspect of the sacrifice the Savior offered for you.

Adam Bayer and his wife, Joy, celebrate Adam’s recent graduation from Dallas Theological Seminary and seek God’s guidance for their future.