Jesus is\nsending your family and my family to people who are different from us as an\nimportant part of His mission. Love is the proper conduit for the gospel and is\nbest demonstrated through relationships. For many Christians, the mission\nbecomes difficult because Christ is calling us to love people who are different\nfrom us in worldview, culture, and religion. As parents, we can equip our\nchildren to love all people for the sake of God\u2019s mission by our own model.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here are four ways:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
1. Know people who are different from you.<\/em> Many\nbelievers become very tribal, only associating with other Christians. Knowing\npeople who are not Christians is the first step. Who does your family know that\nis distinctly \u201cun-Christian?\u201d Get to know these people as a family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2. Become friends with people different from\nyou.<\/em> Become friends with people who do not know Jesus. Friendship goes\nbeyond familiarity. It is enjoying a person in a consistent way. Friendship\nrequires genuine pursuit and sacrifice. It takes investment. Become genuine\nfriends with a Muslim, a Jew, a Hindu, or anyone who does not yet believe in\nJesus. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 3. Share a table with people who believe\ndifferently.<\/em> Hospitality is an intimate act of love toward people outside\nof your family. Invite people who are different from you to share a meal with\nyour family in your home. Do not rush the experience. Linger and ask questions.\nLearn about your friends out of genuine interest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 4. Experience sacred spaces together.<\/em> One\nof the greatest demonstrations of love is to enter the sacred spaces of people\nwho believe differently. In turn you can invite them into yours. If you have a\nMuslim friend, visit the mosque with him. Learn about his beliefs and\nexperience Friday prayers. When he invites you, go as a family to an Eid\nal-Fitr celebration at the end of Ramadan (month of fasting). At some point, you\nwill have the opportunity to invite your Muslim friend into your own sacred\nspaces like your small group, your worship gathering, or a Christmas event\ndesigned for the whole family. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Life on mission\nrequires loving all people no matter how different they are from us. Teaching\nour children to love all people by our own demonstration equips them to go and\nmake disciples of all nations. Genuine love is the best pipeline for the good\nnews that is salvation in Christ alone. Involve your children in the mission of\nGod by knowing and loving people unlike you, together as a family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n About\nthe Author: <\/em>Brian Haynes is a husband, father, and Lead Pastor at Bay\nArea Church and Christian School in the Houston area. He is an author and\ncontributor to the global and local family ministry conversation. He is working\ndaily for the restoration of people, families, and churches.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Jesus is sending your family and my family to people who are different from us as an important part of His mission. Love is the proper conduit for the gospel and is best demonstrated through relationships. For many Christians, the mission becomes difficult because Christ is calling us to love people who are different from […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":4086,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4083","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n