How God's Love Transforms Our Witness to Non-Believers

The Blue Cord, by iHOPE Ministries

About the Guest(s):

• Linda is a seasoned traveler and worker who has spent over a decade working with immigrants, refugees, and church planters in Europe.
• She has been actively engaged in reaching out to people from other faiths, particularly Muslims, and has a heart for sharing the love of Christ with them.
• Linda is affiliated with a European church planting organization and has been involved in training and equipping Europeans to engage with people from other faith backgrounds.

Episode Summary:

In this episode, Karen and Linda discuss the transformative power of God's love and how it affects our witness to people from other faiths. Linda shares her personal journey of initially being reluctant to engage with non-believers and how God's love compelled her to step out and reach out to refugees and immigrants in Europe. They emphasize the importance of being intentional and strategic in loving others and provide practical tips for engaging with people from other faith backgrounds. The conversation also highlights the proactive efforts in Europe to welcome and minister to refugees and immigrants, as well as the need for Christians to model and pass on the love of Christ to the next generation.

Key Takeaways:

• God's love for us is overwhelming and beyond our full understanding. It is through the power of the Holy Spirit that we are equipped to love others, especially those from other faith backgrounds.
• Christians need to be intentional and strategic in loving non-believers. This includes praying for opportunities, positioning ourselves to engage with people from other faiths, and being bold in sharing the love of Christ.
• Europe has been at the forefront of welcoming and ministering to refugees and immigrants, with organizations like Refugee Highway Partnership and Diaspora People of Europe providing resources and training for engaging with people from other faith backgrounds.
• There are significant movements of God among different refugee communities in Europe, including Iranians, Syrians, and Ukrainians. Indigenous church planting and discipleship efforts are taking place, with refugees themselves being trained to reach their own people.
• As parents and grandparents, it is crucial to model and pass on the love of Christ to the next generation. This can be done through intentional conversations, engaging in field trips to ethnic markets or coffee shops, and sharing personal experiences of reaching out to people from other faiths.

Notable Quotes:

• "We cannot fully understand or grasp the love of God for us. We just, in our human weakness and sinful nature, Ephesians even says, it is too great to understand fully. But, then it goes on in Romans, and it says, He has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love." - Linda
• "Muslim women are desperate for God's love." - Karen
• "We have access to every tool we need. It really is a matter of us going before the Lord and saying, we just want to let you use us." - Linda

Resources:

• Refugee Highway Partnership

Listen to the full episode [here](link to the episode) to gain more insights on how God's love can transform our witness to people from other faiths and how to practically extend love to immigrants and refugees. Stay tuned for more inspiring content from The Blue Cord Podcast.

Chapters:

00:00:00 Introduction to the topic of how God's love affects our witness
00:01:00 Reflecting on the struggle to practically love people from other faiths
00:02:00 The importance of being intentional and strategic in loving non-believers
00:03:00 Understanding that God fills us with His love to love others
00:04:00 Being purposeful in cultivating a community that shares the same mission
00:05:00 The transformative impact of God's love on immigrants and refugees in Europe
00:06:00 Organizations in Europe focused on welcoming and ministering to refugees
00:07:00 Praying for opportunities and being bold in engaging with people from other faiths
00:08:00 The proactive approach of Europeans in reaching out to refugees
00:09:00 The foreshadowing of the immigrant and refugee situation in North America
00:10:00 The need for North Americans to learn from European experiences
00:11:00 The strategic efforts in reaching specific immigrant groups in Europe
00:12:00 The ongoing awareness and active ministry to refugees in Europe
00:13:00 Empowering families to be authentic witnesses across cultures
00:14:00 Practical ways to extend love to other faith immigrants and refugees
00:14:00 Linda emphasizes the importance of passing on love to future generations
00:15:00 Linda suggests inserting conversations about other nations and faiths into everyday discussions
00:16:00 Linda shares her experience of talking to Muslim women and the importance of sharing God's love with them
00:17:00 Karen discusses the impact of meeting believers from other faith backgrounds and the role of love in their journey to Christ
00:18:00 Karen encourages senior citizens to pass on their faith to the next generation and start small in sharing their faith
00:19:00 Linda shares her experience of mentoring students and taking them to engage with people of other faiths
00:20:00 Karen suggests going on field trips to ethnic markets and coffee shops to interact with people of different faiths
00:21:00 Linda emphasizes that loving others is a command from God and that He equips believers to share His love
00:22:00 Linda encourages believers to let God use them and embark on an exciting adventure of sharing His love
00:23:00 Karen invites listeners to get her book, "The Blue Cord," to help them embrace God's love and shine their light
00:24:00 Karen prompts listeners to reflect on their thoughts and feelings about loving their other faith neighbors and how they experienced God's love
00:24:00 Karen encourages listeners to share the episode and leave a review if they enjoyed it