Our motivation
Friends International is shaped by what the Bible teaches us about
God and his purposes for all nations, people, language and cultures.
In particular, we recognise:
1) God’s care for the stranger
2) God’s plan for the nations
3) God’s blueprint for his church
4) The strategic nature of our work
1) God’s care for the stranger
Throughout the Old Testament, God reveals his passionate concern
for those who are in a position of vulnerability (e.g. Deuteronomy
10:19 For you are to love those who are aliens, for you yourselves
were aliens in Egypt; Leviticus 19:33-34 When an alien lives with
you in your land, do not ill-treat him. The alien living with you
must be treated as one of your native-born. Love him as yourself,
for you were alien in Egypt.) The alien or stranger often has nobody
to provide the practical and social support normally given by family
or friends. It can be a very lonely and painful experience to be
alone in a foreign country. Indeed, one Chinese academic described
his inability to ‘connect’ with British people as frightening.
The New Testament picks up the theme of ‘strangers’
and calls on God’s people to welcome them. The practical difference
that simple friendship and hospitality makes to international students
is far greater than we can imagine. One Christian family received
a note from a Muslim student they had welcomed in their home reading,
‘you are like a sunshine [shining in a dark place] which makes
life worth living’
2) God’s plan for the nations
From God’s promise to Abraham in Genesis 12 to John’s
vision of heaven in Revelation 21 and 22, the Bible makes it plain
that God’s plan is that all peoples might discover forgiveness
and new life through Jesus Christ. Acts 17:26-27 tell us that all
the circumstances of our lives, painful or pleasurable, are designed
to alert us to the reality and truth of the Creator (Acts 17:26-27
From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit
the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the
exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would
seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is
not far from each one of us.)
International students come to study in the UK for all kinds of
reasons but it is the sovereignty of God that those who might otherwise
never have the opportunity to learn of God’s love in Christ
come to a place where they can do so. We rejoice that we play a
part in sharing this good news with students by offering them friendship
in Jesus’ name and the opportunity to find out about the Christian
faith.
3) God’s blueprint for his church
Palestinian and Israeli eating food together; Japanese and Korean
reading the Bible together. The gospel of Jesus Christ has the power
to unite people of different cultures who would otherwise be in
conflict with each other. Ephesians 2 and 3 makes it plain that
God’s intention is for cultural and religious divisions to
be broken down by the gospel, and that in the church all are one
in Christ Jesus. Friends International delights in seeing racial
unity in and through the churches which international students attend.
4) The strategic nature of our work
International student ministry is a strategic opportunity. Many
international students arrive from countries with limited or even
closed access to the Gospel. For many, coming to the UK will be
the only chance they have to respond to the message of Jesus Christ.
Often international students, away from home and peer pressure,
are lonely and in need of friendship and are actively interested
in finding out about different faiths. This presents Christians
with a wonderful opportunity to reach out to students with genuine
friendship and to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
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