This Gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven Will Be Preached to All Nations
Explanation of Terms: Migrants, Refugees, Immigrants, and Asylum Seeker
1.Migrant : Migrants are people who move from one region to another, either domestically or internationally. This includes those relocating in search of employment, better living conditions, or other opportunities.
2.Immigrant : Immigrants are those who have made a conscious decision to leave their home country and move to a foreign land with the intention of settling permanently. Their relocation is typically a personal choice rather than a response to immediate danger or persecution. Legal immigrants obtain residence permits through the proper documentation process and have the freedom to return to their home country if desired.
3.Refugee : Refugees are individuals who have been forced to flee their country due to war, violence, persecution, or natural disasters. Unlike immigrants, their displacement is involuntary, and they often require international protection. Official agencies such as the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) grant refugee status to those who meet specific criteria, such as facing a well-founded fear of persecution. Once recognized as refugees, they receive legal protection and humanitarian aid from global relief organizations. The broader category of forced migrants includes recognized refugees, asylum seekers, and internally displaced persons (IDP). IDPs are individuals who have been forced to leave their homes but remain within their country’s borders, unable to cross into another nation.
4.Asylum seeker or refugee applicants : Asylum seekers are individuals who have fled their home country and applied for international protection but have not yet been legally recognized as refugees. They seek refuge in another country, but their legal status remains undetermined until an official decision is made. Not all asylum seekers are ultimately granted refugee status, as each case is evaluated based on specific legal and humanitarian criteria. Every minute, approximately 20 people worldwide are displaced due to conflicts and disasters. Wars, civil strife, and political instability continue to drive an increasing number of refugees and displaced persons. The world must recognize their needs and actively seek ways to provide support and assistance.
Entering the Era of Global Diaspora
The 2010 Lausanne Conference on World Evangelization held in Cape Town proposed the development and implementation of mission strategies aligned with the “Globalization and Diaspora Era.” Some missiologists have even labeled the 21st century as the “Global Diaspora Era” or the “New Nomad Era,” predicting that migration and diaspora movements will define the future of missions.
Meanwhile, a UN report on the diaspora era revealed that 41 countries worldwide already have diaspora populations exceeding 20% of their total residents. Over the past two decades, the number of people living outside their home countries has surged from 173 million in 2000 to 221 million in 2010 and 281 million in 2020.
There are over 87 million Chinese, 50 million Indians, 8 million Koreans, 7 million Filipinos, and 3 million Japanese living in diaspora communities. Many of them are more open to the gospel than those in their home countries, making them a strategic mission field for evangelism.
There are already 2.5 million foreign diasporas living together as our neighbors in Korea, a nation traditionally considered ethnically homogeneous.
Therefore, diaspora missions aimed at them must go beyond the issue of migration and become a challenge and opportunity to expand the influence of God’s Word and restore missionary passion within a nation and its society. This is certainly a great gift and opportunity granted by God. Missions to foreigners within one’s own country will be a turning point for evangelism.
》 Scripture Prayer
4 Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many. 6 You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.
8 All these are the beginning of birth pains. 9 “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. 10 At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11 and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13 but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.(Matthew 24:4-14,NIV)
》 Pray that the Word may become the Conclusion.
1. The greatest and most significant event in human history is the crucifixion of Christ, and the greatest glory in our lives can also be found in His cross. There is no greater hope than this glory. For those who have wandered across the world in pursuit of their dreams and desires for a better life, the news that they have a Father’s house to return to is the most joyful message. Let us give thanks to the Lord, who has granted us a new heaven and a new earth to return to.
2. In this age, where nations rise against nations, wars break out everywhere, and famines and earthquakes occur in various places, what do we rely on, and what do we focus on? The grieving heart of the Lord as He wept over Jerusalem reflects God’s heart toward us. Though reports of turmoil may bring fear, let us walk boldly in faith, remembering Jesus, the sovereign ruler and judge of history. Let us also pray that churches walking this path alongside the diaspora scattered across the nations will stand firm and rise.
3. Let us praise God, who has transformed us—sinners incapable of truly loving our neighbors—through the love of Jesus Christ so that we may now love all nations for His name’s sake. Let us pray that the diaspora, scattered by God’s deep providence of love, will stand firm, enduring through all trials and turmoil, and ultimately triumph through that love.
》 Urgent prayer requests around the world need your prayer!
