Foreign Empathy

Exodus 9:10 – “Do not oppress the foreigners living among you. You know what it is like to be a foreigner. Remember your own experience in the land of Egypt.”
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I feel like there are so many ways I could apply this verse. This verse speaks of tolerance for those not like me. It talks about putting myself in the shoes of others, and treating them how I wish I was treated. The application that I see strongest helps me to understand what I saw at tribe last night.

Last week I wrote a post called seeker insensitivity. All week I have been thinking about what tribe should look like and how we cold be more inclusive of people who aren’t currently part of the tribe. In the post I talked about not being so seeker sensitive, but how I approach tribe where we have only had a few visits from “seekers” and they were left seemingly dazed and confused. So I ask the question, is it ok to not be seeker sensitive? God has been helping me to answer that question.

Last night at Tribe, I’d say we had just about our best meeting yet. It seemed that our vision that we had from the beginning was finally able to come around. Last night there were three guys who had never been to the meeting before. Normally this would have me freaking out wondering – “Do they understand what this word means? Do they feel comfortable with this situation? Are they freaked out about my freaky worship leading?” But last night everything just seemed to click. The funny thing is that we were less “seeker sensitive” than ever. We had a spirit filled worship time, including some spontaneous lyrics and choruses. We shared our answers to the question – “Why did God save you?” We had a brief sharing that was about the signs and wonders that God wants us to see. Finally we closed with 40 minutes of prayer divided by gender, complete with words from God, laying of hands, rebuking addiction, and reclaiming men for the Lord. All that to say, it wasn’t your typical “purpose driven meeting”.

But it worked. You could feel the love in the room just like you could feel the 78 degree body heat. One of the guys who described himself as new to the faith, was bold enough to ask for prayer for his addictions. Another one of the 1st timers shared he was devastated after his wife ran out on him six months ago. We prayed for God to raise up chaplains, pastors, and addiction recovery specialists. All that stuff is pretty scary, but I would be willing to bet that we would see some of those guys again.

What the heck does all that have to do with this verse? Well they were foreigners, and I believe we gave those “seekers” the truest glimpse at what we are (or what we want to be at least). They were open and felt loved because we were in our natural state, and unconcerned with what they were thinking. We ceased trying to give a Christian performance and gave them a Christian experience. As a foreigner that would be what I want.
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Lord, continue to give me wisdom on how seeker sensitive to be, if at all. Keep pouring out your blessings and your Holy Spirit. That is the best way to grow your church. I pray that the 18 we had at tribe this week would be dwarfed by the number of people you change through this group in the next few months. Tribe is yours, keep using it. Pour out your Holy Spirit and grow us yourself. Thank you so much for all that you are doing.