“I was a stranger and you invited me in” (Matthew 25:35). Jesus calls his followers to a radical kind of hospitality, but this raises the question of how we live out this command today.
This World Refugee Day, June 20, Christians have a clear opportunity to respond. Nearly one in 70 people globally are forced to flee their homes due to violence or persecution, including millions of Christians persecuted because of their faith. But conflict is not the only driver of displacement.
Mass displacement can result from a domino effect of internal issues. For example, diseases can destabilize entire communities. Sub-Saharan Africa is home to nearly two-thirds of people living with HIV globally. When parents fall ill, they often cannot work, leading to lost income, orphaned children, and weakened communities. Over time, this instability can force families to migrate just like conflict does.
And the COVID-19 pandemic reminded us health crises do not respect borders.
Seeing strangers as neighbors
Jeremy Everett, founder and executive director of the Baylor Collaborative on Hunger and Poverty, puts it this way: “Conflict, climate crisis, and economic instability are the three primary drivers of food insecurity globally.
“I have seen this up close in Guatemala,” he continues, “where communities can go for weeks or even months in drought, leaving their families vulnerable to extreme climate events and famine. Where parents will literally carry their children on foot away from their homes in search of safety because their lives have been threatened in local conflicts.
“The difference comes when people like you and me begin to see these ‘strangers from a distant land’ as our neighbors. Our responses become a reflection of imago Dei, recognizing how our service and interventions to the least of these is really our service to Jesus. Only then does a story of tragedy and loss become a story of empowerment and love.
“And ultimately, that’s what investment in international aid efforts are. It’s a promise to our neighbor: to build sustainable infrastructure, to increase community resilience, to regenerate the land we steward, and to follow Jesus’ command to feed the hungry, to care for the sick, to visit the prisoner, and to welcome the stranger,” Everett concludes.
Global generosity
Scripture calls God’s people not only to respond after suffering occurs, but also to help prevent it. Paul’s instructions to “share with those in need” (Romans 12:13) are still applicable.
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Through the generosity of our global health funding, great change is possible.
With initiatives like PEPFAR—the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief—and the Global Fund, the United States has helped save millions of lives, including nearly 25 million people and millions of children born HIV-free. These investments reduce suffering and strengthen communities to address some of the root causes of displacement.
Texans are connected
For Texas believers, this is not a distant issue. Our state is a central hub for immigration.
Texas A&M’s Real Estate Research Center found the number of foreign-born Texans grew from five million to 5.8 million between 2019 and 2024. This translates to Texas’ population being around 18.4 percent foreign born.
Our immigrant neighbors, including those in our pews, have come here seeking safety, stability, and a chance to rebuild their lives. Texas churches are at work by welcoming refugees, serving immigrant families, and partnering in global missions that address the root causes of displacement. Therefore, the question is not whether we are connected to this issue, but how we will respond.
How Texans can respond
We can respond by supporting policies that bring life more abundantly. Texas Senator John Cornyn has called PEPFAR “one of the most successful public health programs in the world [that has] saved approximately 26 million lives.”
As Congress approaches a new fiscal year, Christians can tangibly help by ensuring our nation continues its life saving leadership. Congress is scheduled to vote on funding for global aid initiatives, and we must ensure funding remains strong.
A report by the United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) found in 2025, HIV testing declined by 22 percent in countries with a high level of HIV. A lack of funding can put HIV prevention services at risk in places where they are needed the most. Therefore, we can contact Congress and ask for this life-saving care to be preserved.
Beyond helping abroad, we can welcome the stranger in our own country. Christian persecution around the world is at an all-time high as one in seven global believers is persecuted for their faith.
The current refugee ceiling has increased to 17,500, but we must ensure those fleeing persecution either for religious reasons or because they helped the U.S., like our Afghan allies, can receive solace in the U.S.
Refugee resettlement has received bipartisan support for the last 40 years, and that same support is needed today. We must urge Congress to work with the administration to welcome those fleeing from persecution.
Matthew 25 tells us how we treat the foreigner, the sick, and the vulnerable reflects how we ultimately treat Christ. Evelyn Mangham, cofounder of World Relief’s refugee resettlement program, put it simply: “Respond to what Jesus said. That’s all. … ‘I was a stranger—and you took me in. … Inasmuch as you did unto one of the least of these, … you did unto me.’ It’s simple obedience.”
This World Refugee Day, Texas Christians have both the opportunity and responsibility to live out that obedience in tangible ways. Even more, U.S. Christians have a moral obligation to bear the burdens of our refugee brethren.
We must use our voices as stated in Proverbs 31:8-9 to speak up for refugees fleeing from persecution and global diseases. One way to do this would be to ask Congress to increase the ceiling for refugee resettlement, so we may welcome those seeking safety.
Welcoming the stranger and caring for the sick are not separate callings. They are all part of the same gospel witness.
Terence Bailey II is the advocacy coordinator at World Relief Texas.
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