Every year at this time, we try to look back at a common theme we have either seen or addressed or both. This year, there has been a consistent topic that has come back time and time again on both the Misfits programming and within the KFM Network as a whole: that the will of God is the redemption of all mankind. So for Advent this year, we wanted to take some time and reflect on how this fits into the Advent season. 

Explore the complex ties between Matthew 2 and Refugees in this insightful blog. Discover how the nativity story relates to today's immigration debates.

Over the past few weeks, we have looked at why we desire enemies. We looked at why Christians don’t have enemies. We looked at the objections to that statement. We looked at why the distinction Jesus made matters so much. But there is one more objection to these statements that we need to address. What about the enemies Paul mentions in Philippians 3:18?

Christians dont have enemies, we have neighbors. This is the most misunderstood teaching of Jesus coming out of Matthew 5. Because the call to love our enemies is actually a call to see them as neighbors instead.

Changing our perspective on how we view other people is not easy, but it is necessary. How do we begin to see people as Neighbors and Image Bearers, rather than enemies and villains? We allow the Spirit to renew our minds in accordance with the will of Christ. Because when we do that, suddenly we see people as Jesus does. 

This passage is not about the poor, and especially not the poor outside of the church. Paul makes it super simple and clear here in this passage; those who needed to be refused assistance were those within the body who chose to be περιεργαζομένους. Often translated in English to busybody, periergazomai means someone who unnecessarily intrudes on others to prevent work from happening, and particularly someone who meddles in others' lives intrusively. THIS person is who Paul is

We are in our 5th season of the Misfits Podcast, and things have changed a lot over the years, but one thing that remains the same is our commitment to providing theological resources and a network of support for those that feel they do not have a place in ministry or the church any more.