What's So Confusing About The Word "GO?"

The good order of God's borders

The other day, I saw a post from a leader of the organization “Women of Welcome” that posed this question:

“Confused by Christians who:

Spent money

Raised money

Prayed for

Traveled &

Sent their own kids to the

10/40 window to plant ‘seeds for the gospel’

And now to champion the deportation of the harvest.”

I’m sorry, but I’m confused by Christians who so badly distort Scripture that they think allowing millions to flood into our country illegally somehow fulfills the Great Commission.

She went on to cite a study published in March 2025 that suggests up to 10 million Christians could be subject to deportation under the Trump Administration.

First of all, if we ever get to the point where we can actually deport 10 million illegal immigrants during Trump’s final term, praise the Lord. With all the judicial overreach happening to stall and thwart our Department of Homeland Security, we aren’t even on pace to deport a million during his first year in office.

Secondly, the premise of this study begs the question: How many illegal immigrants live here?! Because if 10 million are affiliated with Christianity, how do we account for all the Muslims, Hindus, and other religious and secular people who are flooding our country? No sincere person believes that 10 million Christian/Catholic illegal immigrants make up 80% of a 12.5 million population of illegal migrants. Those numbers are laughable even by today’s media standards. Let us not forget that at least 9 million came during the Biden administration alone, with at least 11-12 million living here before that. Most people with even an ounce of honesty in their brains know that at least 20-40 million illegal aliens live within our borders (and some think it’s higher than that).

But let’s not spend too long pondering if we have 20, 30, 40, or 50 million illegal people living within our borders, because that means nearly 10% of our overall population is here illegally, and one out of every ten people you interact with each day is here without documentation. It’s just too scary, and that’s not the point of this essay.

Let’s return to what the Bible says about evangelism and “harvest” to see how it relates to immigration policy.

In this post, our friend refers to the 10/40 window. If you aren’t an elder millennial who grew up with Brio Magazine, let me define our terms. The “10/40 window” refers to the portion of the globe between 10 and 40 degrees north latitude, encompassing parts of North Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. It’s where the majority of the world’s unbelievers live (because it’s not a part of Western Civilization, which was an expansive movement that built culture upon the truth and hope of the gospel).

At the turn of the 21st century, the Church was focused on getting the gospel to this specific region of the globe by raising money and sending missionaries to some of the darkest places on earth. Since 1980, we have sent an increasing number of missionaries to this region, and Christianity has grown from 2.5% of the population to somewhere between 5 and 10%. Praise God, especially since this happened during a time period of expanding militant-Muslim governance in the same region.

Of course, there is still work to do. We should pray, give, and go to this region of the globe, and bring its residents the hope of Jesus. I am certain that the darkness there cannot overcome the light of Christ. I am also grateful for how YouTube has enabled the gospel to reach Muslims and others in these regions.

But the “Women of Welcome” seem to be confused about the Great Commission, so let’s see what it actually says:

“And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’” Matthew 28:18-20

If we look at verse 19, it clearly states, 'GO and disciple all nations.' (Translated from Aramaic, this could also mean “Go and instruct all nations.”) What does this mean? Leave your country behind—perhaps for a time—and spread the gospel elsewhere. In practice, this means maintaining a connection to your homeland as a source of spiritual and financial support for your ministry. Return to your native land if needed, for rest or recovery from the challenging work of world missions.

This verse also implies that nations are good and orderly. God designed nations (Acts 17:26). They are meant to be distinct from one another. One day, every nation will bow to Christ (Phil 2:10-11). But the Bible does not indicate that nations are supposed to dissolve before that time. The Israelites were always supposed to protect their distinct nationhood and be on guard against the evil nations that threatened their religion and way of life (Num 34 and Deut 7:1-6). When a nation can uphold its borders and boundaries, it is a sign of strength, order, and blessing in the Bible (Psalm 122:7).

The Great Commission says to GO OUT to the nations. It does not say to bring foreign nations into your land and try to get them to assimilate into Christianity. Another popular phrase from 90s evangelical lingo was “missionary dating,” and it was not advised. Just as you don’t get into a romantic relationship with an unbeliever in hopes of converting them, you don’t welcome a mass of unbelievers into your country to go to school with your kids, take your jobs, set up their own churches, and run for political office.

The New Testament warns us about “other gospels,” which include all world religions (Hinduism, Buddhism, Mormonism, Islam) that teach salvation apart from the work of Christ (alone). While we are to share the gospel with others, we are to be very protective of false teaching and errant religions infiltrating the Church. Let’s break this down to a practical level — do you really want your Christian child to go to school with 22 Muslim students (Michigan) or 20 Buddhists (Orange County, CA)? Our children are a part of the Church, and we don’t “evangelize” at the sake of their souls. We don’t cast our pearls before swine, and we don’t fill our country with immigrants and then throw our children before God-haters to fulfill the Great Commission.

God calls us to go and share the gospel. He does not call us to sit at home and act like fools, inviting swarms of people who hate Him—and His followers—to live among us.

Now let’s turn to the other point in this “10/40 window” post:

What if these immigrants are already believers when they arrive or become followers of Christ while they are here? Wonderful! Praise God. If they are here illegally, they should repent, return to their native land, and evangelize there. Research shows that native believers proselytizing in their own lands is, in fact, the most effective way to spread the gospel. We don’t need all the believers of the globe united on American soil. We’ll be united in heaven. Until then, let us plow in the fields where God has placed us. The place where we are born is our first placement by a sovereign God.

If Women of Welcome’s real concern is the spread of the gospel (and not being ambassadors for progressive immigration policy), then the best way for the gospel to go forth is for every believer in their own land to share the gospel with their neighbors. Even in world missions, the primary goal is to evangelize and disciple native believers who can lead their own churches and gain influence in their own society. Missionaries, ideally, can go home eventually with confidence that local citizens can carry on the work of making and discipling believers.

Throughout Israel’s history, God’s people are told time and time again not to allow their country (and their culture) to be infiltrated by foreigners. When foreigners are permitted, they are expected to assimilate, follow Israel’s customs, and worship Yahweh (Lev 17:10, Lev 18:26, Isaiah 56:6). If they come temporarily, perhaps as sojourners or refugees, they are to be treated well (Lev 19:33-34) and then return home when the time is right. The word “sojourn” literally means “a temporary stay.” Progressive pastors love to throw around Matthew 2:13, crying out, “Jesus was a refugee!” as if He lived with His parents in Egypt forever. Sorry, bruh, they lived in Egypt for no more than two years (and possibly less), and then Joseph, Mary, and the Christ Child returned to their homeland—just as refugees who seek asylum here should do when it becomes possible.

Please don’t come at me with your one-offs and caveats. Of course, the U.S. should accept some refugees. Of course, there are healthy, happy immigration stories. If you moved to the U.S. on your father’s work visa when you were 12 years old, finished high school and college in the States, met your spouse, and now live here raising a family as a citizen, I applaud you. If you met your spouse doing overseas mission work, and you dated across an ocean, and now you are married and raising your kids here or there, I think that’s great. God can write stories that transcend our national borders, but that’s no good reason to tear down the borders altogether.