By Issac Bennett of Chennai, India
Learn of me, and listen to my words; walk in the meekness of my Spirit and you shall have peace in me.
(shared as part of the International Leaders Meeting, June 2025)
Through our ongoing fellowship gatherings, a significant challenge emerged that reshaped how we understand and live out our mission—how to faithfully coexist in a society marked by religious plurality. In our context, it is not uncommon for fundamentalist voices within Christianity to discourage any interaction with people of other faiths. One particular area of tension has been around the act of sharing food—many Christians are taught not to accept or partake in meals with people from other religious backgrounds.
However, our fellowship circle has become a space where such deeply rooted prejudices are gently confronted and transformed. As we reflect on scripture and share our lived experiences, we have begun to understand that our mission is not one of separation, but of bridge-building. Participants in the fellowship—most of them women—have come to embrace the value of interfaith friendship, hospitality, and shared humanity. We now see sharing a meal not as a compromise of faith, but as an expression of it—a sacred act of extending Christ's love beyond boundaries.
This journey has encouraged us as a community to practice mission not by withdrawal, but through presence and participation. In doing so, we witness to a gospel that calls us to be peacemakers in a divided world.
Prayer Phrase
“For in him all things…were created…” (Colossians 1:16).
The International Community
Find (or imagine) a globe or map of the world. Look at all the nations and find a country other than your own. Notice the geographic distance between your homeland and this one. Picture a person living there. Pray for this person. Sense God’s love connecting you just as the oceans connect the continents. Thank God for the spiritual connection you have with all of God’s people around the globe. Ask a blessing on the church as a community sharing Christ’s peace, drawing all into the family of God.
Today’s Prayer for Peace
Engage in a daily practice of praying for peace in our world. Click here to read today’s prayer and be part of this practice of peace.