Follow-up Archive

March 7, 2007

Sharing Your Faith with the Hispanics
by Beatriz Hoppe

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Jesus had just been arrested. His disciples had deserted him and fled. But Peter was still there, sitting out in the courtyard, watching from the distance. Twice he was recognized as one of the followers of Jesus of Galilee, but twice he denied it. Matthew 26:73 goes on saying, "Surely you are one of them, for your accent gives you away" (emphasis mine).

With an estimated 42.7 million Hispanics as of July 1st, 2005, the United States has become the 5th largest Spanish-speaking nation in the world. 64% of those are of Mexican background, 10% have come from Puerto Rico, and about 3% each are of Cuban, Salvadorian and Dominican origins. The remaining 17% encompasses all of the other 15 Latin American countries and Spain. Talk about diversity, and talk about accents!

Our God is a dynamic one. He's always in motion. At the very beginning of the times, Genesis 1 says, ". the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters", Creation was taking place, God was moving. Our lives are dynamic too. We're born to grow and to live our lives in ways that fulfill the purpose for which we've been created.

The next time you see an immigrant, look beyond the image captured by your human eyes, and try to see what God sees. one of His creatures that has traveled a long way and made many sacrifices to give you the opportunity to share Christ with him.

They have an accent. more accurate yet, they speak a language that you probably don't understand. Nevertheless, we have all been called to speak with a very peculiar accent, the accent of our Lord, and Savior. the accent of love, grace and mercy that brings good news and reunites the created with their Creator. An accent that knows no borders, languages, or cultures, but that covers every division that separates us and makes us one.

By now you may be wondering, "How can I share the Gospel with a person that is so different from me?" Well, before we go into that, I want to share with you some insights about the Hispanic culture that will hopefully help you get closer to the Hispanics by understanding where they come from.

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