3 Jul 2017

Short term missions are not the race

by | posted in: Missions | 20,864

I am always amazed at the excitement and nervousness from those going on their first short-term mission trip, most of the time they don’t know enough to know what they need to be nervous about. There is an excitement in their eyes as they head into the unknown. They prepare testimonies and lessons, not knowing how God will use them or if they will be effective. They pack what is recommended and wonder if it will be enough. They comfort their parents and loved ones, and try to reassure them everything is going to be alright, while at the same time not knowing what the future holds. But through leading and prayer, the journey begins.

 

A lot of mission team members, especially those who have never been on mission before usually become broken spiritually sometime during the week of the trip. They discover a new outlook on sharing, faith, trust, and God. Why is this? It is simple, during the week they are constantly hearing the word of God either from others sharing or through the preaching or their own study. They also see the word of God come to life. That doesn’t mean that the bible gets up and starts walking around. But they see the Spirit of God begin to work in the lives of the people they come in contact with. They walk the streets with a single purpose, to find the person of peace with whom they can share the good news of the gospel. Some are hit with the hard truth that not all will accept the gospel, so they plant a seed not knowing the condition of the soil. Other times they begin to pour out water onto unknown soil, unaware that a seed exist and has been waiting for the moisture that God will use to bring it to life. They get excited and don’t know what to do when out of the ground springs forth life. A miracle, they get to see cold dead bones come to life. After that experience, they have a drive to share and no longer need to be pushed in front of people to share with. Oh what it would have been like in Acts to walk the streets and see God work, bringing people to life through the proclamation of the Gospel. But wait, could that still happen? And could it happen here?

After returning home and a couple weeks of rest, life returns to normal. The mission was accomplished, people were saved and now we are back comfortable, safe, fed, and loved. Or are we? There is always a sense of completion at the end of a mission trip. Not that that would be wrong in the short term, but there is a since of that was where we were on mission at, but now we are back and we have things to get done. Real stuff, school, work, friends, problems, and you know life. Right?

One of the greatest tragedies we have is short-term missions. I know you saw a bunch of people get saved, and God really “showed up”, but stay with me. There is a since of awe and wonder during the week of a mission trip. And we look forward to the next year when we can go and feel that same since of awe and wonder. But let’s compare it to a race shall we. Anyone who runs foot races understands that you have different splits. These are markers throughout the race to gauge your progress, and to ensure you are on pace. A short-term mission trip is sort of like a split. It is a time to see if you are where you need to be in your spiritual life, in your reading and study of the word, apologetics, doctrines, and if you can articulate them to the world around you. The shortness of the week gives you the opportunity to push yourself hard and to evaluate yourself. The tragedy is that the short-term is looked at, as the race itself. We return with a sense that we ran and will rest up to run again next year.

The race however is not over. In fact it is just beginning. When you return home, it is like passing the first mile marker. The street is no longer filled with cheering fans, the road narrows, and the reality of the race sets in. Here is where we must work our hardest. This is where we must pull from prayer and scripture, the strength to press on. Where most might sit and rest, we must run to win. We don’t just return to normal life, we return with a renewed sense of awe for what God has been doing and we must now trust even more so that He will continue His work. We saw on foreign soil God work in others lives. Now we must trust that He will work in ours for His glory and to reach those around us. We are home; this is where we must turn from our sins, where we must love God more than mother and father, more than friends and things. This is where we live out what we preach, if we believe that which we have taught. Did we believe it? Do we believe it? If so, then are we disciplined for the miles ahead? Paul tells the church at Corinth “I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified”. Are we disqualified or are we still in the race?

There are no short-term missionaries; there are only missionaries in different context. When we return to our Jerusalem, let us seek the hope that is only found in Christ. Let us not lean on our own understanding, our own wisdom, which is foolishness. Let us not fall victim to busyness and the lure of shiny objects that promise fulfillment. Let our knees be worn out for those nearest to us. Let our time be determined by the cross and His call, trusting that He will provide the time for work, family, fun, and ministry, as we continue the race. We have found our greatest joy in walking by faith; let us not check our faith with Homeland Security as we return home. But let us be reminded daily where our ultimate security is found and where our joy is greatest. Wherever you woke up at, wherever you find yourself, wherever you stand today, then that is your mission field. Time to get running.

20864 Responses

  4. nagano lean body tonic reviews
    | Reply

    Oh my goodness! Incredible article dude! Thank you so much, However I
    am going through problems with your RSS. I don’t
    understand why I am unable to join it. Is there anybody getting the same
    RSS issues? Anyone who knows the answer can you kindly respond?
    Thanks!!

  6. Software
    | Reply

    Tremendous things here. I’m very satisfied to peer your post.
    Thank you a lot and I’m looking ahead to touch you.
    Will you kindly drop me a e-mail?

  8. montreal transport
    | Reply

    Unquestionably believe that which you said. Your favorite reason seemed to be on the net the simplest thing to be aware of.
    I say to you, I certainly get annoyed while people think about
    worries that they plainly do not know about.
    You managed to hit the nail upon the top and also defined out the whole thing without having
    side-effects , people could take a signal. Will likely be back to get more.
    Thanks

  10. ล้มได้
    | Reply

    Hello there! Quick question that’s totally off topic.
    Do you know how to make your site mobile friendly?
    My website looks weird when browsing from my iphone.

    I’m trying to find a template or plugin that might be
    able to resolve this problem. If you have any recommendations, please share.
    Cheers!

  11. Keluaran HK
    | Reply

    Heya superb blog! Does running a blog such as this take a
    lot of work? I have absolutely no understanding of coding
    but I was hoping to start my own blog soon. Anyhow, if you have any ideas or techniques
    for new blog owners please share. I know this is off subject however I simply needed to ask.

    Many thanks!

  12. 주부대출
    | Reply

    Hey there I am so thrilled I found your website, I really found you by
    error, while I was browsing on Digg for something else, Regardless I am here now
    and would just like to say thank you for a remarkable post and a all round interesting blog (I also
    love the theme/design), I don’t have time to browse it all at the minute but I have book-marked
    it and also added your RSS feeds, so when I have time
    I will be back to read a lot more, Please do
    keep up the great work.

  17. EarnestInvob
    | Reply

    В нашем обществе, где диплом – это начало отличной карьеры в любой области, многие ищут максимально быстрый и простой путь получения качественного образования. Наличие документа об образовании переоценить просто невозможно. Ведь именно диплом открывает дверь перед людьми, стремящимися начать трудовую деятельность или продолжить обучение в университете.
    Предлагаем очень быстро получить этот важный документ. Вы имеете возможность заказать диплом, что будет отличным решением для человека, который не смог завершить обучение, потерял документ или хочет исправить свои оценки. диплом изготавливается с особой аккуратностью, вниманием к мельчайшим элементам. В итоге вы получите продукт, максимально соответствующий оригиналу.
    Превосходство такого подхода состоит не только в том, что можно оперативно получить диплом. Весь процесс организован удобно, с профессиональной поддержкой. От выбора подходящего образца документа до грамотного заполнения личной информации и доставки по России — все будет находиться под абсолютным контролем опытных мастеров.
    В результате, для тех, кто ищет максимально быстрый способ получения требуемого документа, наша компания может предложить выгодное решение. Купить диплом – это значит избежать продолжительного обучения и не теряя времени переходить к достижению собственных целей: к поступлению в университет или к началу успешной карьеры.
    http://www.diplom-net.ru

  18. erec prime reviews
    | Reply

    Hello There. I found your blog using msn. This is
    a really well written article. I’ll be sure to bookmark it and come
    back to read more of your useful info. Thanks for the post.

    I will certainly comeback.

  19. lembu4d
    | Reply

    I every time emailed this blog post page to all my contacts,
    since if like to read it afterward my links will too.

  20. 급전대출
    | Reply

    Pretty nice post. I just stumbled upon your weblog and wanted to say that I have really enjoyed surfing around your blog posts.

    In any case I’ll be subscribing to your rss feed and I hope
    you write again very soon!

  24. 일수대출
    | Reply

    Thanks a bunch for sharing this with all folks you actually realize what you’re speaking approximately!
    Bookmarked. Please also talk over with my web site =). We could have a link change contract among us

  26. exness
    | Reply

    Hey! Do you know if they make any plugins to safeguard against hackers?
    I’m kinda paranoid about losing everything I’ve worked hard on. Any
    tips?

  28. Indexing
    | Reply

    Everything is very open with a very clear clarification of the issues.
    It was really informative. Your site is very useful. Many thanks for sharing!

  30. bitter
    | Reply

    I really like it when folks come together and share views. Great site, continue the good work!

  31. 일산 출장
    | Reply

    I think that is among the most vital info for me. And i
    am happy reading your article. But want to remark on some basic things, The website style
    is wonderful, the articles is really great : D. Excellent job, cheers

  32. 군포출장안마
    | Reply

    Hey! Someone in my Myspace group shared this site with
    us so I came to give it a look. I’m definitely loving the information. I’m bookmarking and will be tweeting this to my followers!
    Great blog and brilliant design and style.

  36. bounce house rentals Alliance TX
    | Reply

    Great goods from you, man. I’ve understand your stuff previous to and you are just extremely great.
    I actually like what you have acquired here, really
    like what you’re stating and the way in which you say it.

    You make it entertaining and you still take care of to keep
    it sensible. I can’t wait to read much more from you.
    This is actually a great website.

  37. evisa application for turkey
    | Reply

    you are truly a good webmaster. The website loading pace is incredible.
    It seems that you’re doing any distinctive
    trick. Moreover, The contents are masterwork. you
    have performed a fantastic job in this subject!

  38. 화곡동출장마사지
    | Reply

    What you said made a ton of sense. However, what about this?
    suppose you wrote a catchier post title? I mean, I don’t wish to tell
    you how to run your website, however what if you
    added a headline to possibly grab folk’s attention? I
    mean Short term missions are not the race – The Hus Report is a little boring.
    You might glance at Yahoo’s front page and see how they create article titles to get people interested.
    You might add a related video or a related picture or two to grab people
    excited about what you’ve written. In my opinion, it could
    make your blog a little livelier.

  39. M fold manufacturer in Maharashtra
    | Reply

    I’ve been browsing on-line greater than three
    hours lately, yet I by no means found any fascinating article like yours.
    It’s beautiful worth sufficient for me. In my view, if all site owners and bloggers made good
    content material as you probably did, the net will be a lot more helpful than ever before.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *