3 Jul 2017

Short term missions are not the race

by | posted in: Missions | 111,572

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.

111572 Responses

  1. indosathifi.web.id
    | Reply

    After going over a handful of the blog articles on your website,
    I honestly like your technique of blogging. I saved it to
    my bookmark webpage list and will be checking back in the
    near future. Please check out my web site as well and tell me what you think.

  2. clicken
    | Reply

    Hi there i am kavin, its my first time to commenting
    anywhere, when i read this article i thought i could
    also create comment due to this good paragraph.

  4. brand-astral.fr
    | Reply

    Heya i’m for the first time here. I found this board and I to find It really helpful & it helped me out a lot.
    I hope to present something again and aid others like you helped me.

  6. evisa for vietnam
    | Reply

    It’s in point of fact a great and helpful piece of info.
    I am satisfied that you simply shared this useful info with us.
    Please stay us up to date like this. Thank you for sharing.

  9. evisa for vietnam
    | Reply

    Hi there! This is my first comment here so I just wanted to give a quick shout out and tell you I genuinely enjoy reading
    your articles. Can you suggest any other blogs/websites/forums that cover the same topics?
    Thanks a ton!

  16. exness broker in dubai
    | Reply

    I’m Ewa. Invoicing is her day job now and she’ll be promoted soon. Minnesota is the place he loves most but
    his wife wants to be able to move. To watch movies ‘s something
    my husband doesn’t appreciate but I.

  20. Nitric Boost Ultra Reviews
    | Reply

    I like the helpful info you provide in your articles. I will bookmark your weblog and check
    again here regularly. I’m quite sure I’ll learn many new stuff right here!
    Best of luck for the next!

  22. Betgaranti
    | Reply

    Excellent blog you have here.. It’s hard to find high quality
    writing like yours these days. I seriously appreciate people like you!
    Take care!!

  23. Vivian Wiza
    | Reply

    Subscriptions: Offer exclusive content to your subscribers and create a steady income stream. Set your own subscription rates and provide your fans with the value they can’t find anywhere else.

  26. gagner de l'argent
    | Reply

    Hey there, You’ve done a great job. I’ll certainly digg it and personally recommend to
    my friends. I am sure they’ll be benefited from this website.

  28. Myrepublic Jaktim
    | Reply

    Excellent beat ! I wish to apprentice while you amend your website,
    how could i subscribe for a weblog site? The account aided me a appropriate
    deal. I were a little bit familiar of this your broadcast offered vibrant clear idea

  31. evisa for vietnam
    | Reply

    Hello, I do believe your web site might be having browser compatibility
    issues. Whenever I look at your web site in Safari, it looks fine however when opening in Internet Explorer, it has some overlapping issues.
    I merely wanted to give you a quick heads up! Aside from that, excellent blog!

  32. indonesian child porn
    | Reply

    Hello there! This is kind of off topic but I need some advice from an established blog.
    Is it very difficult to set up your own blog?
    I’m not very techincal but I can figure things out pretty quick.
    I’m thinking about making my own but I’m not sure where
    to start. Do you have any tips or suggestions? Cheers

  40. цена печать фотографии
    | Reply

    Распечатка фотографий — это процесс переноса изображений с цифровых носителей на бумагу. Мы предлагаем качественные услуги по доступной цене. У нас вы можете заказать https://kubik-kazan.ru/pechatnie-uslugi/ от стандартных до нестандартных. Работаем с разными видами бумаги и предлагаем различные виды отделки: ламинирование, глянцевая и матовая ламинация, покрытие лаком.

  41. 咖啡师课程
    | Reply

    Good post. I learn something new and challenging on sites I stumbleupon everyday.
    It’s always helpful to read through content from other writers and use a little something from their sites.

  42. 柏掲示板
    | Reply

    A four-cylinder automobile may have 4 spark plugs; a six-cylinder automotive will have six and so on (although a HEMI engine has two plugs per cylinder).

  48. 乳腺科 横浜
    | Reply

    In instances where the policy owner shouldn’t be the insured (also referred to because the celui qui vit or CQV), insurance coverage corporations have sought to restrict coverage purchases to those with an insurable curiosity in the CQV.

  49. Amazon EC2 AMI
    | Reply

    Do you have a spam issue on this blog; I also am a
    blogger, and I was curious about your situation; we have developed some nice methods and we are
    looking to trade techniques with other folks, why not
    shoot me an email if interested.

    Feel free to surf to my web-site: Amazon EC2 AMI

  50. indian nri porn
    | Reply

    I’m truly enjoying the design and layout of your site.
    It’s a very easy on the eyes which makes it much more pleasant for me to
    come here and visit more often. Did you hire out a designer to create your theme?
    Excellent work!

Leave a Reply

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