3 Jul 2017

Short term missions are not the race

by | posted in: Missions | 82,888

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.

82888 Responses

  2. Bone healing
    | Reply

    Safeguarding Versus Intestine Damages
    Each technique has its benefits and drawbacks, and the performance of each method may differ depending on the person. The suggested dose of BPC-157 differs relying on the severity of intestine problems and body weight. Before starting BPC-157, it is very important to speak to a certified specialist to identify the right dose. In our techniques at Regenexx at New Regeneration Orthopedics, we get a lot of concerns about this peptide, so this article is planned to share details about BPC 157 so you can make enlightened choices if considering using it.
    People Looking For Basic Health And Health
    No clear poisoning or negative side effects have actually been reported in researches conducted in rodents, [4] [5] [1] however this research is restricted. Consequently, the biggest disadvantage of BPC-157 is that there is insufficient proof of its security. It’s amazing exactly how it minimizes swelling and rigidity, enabling higher mobility and convenience. It’s impressive just how quickly it promotes mobile regrowth, making it an invaluable property for professional athletes striving for a quick recuperation or any person seeking to improve their performance. Often, worldwide health and wellness patterns and research study can use added perspectives not yet covered by the FDA.

    These researches have not shown clear poisoning or adverse negative effects. However, the significant concern with BPC 157 is the lack of substantial proof validating its security in humans. This is specifically critical provided its prospective impact on different cellular signaling pathways, which might posture serious risks.

    Each function was designated a score from 0 to 3 based upon its absence (0) or presence to a moderate (1 ), modest (2 ), or serious (3) level, and a final histology rating was established (Murao et al., 2003). Liver and spleen weights are shared as a portion of overall body weight (for regular rats, liver, 3.2– 4.0%; spleen, 0.20– 0.26%). ECGs were taped continuously in deeply anesthetized rats for all 3 major leads, by positioning stainless steel electrodes on all 4 limbs utilizing an ECG monitor with a 2090 programmer (Medtronic, USA) attached to a Waverunner LT342 digital oscilloscope (LeCroy, United States) at 30 minutes ligation time. This arrangement enabled specific recordings, dimensions, and analysis of ECG parameters (Vukojevic et al., 2018; Gojkovic et al., 2020; Kolovrat et al., 2020; Gojkovic et al., 2021a; Knezevic et al., 2021a; Knezevic et al., 2021a; Gojkovic et al., 2021b; Knezevic et al., 2021b; Strbe et al., 2021). Pharmacokinetic criteria were reviewed using the WinNonlin software application (variation 5.3) according to a non-atrioventricular model. Straight regression was analyzed in between AUC worths gotten after BPC157 IM management and BPC157 dosages and in between Cmax worths and BPC157 dosages.
    It is feasible that BPC 157 might affect voltage-gated salt channels (VGSCs), which play a major function in the generation and breeding of action possibilities in primary afferents [67] HUVEC, HaCaT, and NIH 3T3 lines were gotten from the American Kind Society Collection. HUVECs and NIH 3T3 cells in Roswell Park Memorial Institute (RPMI) 1640 and HaCaT in Dulbecco’s Minimum Essential Medium (DMEM)/ F-12 tool were cultured in the shown media supplemented with 10% fetal bovine product (FBS) and preserved at 37 ° C in a humidified environment with 5% CO2.
    Extreme bradycardia and asystole appeared as the supreme end result, at 20 ± 2 min (50 mmHg), 25 ± 5 min and 28 ± 2 minutes (30 mmHg and 40 mmHg), and 55 ± 8 minutes (25 mmHg) in control rats under thiopental anesthetic and at 110 ± 25 minutes in esketamine-anesthetized control rats. Nevertheless, the evidence shows that regardless of continually keeping high intra-abdominal stress, in all BPC 157-treated rats, heart function was continually maintained, with fewer ECG disturbances. The sinus rhythm was maintained, with periodic first-degree AV block, however without any ST-elevation. This took place in addition to normal heart microscopic discussion, unlike the myocardial congestion and sub-endocardial infarction observed in controls (Figure 11). BPC 157 (GEPPPGKPADDAGLV, molecular weight 1,419; Diagen, Slovenia) was prepared as a peptide with 99% high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) purity, with 1-des-Gly peptide being the main pollutant. The dose and application routines were as described formerly (Duzel et al., 2017; Amic et al., 2018; Drmic et al., 2018; Vukojevic et al., 2018; Cut et al., 2019; Cesar et al., 2020; Gojkovic et al., 2020; Kolovrat et al., 2020; Vukojevic et al., 2020).

    Nevertheless, this may be because of BPC 157’s clinical infancy and the limited number of published medical test posts exploring the use of the peptide. Nevertheless, all of the researches to day that have actually evaluated BPC 157 as a treatment therapy have demonstrated extremely favorable recovery effects for various injury enters a number of soft cells. However, today, studies are primarily limited to small pet models (mostly rodents) and the efficiency of BPC 157 is yet to be validated in human subjects. From the recent literary works, it can be stated that BPC 157 appears to prevent the majority of functional risks for healing typically seen making use of peptidergic development variables.

  9. bookmarks
    | Reply

    Greetings from Florida! I’m bored at work so I decided to browse your
    blog on my iphone during lunch break. I love the knowledge you present here and can’t wait to take a look when I get home.
    I’m surprised at how fast your blog loaded on my phone ..
    I’m not even using WIFI, just 3G .. Anyhow, excellent site!

    Feel free to visit my webpage :: bookmarks

  21. Bookmarks
    | Reply

    Greetings from California! I’m bored at work so I decided to
    browse your blog on my iphone during lunch break. I love the info you present here and can’t wait to take a look when I get home.
    I’m surprised at how fast your blog loaded on my mobile ..
    I’m not even using WIFI, just 3G .. Anyhow, very good site!

    My web blog … Bookmarks

  22. Bookmarks
    | Reply

    Thanks, I’ve recently been searching for information approximately this subject for
    ages and yours is the best I’ve discovered till now.
    But, what concerning the bottom line? Are you sure
    in regards to the supply?

    Review my web-site; Bookmarks

Leave a Reply

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