3 Jul 2017

Short term missions are not the race

by | posted in: Missions | 219,359

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.

219359 Responses

  4. can you buy generic allegra pills
    | Reply

    can i order allegra how to get generic allegra without rx cost of allegra no prescription
    cost cheap allegra buying cheap allegra pill cheap allegra without rx
    buying generic allegra prices
    how to get generic allegra prices order allegra prices can i purchase cheap allegra without a prescription
    can you buy cheap allegra online buy allegra without prescription can i get generic allegra tablets

  14. rượu đắt nhất thế giới
    | Reply

    I do accept as true with all of the ideas you have presented to your post.

    They’re very convincing and can definitely work. Still, the posts are too quick for newbies.
    May you please lengthen them a bit from subsequent time?
    Thank you for the post.

  15. ED Doctor
    | Reply

    Hello, i think that i saw you visited my site
    so i came to “return the favor”.I’m trying to find things to enhance my site!I suppose its ok to use a few of your ideas!!

  16. webpage
    | Reply

    Hi there, I found your web site by the use of Google whilst looking for a similar matter, your website came up, it
    seems to be good. I’ve bookmarked it in my google bookmarks.

    Hello there, simply was alert to your weblog through Google,
    and located that it is truly informative.
    I am going to watch out for brussels. I’ll appreciate in case you proceed this in future.
    A lot of other people can be benefited out of your writing.
    Cheers!

  18. Receipt Scanner App
    | Reply

    Informative post! I’ve always struggled with expenses can be a hassle,
    especially during tax season. Just last week I discovered a really helpful free
    receipt scanner app that simplifies expense management super
    convenient. Highly recommend if you’re looking to organize receipts!

  36. Live Draw SDY Pools
    | Reply

    I’m not sure why but this website is loading very slow for me.
    Is anyone else having this issue or is it a issue on my end?
    I’ll check back later on and see if the problem still exists.

  37. Immediate Luminary
    | Reply

    Hello! I know this is kind of off-topic however I needed to ask.
    Does operating a well-established blog like yours require
    a large amount of work? I am completely new to writing a
    blog but I do write in my journal daily. I’d like to start a blog
    so I will be able to share my experience and thoughts online.
    Please let me know if you have any kind of recommendations
    or tips for new aspiring blog owners. Thankyou!

  39. angka keramat sgp hari ini
    | Reply

    First of all I want to say fantastic blog! I had a quick question in which
    I’d like to ask if you don’t mind. I was curious to know how you center yourself and clear your thoughts prior
    to writing. I’ve had trouble clearing my thoughts in getting
    my ideas out. I truly do enjoy writing however it just seems like the first 10 to 15 minutes are usually wasted simply just trying to figure out
    how to begin. Any recommendations or tips? Thank you!

  41. sex cùng gái
    | Reply

    By the entrance to the Melbourne Art Fair is a major commission by Dawn Ng – a video of a frozen block of pigment,
    that has thawed over 20 hours.

    Condensed into a 20-minute video, it’s mesmerising, disconcerting and
    a reminder of the brain-melting effects of rapidly consuming vast amounts of contemporary art.

    The Melbourne Art Fair, which opens on Thursday, offers work by more
    than 100 artists from 70 galleries and Indigenous art centres.

    Held at the Melbourne Exhibition and Convention Centre, it’s a
    chance to see some of the latest work by leading artists
    and check out large-scale commissions that will soon be headed for art institutions.

    One of these commissions is a tubular steel installation by Auckland-based artist Yona Lee, that sees
    her using kinetic elements for the first time.

    Could this be the first ever artwork to deploy tubes,
    clocks, lamps, fans … and robot vacuums?

    The artwork titled Smart sculpture incorporates two of these, one bearing a mop
    and the other a broom, that meander about inside a steel frame.

    Kuku Yalanji/Kalkadoon artist Kim Ah Sam’s collection of woven sculptures Our Country are also mobile, although they don’t keep the floor clean: made
    of repurposed materials such as old bamboo blinds, they hover and spin in the
    air.

    The works are inspired by termite mounds and mountains, and each one is the product of hours of weaving and many sleepless nights,
    the artist explained.

    Our Country is installed not far from an artwork that could not be more
    different – a bedazzled, LED-lit hearse titled F*** Me Dead, by artist Paul Yore.

    “It used to belong to a funeral home. I found it online, actually – I’m an avid collector of things,” Yore told reporters.

    New works by well-known artists were also on show at the fair’s gallery booths, with dozens of paintings and prints
    by John Wolseley at Australian Galleries, inspired by the return of endangered
    animals to the Northern Territory.

    At Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery there’s the latest series of large scale photographs from Tracey Moffat titled The Burning, frontier landscapes
    that form the setting for one of Moffat’s mysterious dramas, played out
    in a series of stills.

    Meanwhile at Ames Yavuz, Reko Rennie – whose retrospective at the NGV finished up in January – shows off a recent move into figurative painting.

    One standout booth is the Australian Tapestry Workshop, where collaborations with
    artists including Atong Atem and Janet Laurence are on show, and visitors can get a peek at
    vibrant samples from a major four-by-10-metre weaving project for the Footscray Hospital, due to be installed
    later in the year.

    Possibly the most expensive work for sale is
    a $US200,000 ($A310,000) four-screen video work by the international art collective teamLab, on show at Sydney’s Martin Browne Contemporary.

    Whoever buys this will almost certainly be allowed into the Fair’s
    VIP lounge, which is sectioned off using inflatable flesh-coloured
    walls – worth seeing, even if you can’t get inside.

    At MARS Gallery, Kenny Pittock continues his long-running series
    of shopping lists, from the tiniest scrap of paper rendered in ceramics,
    to a large scale aluminium version that reads “peas, bread cream, my red wine.”

    The galleries will be hoping Melbourne’s art lovers will add
    some works of art to their shopping lists too.

    Melbourne Art Fair runs until Sunday.

  44. casinos online chile
    | Reply

    Greate article. Keep posting such kind of information on your blog.

    Im really impressed by it.
    Hi there, You’ve done a great job. I’ll definitely digg it and in my view recommend to my friends.

    I’m confident they’ll be benefited from this site.

Leave a Reply

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