3 Jul 2017

Short term missions are not the race

by | posted in: Missions | 160,198

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.

160198 Responses

  2. bokep terbaru 2024
    | Reply

    Heya! I just wanted to ask if you ever have any issues with
    hackers? My last blog (wordpress) was hacked and I ended up
    losing many months of hard work due to no back up. Do you have any solutions to prevent hackers?

  5. click site
    | Reply

    Generally I don’t read post on blogs, but I would like to say that this write-up very
    forced me to try and do so! Your writing taste has been amazed me.

    Thank you, quite nice post.

  20. tie
    | Reply

    I don’t even understand how I finished up here, but I thought this submit was great.
    I do not know who you are however definitely you’re going to a well-known blogger if you aren’t already.

    Cheers!

  24. SITUS PENIPUAN
    | Reply

    whoah this weblog is great i really like reading your posts.

    Keep up the good work! You already know, a lot of individuals are hunting round for this
    info, you can help them greatly.

  27. kikototo slot
    | Reply

    Thanks for ones marvelous posting! I certainly enjoyed reading it,
    you happen to be a great author. I will be sure to bookmark
    your blog and may come back down the road. I want
    to encourage that you continue your great writing, have a nice holiday weekend!

  30. xnxx
    | Reply

    Similar to numerous queer girls who got here earlier than, during, and after my free-porn time, I used to be turned off by ladies
    who did not actually appear to be enjoying sex with each other, and seemingly apparent indicators that they weren’t queer in any respect (good
    day, 9-inch stiletto fingernails). As an example, in countries like
    the India and the Philippines which have median ages which are lower than the world common (22 and 27, in comparison with 29 worldwide),
    there are a lot higher proportions of youthful viewers.
    As content material-supplier firms like Netflix and Amazon move into the content-manufacturing enterprise, MindGeek gives a glimpse of how the alignment of incentives can change.
    The scheme brought in a lot cash that the profits had been invested in a
    phone firm, bank, and greater than sixty four shell corporations and foreign bank accounts.
    Or, moderately, by extorting money from them to
    make the humiliation stop. He stated that to keep
    away from spending money on a product that’s not proper (it’s normally not doable to
    return a used sex toy), people ought to take the time to research the toys they’re shopping for.

    Take the Genovese household’s Moishe “Morris” Levy, recognized in some circles as
    the Godfather of rock-and-roll.

  40. bokep anak kecil
    | Reply

    Hmm it seems like your blog ate my first comment (it was super long) so
    I guess I’ll just sum it up what I had written and say, I’m thoroughly enjoying your
    blog. I too am an aspiring blog blogger but I’m still new
    to everything. Do you have any suggestions for beginner blog writers?

    I’d definitely appreciate it.

Leave a Reply

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