3 Jul 2017

Short term missions are not the race

by | posted in: Missions | 158,650

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.

158650 Responses

  1. Azaliumbit
    | Reply

    I have been surfing online greater than 3
    hours nowadays, yet I never discovered any attention-grabbing
    article like yours. It is lovely worth enough for me.
    Personally, if all webmasters and bloggers made good content material as you did, the web might be much more
    helpful than ever before.

  2. Porn Sex
    | Reply

    Hi it’s me, I am also visiting this website regularly, this
    web page is genuinely fastidious and the visitors are really sharing pleasant
    thoughts.

  3. Manhasset hair salon
    | Reply

    This is really interesting, You are a very skilled blogger.

    I’ve joined your rss feed and look forward to seeking more
    of your magnificent post. Also, I have shared your site in my social networks!

  6. Chad Lucas
    | Reply

    Wrapowanie aut. Auto-Detailing. Najwyższej jakości folie zabezpieczające. Foliowanie samochodów, jednośladów, ciężarówek i łodzi.
    Foliujemy cztery kółka folią PFF – ochrona lakieru, zmiana koluru auta auto detailing

  8. Tillie Glover
    | Reply

    Biuro nieruchomości to kluczowy partner w transakcjach na rynku nieruchomości. Dzięki swojej znajomości rynku oraz przepisów prawnych, może pomóc uniknąć błędów i formalnych komplikacji biuro nieruchomości Warszawa

  9. Etta Blair
    | Reply

    Skup nieruchomości to szybkie rozwiązanie dla osób chcących sprzedać swoje mieszkanie lub dom. Dzięki temu procesowi można uniknąć długotrwałych formalności związanych z tradycyjną sprzedażą skup nieruchomości

  10. prodentim reviews
    | Reply

    Hello there, You have done an excellent job. I’ll definitely digg it and personally suggest to my friends.
    I’m sure they’ll be benefited from this web site.

  13. Jessie Holt
    | Reply

    Szybka sprzedaż nieruchomości to świetne rozwiązanie dla osób, które potrzebują natychmiastowej gotówki. Dzięki temu procesowi można zaoszczędzić czas na poszukiwaniach kupca skup mieszkań

  14. situs slot
    | Reply

    You’ve made some really good points there. I looked on the internet for
    more information about the issue and found most
    individuals will go along with your views on this website.

  15. Vincent Wagner
    | Reply

    Skup nieruchomości to szybkie rozwiązanie dla osób chcących sprzedać swoje mieszkanie lub dom. Dzięki temu procesowi można uniknąć długotrwałych formalności związanych z tradycyjną sprzedażą skup mieszkań

  17. casino
    | Reply

    Hi! I could have sworn I’ve been to this site before but
    after reading through some of the post I realized it’s new to me.
    Anyways, I’m definitely glad I found it and I’ll be bookmarking and checking back frequently!

  25. indonesian teak wood
    | Reply

    Hello there! This post could not be written any better! Reading through this
    post reminds me of my old room mate! He always kept
    chatting about this. I will forward this
    post to him. Fairly certain he will have a good
    read. Thanks for sharing!

  34. additional resources
    | Reply

    That is very interesting, You’re an excessively professional blogger.
    I’ve joined your rss feed and sit up for looking for more of your great post.
    Additionally, I have shared your web site in my social networks

  35. SITUS PENIPU
    | Reply

    I’m really enjoying the theme/design of your blog.
    Do you ever run into any internet browser compatibility issues?

    A few of my blog readers have complained about my
    website not working correctly in Explorer but looks great in Chrome.
    Do you have any suggestions to help fix this
    issue?

  39. learn here
    | Reply

    hey there and thank you for your info – I’ve certainly picked up anything new
    from right here. I did however expertise a few technical points using this website, as I experienced to reload the website a lot of times previous to I could get it to load properly.
    I had been wondering if your hosting is OK?
    Not that I’m complaining, but sluggish loading instances times will sometimes affect
    your placement in google and can damage your quality score
    if advertising and marketing with Adwords. Well I’m adding this RSS
    to my email and could look out for a lot more of your respective exciting content.
    Make sure you update this again soon.

  42. Phising
    | Reply

    These are genuinely fantastic ideas in regarding blogging.
    You have touched some fastidious things here. Any way keep up wrinting.

  45. index
    | Reply

    Hi there colleagues, how is the whole thing, and
    what you desire to say concerning this paragraph,
    in my view its genuinely awesome in favor of me.

Leave a Reply

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