3 Jul 2017

Short term missions are not the race

by | posted in: Missions | 188,478

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.

188478 Responses

  5. orbitxch
    | Reply

    Hello I am so excited I found your blog page, I really found you by
    error, while I was researching on Bing for something else, Nonetheless I am here now and would just like to say thanks a lot for a marvelous post and a all
    round enjoyable blog (I also love the theme/design), I don’t have time
    to read it all at the moment but I have saved it and also added
    your RSS feeds, so when I have time I will be back to read a lot
    more, Please do keep up the great b.

  6. what is the salt trick
    | Reply

    Your style is really unique in comparison to other folks I have read stuff from.

    Many thanks for posting when you’ve got the opportunity, Guess I
    will just book mark this page.

  17. Азино777 быстрые выплаты
    | Reply

    Добро пожаловать в популярном Azino 777 – онлайн-казино, в котором каждый пользователь насладится азартом в захватывающих слотах. Хотите найти надежном азартном клубе с выгодными бонусами, то https://cazino777-betoasis.com/ – лучшее решение!

    Что превращает Azino 777 в топовый сервисов азартных развлечений?

    Впечатляющий выбор слотов от известных провайдеров.
    Щедрые вознаграждения на первый депозит и активных пользователей.
    Надежные способы пополнения счета и оперативные выводы средств.
    24/7 служба поддержки для решения любых вопросов.
    Адаптивный интерфейс на компьютере и мобильной версии, обеспечивающий комфортную игру.

    Почувствуйте яркие эмоции от игры в Azino 777 уже прямо сейчас!

  18. Gluco6 reviews
    | Reply

    I think everything said made a ton of sense.
    But, think about this, what if you were to create a awesome
    post title? I ain’t suggesting your content is not good., but suppose you added something
    that makes people desire more? I mean Short
    term missions are not the race – The Hus Report is a little vanilla.
    You should peek at Yahoo’s front page and see how
    they create news titles to grab people interested.
    You might add a related video or a pic or two to get people interested about what you’ve written. In my opinion,
    it might make your posts a little livelier.

  20. Click here
    | Reply

    Thank you a bunch for sharing this with all of us you really know what you’re talking approximately!
    Bookmarked. Kindly also discuss with my web site =).

    We can have a link exchange contract among us

  24. PENIPU
    | Reply

    Simply desire to say your article is as astounding.
    The clarity in your post is simply great and i could assume you are
    an expert on this subject. Well with your permission let me to grab your feed to keep updated with forthcoming post.
    Thanks a million and please continue the rewarding work.

  27. PENIPU
    | Reply

    Admiring the dedication you put into your website
    and in depth information you provide. It’s great to come across a blog
    every once in a while that isn’t the same out of date rehashed information. Excellent read!

    I’ve saved your site and I’m including your RSS feeds to my Google account.

  36. cash for test strips
    | Reply

    Hi, Neat post. There is a problem together with your website
    in internet explorer, might check this? IE still is the marketplace
    chief and a good part of people will omit your great writing due to this problem.

  40. Anne Payne
    | Reply

    Skup nieruchomości to idealna opcja dla tych, którzy potrzebują natychmiastowej gotówki za swoją nieruchomość. Dzięki temu procesowi można zaoszczędzić czas na poszukiwanie kupca i negocjacje cenowe Odwiedź ten link

  41. welcome casino bonus
    | Reply

    Aw, this was a really good post. Spending some time and actual effort to create a very good article… but what can I say… I hesitate a
    lot and never manage to get nearly anything done.

  47. Podcasty o rybaření
    | Reply

    Zdravím autor,

    Váš článek je dobře napsaný. Jsem nadšen, když narazím na tyhle články.
    Označujivaši stránku doo oblibených a nepochybně se zase podívám pro nové posty.

    Jaká část informace vás interesoval a proč si myslíte, že to
    ovlivňuje české čtenáře?

    Pokračujte v takto informativnípráci!

    Mimochodem byy mě zajímalo , pokud bytste
    měl/a čas probrat některé detaily ohledně tématiky.

    Děkuji za informace a At vás úspěšný dny!

    Bez podpisu

    my homepage; Podcasty o rybaření

Leave a Reply

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