3 Jul 2017

Short term missions are not the race

by | posted in: Missions | 195,430

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.

195430 Responses

  3. apply tourist visa philippines
    | Reply

    Hey I know this is off topic but I was wondering
    if you knew of any widgets I could add to my blog that
    automatically tweet my newest twitter updates. I’ve been looking for a plug-in like this for quite some time and
    was hoping maybe you would have some experience with
    something like this. Please let me know if you run into anything.
    I truly enjoy reading your blog and I look forward to your new updates.

  16. Fund Fusion
    | Reply

    Undeniably believe that which you stated. Your favorite justification appeared to
    be on the internet the easiest thing to be aware of.

    I say to you, I definitely get irked while people
    think about worries that they plainly do not know about.
    You managed to hit the nail upon the top and also defined out the
    whole thing without having side effect ,
    people can take a signal. Will likely be back to get more.
    Thanks

  24. apply tourist visa bahrain
    | Reply

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

  34. move and storage
    | Reply

    Hello exceptional website! Does running a blog like this take a massive amount
    work? I’ve absolutely no understanding of computer
    programming however I was hoping to start my own blog soon. Anyways, should you have any recommendations
    or tips for new blog owners please share. I know this is off topic however I
    simply needed to ask. Thanks!

  37. Josie May
    | Reply

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

  44. Immediate FastX
    | Reply

    I have been exploring for a bit for any high quality articles or blog posts in this
    kind of area . Exploring in Yahoo I finally stumbled upon this web site.
    Reading this info So i’m happy to exhibit that I’ve a very good uncanny
    feeling I discovered just what I needed.
    I most for sure will make sure to do not disregard this website and provides it a glance regularly.

  48. togel online
    | Reply

    Thank you for the good writeup. It in fact was a amusement account it.
    Look advanced to more added agreeable from you! However, how
    can we communicate?

  50. medicine online order
    | Reply

    I blog frequently and I seriously thank you for your information. This great article has truly peaked my interest.
    I am going to take a note of your site and keep checking for new details
    about once a week. I subscribed to your Feed too.

Leave a Reply

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