Obedience - "Should I stay or should I go?" Yes! Jesus said, "You will be witnesses to me in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8). Mission minded Christians take this to mean that our witness for Christ will have an ever expanding geographic reach. Churches minister the love of Jesus in a host of ways in their community AND they take the message of Christ to other places. Maybe the proper question isn't, "Why are you going, but why am I not committed to Acts 1:8 missions?"
Camaraderie - It's not the only reason I go on mission trips, but it's a great fringe benefit. The deepening of friendships that occurs in the process of travelling and serving Christ together with others is one of my favorite aspects. The interesting thing is that being with people on mission trips is also hugely stressful. We get on each other's nerves. We are stretching toward deadlines. We are always adjusting and responding. We are required to find the best, God-enabled facets of our personalities and call them forth. I can't recall ever going on a mission trip that didn't include apologies among team members. That's awesome! It's how Christian character is formed!
Evangelism - I'm not ever going to agree to participate in a mission trip that doesn't have a Gospel focus. Physically improving the quality of a person's life is a worthy goal. The lady we assisted this year in Cleveland, TN was ambulatory. She is diabetic and has had numerous amputations, eventually requiring the complete removal of her lower leg. The entrance to her home was about 6 feet off the ground. She was literally a captive in her on home since 2014. Ocoee Outreach in Cleveland identified this woman as being economically incapable of making this repair happen without assistance. To hear her express thanks in tears for the gift of mobility that most of us take for granted was moving. Building a wheel chair ramp was literally life changing for her. To be able to ask, "Could we share with you why we left our homes and slept in a hotel all week to do this?" That is the payoff. Serving others helps us gain a hearing for the Gospel. Our service enhances our credibility.
Being stretched by service, being away from home and family and creature comforts makes me think, "Man I'll be glad when my life gets back to normal." But I've become more and more aware, it's not my life. "I died and my life is hidden with God in Christ. If One died for all then all have died, and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again." I'm not trying to sound heroic. I'm really not. I miss it far more than I get it. But I know that being a mission-minded Christian matters. I absolutely believe that missions begins in our own community, but our commitment to serve Christ shouldn't end there.
Comments