Short-term Missions

In my experience as a pastor, there are many benefits of short-term missions:

1. BLESSINGS: People who engage in obeying the great commission are to be blessed abundantly by God. Those who go on short term missions trips realize that we are blessed to be a blessing. The experiences I had were not a feeling of pity or superiority, but a desire to share that which God has blessed me with…whether money or abilities.

2. VISION: Those who go are given greater enlightenment about God and His purposes toward the people groups of the world. You are overwhelmed by the fact that you are a part of a much bigger picture - a much bigger plan then you realize sitting in the pew of the local church. It’s easy to become self-focused in the local church.

3. PURPOSE: Those who go are given a heightened sense of meaning, fulfillment and direction when they give themselves to serve on short term mission projects. New objectives and perspectives are learned about God’s greater plans for the world beyond our own limited personal perspective. You never know how God will use you. Short term mission experiences help one uncover hidden areas of strengths and weaknesses that are helpful in all areas of life, relationships and decision-making.

4. PROJECTS COMPLETED: Some are often able to complete new buildings, worship halls, or training clinics that fulfill the needs of people on the field. Things are accomplished that could never be done by the locals…and God gets the glory!

5. DRAWING CAPACITY: Short termers often attract attention from locals who are interested in seeing their evangelistic films or participating in their medical clinics or sewing classes, or V.B.S. programs. Fresh faces also provoke a sense of curiosity from all sectors of the community that will open up many new doors for the gospel…and the pastors.

6. LONG-TERM COMMITMENTS: Many short termers develop long term commitments to missions…Often going again and again. The need is great in all countries, and Jesus said that we must pray for workers in the harvest field.

7. PRAYERS INCREASED: When people engage in short term missions they pray more fervently. People tend to pray for things that they have some kind of personal involvement.

8. LINKS ESTABLISHED: Many barriers of culture, geography and perceptions are broken down as a result of the favorable relationships that are established in short term missions. You develop a love for the people that can only be God loving them through you. The lives of the local believers are warmed by the spirit of cross-cultural servanthood that the short termers display.

9. Personal EXPERIENCE:  Greater insight is given to those who take part in short term missions as their experience teaches them things they could not learn any other way. There is something to be said for the sights, sounds, smells, and hands on experience.

10. DONATIONS: People who have been on short term missions tend to give much more generously to missions the rest of their lives. They will also encourage other volunteers as a result of participation on short term missions as well. They are apt to engage in local ministries with great enthusiasm, and greater effectiveness.

11. FULL-TIME MISSIONARIES: Some people who go on short term missions are much more likely to commit themselves to full time missionary service. They often need first hand experience before they are willing to commit themselves to missionary service.

12. APPRECIATION: Short term missions give people a greater appreciation for what they have so they are less likely to fail to give thanks for all things.

13. BLESSING: Those who go will be blessed! And they will have a personal testimony that will never be forgotten.

     If you ever get the opportunity... GO!

What's the use?

2 Timothy – 2:20-21

 “In a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and earthenware, and some for noble use, some for ignoble. If anyone purifies himself from what is ignoble, then he will be a vessel for noble use, consecrated and useful to the master of the house, ready for any good work.”

    Most of the commentators take this reference to "a great house" to refer to the church. They see the church as the house of God, which is the term Paul used for this in his first letter to Timothy. But, if we compare what other Scriptures say on this, we discover that Scripture itself forces us to extend this analogy not only to the church, but to the whole world. Every person in the world is a possible vessel for God to use, regardless of what his attitude about God may be.

    Scripture reveals that God uses his enemies, even the devil, to accomplish his work. In the story of the Exodus, in the Old Testament, we learn that not only was Moses the instrument of God but so was Pharaoh… In Isaiah we are told that Nebuchadnezzar was the servant of God (Jeremiah 27:6), even though he was a Babylonian pagan. Cyrus the Persian king is called "God's anointed one," (Isaiah 45:1).  So, Scripture itself supports the idea that God can use anybody, believer or nonbeliever.

    Many nonbelievers will raise the question about the sovereign justice of God. In other words, if God uses someone for whatever purpose, how can God hold that person responsible?  What’s your opinion?

    In this passage in Second Timothy it is clear that the analogy between a house and vessels breaks down when it is applied to human beings. In our homes pots and pans have no choice as to what they are going to be used for -- that is entirely up to the householder -- but in Scripture it is very clear that, when this is applied to human beings, a choice is involved.

    We see that in Verse 21: "If any one purifies himself from what is ignoble, then he will be a vessel for noble use." We have no choice of whether we are going to be used of God or not; the choice we have is what God is going to use us for. That is up to us; it is put in our hands. I grant you we are not dealing with the whole question of the sovereignty of God here. Paul is not dealing with the way God brings about his purposes in man, but he is facing us with a clear responsibility to make a choice in the question of how God is going to use us, whether it will be for a good purpose or not.

    Choice determines the way God uses us. "If a man purifies himself" -- that means man has something to do with it; he has to purify himself. God will never set man's will aside. One of the most remarkable things about the Scriptures is how they preserve for us what we regard as our highest dignity, which is the right to exercise our own will. God does not force us to be used of him; it must always be a willing choice on our part.

    When it says, "he must purify himself," that does not mean that we have the power to deal with our own sins, to cleanse our own lives. We do not have that power. But it does mean that we are responsible to use the cleansing that has been provided.

Example: If you have been working on your car or in the yard and your hands are dirty, you go into the bathroom to clean yourself up with soap and water -- you deliberately choose to use the soap and water provided -- when you have done so you say, "I've cleansed myself." It was not you that did the cleansing (it was the soap and water), but you used that which was provided.

You can go into a bathroom with dirty hands and there is soap and water there, but if you refuse to use them you will come out just as dirty as you went in. You cannot blame the bathroom for that. You cannot blame the soap and water for that…How does that apply to the church?...

    Now notice the result: "If any one purifies himself ... he will be," Paul says, "a vessel unto honor, consecrated and useful, ready for any good work." He will be "consecrated." He becomes adaptable; God can use him in many different ways. Life becomes a tremendous adventure as you discover the innovative ways in which God can use you.

New Year "answers."

    I am starting the new year with some answers to (anonymous) questions I have received, and I have also added an Email widget on my blog and a comment section on my website for this purpose. If you have a question you want answered, I will do my best to do so as often as I can.

Let’s start with this one;

Question; Why do I always feel like I never can live up to what God desires? I listen to sermons and other teachings and I come away feeling defeated. I have this picture in my mind of standing before God and all my sins will be flashed on a screen for all to see…

    First of all, thank you for your questions. I want you to know that there are many other Christians who don’t understand this and have many other questions as well. In my years of ministry, I have tried to do my best to understand God’s Word from all perspectives and teach it to the best of my ability, allowing the Spirit to lead us all into the truth. I hope this will help in some way.

    As believers, we are going to have times when we fail to live up to God’s standards. We may lie, we may lust, we may be unkind at times, or we may struggle with some strong sinful habit in our life that we seem continually defeated by. This is when we need to KNOW – (have the assurance) that we are forgiven because these failures can lead to an overwhelming guilt, and feelings of despair, and fear of God’s judgment.

    I know because I’ve been in this position and I have experienced those same fears and feelings. I’ve also counseled those who, even after many years of being a Christian, still encounter those fears and feelings of despair and guilt. What I want to share with you and what God wants you to know with absolute confidence today is that those feelings of guilt and those fears are totally unwarranted because... As verse 1 of Romans 8 puts it: "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." I want our focus to be on the words “those who are IN Christ Jesus”.

    The Bible gives us many scriptures to go along with this:

(Colossians 1:21-22). “Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation.”

(Romans 5:8) “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us”.

    This is grace.  Forgiveness and love are given to us when we do not deserve them. In fact, we still do not deserve it, nor will we ever deserve it. Grace means that God has forgotten about my past sin, so I should too. “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.” (Romans 8:1-2).

    Grace means that forgiveness and reconciliation with God have come, not based on anything we have done, but on who God is. The Bible says, “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions — it is by grace you have been saved” (Ephesians 2:4-5).

The first and foremost thing we must understand today is: Grace is the defining element of the Christian faith.

    Now, let’s look at another reason the focus is on the words “in Christ”…

1 Thessalonians 4:16 says; “For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.” (speaking of the Rapture of the church) “After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.  Therefore encourage one another with these words.”

2 Corinthians 5:10 says– “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.” – This goes along with 1 Corinthians 3:7-9 – “So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. ⁸ The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. ⁹ For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building. ¹⁰ By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care.¹¹ For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. ¹² If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, ¹³ their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. ¹⁴ If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. ¹⁵ If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.”

    Paul is talking about “deeds” not sin…our deeds are judged as to good or bad,,, the good will be rewarded and the bad will be burned up. There is a quote that says “Only one life, will soon be past, and only those things done for Christ (or with unselfish or right motives) will last.”

Verse 18 – “All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: ¹⁹ that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. 

Matthew 16:27 – “For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.”

Luke 6:23 - “Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven.”

Ephesians 6:8 “Because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do, whether they are slave or free.”

Hebrews 11:6 – “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”

Revelation 11:18 – “The time has come for judging the dead, and for rewarding your servants the prophets and your people who revere your name, both great and small”

Finnally, Revelation 22:12 – “Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done.”

So, you see, judgment for our sins took place at the Cross, If we believe our sins were forgiven, we are IN Christ and are now “whosoevers”…Jesus said “Whosoever believes in me shall be saved!” If this were not true, why would we look forward to heaven?