Someone I know recently got their identity stolen. The money in every single one of their accounts was gone, social security was compromised, and the person who did it was not caught. This is something that could happen to anyone of us at anytime. Nobody can secure their identity well enough to know without a doubt that it will not get hacked into. That’s a terrible thought isn’t it? The more I thought of it though, even if we lose everything—our money, our good name, our jobs, or our loved ones, we can always find our identity in Christ. God will never leave us or forsake us. The world can be falling apart around us, we can be stripped of everything we have built for ourselves in this world, and he will remain faithful.
A go-to example of this would be Job. Job is a man in the Old Testament who had unparalleled wealth and influence. He had over 10,000 animals and 10 kids as well as many servants. At the same time he was a man of God. Satan got permission from God to make every effort to get Job to curse God. He took Job’s possessions, he took the lives of his family, and he spread disease throughout the household, leaving Job barren before the Lord with nothing to offer and no apparent reason for his demise. Yet even when Job is confronted with more sorrow and loss than anyone, he responds with humility:
2 “I know that you can do all things;
no purpose of yours can be thwarted.
3 You asked, ‘Who is this that obscures my plans without knowledge?’
Surely I spoke of things I did not understand,
things too wonderful for me to know.
4 “You said, ‘Listen now, and I will speak;
I will question you,
and you shall answer me.’
5 My ears had heard of you
but now my eyes have seen you.
6 Therefore I despise myself
and repent in dust and ashes.” (Job 42:2-6)
Job realized that he is a child of the king of kings. He belongs to the Alpha and Omega, Beginning and the End, the Prince of Peace, and the Lord of Lords. He realizes that, in fact, the realization that such a magnificent God has claimed him as his own is so much greater than his identity found in his own accomplishment or gain. If our God is for us, which he is, than nothing can overcome us! When our identity gets muddled in the mess of life we can remain confident in the fact that “our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body,” (Philippians 3:20-21).
Behold he comes! Riding on the clouds!
Monday, November 21, 2011
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Mission
This is a paper that I wrote last spring for my Theology of Missions class. Pretty interesting stuff to think about...
The Christian mission encompasses handing out tracts on a street corner, feeding the homeless, preaching from the pulpit, and even going on a crusade (campus crusade hopefully). With all of the different types of ministry one can get involved in, I have found that it can be overwhelming to try and find a niche in which I feel like I am being an effective ‘missionary’ of the gospel. One of the ways to partake in missional work that is becoming more and more popular is short-term mission trips. These short-term trips are relatively cheap, they can be completed in just a few weeks, and they give people an opportunity to experience global Christianity. However, despite the positive results that short-term mission trips portray, I contend that these trips are not the most biblical, or the most effective way in which to go about mission.
We must first look at the core of what mission is. Or rather, what does mission look like? One of the first passages of scripture that people turn to is Matthew 28:19-20, the great commission, which says “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Another passage of scripture that people look to when thinking about what mission looks like is Luke 10:1-12:
"After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road. “When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ If someone who promotes peace is there, your peace will rest on them; if not, it will return to you. Stay there, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house. “When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is offered to you. Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, ‘Even the dust of your town we wipe from our feet as a warning to you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God has come near.’ I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town."
This is not the mentality that most people approach mission with today. Many people, especially those who are going on short-term trips, bring everything they need as well as everything the people whom they are visiting will need. They take on the mentality of benevolence and power that goes along with bringing gifts and necessities to those who are lacking instead of becoming like Christ, “Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant,” (Philippians 2:6-7). This makes it possible for missionaries to rely on themselves and/or their material possessions rather than on Christ.
This is not such a cut and dry issue as it may appear though. In today’s world it is extremely difficult to go into the mission field without bringing anything. It may even be considered a moral blunder to go into an impoverish village with nothing to offer, expecting to be welcomed, fed, and accepted into the community. Also, with the expenses of travel sky-rocketing it is not feasible for many aspiring missionaries to not plan ahead and have a budget. The western church most often solves the problem by simply ignoring Luke chapter 10, or by explaining it away by saying that we can bring things, but we should restrain from enforcing expectations upon the trip (such as getting a certain amount of conversions or handing out a certain number of bibles).
How are short-term mission trips usually handled? Well, they are becoming the popular thing to do with a youth group. Most youth groups gather a team together, spend the year fundraising, get a few dollars from their church, and spend a week or two in a different country. The trips themselves can vary greatly in what they are trying to accomplish, it can include anything form helping a medical site, rebuilding homes, helping with disaster relief, or even to help run a vacation bible school. Along with these acts of service, every youth group finds some time to do some site-seeing or some souvenir buying as well. Andrew Root describes a 1995 mission trip he was a part of that went to Trinidad and Tobago:
“We left the beautiful modern Miami airport, where we spent our two-hour layover shoveling our faces with cheeseburgers, to land in a little rundown airport in Port of Spain. That night we visited impoverished local churches, and the next day walked around the downtown mall. We traveled to a small village, almost untouched by modernization, to run a Vacation Bible School, then spent the next day bodysurfing and eating shark sandwiches as we baked our upper Midwestern bodies in the Caribbean sun. We sang songs for the poorest of the elderly in the government nursing homes, and then spent our last two days on the resort island of Tobago, sipping (virgin) cocktails under beach umbrellas, buying souvenirs and wasting our parents’ spending money. It was a mission trip mixed with a vacation. It was global service mixed with global tourism”
This seems to be a pretty common experience. Short-term service coupled with vacationing. Is this wrong? The gospel is being presented, people are reaching a global audience, Christian values are being experienced, and Christian influence is being spread. I look at 1 Corinthians 10:23 which says, “‘I have the right to do anything,’ you say—but not everything is beneficial. ‘I have the right to do anything’—but not everything is constructive,” as well as Philippians 1:18 which says, “But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice.” In one sense, the gospel is being presented and people are being sent out to do the work of the Lord. At the same time however, I believe it is important to recognize the flaws in sending short term missionaries.
When looking critically at my own missional experience I can see that I am guilty of participating in a short-term service/vacation mission trip. I spent two weeks in Ukraine the summer after I graduated high school. The first week we spent participating in a summer camp with a Ukrainian youth group. This was very interesting because it gave us an opportunity to befriend several of the youth that attended the church that we were staying at. The second week we helped with vacation bible schools at three different locations. We were able to work with the youth that we had met the previous week, which was helpful, but we had one translator for every 8 Americans that went, so we encountered some language barriers. Between both of these activities we spent time touring two different Ukrainian cities, enjoying the different foods and monuments that they had to offer.
At the time I did not realize exactly how much we were flaunting our money. We would make trips to a local store daily to get little treats for ourselves, we would walk into any given store and drop anywhere between 40 and 100 Hryvnia (1 U.S. dollar=8 Hryvnia), and we brought several gifts with us to present to the church. While I am sure they are grateful for the gifts, this type of ministry can portray a hierarchy even simply between nationalities. I am sure that several of the young Ukrainian children thought that all Americans are rich and that we brought all of the answers. In fact, an 8 year old boy came up to me with a big grin on his face, pulling on my arm while asking the same question over and over again emphatically. It was not until I found a translator that I was able to understand the young boy’s question which was: “Do you live in a mansion and drive a Mustang?” At the time I thought it was a very funny question to be asking, but did not really realize why he would ask such a question. He had begun to associate Americans with money. Our mission in his small village was to show Christ. By the end of the week I am sure that he associated Christianity with Americans and wealth.
So if short-term mission trips aren’t effective, what types of mission are effective? Well when looking back at Luke chapter 10, it seems as though the 72 that Jesus sent out are expected to stay for a longer period of time, enjoying the company and getting to know those whom he is sharing life with. It does not give a particular amount of time that is the ideal amount of time. The Apostle Paul takes a similar approach, often telling of how he stays in one place for quite a while, getting to know his brothers and sisters before moving on. This is much less convenient today than it was back then because of the simple fact that it took several days to travel to different cities back then, while today we can drive across an entire country or fly across the world in a day.
When looking at my extended missional experience, I find that it has been very rewarding. I have spent 3 summers working as a counselor at Camp Nathanael. Camp Nate is an all-boys summer camp run through CSB ministries (Christian Service Brigade). At camp we canoed, shot guns, rode horses, hiked, read the bible, cooked meals over a fire, and built relationships with campers throughout the entire summer. Camp did not have electricity in cabins, it did not have cell phone service, and, did I mention it was all boys? Many of the distractions of daily life were taken away and replaced with activities that would encourage fellowship and spiritual growth. I was able to feel close to God in a way that I have not felt since. Also, the relationship that I built with the other counselors was that of a brotherhood. I could call up any one of the other men that I worked with and have a great conversation with them today, even three years after my last summer at camp. Being at camp the entire summer also provided some continuity for the gospel we were presenting. Rather than going to people’s churches or homes with flashy methods of presenting the gospel, we simply had campers come experience nature and brotherly fellowship. Through the genuine relationships built during the week we would be able to present Christ to them through scripture, song, and prayer. After we presented the gospel we would then make an effort to keep in touch with our campers through facebook or email even after the camp season was over.
When looking at the history of modern missions we can break mission work down into three narratives: the Evangelistic narrative, the benevolence narrative, and the expansionist narrative. I am not claiming that any one of these is a ‘correct’ narrative; rather I want to discuss the strengths and flaws in each one. The Evangelistic narrative focuses mostly on the relay of information about Christ. I think of missionaries that translate the bible into indigenous languages, or the radio show that brought thousands to Christ in Vietnam. This narrative emphasizes the gospels as well as conversion through a statement of faith as well as baptism.
The benevolence narrative focuses on the financial side of missions. A crude way of describing the narrative would be to say that it just throws money at people in the name of Christ. This is necessary in the fact that it supports many of the missionaries financially around the world, but at the same time it allows for people to compartmentalize Christ and feel like they have accomplished their missional goal by just writing out a check. Benevolence is important, but it cannot exist without another branch of mission.
The expansionist narrative focuses on bringing Christ and the church to all parts of the world. This was particularly popular during colonial times when the superpowers of the world would go into countries and force religion upon them. A few places received this well, but in many cases they were met with resistance. This narrative is based mainly upon the great commission in Matthew 28, but has many flaws along with it. Yes, it brings Christianity to many places that it has not been, but at what cost? It ignores the ideals of love and grace that Jesus emphasized so greatly in the Gospels.
It seems as though Christians have been searching for the right way to ‘do mission’ for a very long time. It is easy to be critical of things, but very difficult to put your full support into any single narrative or style. Through my personal experience and through interpretation of the scripture, I would have to say that short-term mission trips are definitely not the most effective way to communicate the gospel and Christ’s love. I would contend that a much more holistic, self-sacrificial form of mission would be more effective. However, when it comes down to it, “What does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice,” (Philippians 1:18).
Bibliography:
Root, A. (2008). The Youth Ministry Mission Trip as Global Tourism: Are we OK with this?. Dialog: A Journal of Theology, 47(4), 314-319. doi:10.1111/j.1540-6385.2008.00410.x
Jeffrey, P. (2001). Short-term mission trips. Christian Century, 118(34), 5. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
Short-Term Troubles. (2007). Christianity Today, 51(11), 76. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
Marrs, R. (2006). Maximum Impact Short-term Missions. Journal of Youth Ministry, 5(1), 123-124. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
Koll, K. (2010). Taking Wolves Among Lambs: Some Thoughts on Training for Short-Term Mission Facilitation. International Bulletin of Missionary Research, 34(2), 93-96. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
Guthrie, S. (2006). SERVING WITH EYES WIDE OPEN: Doing Short-Term Missions with Cultural Intelligence. Christianity Today, 50(12), 64. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
(1996, November 11). McMissions. Christianity Today. p. 14. Retrieved from EBSCOhost..
Howell, B. M. (2009). Mission to Nowhere: Putting Short-Term Missions into Context. International Bulletin of Missionary Research, 33(4), 206-211. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
The Christian mission encompasses handing out tracts on a street corner, feeding the homeless, preaching from the pulpit, and even going on a crusade (campus crusade hopefully). With all of the different types of ministry one can get involved in, I have found that it can be overwhelming to try and find a niche in which I feel like I am being an effective ‘missionary’ of the gospel. One of the ways to partake in missional work that is becoming more and more popular is short-term mission trips. These short-term trips are relatively cheap, they can be completed in just a few weeks, and they give people an opportunity to experience global Christianity. However, despite the positive results that short-term mission trips portray, I contend that these trips are not the most biblical, or the most effective way in which to go about mission.
We must first look at the core of what mission is. Or rather, what does mission look like? One of the first passages of scripture that people turn to is Matthew 28:19-20, the great commission, which says “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Another passage of scripture that people look to when thinking about what mission looks like is Luke 10:1-12:
"After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road. “When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ If someone who promotes peace is there, your peace will rest on them; if not, it will return to you. Stay there, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house. “When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is offered to you. Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, ‘Even the dust of your town we wipe from our feet as a warning to you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God has come near.’ I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town."
This is not the mentality that most people approach mission with today. Many people, especially those who are going on short-term trips, bring everything they need as well as everything the people whom they are visiting will need. They take on the mentality of benevolence and power that goes along with bringing gifts and necessities to those who are lacking instead of becoming like Christ, “Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant,” (Philippians 2:6-7). This makes it possible for missionaries to rely on themselves and/or their material possessions rather than on Christ.
This is not such a cut and dry issue as it may appear though. In today’s world it is extremely difficult to go into the mission field without bringing anything. It may even be considered a moral blunder to go into an impoverish village with nothing to offer, expecting to be welcomed, fed, and accepted into the community. Also, with the expenses of travel sky-rocketing it is not feasible for many aspiring missionaries to not plan ahead and have a budget. The western church most often solves the problem by simply ignoring Luke chapter 10, or by explaining it away by saying that we can bring things, but we should restrain from enforcing expectations upon the trip (such as getting a certain amount of conversions or handing out a certain number of bibles).
How are short-term mission trips usually handled? Well, they are becoming the popular thing to do with a youth group. Most youth groups gather a team together, spend the year fundraising, get a few dollars from their church, and spend a week or two in a different country. The trips themselves can vary greatly in what they are trying to accomplish, it can include anything form helping a medical site, rebuilding homes, helping with disaster relief, or even to help run a vacation bible school. Along with these acts of service, every youth group finds some time to do some site-seeing or some souvenir buying as well. Andrew Root describes a 1995 mission trip he was a part of that went to Trinidad and Tobago:
“We left the beautiful modern Miami airport, where we spent our two-hour layover shoveling our faces with cheeseburgers, to land in a little rundown airport in Port of Spain. That night we visited impoverished local churches, and the next day walked around the downtown mall. We traveled to a small village, almost untouched by modernization, to run a Vacation Bible School, then spent the next day bodysurfing and eating shark sandwiches as we baked our upper Midwestern bodies in the Caribbean sun. We sang songs for the poorest of the elderly in the government nursing homes, and then spent our last two days on the resort island of Tobago, sipping (virgin) cocktails under beach umbrellas, buying souvenirs and wasting our parents’ spending money. It was a mission trip mixed with a vacation. It was global service mixed with global tourism”
This seems to be a pretty common experience. Short-term service coupled with vacationing. Is this wrong? The gospel is being presented, people are reaching a global audience, Christian values are being experienced, and Christian influence is being spread. I look at 1 Corinthians 10:23 which says, “‘I have the right to do anything,’ you say—but not everything is beneficial. ‘I have the right to do anything’—but not everything is constructive,” as well as Philippians 1:18 which says, “But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice.” In one sense, the gospel is being presented and people are being sent out to do the work of the Lord. At the same time however, I believe it is important to recognize the flaws in sending short term missionaries.
When looking critically at my own missional experience I can see that I am guilty of participating in a short-term service/vacation mission trip. I spent two weeks in Ukraine the summer after I graduated high school. The first week we spent participating in a summer camp with a Ukrainian youth group. This was very interesting because it gave us an opportunity to befriend several of the youth that attended the church that we were staying at. The second week we helped with vacation bible schools at three different locations. We were able to work with the youth that we had met the previous week, which was helpful, but we had one translator for every 8 Americans that went, so we encountered some language barriers. Between both of these activities we spent time touring two different Ukrainian cities, enjoying the different foods and monuments that they had to offer.
At the time I did not realize exactly how much we were flaunting our money. We would make trips to a local store daily to get little treats for ourselves, we would walk into any given store and drop anywhere between 40 and 100 Hryvnia (1 U.S. dollar=8 Hryvnia), and we brought several gifts with us to present to the church. While I am sure they are grateful for the gifts, this type of ministry can portray a hierarchy even simply between nationalities. I am sure that several of the young Ukrainian children thought that all Americans are rich and that we brought all of the answers. In fact, an 8 year old boy came up to me with a big grin on his face, pulling on my arm while asking the same question over and over again emphatically. It was not until I found a translator that I was able to understand the young boy’s question which was: “Do you live in a mansion and drive a Mustang?” At the time I thought it was a very funny question to be asking, but did not really realize why he would ask such a question. He had begun to associate Americans with money. Our mission in his small village was to show Christ. By the end of the week I am sure that he associated Christianity with Americans and wealth.
So if short-term mission trips aren’t effective, what types of mission are effective? Well when looking back at Luke chapter 10, it seems as though the 72 that Jesus sent out are expected to stay for a longer period of time, enjoying the company and getting to know those whom he is sharing life with. It does not give a particular amount of time that is the ideal amount of time. The Apostle Paul takes a similar approach, often telling of how he stays in one place for quite a while, getting to know his brothers and sisters before moving on. This is much less convenient today than it was back then because of the simple fact that it took several days to travel to different cities back then, while today we can drive across an entire country or fly across the world in a day.
When looking at my extended missional experience, I find that it has been very rewarding. I have spent 3 summers working as a counselor at Camp Nathanael. Camp Nate is an all-boys summer camp run through CSB ministries (Christian Service Brigade). At camp we canoed, shot guns, rode horses, hiked, read the bible, cooked meals over a fire, and built relationships with campers throughout the entire summer. Camp did not have electricity in cabins, it did not have cell phone service, and, did I mention it was all boys? Many of the distractions of daily life were taken away and replaced with activities that would encourage fellowship and spiritual growth. I was able to feel close to God in a way that I have not felt since. Also, the relationship that I built with the other counselors was that of a brotherhood. I could call up any one of the other men that I worked with and have a great conversation with them today, even three years after my last summer at camp. Being at camp the entire summer also provided some continuity for the gospel we were presenting. Rather than going to people’s churches or homes with flashy methods of presenting the gospel, we simply had campers come experience nature and brotherly fellowship. Through the genuine relationships built during the week we would be able to present Christ to them through scripture, song, and prayer. After we presented the gospel we would then make an effort to keep in touch with our campers through facebook or email even after the camp season was over.
When looking at the history of modern missions we can break mission work down into three narratives: the Evangelistic narrative, the benevolence narrative, and the expansionist narrative. I am not claiming that any one of these is a ‘correct’ narrative; rather I want to discuss the strengths and flaws in each one. The Evangelistic narrative focuses mostly on the relay of information about Christ. I think of missionaries that translate the bible into indigenous languages, or the radio show that brought thousands to Christ in Vietnam. This narrative emphasizes the gospels as well as conversion through a statement of faith as well as baptism.
The benevolence narrative focuses on the financial side of missions. A crude way of describing the narrative would be to say that it just throws money at people in the name of Christ. This is necessary in the fact that it supports many of the missionaries financially around the world, but at the same time it allows for people to compartmentalize Christ and feel like they have accomplished their missional goal by just writing out a check. Benevolence is important, but it cannot exist without another branch of mission.
The expansionist narrative focuses on bringing Christ and the church to all parts of the world. This was particularly popular during colonial times when the superpowers of the world would go into countries and force religion upon them. A few places received this well, but in many cases they were met with resistance. This narrative is based mainly upon the great commission in Matthew 28, but has many flaws along with it. Yes, it brings Christianity to many places that it has not been, but at what cost? It ignores the ideals of love and grace that Jesus emphasized so greatly in the Gospels.
It seems as though Christians have been searching for the right way to ‘do mission’ for a very long time. It is easy to be critical of things, but very difficult to put your full support into any single narrative or style. Through my personal experience and through interpretation of the scripture, I would have to say that short-term mission trips are definitely not the most effective way to communicate the gospel and Christ’s love. I would contend that a much more holistic, self-sacrificial form of mission would be more effective. However, when it comes down to it, “What does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice,” (Philippians 1:18).
Bibliography:
Root, A. (2008). The Youth Ministry Mission Trip as Global Tourism: Are we OK with this?. Dialog: A Journal of Theology, 47(4), 314-319. doi:10.1111/j.1540-6385.2008.00410.x
Jeffrey, P. (2001). Short-term mission trips. Christian Century, 118(34), 5. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
Short-Term Troubles. (2007). Christianity Today, 51(11), 76. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
Marrs, R. (2006). Maximum Impact Short-term Missions. Journal of Youth Ministry, 5(1), 123-124. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
Koll, K. (2010). Taking Wolves Among Lambs: Some Thoughts on Training for Short-Term Mission Facilitation. International Bulletin of Missionary Research, 34(2), 93-96. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
Guthrie, S. (2006). SERVING WITH EYES WIDE OPEN: Doing Short-Term Missions with Cultural Intelligence. Christianity Today, 50(12), 64. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
(1996, November 11). McMissions. Christianity Today. p. 14. Retrieved from EBSCOhost..
Howell, B. M. (2009). Mission to Nowhere: Putting Short-Term Missions into Context. International Bulletin of Missionary Research, 33(4), 206-211. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
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