As a pastor, I love it when people “get it.” When the gospel finally clicks and people get saved, when parents figure out their responsibility to spiritually shepherd their children, when men begin to share the gospel regularly, all of these are examples of people “getting it” that thrill my soul.
Recently a young woman in our church “got it” on an international mission trip. As she talked about the excitement of sharing Jesus with others and the joy of worshipping with believers from another culture, she also talked about the disappointments of rejection. In addition, she found herself initially disappointed by the fact that they encountered a lot of Christians along their journey. Her response was typical of many people (including me at one time) on international mission trips, “We came here to share the gospel, not talk with Christians.”
But then, she finished her story. Though she was initially disappointed, she came to see that the Christians in the area where she was serving needed encouragement to continue in their work. “We are here short term,” she said, “but they are here long term.”
She got it. The gospel is bigger than her. She went to make a difference and she certainly will, but sometimes the greatest difference we make is by empowering other believers to minister where we cannot. Often those believers who are “long-termers” have a much greater opportunity to reap a harvest than those of us who are short term.
Go on mission. Go to all the places that God allows you to go. Do all that God gives you to do, but never forget that your short term trips cannot replace the long-term investment of resident believers. You are not staying, you are only supporting the mission and ministry of those who plan to invest long-term. God has called you to go, but chances are he has not called you to be the hero to area the are where you are to go, and that’s OK. God’s followers are called to faithfulness, not fanfare.
[bctt tweet=”Don’t be a mission trip hero, be a faithful follower of Christ. “]
