Radical Love: Why I'm not going on a missions trip.
Yeah.
I read Radical by David Platt. (Actually, I heard it, because it was an audio book, but saying that I heard a book doesn't seem natural.)
It's what some might call a revival book, a call to revolution and change in today's comfortable church. If you're like me and you've read it as well, you were probably thinking halfway through, "That's it! I'm going to sell everything, find my cross, and carry it for Jesus!"
It's true, we do have crosses to carry and a mission that we're each called to, but if that's the case, then why is it that so many of our crosses are somewhere on the other side of the world in an exotic land?
As far as I know, the greatest distance that Jesus traveled on His mission was from Heaven to Earth, and the rest consisted of nothing greater than anything within a 200 mile radius.
I want to be clear: I am in no way saying that global missions are wrong. Oh no. Not at all. If that's what I believed, then I obviously wouldn't have gone to the Dominican Republic and Honduras on missions trips, nor would I have written posts such as this, nor would I have majored in cross-cultural communications in preparation for being an overseas missionary, and the list goes on and on.
But something's been stirring in my mind recently. Something that has to do with the short-term trips specifically, not long-term. I have the opportunity to go on a month long missions trip this coming Summer, yet after considering the idea inside and out, I realized that I shouldn't.
It's not just a matter of money, but a matter of real calling.
I found that, though I wanted to go (very, very much) and though I wanted to say, "This is what obedience looks like," and "Look, God will provide," it was all based on a false premise.
I felt that, though it really didn't make much sense for me to go because of previous obligations (and the fact that I will be more effective for ministry here), it was something that I had to do because, hey, I should do something for Jesus.
And this is where short-term missions trips especially get "tripped up": if I imply that I am doing something for Jesus by going on a missions trip, then by not going on a missions trip I imply that I'm not doing something for Jesus.
Wait-stop.
You don't need to do anything for Jesus. He's already done it all.
The cross was a grand and cataclysmic beginning and ending of all our own efforts for salvation. By His blood dripping down and satisfying the Father's wrath, we became no longer enslaved to burning incense, groveling in front of statues, reciting chants, and self-help books. We were redeemed. So when we go into the world and when we live out our salvation, we need to live redeemed. What do missions trips look like redeemed? Well, they're a little upside down that way.
They're no longer about going somewhere to tell people about Jesus, but about acknowledging that you're weak and God is strong and He can only use you in Kenya as much as He can use you in Alabama: however much you let Him.
So no, short-term missions trips are not bad on their own, but, like so many other things in "Christian culture," they can become bad when we approach them the wrong way. A missions trip doesn't make you any more Godly than the person that's never left their hometown, but it will label you as such. So if you do go on one, ask yourself this: is Jesus the Lord of my life right here in the grocery store, in my school, in my work, in my living room, and in my relationships? If He's not, then going to Guatemala will only make you a bigger mess as you're faced with your hypocrisy and superficiality. Because you know that cliche that every short-termer says is true: you go to tell them about Jesus and they end up telling you.
Though I would encourage everyone to seriously consider your life and evaluate how it lines up with the commands of Christ, I would pray that each person knows the different faces of radical:
The welfare family that gives money to the homeless man.
The family that's adopting.
The single mom who takes care of her disabled child and works two jobs.
The musicians that share God's love though song.
The child who battles cancer and shares Christ's love with the nurses.
The man who struggled with alcohol for years and now is passionate about mentoring young men.
The elderly woman in the nursing home without family, waiting to die, and praying for the Kingdom.
And yes, the family that uproots and goes to Russia to teach English and share the love of Christ. But first, that family was giving of their hearts and time to their neighbors on 6th street and they were praying for the lost. You don't become a missionary by going someplace, you become a missionary by seeing Christ in every person and loving them as such.
Mother Teresa says, "Love begins at home, and it is not how much we do...but how much love we put into that action."
Os Guinness says, "We are not primarily called to do something or go somewhere, we are called to Someone."
And Jesus says, "Follow me."
Assess what that means for you. I'm not saying it's supposed to be comfortable. It will be, it must be, radical. But don't forget what it is that's radical: love is.
Not radical missions trips or radical sacrifices, radical love.
I read Radical by David Platt. (Actually, I heard it, because it was an audio book, but saying that I heard a book doesn't seem natural.)
It's what some might call a revival book, a call to revolution and change in today's comfortable church. If you're like me and you've read it as well, you were probably thinking halfway through, "That's it! I'm going to sell everything, find my cross, and carry it for Jesus!"
It's true, we do have crosses to carry and a mission that we're each called to, but if that's the case, then why is it that so many of our crosses are somewhere on the other side of the world in an exotic land?
As far as I know, the greatest distance that Jesus traveled on His mission was from Heaven to Earth, and the rest consisted of nothing greater than anything within a 200 mile radius.
I want to be clear: I am in no way saying that global missions are wrong. Oh no. Not at all. If that's what I believed, then I obviously wouldn't have gone to the Dominican Republic and Honduras on missions trips, nor would I have written posts such as this, nor would I have majored in cross-cultural communications in preparation for being an overseas missionary, and the list goes on and on.
But something's been stirring in my mind recently. Something that has to do with the short-term trips specifically, not long-term. I have the opportunity to go on a month long missions trip this coming Summer, yet after considering the idea inside and out, I realized that I shouldn't.
It's not just a matter of money, but a matter of real calling.
I found that, though I wanted to go (very, very much) and though I wanted to say, "This is what obedience looks like," and "Look, God will provide," it was all based on a false premise.
I felt that, though it really didn't make much sense for me to go because of previous obligations (and the fact that I will be more effective for ministry here), it was something that I had to do because, hey, I should do something for Jesus.
And this is where short-term missions trips especially get "tripped up": if I imply that I am doing something for Jesus by going on a missions trip, then by not going on a missions trip I imply that I'm not doing something for Jesus.
Wait-stop.
You don't need to do anything for Jesus. He's already done it all.
The cross was a grand and cataclysmic beginning and ending of all our own efforts for salvation. By His blood dripping down and satisfying the Father's wrath, we became no longer enslaved to burning incense, groveling in front of statues, reciting chants, and self-help books. We were redeemed. So when we go into the world and when we live out our salvation, we need to live redeemed. What do missions trips look like redeemed? Well, they're a little upside down that way.
They're no longer about going somewhere to tell people about Jesus, but about acknowledging that you're weak and God is strong and He can only use you in Kenya as much as He can use you in Alabama: however much you let Him.
So no, short-term missions trips are not bad on their own, but, like so many other things in "Christian culture," they can become bad when we approach them the wrong way. A missions trip doesn't make you any more Godly than the person that's never left their hometown, but it will label you as such. So if you do go on one, ask yourself this: is Jesus the Lord of my life right here in the grocery store, in my school, in my work, in my living room, and in my relationships? If He's not, then going to Guatemala will only make you a bigger mess as you're faced with your hypocrisy and superficiality. Because you know that cliche that every short-termer says is true: you go to tell them about Jesus and they end up telling you.
Though I would encourage everyone to seriously consider your life and evaluate how it lines up with the commands of Christ, I would pray that each person knows the different faces of radical:
The welfare family that gives money to the homeless man.
The family that's adopting.
The single mom who takes care of her disabled child and works two jobs.
The musicians that share God's love though song.
The child who battles cancer and shares Christ's love with the nurses.
The man who struggled with alcohol for years and now is passionate about mentoring young men.
The elderly woman in the nursing home without family, waiting to die, and praying for the Kingdom.
And yes, the family that uproots and goes to Russia to teach English and share the love of Christ. But first, that family was giving of their hearts and time to their neighbors on 6th street and they were praying for the lost. You don't become a missionary by going someplace, you become a missionary by seeing Christ in every person and loving them as such.
Mother Teresa says, "Love begins at home, and it is not how much we do...but how much love we put into that action."
Os Guinness says, "We are not primarily called to do something or go somewhere, we are called to Someone."
And Jesus says, "Follow me."
Assess what that means for you. I'm not saying it's supposed to be comfortable. It will be, it must be, radical. But don't forget what it is that's radical: love is.
Not radical missions trips or radical sacrifices, radical love.
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