SUSTAINABLE MISSIONARY ENDEAVOR

SUSTAINABLE MISSIONARY ENDEAVOR!

Matt 28:18 - 20

18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.

19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

Matt 10:7-11

7 And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.

8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.

9 Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses,

10 Nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves: for the workman is worthy of his meat.

11 And into whatsoever city or town ye shall enter, inquire who in it is worthy; and there abide till ye go thence.

           There is a picture in my mind, a snapshot from an old denominational tabloid, of missionaries standing on a dock before a huge ship. These were black and white people in a black and white world; dressed for Sunday school in suits and ties and not in Hawaiian shirts and flip flops. This trip was not a vacation; it was the beginning of a new life. Their belongings were stuffed into a few trunks. “Neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves; because all that they needed would be provided little by little. They would be captured by the Japanese and placed in a prison camp because the world was at war. Why is this snapshot so different from missions today?

           I have been thinking about what I call “sustainable” missionary endeavor. I am convinced that mission work is very PERSONAL and therefore moves at a slower pace than the current crowd-gatherers and feeders-of-thousands. Feeding thousands is not wrong but it is unsustainable. Jesus fed the 5,000 because they were hungry. Some of these same people later joined in the shout to crucify him. Jesus was not a mega-event promoter. Jesus was a missionary and it required his life.

           The plan is not only personal but it is PURPOSEFUL. “As you go, while you are going, preach!” If we want a formula then Jesus gives us one in Matthew 28. We are to GO! Mission is always a going! We are to reach all nations because mission work is one culture reaching another. We are to make disciples and to gather them into indigenous churches. We are to train leaders to become national pastors and then repeat the process again and again. In doing this we build something that will last beyond the missionary himself. This is sustainable mission work.

           “Mission trips”, as they have come to be called, are not wrong either but it is not sustainable missions. Many valid short term efforts give relief but do not disciple; do not establish churches. Sustainable mission work takes time; requires the investment of a life. In fact I don’t even like the term “career missionary” for it places a time limit on the effort. It is also redundant! The missionaries standing on that dock never intended to return.

Dear Jesus, bless the life-long missionaries today. Honor the lives they have given with sustainable missionary endeavor. AMEN