Day 1 - Short Term Missions

Why short term missions blesses the church.

The short-term missions trip has increased in popularity in recent times due to:

1) Accessibility (air travel).

2) A desire for faith to go beyond the academic; we want to experience God.  

For example - A top selling book of the 1970's was Knowing God while a top selling book of the 1990's was Experiencing God.

3) The mission field is a setting where we lose "control."  The loss of "control" turns our focus and dependency toward God.

4) Good theology - we reflect God.  God has a “missions mindset.” 

Theologians call this the missio dei.  "From the first pages of the Bible to the very last, we see God consistently state his concern for the world" (p. 28) Gen. 22:18, Matt. 28:19-20, Mk 11:17, Rom 10:13-14, Rev 7:9

Take some time to process "What are my expectations of this trip?"

Benefits of a short-term mission.

1) Changes your understanding of scripture (new eyes) - we all have cultural and personal blind spots to the Bible.

• Worship: Revelation 5:9- every tribe and tongue.  
• Joy: Mark 10:28 
• Gifts: Jeremiah 29:13 (Matt 7:7) other context (visions, dreams, healing). 
• Your own testimony (Acts 1:8).

2) Creates a deeper perspective of the church (new eyes).

• God is always working the question is where? (2 Chronicles 16:9; Matthew 9:36-38, Matthew 16:18)
• Look for persecution and poverty! Matthew 5 - The poor - kingdom of heaven/The persecuted - kingdom of heaven
• Different needs of regions: eternal security & evangelism (western church) vs. doctrine & teaching - every region needs all four but sometimes they require a different diet to become more balanced.

3) Challenges your faith  (new eyes)

• Faith - Hebrews 11:6 (hurdles: $, leaving family, time off)
• Strengthens understanding - Isaiah 40:31 - Physical, spiritual, emotionally
• Example: 1 Timothy 4:12-13