Missions - What Is Enough? - Write Them On My Heart

Is it enough to just show up to a mission trip and let God do the rest? What does God think?

Missions – What Is Enough?

July 26

~ Today’s Scripture art and mini Bible study will answer the question: what does the Bible say about mission trips? ~

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Fresh off of a week-long mission trip, I attempted to catch up on my mile-long list of neglected emails. Funny how much quicker I can hit delete when my list is off the charts. But of course there were still scores that I had to read. That I couldn’t bear to delete. {Can you say FOMO?}

One email caught my eye and as I read it, it referred me to another blog I had never seen before.

Rabbit trail here we go.

Wait. No time for this! Keep moving, I tell myself.

Oh, maybe just a quick scan.

I was in for a shock. My “mission-trip-high” came to a screeching halt.

The timing of coming across this blog – the day after returning from a mission trip – was unbelievable.

I perused the blog and the About page. Turns out it was written by an ex-missionary who has evidently become disillusioned with the “Christian Missions Machine.” The blog-writer wondered if maybe it’s not enough to believe the “lie” to just show up and let God do the rest.

And there was a suggestion that spending billions to send scores of wealthy Americans into impoverished communities to bless “just one person” isn’t actually worth it.

I won’t beat around the bush.

I have to respectfully disagree.

But before I do, I will admit that I didn’t read through the whole website. I just couldn’t do it. So I acknowledge up front that I don’t have a full picture. And apparently the blogger doesn’t argue for the dissolution of evangelical missions – thank goodness – only reform. And of course, I have to agree that there are always things that can be done better in any endeavor.

So what you will find here is just my perspective – someone who has only been on 3 week-long mission trips (and countless local mission projects).

Wait – what am I saying?

Who cares about my perspective, when we can have God’s perspective!

What does the Bible say about mission trips?

Let’s go to God’s Word and see what He thinks about these two issues.

The first issue …

Does God think it’s enough to just show up and let Him do the rest?

Well, I’m sure He would want us to get prepared before we go …

Proverbs 6:6-8 (ESV): Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise. Without having any chief, officer, or ruler, she prepares her bread in summer and gathers her food in harvest.

1 Peter 3:15 (ESV): but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,

Also, He would want us to work hard …

Colossians 3:23 (NASB): Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men,

BUT, He is the only One who can do “the rest.”

Many times we only get to plant seeds.

1 Corinthians 3:5-7 (ESV): What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.

With God, we can’t gauge success by what we can see at the moment.

We can’t lean on our own understanding.

Is it enough to just show up to a mission trip and let God do the rest? What does the Bible say about mission trips?

And now for the second issue …

Does God think it’s worth it to go on mission if we only bless one person?

Matthew 18:12-13 (ESV): What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray.

You can’t read that verse and not believe that YES, it’s worth it!

And I’ve never met a mission trip where only one person got blessed.

Because God loves to bless on both sides of the serving.

Galatians 6:9 (ESV): And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.

So, back to my perspective for a second …

The enemy will try anything to make you hesitate to go on a mission trip.

Don’t let him win. Don’t let blog posts (even mine) influence you without checking The Word for God’s perspective!

What does the Bible say about mission trips?

Here’s what Jesus said …

Luke 10:2 (CSB): He told them, “The harvest is abundant, but the workers are few. Therefore, pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest.