Growth: Uncertain belief still counts as knowledge…

Tonight I went to Tyndale Uncovered: Reknon service (ran by Colin) and I got to hear Dave Roberts speak. He’s the Missions Mentor at Tyndale and I wanted to listen to his message “Short Term Missions is the Crack-Cocaine of this Generation”.

I’ve talk to more and more people about some of my criticisms about the chinese church and short term missions. I can only speak for chinese churches that I know, but after hearing tonight’s message I see the trend isn’t chinese culture only…

Some memorable PARAPHRASED quotes:

“Short term missions has become a glorified vacation trip.”

“Instead of calling her a Global Missions Co-ordinator, we should call her a GloCAL Missions Co-ordinator.”

“We have to stop looking at missions as a glorified vacation and as an act of day to day obedience.”

This post has been a long time coming, but this is exactly how I feel about short-term missions as it is being executed in the church. I think most of the times when we talk about missions or something that the average lay person goes to, it’s either Habitat for Humanity, or some kind of VBS… Not that that’s a bad thing, but it seems like the ONLY things…

Here’s something I want to add, it’s that as much there are people called to be missionaries in another country or to prep to share the gospel in another land… It is neglected… even FORGOTTEN that we are ALL called to be missionaries and in OUR culture and immediate community. God put us here in Toronto for A REASON and it’s NOT to make disciples of solely people that we are comfortable with and are good friends with… it is to make disciples of ALL nations, everybody. Share the gospel to everyone. Be missionaries to the city of Toronto.

Thinking Glocally is something I resonate with and I believe is part of the contextualized message of the gospel that needs to be shared with this generation. Shared with our chinese churches. I think the key to a resurgence in this area’s spiritual revival comes when the Holy Spirit will come and touch a group of people together who’ll GET “IT”. I think my prayers are going to start going in that direction. Revival is a word that is carelessly thrown around, just like missions, but I really think if the true essence of revival is understood and yearned for, God will not fail to unleash it! It starts with the Spirit, ends with the glorification of God.
Well, I’m going to pray about this, think practically and learn from solid leaders HOW to be missionaries in our local cultural context. I really believe that this issue will be one of the key issues of my ministry development…
Peace.