A Mission Is Not a Trip

Last Sabbath we had an encounter with demon possession in a 17 year old boy named Jeunie (see blog entitled setting captives free). 3 nights ago (November 6) students from our school participated in a Satanic worship ceremony in a neighboring village called Kensuli. Danelle and I have both had bouts of Malaria. And we have long ago discovered that language learning is even more difficult than it sounds.

This does not mean that we are loosing heart, when we accepted this mission we knew that that there would be challenges, and the month we spent in training really solidified that in our minds. Furthermore we believe in our mission, we have witnessed the impact this project has had on the people (through the work of the George’s)… and it is truly life changing. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 says, “Because we believe we do not loose heart and if outwardly we are wasting away, inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light affliction which is but for a moment, is working fur us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, for what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

As I write this Danelle remains at the clinic and she has been there all day even though it is Saturday. Her patient right now is Jeunie (the boy who was demon possessed). Jeunie wasn’t able to make it to church today, despite his promise of doing so, but his mom did come, and it was her first time. The spiritual warfare is apparent here. It has recently gotten to the point where we have decided to meet each morning at 5:45 on a rock to sing and pray. In the AFM video this is the rock the first missionaries met to pray on, and we have decided to revive the tradition. 5:45 AM our time is equivalent to 1:45 PST time, it would be great if our supporters could pray at this time as well!

Prayer rejuvenates and we have found strength and energy because of it. We can say with Paul “that we are being renewed day by day. We can also testify that a mission is not a trip. To be a missionary is to fulfill the mission despite the obstacles.

Our blog is entitled Mcgill Mission Minded, an obvious question then to ask is what does it mean to be mission minded? Part of the answer is found in Mathew 28:18-24, where Jesus gives the commission to go and make disciples of all the nations. But we can’t do this through our own power it is only by the authority and power of Christ that this is possible. Therefore our ultimate mission is to be right with God and allow His light to shine through us.

The time we have spent so far in Kemantian has been really challenging but because these trials are drawing us closer to God we can truly count it all joy. Having malaria was one of those times for me. I was 2 ½ hrs away from Danelle, living with a local family to try and learn the language. But because I didn’t know the language, it was at times, painfully awkward. The second week I was away from Danelle, I got malaria. It was as if all the hardships were intensified. But during this time I found it easy to pray and to read my bible. It became such a source of strength and a place of refuge to be able to turn to that.

Kemantian has shown us 2 main things. One, we are weak, but God DOES make us strong. Two, the spiritual battle is very real. Because of this I believe it is a time to have our eyes open and like John the Baptist, prepare the way of our coming Lord.

Eccl 3:1 says, “To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven.” Many Christians believe that Christ is coming soon… if this is true, then this is not the time to be blind. It is the time to be awake and watchful because we know the very elect may be deceived. God is a God of love and mercy, but he is also a God of justice. This is comforting because this means that one day He will put an end to the suffering and injustice to this world. God hates sin, he forgives and loves the sinner, but he doesn’t tolerate the sin. He sets up rules not to be burdensome, but to provide safety and protection for those He created to bless.

We are quick to say that we love God, millions of people will confess to this, and millions more will say that they believe in Him. However, words are cheap. It doesn’t work in a marriage to merely say “I love you”. Why should it be different in our marriage relationship with God? I don’t just do the things I want to show my love for Danelle, I do the things she wants me to do and thus prove my love for her. (For example, Danelle here butting in, Kevin always gives me massages upon asking. Even if it’s a short one and he’s tired, he knows I love that, and that is a huge act of love to me, so he does it a lot of the time anyways. And I’m so lucky because he doesn’t really like them!) Jesus also tells us how He wants us to show Him love in John 14:15. He says, “If you love Me, keep my commandments.”

I show my love to Danelle by doing the things that are important to her, and in the same way I show my love to God by not ignoring the things that are important to Him. This is not legalistic, this is a give and take relationship that is motivated by love. A relationship with Christ is very much like a marriage. In fact in Hosea 2:16 the Lord says He will be to us a husband, and in vs 19-20 He says, “I will betroth you to me forever; Yes, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness, and justice, in loving kindness and mercy, I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness and you will know the Lord. It is a blessing to fulfill the desires of one’s partner, and if we ignore what is most important to them the relationship can’t help but fall apart or become stagnant lukewarm at best.
It is not “extreme” or “fanatical” to love God, believe in His name, or keep His commandments because He said to do so. When we ignore His instructions or forget His commands, we make God into our own image. We were created in the image of God so that we would be a blessing and reflect His character, and when we form God into our own liking and image, we commit idolatry. It is no different that Cain who believes a substitute sacrifice would be acceptable, or the Pharisees who rejected the Messiah because His coming and work did not meet their expectations.

It is a lie of Satan to say, “It is important to always avoid extremes. Balance and moderation are safe and that is where we need to stay”. Of coarse there is truth in this statement. There is danger in extremes. But if we aren’t willing to make a stand for truth we will always remain lukewarm and indifferent like a stagnant marriage that is headed toward divorce.

In the bible Satan is described as cunning, a deceiver, and a liar from the beginning. As such it should not surprise us that there is truth within his lies. Peter tells us to be sober, be diligent, because your adversary the Devil roams around likes a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 1 Peter 5:8.

This mission is not a trip. We have to be on our guard and put on the full armor of God (Eph 6:11) or else we will be wounded in battle and those whom we are defending for the sake of Christ will be left without the defense they could have had. That said, there is a time for everything. We need rest and rejuvenation. So even on this mission, we are planning a trip. Next month is our 1 year anniversary and we are planning on spending some time at a tropical oasis and getting some rejuvenating rest.

I find it encouraging knowing that there is a quiet place in which we can turn in this world filled with turmoil and confusion. There is a shelter even within the storm. And when the world around us crumbles, there is a Rock on which we can stand. This world is not our home, but as we pass through we can have peace and protection, and say with David, “We will find rest under the shadow of the almighty”. Psalm 91.

Our protection is in knowing our mission and the One who gives us power to fulfill it. On our own, our works are as filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6) and we can do nothing. But we can do all things in Christ who strengthens us. To be mission minded is to not lose site of the mission. When we are mission mined we will not be lured in by Satan’s distractions, we will not risk being blinded to truth because our eyes are fixed on our objective and the eternal prize. Revalation 3:20, in talking to the church of Laodicea, Jesus says, “Behold I stand at the door and knock”. Jesus never intrudes, He presents a choice. If we choose Him and allow Him to change our heart, He will give us the power to overcome. And He promises “To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my thrown, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on His thrown.

A mission is not a trip, but it is exciting. It is meaningful and rewarding and gives a distinct purpose. We only trip when we lose site of the mission. But if we keep our eyes on Christ, Jude 24 says He is even able to keep us from falling. We are successful on our mission if we remain mission minded. God gives us instructions to make us prosper, and give us a hope and a future. We accept His mission by accepting His instructions. Solomon when talking about the meaning of life concludes it this way; “Now all has been heard; here’s the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man”.

I am thankful that God is merciful and that His power is made perfect in weakness. We are all missionaries if we simply choose to accept the mission. I am comforted by the fact that I know people are praying for us and we don’t go through this battle alone. For we know that fellow brothers and sisters have gone and are going through similar experiences. 1 Peter 5:9. “The spirit of Christ was a missionary spirit”. GC p.90. As missionaries it is our objective to be like Christ. The most effective way to be like Him, is to ask Him to work through us, then we can be confident that He who began a good work will carry it out onto completion (Phil 1:6)