7 Reasons Why Your Two Week Trip To Haiti Doesn’t Matter: Calling Bull on "Service Trips"

(I intended to wait until the new year to post anything serious, but the article I'm linking to is simply too good to wait that long.)

"The road to hell is paved with good intentions."

The above saying can be applied to all sorts of situations in life. One of the most appropriate is short-term missions trips. Many churches send groups of volunteers overseas with the hope of doing some good. Their intentions are great. Unfortunately, these groups frequently do more harm than good. Sadly, the level of cluelessness is often extreme. Many western Christians go to foreign lands for a week or two, do some stuff, and then return home feeling good on the inside. However, what they've left behind is often more damage than anything else.

The article 7 Reasons Why Your Two Week Trip To Haiti Doesn’t Matter: Calling Bull on "Service Trips" skillfully addresses the above issue. While I do not agree with all of the details or conclusions in the article, I do believe most of it is right on target. I appreciate the fact that the author not only diagnoses the problems involved with missions trips, but also offers specific solutions.

The church in this country literally spends millions of dollars each year to send unskilled Christians abroad with the hopes of somehow doing some good. The results are generally not positive. Is there a better way? Can the money be spent more wisely? Can we avoid harming the locals and even accomplish some lasting good?

I encourage you to read the article and see what you think.

Positive Acts - Now That's How To Do It!

While he's in Athens Paul shows us how it's done.

In particular, Paul provides us with an excellent example of how to speak to unbelievers about Jesus Christ. Please click here to read the passage and then return.

This is master evangelism.

First, Paul makes a connection with those listening (17:22-23).
Second, Paul describes who God is and what He has done (17:24-29).
Third, Paul calls for repentance (17:30).
Fourth, Paul tells of Jesus Christ and His resurrection (17:31).

Paul understands that he must start at the beginning; he is not dealing with listeners who understand the Old Testament (as they would, for example, in a synagogue). The apostle proceeds to inform the men of Athens about the glorious nature of the God of the bible. Without using harsh words, Paul shows that God is far greater than anything the people of Greece had conceived. Simply put, God as revealed in Jesus Christ is superior. In light of what Christ has done, everyone has the responsibility to repent. Paul, as always, mentions the resurrection (this is critical).

Take note that Paul did not make this overly complicated. He also didn't need to speak for thirty minutes to explain the basics. He just started where his listeners were and went from there. As is usual, some of the people mocked, some believed, and some wanted to hear more.

Sometimes we make sharing Christ into a burden by thinking of it as much more complex than it is. If we will follow Paul's model we can avoid this. We make a connection, tell how great and wonderful God is, tell what He has done in Christ, and make a call for repentance and faith. This is not a rote formula to be memorized. Rather, it is simply a helpful guide to us. Let's use it.

Positive Acts - Praying With the Right Priorities

What do your prayers consist of?

Far too often my prayers amount to little more than a quick "Thank you" to God and then a laundry list of requests to make my day go more smoothly. While there is nothing wrong with bringing our personal petitions to God, it is problematic if this is far and away our main focus. When we look at the early church, we see a different set of priorities. In particular, when the church is gathered in Acts chapter 4, we read of them praying for something that we often lack: boldness.

In the beginning of Acts 4 Peter and John are taken before the religious leaders in Jerusalem. The goons in charge command the apostles to stop preaching Christ or else. Peter and John in essence reply that they are going to continue proclaiming Jesus no matter what the leaders say. After additional threats, Peter and John are released; they return to meet with the church body.

Then we come upon Acts 4:23-31 (please click on the link, read the passage, and then come back here).

We learn a great deal from both what the believers do pray for and what they do not. Please note that they do not, at least in these verses, ask for protection from persecution. Frankly, if I found myself in this situation most of my thoughts would dwell on how to avoid pain and suffering. Not so these Christ-followers in Acts 4. They had their priorities straight. Self-preservation was not the priority. Something else mattered more to them.

What did they pray for? In 4:29 we read the following, "And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus." They request two specific things. The first is for continued boldness in gospel proclamation. The second is that God would perform signs and wonders.

Wow.

I have to confess that I basically never pray for these things. That's got to change. I suppose one of the reasons we see so few people come to Christ in this country is that we fail to pray for the boldness we need. Additionally, many of us evangelicals act as if God is no longer in the miracle business.

Moving forward I plan to begin praying like the early believers. I desperately need boldness to proclaim Christ. My job has me right in the middle of a bunch of people who need Christ. I have the opportunity, but need boldness. It would also be wonderful if God would perform signs and wonders. Maybe He hasn't because I haven't asked. I intend to start.

Will you join me in praying for both boldness and miracles?

Positive Acts - Wham!

Acts chapter 2 is amazing. I don't pretend to understand all of it, but I love it. It's difficult for me to comprehend "divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them," but I know it means that the Holy Spirit showed up. He came powerfully and forcefully. Wham! And when the Spirit arrived, Christ's followers changed. They transformed from fearful folks cowering in the shadows to bold witnesses for our Lord. Peter is a wonderful example. From denying Jesus to proclaiming him, Peter changed radically.

These changes in Christ's followers are all due to the power of the Holy Spirit. The Christians did not do this on their own. Rather, God kept his promise to send his Spirit. And send he did. The world has never been the same since.

Immediately after that first Gospel proclamation at Pentecost the crowd was stunned and convicted. We see the power of the Spirit in their response. Luke writes in 2:37-41:

Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?" And Peter said to them, "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself." And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, "Save yourselves from this crooked generation." So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.

Three thousand!

The truly exciting part of this for us today is that this same Holy Spirit resides within us. We have access to this same power. I wonder sometimes if I have any clue just how powerfully the Spirit would like to live through me. Most days, I generally stumble along just trying to get basic tasks done. I think I need to begin praying for the Spirit to wake me up spiritually to see what he wants to do with me. Maybe you need to do the same.

The encouraging thing is that the Holy Spirit of Acts 2 is the same Spirit today. We have not been left on our own. We simply need to joyfully follow his leading.

Positive Acts - A Promise with Orders

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth" (Acts 1:8).

Well this is certainly a familiar verse. We've all read and heard it hundreds, possibly thousands, of times. And while familiarity doesn't breed contempt when it comes to scripture, it can dull our ears. Do you see the amazing promise in the above verse?

The Holy Spirit had not yet come upon those with Christ at his ascension, but the implication is that the Spirit will soon. We see this happen in stunning fashion at Pentecost. And when this occurs, they certainly "receive power." What sort of power is Jesus talking about? It is the power to unashamedly, boldly, and effectively proclaim the gospel. This happens immediately in Peter's case. He goes from denying Christ three times out of fear to preaching Christ crucified even when the religious leaders tell him not to.

This promise has a purpose. One of the primary reasons the Holy Spirit came was to empower Christians to be witnesses for Christ all over the earth. The Spirit is not limited to certain places, as if some locales or situations are too difficult for him. Instead, the Spirit's presence with all believers ensures that we have all we need to be effective witnesses for Christ wherever we go.

In just one little verse Jesus provides his people with both a promise and orders. The promise is of a person - the Spirit - who will make their evangelism efforts successful. The orders are to be faithful witnesses wherever and whenever.

This should give us great hope. The Holy Spirit is as alive and active today as he was then. Also, we have much easier means to get our witness to the ends of the earth. It is the church's responsibility to see that happen. Let's work together to make it so.

Unavoidable: Calling All Nations

The Book of Acts is invaluable for church life. What we see, among other things, is believers with a zeal to share the gospel with the lost wherever they are. Some people traveled far and wide (Paul), while others remained close to home. The common thread was a desire to see the good news spread to locations where it has not yet been heard.

Jesus Christ made his expectations clear enough. He told his followers that they would be his witnesses to the ends of the earth. He expected them to make disciples of all nations. This is not optional.

While the specific methods we use for reaching the lost may vary widely, the key is the end result. That result must be local bodies that work together to get the message to even the difficult to reach places. Christ's expectation that we do this is unavoidable.

A Word About the Confederate Battle Flag from an American Christian Living in the South

Politics in a vacuum has little interest for me. However, when politics intersects with Christianity I take note.

Lately the Confederate Battle Flag has been one of the top stories in the news. I'm a transplanted northerner living in the American South. I love much about residing in Savannah, Georgia. One of the few things I do not like is the Confederate Battle Flag. I wrote about this almost two years ago, and I feel the same way about it today as I did back then. Click here to read my post. Agree or disagree?

On Misinterpreting "Peacemakers"

In Matthew 5:9 Jesus Christ famously says the following:

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God." (ESV)

"The peacemakers are blessed, for they will be called sons of God." (HCSB)

"How blessed are those who make peace, because it is they who will be called God’s children!" (ISV)

"Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God." (KJV)

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God." (NASB)

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God." (NET)

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God." (NIV)

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God." (NKJV)

"God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God." (NLT)

"Happy the peacemakers -- because they shall be called Sons of God." (YLT)

I've listed ten different translations of this verse to show that they all say basically the same thing. We will be blessed by God when we live as people who make peace. This does not suggest that we earn God's favor by being peacemakers, but it does make it clear that God is pleased by this behavior. He also expects it.

But what does Jesus mean by being peacemakers?

I've heard this verse misinterpreted many times by well-meaning (and usually military supporting) evangelicals. Far too many of these folks say that Jesus is mainly referring to helping others make peace with God by accepting the gospel. This verse amounts, in this view, to another Great Commission. While sharing our faith is certainly important, neither the context of this passage nor the specific wording indicates that Christ has this in mind here.

Why would these evangelicals misinterpret this passage in this way? The reason is that they, ironically, fear the idea of peacemaking in its most basic sense. I'm referring to helping others live lives of day-to-day peace with other people through turning the other cheek and loving enemies. These truths, while spoken by Jesus in this very chapter, are not popular in much of American Christianity. They fly in the face of the military aggression that is so prevalent in our society and which is so often supported by the church.

In Matthew 5:9 Jesus is not talking about assisting lost people in coming to peace with God through the gospel. Rather, Jesus is telling his soon to be followers that he expects them to live peacefully in an unpeaceful world. He expects them to not retaliate when wronged (look at 5:10-12). Jesus desires that his people promote peaceful, kind, non-aggressive interactions among others. While the world wages war, Christ's people are to be agents of peace.

Let's be those people of peace that Jesus is talking about in the Beatitudes.

ONE

In John chapter 17 Jesus Christ famously prays, "I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me" (17:20-23).

Jesus Christ desires that His church be united. The above passage, possibly more than any other in scripture, makes this clear. On the night before His crucifixion Jesus specifically prays for His church to be one. Considering the timing, we see that this is of utmost importance to our Lord.

Too often we act as if unity is optional. We tend to unite with other believers that we already agree with on whatever issues. We shy away from those who differ from us or are just plain different from us. We try to just not really think about them. This is not as it should be. Jesus offers no loopholes for the unity of his body.

In the above High Priestly Prayer, Jesus prays the following amazing things:

1. That we (His body) will be one as Jesus and the Father are one

2. That this unity will lead to the world believing that the Father sent Jesus to earth

3. The glory the Father gave to Christ, Christ has in turn given to us so that we will be perfectly one.

4. That the perfect unity will show the world God's love for us


In essence Jesus prays for two main things. First, our Lord asks for perfect unity of His body just as He and His Father are perfectly united. Second, Jesus prays that this unity will be a witness to the world of his truth.

If we ever wonder whether or not unity matters to God, all we have to do is read John 17. Jesus directly connects the unity of His church with the Great Commission. Another way to put it is that our oneness as a church impacts the way the lost view Jesus.

Unity is not an option. Too much is at stake. Therefore, we must put aside personal preferences, live lives of humility, and embrace the perfect unity that Jesus wants for His body.

They Will Know Us By Our Love

"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." John 13:34-35

Earlier this week I discussed both why I could no longer consider serving in the military and why I cannot understand why other Christians do serve in the military. My primary reason for this is that Jesus has told us to live as peacemakers and to love our enemies.

Love is the greatest characteristic that sets Christians apart from the world. This is love as defined in scripture. Although a noun, this love shows its reality as a verb. Self-sacrificial service is what biblical love is. While our culture thinks of love as gooey sentiment and mushy feelings, the writers of scripture repeatedly describe love in terms of one person helping meet the needs of another.

In John 13:34-35, during Christ's Farewell Discourse, we read one of Jesus' most profound statements. Three times he instructs his disciples to love one another. When God says something three times we can be certain that it is extremely significant.

This command to love one another is narrowly defined. Jesus expects his followers to love each other as he has loved them. In just a matter of hours the disciples will see that this may even mean dying for each other. Then Jesus says something else amazing: other people will know they are his disciples based on their love for one another.

Love, then, as God expects it may mean that we lay down our lives for each other. Additionally, non-believers will take notice that we are Christ-followers based on our treatment of each other. Apparently our love in action will mean much more than words we can say. This has obvious impact on what we think about evangelism.

God gets to determine what his followers should look like. He's made it clear. After Christ transforms us, we should be people of love. Since the Holy Spirit resides in us, this love ought to be a natural outflowing. When this is happening, the world will truly know us by our love.

Only Two Kinds of People

"There are two kinds of people in this world: followers of Jesus Christ and potential followers of Jesus Christ."

A few minutes ago it struck me that only two kinds of people really exist. I posted it on Facebook, but I wanted to write about it briefly here, too. The two kinds are those who are in Christ and those who are potentially in Him.

The greatest difference between people is not skin color, socioeconomic status, language, geographical location, political party, favorite sports team, or even whether or not they like bacon. The largest difference carries significance far beyond all the others. That difference is one of eternal salvation.

Our tendency is often to think in terms of "Christian" and "non-Christian." I think it is more helpful to think about people as those who know Jesus and those who potentially know Jesus. This is not simply a matter of semantics. Rather, the words we use often hint at our frame of reference and even shape it to some degree. When we think of unbelievers as potential believers, it also helps us think about how we can influence them positively for Christ.

I believe that God predestines all he chooses to salvation. I also believe that the gospel message is for anyone and everyone; all who call upon the name of the Lord will be saved. Exactly how these truths fit together is beyond my small brain. Therefore, I want to remember and I encourage you to remember that anyone who doesn't know Jesus Christ as Lord has the great potential to do so.

Great Stuff on Tolkien and Lewis

Click here to watch a dramatic reenactment of a critical conversation between JRR Tolkien and CS Lewis.

God's Not Dead

During the July 4th holiday I actually purchased and began reading a book. Amazingly, I found a good one as I was looking around a Barnes and Noble. My wife and I went there to get coffee. As I was trolling for something to look at I came upon God's Not Dead.

The book's subtitle explains well what it is all about, "Evidence for God in an age of uncertainty." The author, Rice Broocks, penned this excellent book in apologetics. He argues in a straightforward manner for the existence of God based on a number of reasons including life having meaning, the reality of good and evil, the fine tuning of the universe, the start of the universe, Jesus' resurrection, the witness of scripture, and the change in the lives of Jesus' followers.

This book has enough depth to make it worth the time, but is it not heavy or boring. Broocks includes numerous personal anecdotes that make it fairly easy to read. I highly recommend God's Not Dead for all Christians and anyone wondering about Jesus Christ.

Not the Most Effective Form of Evangelism

Thanks to 22 Words.

Weirdness and the Gospel

Today our family was walking around the historic district here in Savannah. We were having a great time until we saw a man strolling around holding up a sign on a stick. I didn't get to read exactly what the sign said, but the gist of it was that Jesus is the abundant life and Satan is the abundant death. This, of course, is true. The problem was not the man's message per se, but rather his method of presenting it.

The man was walking around yelling "Jesus is Lord!" He may have said some other things, but I couldn't understand him. He didn't approach anybody but instead just wandered around with his sign yelling out about Jesus. It was just plain weird. The result was sadly predictable. Everyone who saw him moved away from him, laughing at his bizarre behavior.

I write about this because we must make sure that our presentations of the gospel are not socially weird. We want to ensure that if people reject Christ, they do it because of Christ's claims and not because we are social misfits. The gospel is full of radical truths. For example, Jesus demands each individual's full allegiance. He claims to have risen from the dead. He says that Hell is a real place. These claims fly in the face of modern thought. If people are going to reject these truths, there is nothing we can do about that. However, let's strive to present these truths in a manner in which being weird does not get in the way.

I don't doubt that this man had good intentions. However, the end result was that his efforts did more damage than good. What could he have done differently? Instead of holding up a sign, he might have done much better to simply try to engage folks in basic conversations. For example, Savannah has many tourists. If he is a local, which he probably is, he could have helped people with directions. This might have led to opportunities to share the gospel.

To sum up, if unbelievers are going to reject Jesus, let's be sure it is him they are rejecting and not our own weirdness.

Missions in Revelation

"Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 'Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.'" Revelation 21:1-4

This is, quite clearly, the final post in this series on missions in the New Testament.

The book of Revelation has much to tell us about various aspects of life. One key is the great deal of information about Jesus' second coming.

It is interesting that the second coming is often left out of gospel presentations. So much time is spent on what Jesus did in the past that what Christ is doing today and will do in the future are frequently left out. We need to avoid this pitfall.

As we share with others about Jesus we need to make sure it doesn't sound like a history lesson. The past certainly is significant, but the present and future are, too. New believers must understand that Jesus is alive and well today, and will one day return to rule as unquestioned and unchallenged King. When we include this part of the good news, the one hearing can better comprehend the urgency of the message.

Additionally, when Jesus returns He will do away with all pain and suffering. This idea is extremely attractive to lost folks. It may attract them to Jesus Himself.

The second coming is part of the gospel. Let's not forget to share it.

Missions in Jude

"Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ." Jude 3-4

False teaching is not a topic that gets much attention in the church. However, we ought to be mentioning it as we share the gospel. Although it certainly will not be the first thing we will say, we also should not ignore it. Chances are good that whoever we talk to has already heard a decent amount of false teaching.

False teachers are prominent in this country. Their influence must be countered.

False teaching is written about by almost all authors of the New Testament. The letters of II Peter and Jude are almost completely about it. As we can see above, Jude's first desire was to write about their "common salvation." However, false teaching was such a danger that he had to write about that instead.

Jude's appeal is that believers contend for the faith. They were to speak the truth about Christ in the face of false teachings.

New believers must know that they may have to soon defend the truth of the gospel as well. Frankly, new believers are often well prepared to do this because they usually have a zeal for Christ. He has saved them, and they desire to defend the truth. Also, some folks in the new believers' lives will likely attack their new beliefs. They need to defend what they believe.

The gospel depends upon accurate teaching of God's truths. False teaching, therefore, is a direct assault upon the gospel. All believers, whether new or not so new, must be ready to stand for the truth.


To read any posts in this series about missions in the New Testament, click here.

Missions in III John

"Beloved, do not imitate evil but imitate good. Whoever does good is from God; whoever does evil has not seen God." III John 11

Sometimes we make the Christian life seem too difficult. New believers may be overwhelmed trying to figure out how to live. The above verse provides us with a good summary of the walk of sanctification.

When we share the gospel, the information is primarily about who God is and what he has accomplished. It is only because of God's actions that we can be in a right relationship with him. We are saved only because he has saved us.

That said, believers bear fruit in keeping with righteousness. Since we are new creations, we are able through the power of the Holy Spirit to live lives that please God. But what do these lives look like?

The scriptures certainly provide us with much information about how to live out the specifics of our walks with Christ. For example, I Corinthians gives the church all sorts of information about unity, law suits, the Lord's Supper, marriage and divorce, etc.

All this information may seem a bit overwhelming at first to new followers of Jesus. That's where III John 11 is helpful. New Christians need to know that their lives should look different from that of the world. They must strive to imitate good because it is from God. All evil is not.


To read any of the posts in this NT missions series, click here.

Missions in II John

Continuing in this series on NT missions, we turn to a very short book. The epistle of II John contains only thirteen verses. Despite this, we see something critical for an accurate sharing of the gospel.

In verses 4-5 we read, "I rejoiced greatly to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as we were commanded by the Father. And now I ask you, dear lady — not as though I were writing you a new commandment, but the one we have had from the beginning— that we love one another."

We see John mention both truth and love. Christianity is a belief-system based on truth. It is also a way of life based in love. God's truth and his love are supreme. He showed this most fully on the cross. As his followers, we are called to live lives of both truth and love. These two concepts do not exist separately; rather, the go hand-in-hand. We are not living in truth if we do not love. We cannot love if we do not abide in the truth. It is both or nothing.

John specifically mentions in these verses both walking in the truth and loving one another. Both truth and love describe God's expectations for us. Ephesians 4:15 says, "Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ."

The church is often tempted to either speak the truth apart from love, or express love by caving in on the truth. Neither can be forfeited.

Let's convey the importance of both truth and love as we share the good news of Christ.

Missions in I John

"That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life — the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us — that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete." I John 1:1-4

The letter of I John tells us something extremely significant as it relates to missions. In the opening to the epistle (1:1-4), John testifies to being an eyewitness to the person of Jesus Christ.

The gospel message is significant only if Jesus is a real person who actually did the things the bible describes. John announces in this letter that he, along with others, spent real time with Jesus Himself. John had not simply heard that Jesus existed. Rather, he saw, heard, and even touched Christ.

Eyewitness evidence is extremely important. When we present the gospel we have the advantage of saying that numerous people actually saw Him alive. The one hearing this must deal in some way with this evidence. It is impossible to ignore.


To read any or all posts in this NT missions series, click here.