Why We Should All Do Foreign Missions
From the beginning of the church’s life, missions were fundamental for its growth and expansion. This core concept was founded in Matthew 28 where Jesus sent the disciples into all nations and in Acts 1 where he promises the Holy Spirit to empower them to achieve this goal.
“Every believer should participate in missional work somewhere outside of their framework and comfort zone.”
We, as the modern day church, have inherited this command to “go”. You may not be called to move permanently across the world. But I firmly believe that every believer should participate in missional work somewhere outside of their framework and comfort zone. This work is beneficial to those we go to, but I would also like to argue that foreign missions can change your life at the same time. It did for me.
My first opportunity to do foreign missions was during my junior year of high school. I went to the island of Dominica. During our time there we lead a revival weekend for the students and teenagers. I was supposed to be a teacher, but I feel that I learned more during that week than I ever could have taught. Here are three main lessons that foreign missions taught me:
Jesus gave missions for His glory and our benefit.
The expansion of Jesus’ name and glory is the primary goal for foreign missions. If your purpose for going is anything other than that, you are doing it wrong. Humanitarian efforts are used as a tool to then share the light of the Gospel. However, as is often the case, God’s commands for us are also for our benefit. For the first time, I found myself in situations where I needed to be completely dependent on the Lord to guide me. This is where I first began learning how to teach. This was the first time I had left the country without my parents. It was in these “firsts” that I began to learn what it meant to have my own faith and walk with the Lord.
My cultural expectations are not the center, Christ is.
When you grow up in a particular culture or viewpoint, it becomes your brain’s default. However, people around the world have expectations and customs that are completely different but equally valid. One striking example I saw from my trip was the concept of time. America is what is called a Cold Climate (strict, non-fluctuating view of time; punctuality is emphasized). Dominica is what is called a Hot Climate (fluid, fluctuating view of time; punctuality is less emphasized). Another name for it is “island time”. This cultural difference caused us Americans some frustration when the van that was supposed to pick us up at 8am did not arrive until 10am. Through this frustration for us we learned that this is because people are more relationship oriented. For them, community and conversation was more important than leaving on time. This cultural difference is just one example of what it looks like to exist in a place fundamentally different from our expectations. However, as Paul says in 1 Corinthians 9, for the cause of Christ, we must become all things to all people. Christ and his ministry are not about people fitting into the mold of what we expect in America. Because of that, I hold on much less firmly to what I think are the right or wrong ways of doing things.
My Christian/Church expectations are not the center, Christ is.
In a similar vein, foreign missions taught me that American Christianity is just that, American. I went to a suburban, Southern Baptist church and a private Christian high school. My thoughts about what Christianity and Church should look like were one-sided because I had no other frame of reference.
On the other hand, the church we served at in Dominica was loud, involved, and without air conditioning (all things I was unused to). There were shouts of “Amen” and “Yes, Lord!” all around the congregation. These people loved Jesus, just as my church back home did, but they showed it differently. This is what I mean when I say that church expectations cannot be the center. The beautiful thing I saw when I went overseas is that Christ was the one that tied all believers together. The men and women I met in Dominica became instant brothers and sisters to me because we were unified in Christ. It really is an incredible experience to see the reality of the capital “C” church for myself.
If you have never taken the opportunity to go overseas and do mission work, find an opportunity. Here at Redeemer, we will be taking a trip to South Africa in November of this year and it is a great chance to follow God’s command to go to all nations. God can and will use it to change your heart in some incredible ways and bring you to a fuller understanding of what it means to take the gospel to all nations and love His people well.
Zach is the Minister of Worship and Students at Redeemer and joined the team in early 2022. He and his wife Madison live in Terrell. You can connect with Zach here.