Contending as one man
One consistent lesson I receive from mission trips that never ceases to amaze me is the lesson of how much a team of like-minded soldiers of Christ can accomplish in such a short amount of time. Even though we were only there for eight days, we were able to do so much and experience so much. We seriously hit the ground running, arriving at Taipei Friday morning, were shuttled to Hsinchu, where we washed up, started with DT and prayer, moving to DC outreach and ending with presenting “Gone” for Friday Night Plus on campus and fellowship time. For the next week, we made a lot of contacts through DC outreach, sports outreach, dorm outreach; we celebrated our Hsinchu church’s first anniversary, practiced and prepared for Christmas Celebration like crazy; and we spent “down-time” fellowshipping and encouraging our Hsinchu brothers and sisters. No moment was wasted, and I was reminded how it is indeed possible to make the most of every opportunity (Ephesians 5:15, Colossians 4:5) and to operate with that sense of urgency (Isaiah 55:6, Revelation 22:12). My commitment from this mission trip is to carry this conviction that time is short, Jesus is coming, people are lost, and I need to bridge the gap and point the way to the way and the truth and the life. It is important for me to personally sustain this sense of calling and mission in my life. So when I am conducting ministry at USF and at Gracepoint Fellowship Church, I need to do so with that sense of ownership over God’s work.
“Without suffering and sacrifice, there is no salvation of souls.” I along with the rest of the 2008 Taiwan winter mission team suffered little and sacrificed even less. Sure, we paid $1500 and spent Christmas away from family and friends. But we all ate and slept well, and the brothers even got to play basketball as a way to meet students! And for the more fobby members, being in Taiwan was like a fish going back to water. But during our stay the entire team reached a high level of intensity, on par with NSWN mode. Non-stop outreach; hours of praise and special music practices; late nights of skit rehearsal, reciting the same line again and again; prop-making with limited time and even more limited resources. It was exciting to see everyone sharing one heart, not holding back but truly contending as one man for the faith of the gospel (Philippians 1:27). Yet, what we did cannot compare to what Jesus had done first: coming down from heaven to a lowly manger, from the manger to Calvary’s cross, and from a cruel death to eternal glory. “This is love: not that we loved God, but God loved us and sent his Son to be an atoning sacrifice for our sins” (1 John 4:10). Still, for me personally, seeing what little I gave being used by God confirmed in me that I need to be willing to do whatever it takes to carry out God’s kingdom work. The 1st anniversary message on John 6:1-15, about the feeding of the multitudes, captures God’s heart for missions and our collective experience during our short stay in Taiwan. God wants to take whatever we offer and use it to bless all those around. Together, we poured out our energy, creativity, and heart to put on Christmas Celebration, and we saw God taking that and using it to share the gospel with over 350 Taiwanese students! I see Jesus saying, “When you bring all that you have, stand back and watch what I can do!” Thus, I hope I can suffer and sacrifice anything and everything just for the chance to experience Jesus using me to bless others.