A Foot Soldier in the Kingdom
Last night I was invited to the District Office for a dinner party involving missionaries and the presbyters. We had an enjoyable meal and it was a nice social occasion to answer questions and feel a bit more connected to one another.
One of the pastors encouraged the others to view the missionary as an infantry soldier--the boots on the ground--on foreign soil. He made the statement that supporting specific projects financially was not a bad idea, but "tools" would never replace the infantry in any war. Someone has to be on at the forefront, taking ground. I thought to myself that if missionaries are the infantry, then projects are like tanks. A specific project, like building the frame of a church or Bible school or supplying literature for an evangelism blitz, is useful and necessary. But without a continual missionary presence to use that tool, it would be worthless on its own. Projects are merely a weapon in that warfare of advancing the Kingdom.
I unraveled that thread a bit further, and thought that short-term missions trips, whether teenagers, building crews, or even prayer teams, is sort of like an airstrike. It prepares the way for the work that the infantry is doing, or even provides "cover" as the work is in its most intense conflict. It can be a powerful strategy, but again, without the infantry, it would just cause widespread damage without any real victory. The infantry does the combat that conquers the enemy, then plants the flag of victory.
I'm thankful for the ideas that folks came up with long ago that have made missions so effective and successful, and I look forward to being able to march forward as soon as I'm able to get back overseas.
One of the pastors encouraged the others to view the missionary as an infantry soldier--the boots on the ground--on foreign soil. He made the statement that supporting specific projects financially was not a bad idea, but "tools" would never replace the infantry in any war. Someone has to be on at the forefront, taking ground. I thought to myself that if missionaries are the infantry, then projects are like tanks. A specific project, like building the frame of a church or Bible school or supplying literature for an evangelism blitz, is useful and necessary. But without a continual missionary presence to use that tool, it would be worthless on its own. Projects are merely a weapon in that warfare of advancing the Kingdom.
I unraveled that thread a bit further, and thought that short-term missions trips, whether teenagers, building crews, or even prayer teams, is sort of like an airstrike. It prepares the way for the work that the infantry is doing, or even provides "cover" as the work is in its most intense conflict. It can be a powerful strategy, but again, without the infantry, it would just cause widespread damage without any real victory. The infantry does the combat that conquers the enemy, then plants the flag of victory.
I'm thankful for the ideas that folks came up with long ago that have made missions so effective and successful, and I look forward to being able to march forward as soon as I'm able to get back overseas.