Losing

In April 2015, I traveled to Kenya for the first time. I don’t know about you, but I am always amazed at human ingenuity every time I fly. I cannot help but think of the creativity, the drive, and the intelligence of those who contributed to flight. The complexity of All these different individuals and resources coming together to produce technology that allows others to travel across the world in hours! So, during my trip, I found myself sitting over the northern Atlantic, reading signs in Arabic and English and amazed at the thought of flying across the world in luxury. Only a century before a trip of this size would have taken several months, if not a year to accomplish; and that would have been only one way! 

The months prior to my trip to Kenya had been a whirlwind. Writing letters, raising support, emailing back and forth with contacts in Kenya, texts and phone calls with the team leader in the States, etc….. Not to mention working full time and finishing up my last semester of graduate school. Along with that, I was prepping for the mission trip by writing sermons, spending time in prayer, and trying to discover all I could about travelling to Kenya. Needless to say, reading the travel warnings as you register with the US Embassy will make you want to stay at home.

*taken with Iphone 4S, baby!

As I sat looking out the window at the clouds over the Arabian Ocean on the second leg of my trip, I imagined all the new experiences I would have over the next 10 days. I would make new friends, see new places, eat new foods, learn about a different culture, and EXPLORE! (Did I mention that I was excited?!) As I thought about it, I could not wait to land, and I certainly could not sleep. (Or maybe that was the excellent coffee I had a few hours earlier.)

"Stirred, not shaken."

This trip was the culmination of several months’ work on my end. Not only had I spent time preparing sermons, I had also spent a lot of time raising support. (That’s a nice way to say that I was fundraising.) As I contacted people and advertised on social media, I was hoping that funds would be provided. Not to say that I didn’t invest in this trip from my own money, but I didn’t have a few grand lying around to immediately pay my way. While I was advertising the trip, several friends wrote in support, letting me know they had made a contribution and would be praying for me. (For which I am extremely thankful!)  Most of the messages were very similar, “Praying for you!” “Somebody made a donation, but I don’t know who…” “Let me know how the trip goes!” and so on.  However, one friend brought up an old memory that I had not thought of in years. This particular friend has travelled all over the world on short-term mission trips, and reminded me of a statement I had made in my younger days about not wanting to go on mission trips  because I couldn’t see myself not sleeping under the Texas flag.

That particular message came to mind as I sat miles above the Arabian Ocean, listening to the soft roar of the engines and looking into the dark sky. I laughed to myself as I thought how much I have changed in those short fifteen years. Back in the day I thought I was sacrificing a lot to follow Christ- giving up status, the freedom to do as I pleased, like smoking a Marlboro and have a cold Colorado Kool-Aid. That was also when I had a real “salvation by works” mentality, even though I didn’t know it. Compared to others who have lost family, jobs, friends, or freedom, I gave up almost nothing to follow Jesus. Even during the time I was prepping for the trip, There were some  who didn’t understand what I was doing. Giving up vacation time to go on a mission trip? Spending my own money to teach and preach? Missing my brother in law’s wedding? Leaving my wife and family alone for two weeks?

All of those are fair questions to ask, and rightly considered sacrifices. As I thought about the questions I had been asked, the small sacrifices I had made, I thought, “What am I really going to lose? From a completely secular perspective, I am going to teach and empower others to contribute to their societies in even greater ways than they already were. I would contribute to human flourishing. From a Christian perspective, I was following Jesus’ commission to go and make disciples. (It’s always smart to do what the boss says.)

(This image may or may not look like the real thing!)

In 1 Corinthians 3, Paul writes that he and Apollos (preachers of the gospel) are “co-laborers” with God, then goes on to state that the members of the church are part of a temple that they are building for God. Paul shifts the emphasis from himself and Apollo to the audience, stating that every Christian’s work will be tested, and they will be rewarded for that which survives. Think about this for a moment- Paul writes that he and Apollos (preachers of the gospel) are “co-laborers” with God, then goes on to state that the members of the church are a temple that they are building for God. As we participate in the spread of the Gospel, we too are acting as co-laborers with God.  As Christians proclaim the gospel to others, they are building a temple for God, a temple that consists of fellow believers (at this point, the word “Church” should be bouncing around in your brain).

Just as Paul and Apollos were preaching and teaching, I would be preaching and teaching, joining God in his work of building his temple. (disclaimer: I, in no uncertain terms, am not claiming to be an apostle, nor the stud preacher that Paul was.) Not only that, I would be travelling to a new land to do so. (Kind of like Jesus did when he came to Earth as a man.) That work will stand the test of eternity, and I will be rewarded for my work.

Maybe I'm not the one who's losing.