So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. 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.” And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”
~Acts 1:6-11 ESV
The text above starts with a question and ends with an assurance:
“Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” And,
“This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”
The disciples are still putting the pieces together about what all this means:
- Jesus is resurrected.
- Amazing things are already happening as a result of that.
- They wonder where they fit into all this.
The disciples seem to be asking if this is when all of God’s intentions for restoring creation will now happen. Will THIS be the moment? Are the longings and hopes of all Israel about to now be fully realized? But, no.
Not. Quite. Yet.
You see, the disciples still have at least one more lesson to learn. There needs to be opportunity given for the rest of the world to hear about and respond to the Good News of the Risen Jesus. They (and ultimately, us) will first need to be sent on a mission. A journey with a purpose in other words.
They, (and we) are sent to:
- Jerusalem – their homes, where they are known.
- Judea – the rest of their country.
- Samaria – places and people they might otherwise, due to their bigotry and sin, ignore or intentionally overlook.
- The rest of the world. That’s where this mission trip to Latvia comes in to play.
Christians get confused on this topic. They seem to either assume that only good Christians get to go overseas or, that given the time and opportunity we’ve all allegedly had, no one needs to go since surely by now all have heard.
The fact is, not everyone should go on an overseas mission trip. It is a trip, a mission, reserved for the called. Not the spiritually elite. Not the wealthy who can travel. Not those who just want to chase some thrill. But those who are called. God has an amazing habit of equipping the called. When God calls, he provides and equips. The people going on this trip from West County are simply: called. You, and a host of others you’ve never met, have sent them. Committing to prayer, donating money, and giving much-needed supplies.
But do not miss this. You all have been part of sending these short-term missionaries. That is something to be grateful for. You all are part of this trip in a real way. We will keep in touch through the Spiritual Orphans Network blog. Point your browser to: https://sonetwork.org/stories/
Scroll down and look for updates. The latest blog update will be listed there and currently, the Latvia team is the only one posting content, so it should be easy to find. Please pray for us. We need that every step of the way.
The other misunderstanding of global missions is the one about people having by now already heard. Nothing could be further from the truth. Many people even in our own country have ‘heard’ a false Gospel. The Jesus or the Church that they’ve walked away from is not remotely close to the truth. The “God” many people ‘don’t believe in’ is one I couldn’t believe in either! They need your clarification. Your witness. So, whether you are firmly called to your Jerusalem or some other part of the world, remember it is God who equips and sends. We just get to respond.
See you in the mission field.
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