Wanted: Zeros – Not Heroes

by | Jan 21, 2022 | Mission Volunteer, Missions | 0 comments

People doing short-term missions are not heroes! Can they do good work? Yes! Is that work needed? Yes! Should you engage? Absolutely! What should you leave at home? The hero mindset. Why is that important and what should you take instead?super hero abstract sort-term missions

Short-term Missions: Jesus’ Example

Did you know Jesus did short-term missions? Think about it. And there is a Scriptural basis for that statement. He was only on the earth a short time – about 33 years. So what does His model show us?

Had Jesus taken the Hero approach, His time on earth would have been very different from what we know. Heroes approach missions with the idea they have appeared to solve all the problems in a short period of time. Heroes think they are more important than they really are. And heroes usually have good intentions while being blind to self-focus. That is not how Jesus came.

The Zero Approach

My word play on Hero and Zero has limits. I use them to depict fallen people like you and me; people who need the example Jesus gave. Here is the Scriptural basis for my zero thought:

Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, Who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equalilty God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.

Jesus is in fact our Hero in the best possible sense of that word. But in ways we can’t fully comprehend, He put on flesh and became as one of us. He left heaven. That means He left home for His mission. He limited Himself and came to serve. And servers are what I have in mind when use the zero term!

dinner table short-term missionsHave you seen a news story about some state dinner in Washington? Do you remember a movie where the characters attended a gala ball of some kind? What sticks in your mind about those events? We remember the important people who were there. We remember what they wore and who they were with. These are the heroes.

There is a very important group we do not see in those scenes. Oh, they are there. They just sort of fade into the background – they’re almost invisible. They usually wear black and white and we call them servers or servants. The event couldn’t happen without them, but they are the zeros. We look right past them.

Short-term Service – Long-term Relationships

hands together short-term missionsHeroes come to work and be seen for a week or two. Servants come to build relationships. That’s what Jesus did. He sent His Spirit to enable us to carry on His mission. He calls us to serve, give, love, and sacrifice as He did. When we do that, we see our own poverty. You don’t think you are poor?

People doing short-term missions (opps for 2022) often have a renewed gratitude for their own physical possessions. That’s good, but it’s barely a beginning. There is spiritual poverty as well as physical poverty. Mission volunteers often serve people who are physically impoverished while being rich in spirit. That shows us our real needs. That realization is often difficult to grasp because we never thought of ourselves as needing anything.

Understanding our own poverty means we can serve as zeros and leave the hero at home! And if you didn’t click the link above, you can see the current schedule for 2022 mission opportunities HERE or click the Helping Hands image.Helping Hands mission opportunities 2022

Soli Deo Gloria!  

 

DONATE today! 

 

connect

Questions or comments? Connect with Keith via email.

Recent Posts

God – Unexpected Plans

God – Unexpected Plans

There is joy in discovering God's unexpected plans. Awesome God - Amazing Week was a look at how He directed our steps (Proverbs 16:7) for the water purification system. This post is about the...

read more
Fresher is Better

Fresher is Better

Our look at Fresher Is Better begins in the kitchen. My wife is a great cook and her favorite holiday is Thanksgiving. She goes all out for Thanksgiving Dinner. The cooking starts on Wednesday. She...

read more

0 Comments

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Sign Up!

Be in the know! Sign up to receive email updates. Be the first to read new articles and ministry updates.