I just concluded my seventh mission to the Dominican Republic and I feel totally jazzed about it!  My purpose in going there was to teach baseball coaches and visit some churches as a guest speaker.  Two of my very good friends, Jeff McDonald and Don Schultz have been doing baseball clinics in the DR for many years, and have led many players and coaches to faith in the Lord Jesus.  The need exists for someone to offer some basic training in the faith to the coaches, with the intent that they will in turn be able to pass their knowledge about the Lord to their players.  I did about 15 hours of teaching and my wife joined me in doing some teaching on marriage, and offered the coaches a women’s perspective on the issue.  I’m already looking forward to going again in October.

One of my ministries as the pastor of Parkside Bible Church is to introduce people in my church to short-term missions.  I feel it is vitally important for every believer to experience a mission for several reasons:

First, meeting believers in another culture makes you realize that God is global in His intentions for the human race.  Our heart needs to beat with God’s heart in His desire to reach all people with the gospel (2Peter 3:9).

Secondly, going to a third world country where blatant poverty exists, will give you a greater appreciation for the blessings we have as Americans.  It will alter your perspective about the times you complain rather than rejoice.  When you see poor people with joy in their hearts it makes you aware of the fact that joy is not dependent upon material blessings, it is rooted in one’s walk with the Lord.

Thirdly, when going on a mission you will meet people that you can be life-long friends with.  Going back and visiting people that you had the opportunity to minister to, and sow into their lives is a very rewarding experience.

Fourthly, you form a bond with your teammates and have great fellowship while on the mission.  This is one of the best parts of going on a mission.  You have devotionals, prayer time, sharing, worship and fun time with your teammates.

Fifthly, going on a mission gives you a chance to see how believers in other parts of the world do things.  You’ll see people “do church” in different venues that you’ve never seen before and that helps you understand the richness of God’s diversity in the universal church.

Lastly, going on a mission can recharge your spiritual battery and focus your attention away from your world at home.  Participating in a mission is a great way to grow deeper in your faith, and be refreshed in your walk with the Lord Jesus.  It’s always good to step out of your individual world and gain a larger perspective of what God is doing in some other part of the planet.

I hope you will prayerfully consider the next missions opportunity at Parkside.

 

Dr. Bruce