Sunday we announced an opportunity to serve some of our global partners on the field. We recently had some global partners with us. Their company will have a four-day retreat next summer at the end of June. Specifically, they are seeking people who will help spend time at the retreat center and watch global partner children during the day.
The retreat is in Central Asia, so it would be a long trip in terms of getting there. But it’s a great opportunity to serve those who are on the frontlines of gospel work, often in difficult areas, helping them be refreshed physically and spiritually.
You may wonder if this can really be considered a mission trip. To be clear, we want to careful how we define mission trips. We want to be sure they have something to do with the mission of the church, which is to preach the gospel to all nations, making disciples of Jesus for the glory of his name. So, attending to medical needs, digging wells, and delivering gifts all are good things. But they may not be mission things. How are they things directly helping advance the gospel?
Paul was probably the prime example of a missionary. This life was devoted to making discipling by preaching Christ, aiming to see people mature in him (Col 1:25–29). Yet, Paul wasn't always on the mission field. Several times he was imprisoned. And perhaps a surprising number of times, he wanted to be visited by other believers to be refreshed in the Lord.
- Paul wants to come to Rome where he can be "refreshed" by their company (Rom 15:32).
- Paul tells the Corinthians that three believers have come from them and "refreshed" his spirit (1 Cor 16:18).
- Later he encourages the Corinthians because they "refreshed" Titus' spirit when he visited them (2 Cor 7:13).
- Onesiphorus always "refreshed" Paul and was not ashamed of his chains (2 Tim 1:16).
Paul makes it clear that there is a ministry—empowered by God, led by his Spirit—of refreshing the saints. More than that, of refreshing those who have given their life to the spread of the gospel. Everyone who lives the Christian life will face difficulty. But there is often a sharper edge to the pain and discouragement felt by full-time gospel workers who live far from the comforts of home. Thus, having even brief times away for encouragement can be especially helpful. For some, it may mean the difference between staying on mission or returning home.
The trip we have before us is this kind of trip. Yes, we may be able to speak of Jesus with these children—and glorious it would be! But we are also serving those on the front by bringing refreshments to them. We are helping encourage these men and women as they take a break, receive teaching, rest in the Lord, and experience being reinvigorated for the task at hand.
Before we commit to help, we need to know who is willing to go and serve. We hope to get five members to go. There is be a sign-up online. Adding your name means the you'r showing interest, not making a hard commitment. There will be a meeting in a few weeks for more details. In the meantime, we want to know if PBF is ready for this kind of trip.
If you’re interested in being an agent of refreshment for gospel workers, sign-up today.
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