Jesus said He came for the sick and not the well, for it is the sick that needs a doctor. I know He was both talking about the physically sick and the spiritually sick, for He healed both. The question is that if He came for the sick then can we safely assume that He, through His Church is here to do the same thing? The simple message of the Gospel to those who are well is this: …go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." (Mat 28:19-20)
We are to carry on the work of caring for the sick in this world. We do get a promise from Jesus that He would be with us no matter where we go. When we have the opportunity to heal the (spiritually) sick through the power of the Holy Spirit in us, they now join the ranks of the well and join us in the healing process… you see how this thing spreads? And it worked just like that in the early Church; the book of Acts is a testimony to that. But.. now days church attendance is down, tithes are down, the world seems to be walking further and further from the Church, the sick seem to be getting sicker and they are not interested in being healed… Why?? Is it the fault of the sick that they are sick? If you ask many Christians you will find this to be true, we often have a “they get what they deserve attitude”. We often feel that if they wouldn’t live “that” lifestyle they would be better persons. We often try to “throw” our Christianity at them from a distance rather than healing them with the sweet balm of the Gospel face to face.
Do you remember the days of house calls? When doctors came by the house sat at the side of the bed, stuck a stick on your tongue and looked into your ears right there in your own room. You were comfortable there and he/she was there to help you, right where you were. Those days of medicine are gone, and many will say we have gotten worse in our health care since those days. The church has followed that model, and to the same results. We used to make house calls. In the New Testament Church people actually met in houses. The Apostles stayed in houses with the people. Look at all the people Jesus ministered to in their house. I am not saying we need to knock on doors and evangelize house to house; it doesn’t work in these days of uncertainty ad fear. I am saying that we need to meet them in their “houses” or comfortable places. We need to see them in the park, in the school, in the work place, wherever they are comfortable and then they will be open to hearing the word, and they will be on the way to healing. Instead we have developed “hospitals” of Christian faith called churches. It is in these places we sit like medical specialists, so confident that we have what they need to be made well again that they will just come on in for a healin’. Just like the medical system of today our church system is riddled with failure. We have lost thousands, maybe millions since we decided to wait for them to come to our doors. We need to build relationships inside the walls, but we should also work to spread those relationships beyond the walls, for there are no walls in Christ’s Church… So, pick up your spiritual medical bag (prayer, bible, knowledge through study) and go out and make some house calls this week. You will be surprised at how receptive they will be, if you heal in love, and care, and grace, just like Jesus…
We are to carry on the work of caring for the sick in this world. We do get a promise from Jesus that He would be with us no matter where we go. When we have the opportunity to heal the (spiritually) sick through the power of the Holy Spirit in us, they now join the ranks of the well and join us in the healing process… you see how this thing spreads? And it worked just like that in the early Church; the book of Acts is a testimony to that. But.. now days church attendance is down, tithes are down, the world seems to be walking further and further from the Church, the sick seem to be getting sicker and they are not interested in being healed… Why?? Is it the fault of the sick that they are sick? If you ask many Christians you will find this to be true, we often have a “they get what they deserve attitude”. We often feel that if they wouldn’t live “that” lifestyle they would be better persons. We often try to “throw” our Christianity at them from a distance rather than healing them with the sweet balm of the Gospel face to face.
Do you remember the days of house calls? When doctors came by the house sat at the side of the bed, stuck a stick on your tongue and looked into your ears right there in your own room. You were comfortable there and he/she was there to help you, right where you were. Those days of medicine are gone, and many will say we have gotten worse in our health care since those days. The church has followed that model, and to the same results. We used to make house calls. In the New Testament Church people actually met in houses. The Apostles stayed in houses with the people. Look at all the people Jesus ministered to in their house. I am not saying we need to knock on doors and evangelize house to house; it doesn’t work in these days of uncertainty ad fear. I am saying that we need to meet them in their “houses” or comfortable places. We need to see them in the park, in the school, in the work place, wherever they are comfortable and then they will be open to hearing the word, and they will be on the way to healing. Instead we have developed “hospitals” of Christian faith called churches. It is in these places we sit like medical specialists, so confident that we have what they need to be made well again that they will just come on in for a healin’. Just like the medical system of today our church system is riddled with failure. We have lost thousands, maybe millions since we decided to wait for them to come to our doors. We need to build relationships inside the walls, but we should also work to spread those relationships beyond the walls, for there are no walls in Christ’s Church… So, pick up your spiritual medical bag (prayer, bible, knowledge through study) and go out and make some house calls this week. You will be surprised at how receptive they will be, if you heal in love, and care, and grace, just like Jesus…
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