Hospital vs. Hospice

Without getting into a huge debate over managed health care or medical profit I
think we can safely agree that the primary purpose of a hospital is to help sick people get well – it is to promote life.  While the methods and medicine used in the furtherance of this cause may not always be pleasant, they are prescribed with the belief that life can be preserved and health restored.  Doctors diagnose the illness and chart a course of action designed to provide the cure.  In the hospital – patients, family and staff make decisions with an eye on the future.

When life is no longer a realistic option and death is imminent, hospice comes into play.  The role of hospice is to provide comfort during the final stages of life.  The methods and medicines are meant to ease pain and make the process of dying as peaceful as possible - even if those methods unhealthy or even dangerous.  Patients are often given doses of pain medicine that exceed what would be prescribed in hospitals.  Patients, family and staff celebrate the “good times,” they are comforted by memories of the past.  As death is a forgone conclusion, decisions are made to make the few remaining moments as pleasant as possible.

The church, like a hospital is called to help sick people get well – to promote life.  The methods and medicine used by the church should be prescribed with the belief that spiritual life can be preserved and that, in Christ, man’s relationship with God can be restored.  The diagnosis has been made (sin) and the church is to chart a course and make decisions with an eye towards bringing the cure (Christ).  In biblical language we call this, “making disciples.”

The process of “making disciples,” much like medical treatments, may not always be comfortable.  It requires that we face some unpleasant truths about ourselves and ultimately give our lives over to Jesus.  That goes against our nature.  No one likes to admit their faults, even fewer are willing to change them, and even fewer are willing actually surrender their lives to Christ that He may live in them.  That requires giving up control and that’s something that none of us is comfortable with.

Today, it seems that many churches today have resigned themselves to operate more like hospices than hospitals.  Death has become forgone conclusion.  Their focus is on making what little time is left as comfortable as possible.  They seem to have given up any hope that spiritual life can be preserved, and health restored.  They focus on celebrating the “good ol’ days” and blame society for their own evangelistic apathy.

Given that so many congregations have adopted a hospice approach to ministry, it is not surprising that over 3000 churches close their doors every year.  In addressing the situation, Lane Corley, Church Planting Strategist, posted, “…common denominator is definitely Inward Focus. Churches quit reaching out and lack a concern for the lost in their community. What we like and don't like becomes more important than obeying Jesus and the eternal destiny of the lost.”

As we look forward to a new year, will we continue to look inwardly embrace death, or will we seek the life and spiritual renewal found in the gospel?  Will we merely comfort the dying or will we bring them to the Redeemer?  Will we make disciples?

In His Service,

Is "Thanks" Enough?

How often have we heard of Christians suffering real persecution and thanked God for the freedom we have to worship as we choose?  How many times have we seen someone who was homeless and thanked God for all of our blessings?  Probably not as often as we should but, it is certainly not uncommon for Christians to feel thankful when exposed to the misfortune or suffering of others.  These encounters also seem to put our problems into perspective.  As the old saying goes, “I wept because I had no shoes, until I met a man with no feet.”  When faced with real abject poverty and genuine suffering, worrying about our popularity seems a little trivial.

Now, here’s another question.  How often was Jesus moved to thank the Father for His blessings when He met those who were suffering?  When Jesus came in contact with the impoverished, diseased, or outcast – was He ever thankful that He was not like them?    Jesus’ reaction to suffering was different.  He felt compassion for those in need and was moved to relieve their suffering, not just count His blessings.  His focus was not on Himself but on them. 

Jesus was truly the first Christian missionary.  He saw the desperate need of mankind and was moved to do something about it.  While He existed in the form of God, He didn’t consider it something to be used for His own advantage but emptied Himself. (Eph 2:6-7).  He did this to relieve the ultimate suffering experienced by man; the death and condemnation caused by our own sin.  This is truly the missionary’s heart; it is the one that we should desire.

Now, I’m not saying that we shouldn’t be thankful for what God has so generously given us – we should.  But our thankfulness should be continual, not just motivated by sharp contrasts.  However, I am suggesting that if we truly desire to be conformed to the image of our Savior we must respond to the suffering and need in the world as He did.  Not with passive thankfulness, but with active compassion.  We must be moved to get involved, to try to lighten the load carried by those who are afflicted and in distress.  It is not enough to sit idly in our comfortable pews each Sunday and thank God for our blessings.  He does not bless us to make us complacent; He blesses us to give us the resources we will need to fulfill His mission.

As Christians we are all called to be a witness in our Jerusalem, in our Judea and Samaria and ultimately to the ends of the earth – every day.  Our compassion, our desire to genuinely show the love of Christ should never be limited to a one week trip during the summer.  It should not be something we do occasionally, it must permeate our lives.  As Christians we are called to serve, not be served.  Even a cursory reading of the Bible reveals that the Christian faith is an active faith.  James states that we are called to be, doers of the Word and not hearers only.  He goes on to say that if we are hearers only, that we are just deceiving ourselves. But if we are doers who are moved with compassion to show the love of Christ to a lost and dying world, we will be blessed in what we do.  Then we’ll have yet one more blessing for which to be thankful.

In His Service,

This is Us

    Like many around the world, I watched in shock and disbelief as an angry mob
marched from the National Mall and stormed the U.S. Capital.  Sadly, over the last year, we have become accustomed to “shock and disbelief.”  Last spring, we watched a video of George Floyd being choked to death by a Minneapolis police officer.  His death resulted in protests across the nation, some of which resulted in rioting and looting.  In June, protesters took control of the Capital Hill neighborhood of Seattle and held it for the better part of a month.  The summer ended with the city of Kenosha, in flames after Blake Floyd was shot in the back seven times by another police officer.

    During this season of unrest leaders across the county have urged restraint and encouraged peaceful resolutions.  Yesterday was no exception.  Political leaders from across the nation weighed in.  Most notable to me were the comments from former President Jimmy Carter.   He condemned the violence saying, “This is a national tragedy and is not who we are as a nation.” 

    In 2002, Dallas Cowboys head coach, Bill Parcells said, “You are what your record says you are,” in response to a reporter who asked about the team’s 5-11 season.  He did not believe in trying to put a positive spin on a losing season.  An optimistic outlook would not change the fact that they had lost twice as many games as they had one.  

    Maybe this last is exactly who we are as a nation.  While we prefer to see ourselves as a righteous nation that stands for human rights and only the highest values, our actions seem to reveal something entirely different.  When we are “wronged” or perceive a threat to our individual “rights” we often respond with anger and aggression. Whether as individuals or in groups, violence is a part of the American identity.

    Accompanying this response is the tendency to blame others for our responses.  Whether its Democrat or Republican, Antifa or Qanon, BLM or Proud Boys, we habitually find a way to blame “them.”  It is always “their” fault; our actions are justified.  Maybe this is exactly who we are as a nation.

    What can not be denied is that all of this violence was committed by Americans, against Americans.  None of this has come as an attack from the outside.  This is not “them,” this is us.

    For Christians this should not be surprising.  The Bible teaches that this is exactly who we are.  “There is no one righteous, not even one,” (Rom. 3:10). “…all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Rom 3:10;23).  “The [human] heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick.” (Jer. 17:9).  “I was guilty when I was born; I was sinful when my mother conceived me.” (Ps. 51:5).  These are not merely Sunday school lessons; they are concrete realities. While we all know these verses and readily affirm them, we often fail to remember that these truths apply to our national identity as well.

    The simple, unavoidable truth is that, despite our self-identification as a Christian country, we are still a nation of sinners in need of salvation.  The redemption we need will never be found in a national identity, it will never be found in a political party, and it will never be found in a government leader.  No matter how hard we try, we will be ruled by our unrighteousness.  What we need is a Savior, what we need is Jesus.

    This is a moment for disciples of Christ to answer the call.  It is not a time for pseudo-religion or positive thinking, it is a time for followers of Christ to bring His love to a nation that genuinely needs to hear the truth.  This country needs to be reminded of the God who loves them.  They need to know of the Savior who died for their sins.

    Now is not a time for more protests, it is a time for more prayer.  Our salvation will not be found in the government, it is only in the Gospel.

In His Service,