The subject of medical ministry is intimately related to the subject of Christ our righteousness. You cannot understand Christ our righteousness apart from medical ministry. Unfortunately, we try to do that sometimes.
You may recall the experience of John the Baptist while languishing in prison. He began to have some doubts, this mighty man of faith, and he sent his disciples to ask some questions of Jesus. I especially want you to notice the answer that Christ sent back. “And John calling unto him two of his disciples sent them to Jesus, saying, Art Thou He that should come? or look we for another? When the men were come unto Him, they said, John Baptist hath sent us unto Thee, saying, Art Thou He that should come? or look we for another? And in that same hour He cured many of their infirmities and plagues, and of evil spirits; and unto many that were blind He gave sight. Then Jesus answering said unto them, Go your way, and tell John what things ye have seen and heard; how that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the gospel is preached. And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in Me.” Luke 7:19-23.
They took this marvelous news back to John. The servant of the Lord commented on this and helps us to see the scope of the work that was conducted that day by Jesus. “The Saviour did not at once answer the disciples’ question. As they stood wondering at His silence, the sick and afflicted were coming to Him to be healed. The blind were groping their way through the crowd; diseased ones of all classes, some urging their own way, some borne by their friends, were eagerly pressing into the presence of Jesus. The voice of the mighty Healer penetrated the deaf ear. A word, a touch of His hand, opened the blind eyes to behold the light of day, the scenes of nature, the faces of friends, and the face of the Deliverer. Jesus rebuked disease and banished fever. His voice reached the ears of the dying, and they arose in health and vigor. Paralyzed demoniacs obeyed His word, their madness left them, and they worshiped Him. While He healed their diseases, He taught the people. The poor peasants and laborers, who were shunned by the rabbis as unclean, gathered close about Him, and He spoke to them the words of eternal life. Thus the day wore away, the disciples of John seeing and hearing all. At last Jesus called them to Him, and bade them go and tell John what they had witnessed, adding, ‘Blessed is he, whosoever shall find none occasion of stumbling in Me.’ Luke 7:23, R.V. The evidence of His divinity was seen in its adaptation to the needs of suffering humanity. His glory was shown in His condescension to our low estate.” DA 216,217.
What a testimony John’s disciples took back! John had read Isaiah 61 concerning the Messiah, so after hearing his disciples’ report, he knew this was the Christ. This was Immanuel—God with us. He was verily God who had taken human flesh. Jesus said to Phillip, “Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known Me, Philip? he that hath seen Me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?” John 14:9. If the Father Himself had walked this earth, He would have done the same as Jesus. We have strange mental pictures of our God, but Jesus worked like this many days during His ministry. Healing and teaching the people was the common routine of His ministry. He left some villages where there was not one sick person left. All day long, people came to Him for healing. This was the evidence of His divinity and that He was the Messiah. Surely, righteousness is like this.
We have had many concepts of righteousness that are not much related to this. Many of our ideas revolve around ourselves and our own improvement; but His whole life revolved around doing for others and thinking about others. This was the Christ, the righteousness of God manifested to men.
By now we should all know that “righteousness is love” (MB 18) and that obedience is the “service and allegiance of love” (SC 60). Righteousness and obedience are not self-serving. They both involve being a blessing to others.
We usually think about so many other things when we think about righteousness, and view it as some kind of flawless performance in our own behavior and habits. I would not diminish the importance of our behavior, but the life of righteousness that was manifested to us was a life of service to mankind. It was a life of selfforgetfulness and of total interest in other people. That is the way He lived. And I think this is the concept He had in mind for the Seventh-day Adventist Church and its institutions.
In Matthew 25, there is a scene of the righteous and their reward in the Judgment. Notice that they did the same activities as Christ did. They gave food to the hungry, clothing to the naked, visited the fatherless and widows in their affliction; and as He speaks about this, they ask Him when they saw Him hungry, and naked, etc. Christ responds in verse 40: “Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye have done it unto Me.” The neglect of these things—the lack of concern for other human beings—was met with punishment. This idea that sin is the neglect and abuse of people is a different concept of sin than we have often had. Sin is not just a mistake I make, or some slip in my life. Sin is hurting others. It is destructive of humanity and of life. The wicked are punished because they just do not care about people; and the righteous ones are rewarded because they do care about people. The Lord loved people. Every human was precious to Him. None were slighted; all were valuable. Those who really love Jesus love His people; and all are His. As they love people, they cannot bear to see them hurt. This is the idea we find in true medical ministry.
This has a unique application to our role and our calling, especially in our medical institutions. For many years we have said that the verses in Isaiah 58 (12-14) that deal with building the old waste places has a direct application to the work of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. This is true. But notice there is something that precedes the repairing of the breach and the restoring of the paths to dwell in. It is a work very much like that of Christ’s. “Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?” Isaiah 58:5,7. John asked, “he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?” 1 John 4:20.
Isaiah continues on in verse 10: “And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noonday.” What is this light that “shall rise in obscurity” when this practical work of caring for the physical and spiritual needs of humanity is conducted? What is this light? “The Lord is my light.” Psalms 27:27. When Jesus came, He was called “the true Light.” 1 John 1:9. He wants us to reflect the light of His glory to others.
What is this light that the Lord is? “So the followers of Christ are to shed light into the darkness of the world. Through the Holy Spirit, God’s word is a light as it becomes a transforming power in the life of the receiver. By implanting in their hearts the principles of His word, the Holy Spirit develops in men the attributes of God. The light of His glory—His character—is to shine forth in His followers. Thus they are to glorify God, to lighten the path to the Bridegroom’s home, to the city of God, to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” COL 414. So the glory is His character, and it is to shine out to a dark world through us, His followers.
“It is the darkness of misapprehension of God that is enshrouding the world. Men are losing their knowledge of His character. It has been misunderstood and misinterpreted. At this time a message from God is to be proclaimed, a message illuminating in its influence and saving in its power. His character is to be made known. Into the darkness of the world is to be shed the light of His glory, the light of His goodness, mercy, and truth.” COL 415.
I wish all the darkness was outside of the church, but our children have a misapprehension or misunderstanding of God. Often we do. Much of our work as pastors and leaders and members of the church could be quickly dispelled if we knew that God is love. But so often we fear Him, and believe that He is against us and not for us. Some think that He sent His Son to condemn rather than to save us, and that the Comforter does not comfort but criticizes and finds fault. We have so many wrong concepts of God. I do not believe in a permissive God, but I do believe in a gracious and merciful God. The first attribute of His character revealed to Moses was “the Lord merciful.” Exodus 34:6. People need to know that these days. It is no wonder that so many young people do not like to attend churches where they must meet a God who will condemn them. The light of His glory, and His glory is His character and His character is love, must beam out in human beings. They must see Him in us. This is the light that He wants to go to the whole world. This is the light we have the privilege of sharing and shedding to those in our own communities.
We are told that this is the very last work. I would also suggest that this work has much to do with the Loud Cry of the third angel. “Those who wait for the Bridegroom’s coming are to say to the people, ‘Behold your God.’ The last rays of merciful light, the last message of mercy to be given to the world, is a revelation of His character of love. The children of God are to manifest His glory. In their own life and character they are to reveal what the grace of God has done for them. The light of the Sun of Righteousness is to shine forth in good works—in words of truth and deeds of holiness.” COL 415. This is the message of God’s character— that God is love; and His love is to be seen in good works to mankind.
Sometimes we have had the notion that preaching the truth was just going out and verbalizing; and we have said many good things. But these days the Lord must be seen through His messengers, and not just heard. The world must know and see that God is near, and that He loves them as He ministers to them through us. This is the last message. Therefore, we must conclude that this is part of Christ our righteousness and justification by faith, which is the third angel’s message in verity.
The quote in Christ’s Object Lessons goes on to remind us of the great commission of Christ found in Luke 4; then it references Isaiah 58, verses 7 and 8 about how when we do this work, our light “will break forth as the morning.” And finally it speaks of how we should let our light shine before men “that they may see your works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” Matthew 5:16. Following those words are these thoughts: “Thus in the night of spiritual darkness God’s glory is to shine forth through His church lifting up the bowed down and comforting those that mourn. All around us are heard the wails of a world’s sorrow. On every hand are the needy and distressed. It is ours to aid in relieving and softening life’s hardships and misery. Practical work will have far more effect than mere sermonizing. We are to give food to the hungry, clothing to the naked, and shelter to the homeless. And we are called to do more than this. The wants of the soul, only the love of Christ can satisfy. If Christ is abiding in us, our hearts will be full of divine sympathy. The sealed fountains of earnest, Christlike love will be unsealed.” COL 417.
I don’t know what you think about these words, but they impress me as encompassing our entire message. The activity that Jesus was doing when the disciples of John went to ask Him if He was the One sent of God is the very work we are to engage in. The world today is asking the question: “Where are the people of God?” They want to see Jesus. They want to know where He is and what He is like. Too often He has been misrepresented. Too often we have acted as if He is a selfish God, or a demanding and exacting God, when in reality He is an unselfish and loving Person.
Medical ministry is at the very heart of this work. It is not just welfare ministry, and gospel ministry, but it is also medical ministry. They are all closely interrelated and cannot be separated. And the spiritual needs must be put together with the physical needs. We must minister to the soul as well as to the body. Therefore, we do not believe alone in medical work, or welfare work. We believe in medical ministry in addition to welfare ministry. This is not just work. It is service where we serve the needs of mankind. It is not a profession or working for a livelihood or for wages or fees. It is working for God and for man. The money does not satisfy. We all have troubles with materialism. Many of us think that money will satisfy us. But go see those who do have money and ask if they are satisfied. The more we get, the more we want. It can be a form of addiction, and it does not satisfy.
The wants of our souls and the wants of other souls are only satisfied in working for others, motivated by love for God and for people. There is nothing else that satisfies. Yet everywhere I go, I find dissatisfied workers—dissatisfied ministers, medical workers, and people in all phases of the work. They have material blessings, but they have told me they want to do something for people. I would ask them, “But don’t you work for people every day?” And they answer, “Yes, but we want to do something for people, and not for a living.” They want to do something that will feed their own hearts. There is a craving these days in people to do this kind of work. But somehow the devil has hindered it, or we just do not see it as clearly as we should.
The reason why I bring up the subject of medical ministry is to impress on you why this work is so vitally important. Of all the work our Lord could have done in this earth, why did He choose this activity? Why is it so special? Why should we invest so much money and time into this work of medical ministry? Why did God work many miracles to found institutions in places like Loma Linda and other localities? There is something most unique about this ministry.
The first reason is that Jesus said, “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye have done it unto Me.” Matthew 25:40. When we feed and clothe those who need our help, it is the same as doing it unto Jesus. He has a strong identity with all humanity. He claims them as His own. “For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in My name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward.” Mark 9:41. Humanity belongs to Christ.
Another reason for taking up this work is found in the words of Solomon the wise man. “He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord; and that which he hath given will He pay him again.” Did you ever think the Lord would want to borrow something? Lending to Him is a most unique thought. When I take pity on the poor and give to them whatever it is that they need, I am not just giving to them. The wise man teaches I am lending to God, and He will repay me again.
In these verses and others, the Lord is teaching us that all humanity belongs to Him. All of us “are bought with a price.” 1 Corinthians 6:20. “Behold, all souls are Mine.” Ezekiel 18:4. “The earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.” Psalms 24:1. Humanity is His property. He simply asks us what we think about His property. What is your concern about mankind? What is your interest in people and how do you feel about them? They are God’s property.
May I suggest that we live in a time of great mistreatment of people, from the wars that rage throughout the world to strife in our own families. Our children feel greatly neglected, not for lack of things, but for lack of dad and mother. The parents are so busy obtaining the things they think their children need and want that the children do not have the benefit of time with them. Dad and mother are so worn out trying to get those things that they do not have time for their children. We are rushing through life in our mad pursuit of things, and people have become unimportant. We do not intend to be that way, but we act like it. Do not visit the old people in your community if you do not want to be told that they are not important. There are many singles in our communities, both young and old, who can tell you how unimportant they are. And even students far from home can tell you how unimportant they are. We do not have small schools anymore. Students are just a number in a computer. The computer knows who you are but the teacher does not. It is not the teacher’s fault in all cases, for some have classes with hundreds of students. It is difficult to find somebody who cares. Never in the history of this world have people needed other people so much as today. We need friends, but how little time we have for each other. In our hearts we think more of each other than we take time to prove. We just do not seem to find time. We seek education and all sorts of good things, but people seem to be left out.
This is the society we have, friend. But the Lord said that the last work is to understand people’s needs and to minister to those needs. Doesn’t your heart go out to people in need? Don’t you want to do something about it? I suggest that taking time, and having genuine concern for people within your sphere of influence, is the reason why the Lord speaks so much about satisfying the needs of humanity. If Jesus came all the way from heaven to spend all day long doing things like this, then who and what is more important than this type of activity? Almost everything we are doing could be left undone if we only took time for people. When you have gone through your day on the treadmill of life but have left out precious humanity, it is a dissatisfying day, and the stress gets to you, and you do not look forward to the next day and its treadmill. But helping just one human being that day brightens the whole day, does it not? And that night when you kneel down to pray, you thank the Lord and say it was a good day.
Some people believe all this, but ask, “What can I do?” It seems a mystery and we make it so difficult. Jesus only said to give them what you have. It can be kind words, or a firm handshake. We need to get close to people. We need each other. What you have may not be food. It may be a room for a while in your home or kind words. It does not matter how much you have; just give what you have. And everyday the Lord will send the right people to you. He does not send a person who needs millions of dollars to a poverty-stricken person. He sends the people we can help.
“In the gift of His Son for our redemption, God has shown how high a value He places upon every human soul, and He gives to no man liberty to speak contemptuously of another. We shall see faults and weaknesses in those about us, but God claims every soul as His property—His by creation, and doubly His as purchased by the precious blood of Christ.” MB 56,57.
We are always judging people by appearances, and some people just do not look like His property. But they are. God does not judge us by our appearance or by what we are now. He judges us by our potential. “I will make a man more precious than fine gold.” Isaiah 13:12. It is not what a person is; it is what the Master Craftsman can do with human clay. Let us not minimize the Potter, for we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. When the Lord goes to work on us, we are like jewels in His crown, precisely cut. We all know people who we never dreamed would become such agents for the Lord. It is difficult to imagine that some of our high school students, those wiggle worms and rascals, could ever do anything for the Lord. But they often turn out to be missionaries and outstanding leaders, very dedicated to the Lord and His work. It is not the outward appearance, but rather the potential. The Lord looks down into the future, but we cannot; and He sees what He can make of men and women. These are the marvelous things about humanity. God can do such great things with so little. Therefore, I must treat with great respect every human being. It will come back to haunt us when we abuse human beings. We must learn the difficult lesson of how priceless is every human being for whom Christ has given His life.
There is another aspect to this problem, and that concerns life itself. Right here is where medical ministry comes into its own, for sickness has much to do with life or the lack of life. Helping people in their affliction when they are sick is caring for life. This is the path to the heart. “The medical missionary work is growing in importance and claims the attention of the churches. It is part of the gospel message and must receive recognition. It is the heaven-ordained means of finding entrance to the hearts of people.” MM 241.
We have invented many gimmicks, and many promotional devices—all well-meaning things— but nothing will ever take the place of blessing people with life. Just wait until your spouse is ill, or your children; and I mean deathly ill. A very fine physician and his best nurse spend three days and three nights with your loved one to keep them alive. Let me assure you that they occupy a tremendous place in your heart immediately. When they hover over your loved one, and never leave until the person is well and safe, something happens to that loved one and all the other loved ones in that family. And you wonder, why such dedication? Why do they forget their families? Why do they forget sleep itself and even food? Why do they do this when neither my family nor I are important? These people are on a fixed salary and it does not increase one dime when they stay there three nights and three days. And you want to know what they have found that you have not discovered. What makes people like that? And never has there been such a big opening for medical workers to teach the marvelous love of Christ as there is today.
Medical ministry is unique because it has to do with life, and nothing is closer to our hearts than life—our own and that of our loved ones and friends. There is nothing like this work; and you cannot separate it from eternal life. Life winning is soul winning. In its true understanding, it always has been and it always will be, for as soon as you touch the life, you touch the soul, and the heart is as receptive as it can ever be. The hardest hearts, the most difficult to reach, will be reached by those in this ministry. Therefore, God says that not only the physicians and nurses and paramedics must get involved, but the ministers and lay members must get involved in meeting the physical needs of people, because this is the path to the heart. God will find an abundant entrance into the hearts of people when we become intensely interested in their lives.
Life is of God. He is the Life Giver. He is the Life Provider every day. Jesus said “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” John 10:10. As His followers, we must say that we have come that they might have life and have it more abundantly. We establish that by bringing them the physical life first. Then the heart is open to receive the spiritual life. “For in Him we live, and move, and have our being.” Acts 17:28. If I am interested in life, I am interested in you.
When you see a hungry person, you find someone on the road to death. If their needs are not soon satisfied, they will die. When you meet a person not adequately clothed in cold weather, they can die of exposure; and they are on the road to death. The homeless, orphans, and widows can become so discouraged and lonesome that in one way or another they are on the road to death. Diseases that kill can follow depression and discouragement. All of these things are an attack on life in mankind. The destroyer has come to bring death; and all of those on the Lord’s side are fighting the enemy of mankind and fostering life, whether it be providing food or clothing or a home or friendship or in attacking and fighting sickness. We are fighting the enemy of all mankind—the destroyer and death-giver. All of those on the Lord’s side have come that mankind might have life and more abundantly.
I would like to suggest that this activity is true righteousness, because righteousness is loving, and living, and giving. As I forget myself and minister to you and are mindful of you, the Lord begins to live in my heart and occupy a larger place than ever before. This, I believe, was God’s plan for our medical institutions and our churches, and for all our missionary work. If I understand Isaiah 58 correctly, when we do this work, motivated by love for man and for God, concerned about life and God’s property, then it will be that verse 10 of Isaiah 58 is fulfilled. “And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noonday.” God’s character will be truly seen, revealed in the activity of men.
Other things will also take place as seen in verse 9: “Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and He shall say, Here I am.” We will see answers to prayer, almost immediately. We are always in close contact with Him because we so intimately identify with Him and represent Him. He can bless our true representation of Him.
Verse 11 also takes place: “And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.” We should be amazed at the constant guidance in founding our medical institutions. Every day the right answers came at the right time and with the right amount of money. “And the Lord shall guide thee continually.”
Then verse 12 can take place: “And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in.” Verses 12 and 13 talk about a Law Giver whose law is love—love for God supremely and love for our neighbor as ourselves. It is not just talking about a day of the week that we keep--the Sabbath. It is talking about the God of the Sabbath, the Creator and Father of all mankind. We are the apple of His eye. He is the One who has given life to all of us. What does the Father think about His children? Do Sabbath-keepers think the same thing about humanity as He does? What do our medical workers think about those precious lives they can care for in the medical work? Do we see and know the Creator of man, the Father of man, in the Sabbath and in the law? He said to show and reveal Him and manifest Him in His creatorship as we deal with human beings. Then light will come in answers to prayers. You will be like a refreshing stream that gives life to all around.
The Lord planned the most marvelous work that we can possibly imagine in our fondest dreams for this people who have such great light. Our institutions are to be centers that train workers for this kind of activity, and it is to encircle the globe. We are to manifest to the world what it is like to love life, and to bring life to those who are dying. This is a precious work the world is crying for.
This is a nice work, and even an easy work. It is not a struggle to love people. It is a struggle to forget self. It is wonderful to love people; and the next time we meet someone with the love of Christ in our hearts, they can feel it all the way down to their toes. That love warms you on the inside.
The Lord still has this plan for us, doesn’t He? He said He never changes. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He believes in great kindness, and tremendous compassion. He patiently waits that we might see Him, that we might know Him, and that we might walk with Him, abiding in Him and He in us. Then we may manifest this tremendous love that the world might know that God is love. And we will receive credit (not praise) for doing the work He accomplishes through us. He will say to us along with millions of other people as we get to that heavenly home, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant. Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.” Matthew 25:21. People will be waiting in long lines to thank you for representing Him. Can anything else be so wonderful?
May God help us to sense in our hearts and inmost souls the great need of the world today, and the tremendous opportunity and calling that is ours. It is our gracious privilege to establish and manifest that God is love, and that our Creator and our Father is greatly concerned about every need of every human being.