The Hospital That Did Not Treat Patients

There once was a hospital that was second-to-none when it came to its facilities and all its equipment. It had the most modern building imaginable, the latest in diagnostic and treatment tools, and a cadre of physicians and nurses with the finest training. What is more, the morale of this institution was unsurpassed. They had the best parties and the most helpful personnel in human resources. As a result of all this, whenever a patient came through the doors there was just a sense that healing was possible.

There was just one little chink in their armor. It did not actually treat patients. Doctors, nurses, and other support staff were often around the beds of the patients, fluids were placed in I.V. bags, and reports were placed in charts. There was no lack of activity from wall to wall and door to door. But everyone positioned themselves to act as support staff and not get their hands dirty. You might even say they did everything but treat the patients. No medications were given, no salves applied, no surgeries done, and no therapy was actually administered.

You might think it out of the ordinary, but this staff would actually have considered you strange for your conclusion. After all, they knew of many other treatment facilities in their area that also didn’t quite treat the sick. “This is what hospitals do,” they would respond to you. “Why, it was in such a hospital as this that I decided health care was the profession I would pursue.” It would have seemed scandalous to them, if you offered your opinion that they should do something as radical and extreme as treat the patients.

A hospital that does not treat patients;  isn’t that like a mechanic shop that does not fix cars, a hair salon that does not work on hair, a school that does not teach, a dental clinic that does not work on teeth, a manufacturing plant that manufactures nothing, or a church that does not make disciples? Woe, you lost me on that last one! What is that all about?  Isn’t that a little too radical? How does it fit in with the other examples?

Yes, it is true that a church that does not make disciples is like a hospital that does not treat patients. Yes, it’s true that so many churches have ceased making disciples it simply seems like the norm. Yes, it is true that the average church is full of much activity, but focuses little on intentional disciplemaking.

Yet, consider what Jesus stated is the mission of the church (Matthew 28:18-20):

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Whatever our congregation is doing, it is not fulfilling Christ’s mission for us, unless we are making disciples. And, remember, that you and I make up the church. That means we are to have a similar mindset as the Apostle Paul in Acts 20:24 (New Living Translation): “ But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God.”

So, ask yourself some pointed questions: Am I in an Ironman/woman team with anyone?  If I am in such a team, am I seeking to help him/her turn around and reproduce the likeness of Jesus Christ in someone else, who will in turn reproduce in someone else (see 2 Timothy 2:2)? Am I so satisfied in Jesus Christ that I cannot help but be praying for the lost and seeking to share the good news of Jesus Christ with them (Phil. 1:21-23)?  When is the last time I shared that good news with someone? 

I encourage you to take up the challenge. Oh, and please keep me accountable to the same challenge. Please pray for me and feel free to ask me what is going on with me in this whole area of disciplemaking.