Section: Medical Missionaries and their Work (Chapters 9-14)

Section: Medical Missionaries and their Work (Chapters 9-14)

There is everywhere a work to be done for those who through

intemperance have fallen. True reformation begins with soul cleansing. He who taught Adam and Eve in Eden how to tend the garden, desires to instruct men today.
--The widow and the fatherless are the objects of the Lord's special care.
"Leave thy fatherless children, I will preserve them alive;
And let thy widows trust in Me."
Jeremiah 49:11.
--Many among the rich are longing for some divine assurance, some spiritual hope. Many long for something that will bring to an end the monotony of their aimless lives.
Q:Shall we make no personal appeal to them? The Bible condemns no man for being rich, if he has acquired his riches honestly. Not money, but the love of money, is the root of all evil.
As their minds are thus drawn away from their own selfish interests, many will surrender themselves to Christ. With their talents of influence and means they will gladly unite in the work of beneficence with the humble missionary who was God's agent in their conversion.
--When Christ sent out the twelve disciples on their first missionary tour, He bade them, "As ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give." Matthew 10:7, 8.
--After Christ's ascension the same work was continued. The scenes of His own ministry were repeated. "Out of the cities round about" there came a multitude "unto Jerusalem, bringing sick folks, and them which were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed every one." Acts 5:16.
--Luke, the writer of the Gospel that bears his name, was a medical missionary. In the Scriptures he is called "the beloved physician." Colossians 4:14.
--The giving of the gospel to the world is the work that God has committed to those who bear His name.
--For earth's sin and misery the gospel is the only antidote.
--Among the Jewish people, who professed to have a knowledge of Jehovah, His word had been set aside for tradition and human speculation. Selfish ambition, greed of gain, absorbed men's thoughts. As reverence for God departed, so also departed compassion toward men. Selfishness was the ruling principle, and Satan worked his will in the misery and degradation of mankind.
--Satanic agencies took possession of men. The bodies of human beings, made for the dwelling place of God, became the habitation of demons. The senses, the nerves, the organs of men were worked by supernatural agencies in the indulgence of the vilest lust.
Q: What is the condition in the world today?
Q: Is not faith in the Bible as effectually destroyed by the higher criticism and speculation of today as it was by tradition and rabbinism in the days of Christ?
Q: Have not greed and ambition and love of pleasure as strong a hold on men's hearts now as they had then?
--In the professedly Christian world, even in the professed churches of Christ, how few are governed by Christian principles.
--Every day brings its heart-sickening record of violence and lawlessness, of indifference to human suffering, of brutal, fiendish destruction of human life.
--Every day testifies to the increase of insanity, murder, and suicide.
--Those who hold the reins of government are unable to solve the problem of poverty and increasing crime.
Q:Who can doubt that satanic agencies are at work among men with increasing activity to distract and corrupt the mind, and defile and destroy the body?
--The world needs today what it needed nineteen hundred years ago—a revelation of Christ.
--We should ever remember that the object of the medical missionary work is to point sin-sick men and women to the Man of Calvary, who taketh away the sin of the world. 

By beholding Him, 

they will be changed into His likeness.

--Gospel workers should be able also to give instruction in the principles of healthful living. There is sickness everywhere, and most of it might be prevented by attention to the laws of health. They need to be impressed with the truth conveyed in the words of Holy Writ:
"Ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people." 2 Corinthians 6:16.
--Through 

intemperate habits they bring upon themselves disease, 

and through 

greed to obtain money for sinful indulgence 

they fall into dishonest practices. 

Health and character are ruined. With these, self-indulgence is not only a moral sin, but a physical disease. The victims of evil habit must be aroused to the necessity of making an effort for themselves.

Christ may entreat,

His angels may minister; 

but all will be in vain unless they themselves are roused to fight the battle in their own behalf. They have debased their mental and spiritual powers by the gratification of appetite and passion, and this makes them weak.

--The tempted one needs to understand the true force of the will. This is the governing power in the nature of man—the power of decision, of choice. Man's conduct in this world decides his eternal destiny. As he has sown, so he must reap. Cause will be followed by effect. "By the word of Thy lips I have kept me from the paths of the destroyer." Psalm 17:4.
--Many will go down to ruin while hoping and desiring to overcome their evil propensities. They do not yield the will to God. They do not choose to serve Him.
--Christ commits to His followers an individual work—a work that cannot be done by proxy. Ministry to the sick and the poor, the giving of the gospel to the lost, is not to be left to committees or organized charities. Individual responsibility, individual effort, personal sacrifice, is the requirement of the gospel.
--Every church should be a training school for Christian workers. Its members should be taught how to give Bible readings, how to conduct and teach Sabbath-school classes, how best to help the poor and to care for the sick, how to work for the unconverted.
--Many professed Christians, in seeking church relationship, think only of themselves. They wish to enjoy church fellowship and pastoral care. They become members of large and prosperous churches, and are content to do little for others.
--Throughout the world, messengers of mercy are needed. As the dew and the still showers fall upon the withering plants, so let words fall gently when seeking to win men from error. The Holy Spirit will apply to the soul the word that is spoken in love. From age to age the Lord has been seeking to awaken in the souls of men a sense of their divine brotherhood. Be co-workers with Him. Grace is an attribute of God exercised toward undeserving human beings. We did not seek for it, but it was sent in search of us. If men would give more heed to the teaching of God's word, they would find a solution of these problems that perplex them.

--The lost coin, in the Savior's parable,--

-though lying in the dirt and rubbish, was a piece of silver still. 

-Its owner sought it because it was of value. 

-So every soul, however degraded by sin, 

-is in God's sight accounted precious. 

-As the coin bore the image 

and superscription of the reigning power, 

-so man at his creation bore the image 

and superscription of God. 

-Though now marred and dim through the influence of sin, 

-the traces of this inscription remain upon every soul.

*God desires to recover that soul 

and to retrace upon it His own image 

in righteousness and holiness.

--The necessary reformation will never be made unless men and women are assisted by a power outside of themselves. It is God's purpose that the rich and the poor shall be closely bound together by the ties of sympathy and helpfulness. Those who have means, talents, and capabilities are to use these gifts in blessing their fellow men.
--He bids us, in dealing with the tempted and the erring, consider "thyself, lest thou also be tempted.
" Galatians 6:1. With a sense of our own infirmities, we shall have compassion for the infirmities of others.
--It is always humiliating to have one's errors pointed out. None should make the experience more bitter by needless censure. No one was ever reclaimed by reproach; but many have thus been repelled. The mind is beclouded, he knows not what steps to take. Many a poor soul is misunderstood, unappreciated, full of distress and agony—a lost, straying sheep. He cannot find God, yet he has an intense longing for pardon and peace.
--We become too easily discouraged over the souls who do not at once respond to our efforts. Never should we cease to labor for a soul while there is one gleam of hope. Precious souls cost our self-sacrificing Redeemer too dear a price to be lightly given up to the tempter's power.
***Consider the power of heredity, the influence of evil associations and surroundings, the power of wrong habits.
---Some will be found whose minds have been so long debased that they will never in this life become what under more favorable circumstances they might have been. But the bright beams of the Sun of Righteousness may shine into the soul. Plant in their minds uplifting, ennobling thoughts.
*The dull, clouded mind will awake. The slave of sin will be set free. Vice will disappear, and ignorance will be overcome.
*God has given us the power of choice; it is ours to exercise.
*Christ lived a life of perfect obedience to God's law, and in this He set an example for every human being.

It is wrong to waste our time, 

wrong to waste our thoughts.

*The last words of David to Solomon, then a young man, and soon to receive the crown of Israel, were, "Be ... strong, . . . and show thyself a man." 1 Kings 2:2.

Section: The Work of the Physician (Chapters 7,8)

Section: The Work of the Physician 

(Chapters 7,8)

In the ministry of healing the physician is to be a co-worker with Christ.
-*-The Savior ministered to both the soul and the body.

The physician seeks to preserve life; 

Christ imparts life.

--The true physician is an educator.
--He it is who "forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with loving-kindness and tender mercies." Psalm 103:3, 4.
--Sickness, suffering, and death are work of an antagonistic power. Satan is the destroyer; God is the restorer. "I am the Lord that healeth thee." Exodus 15:26.
--Our Savior's words, "Come unto Me, . . . and I will give you rest" Matthew 11:28, are a prescription for the healing of physical, mental,

and spiritual ills.
--Knowing the Lord Jesus, it is the privilege of the Christian practitioner by prayer to invite His presence in the sickroom. Before performing a critical operation, let the physician ask for the aid of the Great Physician.
--As the mind of the sufferer is directed to the Savior, the peace of Christ fills his heart, and the spiritual health that comes to him is used as the helping hand of God in restoring the health of the body.
--Pure air, sunlight, abstemiousness, rest, exercise, proper diet, the use of water, trust in divine power—these are the true remedies.
--Many transgress the laws of health through ignorance, and they need instruction. But the greater number know better than they do. Intemperance and crime, disease and wretchedness, are everywhere.

--The body is the only medium through which the mind and the soul are developed for the upbuilding of character. Hence it is that the adversary of souls directs his temptations to the enfeebling and degrading of the physical powers.
--In that ancient ritual which was the gospel in symbol, no blemished offering could be brought to God's altar. The sacrifice that was to represent Christ must be spotless. The word of God points to this as an illustration of what His children are to be—"a living sacrifice," "holy and without blemish," "well-pleasing to God." Romans 12:1, R.V., margin; Ephesians 5:27.
--One of the most deplorable effects of the original apostasy was the loss of man's power of self-control.
--If but one soul would have accepted the gospel of His grace, Christ would, to save that one, have chosen His life of toil and humiliation and His death of shame. If through our efforts one human being shall be uplifted and ennobled, fitted to shine in the courts of the Lord, have we not cause for rejoicing?

The desire of God for every human being is expressed in the words, "Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth." 

3 John 2.

Section: The True Medical Missionary (Chapters 1-6)

Section: The True Medical Missionary 

(Chapters 1-6)

Our Lord Jesus Christ came to this world as the unwearied servant of man's necessity. He "took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses," that He might minister to every need of humanity. Matthew 8:17. The burden of disease and wretchedness and sin He came to remove. It was His mission to bring to men complete restoration; He came to give them health and peace and perfection of character. 

*By sin we have been severed from the life of God.*

*Our souls are palsied.*

--He knew that unless there was a decided change in the principles and purposes of the human race, all would be lost.
--He was represented by the sacrificial lamb, "without blemish and without spot." 1 Peter 1:19. In body as in soul He was an example of what God designed all humanity to be through obedience to His laws.
--During His ministry, 

Jesus devoted more time 

to healing the sick than to preaching.

--The Savior made each work of healing an occasion for implanting divine principles in the mind and soul.
--His voice was heard explaining the Scriptures. So unlike the explanations of Scripture given by the scribes and Pharisees was Christ's teaching, that the attention of the people was arrested. The rabbis dwelt upon tradition, upon human theory and speculation. He banished from the soul unrest and doubt, changing enmity to love, and unbelief to confidence.
--Never was there such an evangelist as Christ. He was the Majesty of heaven, but He humbled Himself to take our nature, that He might meet men where they were. To all people, rich and poor, free and bond, Christ, the Messenger of the covenant, brought the tidings of

salvation. His fame as the Great Healer spread throughout Palestine.
--He attended the great yearly festivals of the nation, and to the multitude absorbed in outward ceremony He spoke of heavenly things, bringing eternity within their view.
--Christ came to the earth and stood before the children of men with the hoarded love of eternity, and this is the treasure that, through our connection with Him, we are to receive, to reveal, and to impart.
--The prince of teachers, He sought access to the people by the pathway of their most familiar associations. He presented the truth in such a way that ever after it was to His hearers intertwined with their most hallowed recollections and sympathies.
--Christ recognized no distinction of nationality or rank or creed. The life of Christ established a religion in which there is no caste, a religion by which Jew and Gentile, free and bond, are linked in a common brotherhood, equal before God.
*The Sun of Righteousness did not burst upon the world in splendor, to dazzle the senses with His glory. It is written of Christ, "His going forth is prepared as the morning." Hosea 6:3. So did the Sun of Righteousness arise, "with healing in His wings." Malachi 4:2.
--The works of Christ not only declared Him to be the Messiah, but showed in what manner His kingdom was to be established.
--God can use every person just in proportion as He can put His Spirit into the soul temple. The work that He will accept is the work that reflects His image.
--The gospel invitation is not to be narrowed down and presented only to a select few, who, we suppose, will do us honor if they accept it. The message is to be given to all.
--The missionary can not only relieve physical maladies, but he can lead the sinner to the Great Physician, who can cleanse the soul from the leprosy of sin.
--Do not speak of religion as something that children cannot understand, or act as if they were not expected to accept Christ in their childhood. Do not give them the false impression that the religion of Christ is a religion of gloom. As the Holy Spirit moves upon the hearts of the children, co-operate with His work.
--The miracle of the loaves teaches dependence upon God. When Christ fed the five thousand, the food was not nigh at hand. Apparently He had no means at His command. There He was, with five thousand men, besides women and children, in the wilderness. Many of them were without means to purchase food. He who for their sake had fasted forty days in the wilderness, would not suffer them to return fasting to their homes. The providence of God had placed Jesus where He was, and He depended on His heavenly Father for means to relieve the necessity. When we are brought into strait places, we are to depend on God. In every emergency we are to seek help from Him who has infinite resources at His command. If men today were simple in their habits, living in harmony with nature's laws, as did Adam and Eve in the beginning, there would be an abundant supply for the needs of the human family. But selfishness and the indulgence of appetite have brought sin and misery, from excess on the one hand, and from want on the other.
--All who are under the training of God need the quiet hour for communion with their own hearts, with nature, and with God. He bids us, "Be still, and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10.
--"If I may but touch His garment, I shall be whole." Matthew 9:21. It was a poor woman who spoke these words—a woman who for twelve years had suffered from a disease that made her life a burden. She had spent all her means upon physicians and remedies, only to be pronounced incurable. But as she heard of the Great Healer, her hopes revived. She thought, "If only I could get near enough to speak to Him, I might be healed." ; for the crowd pressed Christ on every side. In making His way through the multitude, the

Savior came near to where the afflicted woman was standing. 

Again and again she had tried in vain to get near Him. Now her opportunity had come. She could see no way of speaking to Him. But she had heard that healing came from a touch of His garments; and, fearful of losing her one chance for relief, she pressed forward, saying to herself, "If I may but touch His garment, I shall be whole."
As He was passing, she reached forward and succeeded in barely touching the border of His garment. That moment she knew that she was healed. In that one touch was concentrated the faith of her life, and instantly her pain and feebleness disappeared. "She felt in her body that she was healed of that plague." Verse 29. Suddenly Jesus stopped, and looking round He asked, "Who touched Me?" Looking at Him in amazement, Peter answered, "Master, the multitude throng Thee and press Thee, and sayest Thou, Who touched Me?" Luke 8:45. "Somebody hath touched Me," Jesus said; "for I perceive that virtue is gone out of Me." Verse 46. He could distinguish the touch of faith from the casual touch of the careless throng. Christ did not ask the question for His own information. He had a lesson for the people, for His disciples, and for the woman. He wished to inspire the afflicted with hope.
--In working for the victims of evil habits, instead of pointing them to the despair and ruin toward which they are hastening, turn their eyes away to Jesus. "God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8.
--Whatever may be the evil practice, the master passion which through long indulgence binds both soul and body, Christ is able and longs to deliver. He will impart life to the soul that is "dead in trespasses." Ephesians 2:1. The omnipotent power of the Holy Spirit is the defense of every contrite soul. No one who in penitence and faith has claimed His protection will Christ permit to pass under the enemy's power. "I will make them and the places round about My hill a blessing; and I will cause the shower to come down in its season; there shall be showers of blessing." Ezekiel 34:26. The love of Christ, manifested in unselfish ministry, will be more effective in reforming the evildoer than will the sword or the court of justice.
--Jesus knows the circumstances of every soul. The greater the sinner's guilt, the more he needs the Savior. His heart of divine love and sympathy is drawn out most of all for the one who is the most hopelessly entangled in the snares of the enemy. With His own blood He has signed the emancipation papers of the race.
-*-All may find something to do. None need feel that there is no place where they can labor for Christ.

Human love may change, 

but Christ's love knows no change. 

When we cry to Him for help, 

His hand is stretched out to save.