Page 42 - BMIN191 Beginnning Internship

42 Beginning Ministerial Internship: Student Manual

The Hospital Visit

LESSON “And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will
2.2 raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven” (James 5:15).

There may be no place where the work of the ministry and the power of God
intersect as often as in ministry to the sick. While we know that, in the long-run,
matters of the spirit are more essential than the physical, a minister will be called
upon more regularly to care for physical crises. People simply are more aware of
their felt needs than their true spiritual needs.
2.2.1 Jesus faced the same reality. People came to Him in droves, longing to receive
OBJECTIVE healing for their various ailments, while fewer stayed to let Him set a new course
Identify and explain the for living. At times, Jesus expressed disappointment or perhaps frustration that they
five essential guidelines for believed He could heal but were not willing to acknowledge Him as the Son of God.
hospital ministry. Our earnest interest in a person’s spiritual needs should not cause us to

2.2.2 neglect the physical. God does not. In the same act that provided our atonement,
OBJECTIVE He also provided for our healing. Meeting such needs was the most common way
Plan three different types that He demonstrated God’s love. We can, therefore, conclude that He is willing
of hospital visits. to continue demonstrating that love in a similar way to each generation.

2.2.3 A Theology of the Sick
OBJECTIVE
Be prepared to conduct Question of Why
hospital visits. An understanding of sickness and a doctrine of divine healing are not solely
the property of the pulpit or the teacher’s podium. In fact, such issues arise more
often in the daily context of the minister’s work of caring for those in need.
While the question “why?” is not easily addressed and seldom can be adequately
answered, this question rings the loudest in the mind of the sufferer.
We understand that sickness made its entry into the world as a part of the sin and
death package. But this certainly does not imply that every individual occurrence of
sickness is associated with individual sin. So we seek the Lord in touching people at
the heart of their immediate need, as we look to Him for their eternal need.
Sickness is part of the reality of human life. Without it, our own mortality
would be in question. While sickness interrupts the pursuit of the life we want,
such times are not a departure from the normalcy of life. For a host of potential
reasons, people get sick and when we treat sickness inappropriately, it is a
disservice to those we lead.
Some may teach that the Christian has a right to be healthy. However, any
attempt at elevating human rights over God ignores biblical evidence and places
a burden of guilt on the sick. God has promised us strength and grace, not
complete avoidance of sickness.
8 In what ways did Job’s Job and his three friends wrestled through the issue of why, when that
three friends fail in their visit? righteous man faced world-record calamity. But for all their musings, none was
able to make sense of Job’s suffering, especially when there was clear evidence
that less righteous people were living in comfort. What they failed to take into
account was the sovereignty and purpose of God. Job ultimately understood
this as the path God had chosen for him, and he eventually submitted to God’s
sovereign right to choose as He desired.
For the minister, caring for the sick is less about answering questions and
more about providing encouragement and leadership in pursuing God’s purpose
and glory. We must be patient with the sufferer’s need to question and cannot be
flippant or offer stock answers. Instead, the minister must guide each individual