Is There a Doctor in the House?”
Mark 2:13-17 NIV
[13] Once again Jesus went out beside the lake. A large crowd came to him, and he began to teach them. [14] As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” Jesus told him, and Levi got up and followed him. [15] While Jesus was having dinner at Levi’s house, many tax collectors and sinners were eating with him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. [16] When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” [17] On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
Today we begin our Hospital Series and in this series we will take a tour through the many departments and functions of the hospital and compare that to what we ought to be and are in the church.
The hospital is in place to provide assistance and treatment to those in need of relief from pain, sickness or ailments. It provides many facets and functionalities that at the end of the day result in what it is designed and purposed to do, save lives.
The hospital is a place where you come to seek help and seek assistance to get better or ensure you remain in a healthy state once your health has been compromised or challenged from poor living habits, hereditary traits or sudden accident or trauma. This place is home to doctors/physicians and multiple specialists in which we will visit on our tour through the next couple of weeks and we will learn their functions and day to day operations and roles. Hospitals were a place where it provided the comfort and relief to those who had a heart for healing and delivering people from their pain and wanted to help people live. Doctors used to make house calls for check ups and would surround themselves with people who were sick in order to study them and learn about the illness to develop treatments and healings. Today hospitals have become cathedrals with fine art, fancy gift shops and elaborate suites that overcharge you for treatment before even being treated. You now have to prove you have insurance in order to even being seen at times or even pre-authorized before having a procedure done. Some hospitals have pulled away from the original grand scheme design to be available at all times for the public and have instituted business hours and secretarys to schedule you in regardless of the sense of urgency or pain you may have making it less effective and useful to most.
The church was a place once upon a time where it housed the sick and shut in. Remember them? It was a place where food banks would be designed and functioned as a place for the sinner to come to be nursed back to health in their spirit. It was a place where the physician on staff would be available on call to pray with and for all who entered but now has changed into a mall in some instances. It now has gift shops with ATMs inside and bookcases with CDs and fan paraphernalia for the church logo, pastor or Jesus. The doors were always open all the time but now function similar to the hospital where some you have to schedule time to meet with the pastor and have a certain coverage in order to be seen. The pastor in some cases will need to be prepaid before performing certain duties or coming to see about the saint/sinner which in essence causes some to remain sick/lost or even die in their ailment.
Cardiology - Heart
ICU- Intensive Care Unit
Emergency Room ambulance or walk ins, intense and urgent care needed immediately, death is imminent “make me feel good” in my Halle Berry voice
Well people look at sick people as if they are disgusting or contagious, so it is in church. They put on their church face like they got it all together and all well and big hats and suits and sicker than you! You just a dressed up mess! You near death and don’t even know it!
Jesus came for the folks who were sick and tired and near death and wanted healing! When you enter the ER, you normally don’t enter with a smile or a calm attitude, you are thirsty for healing! You are desperate for deliverance from the pain and agony! You are travailing out and kicking and screaming and some instances needing to be restrained! Some folks aint always shouting cause they rejoicing, a lot of times they shouting because they in pain! It’s a hospital! Its created to heal and deliver relief! Jesus came to sit among those who needed His healing! Why sit among those who are well!? They already got it so they think! You walking around judging the sick and your heart about to fall out your chest! You smiling in the well folk face and talking with HELLITOSIOUS of the mouth. Not haletousous. Everything that comes out of your mouth is full of hell and destruction! You sick and don’t even know it! Its not what goes into the mouth that perverts the body but what comes out of it!
The church is not for a bunch of pretty hats and suits, it’s the ER, trauma center and folks are in need of deliverance! It’s a ward to train and rehabilitate the ones who have been lost and sick! Not to glorify man and preachers! It’s the ER!!!
Ever been so sick for so long and the doctor asked you how long or when did the symptoms start and you have no answer!? So it is in church! You been so sick so long. Sunday after Sunday same ailment and cant even recall when the pain started but all you know is IS THERE A DOCTOR IN THE HOUSE!? I need the doctor to take this pain away!
Sitting in the ER requires patience for the patients. You have to be a patient patient. All I want is to tbe seen, all I want is to be diagnosed to know what this is bothering me, all I want is whats inside me to come out of me to make me feel better! Where is the doctor!? Preachers have tried to become doctors and create schedules and secretaries to get with them and schedule appointments! What ever happened to walk ins!? Jesus had walk ins all the time! They didn’t have time to wait! I have tried the doctor!! Son of David have mercy on me! They cried out!
Folks got carried in to Jesus! In the ER you get carried in sometimes you in so much pain!
You have to get that Word in you to start the healing! Take two scriptures and call me in the morning!
Stop putting Band-Aids on the gapping wounds and get stitched up! You are putting Band-Aids on broken hearts and you need to go under the knife! You need a blood transfusion! You need the blood of the lamb! You need CPR! You are dying in the pew and need to be resuscitated!
This is what church is about! Go and get others who need to be healed! Go and get others who are dying in their sin! Stop coming and getting your healing all by yourself and leaving others dead! Bring them to the hospital! Check ups are needed daily! Get in your Word and get your daily dose!
Labor/Delivery Room
Pharmacy
Doctors, specialists
Healing/relief/comfort
