Christian Physician as a Missionary
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sense a missionary. There are friends to whom he can speak of the
love of God. He can tell in the church what the Lord is to him, even a
personal Saviour; and the testimony given in simplicity may do more
good than the most eloquent discourse. There is a great work to be
done, too, in dealing justly with all and walking humbly with God.
Those who are doing the work nearest them are gaining an experience
that will fit them for a wider sphere of usefulness. There must be an
experience in home missionary work as a preparation for foreign work.
The Care of the Sick
How shall the Lord’s work be done? How can we gain access to
souls buried in midnight darkness? Prejudice must be met; corrupt
religion is hard to deal with. The very best ways and means of work
must be prayerfully considered. There is a way in which many doors
will be opened to the missionary. Let him become intelligent in the
care of the sick, as a nurse, or learn how to treat disease, as a physician;
and if he is imbued with the spirit of Christ, what a field of usefulness
is opened before him!
Christ was the Saviour of the world. During His life on earth,
the sick and afflicted were objects of His special compassion. When
He sent out His disciples, He commissioned them to heal the sick
as well as to preach the gospel. When He sent forth the seventy, He
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commanded them to heal the sick, and next to preach that the kingdom
of God had come nigh unto them. Their physical health was to be first
cared for, in order that the way might be prepared for the truth to reach
their minds.
Christ’s Method of Evangelism
The Saviour devoted more time and labor to healing the afflicted
of their maladies than to preaching. His last injunction to His apostles,
His representatives on earth, was to lay hands on the sick that they
might recover. When the Master shall come, He will commend those
who have visited the sick and relieved the necessities of the afflicted.
The tender sympathies of our Saviour were aroused for fallen and
suffering humanity. If you would be His followers, you must cultivate
compassion and sympathy. Indifference to human woes must give