*church as the hospital*
A hospital is an institution providing medical and surgical treatment and nursing care for sick or injured people, according to the Oxford Languages Dictionary. However, when we talk about the church, we refer to a group of Christians who not only meet together regularly but are bound together by a common commitment to each other. The church can be seen as a hospital where sinners, who are sick with sin, seek treatment and care from their beloved healer, Jesus Christ.
We all sin every day; we get sick from our sins and need a physician who will treat us in all aspects of our lives, including mentally, physically, spiritually, and socially. God's diagnosis is not like that of the physicians we know, who need a historical view to provide a prognosis. God knows us even before we turn to Him; He knows all the consequences we are experiencing and the right treatment for us. Once we accept His treatment, we will never face the same problem again, as indicated in John 4:13-14.
Jesus says in Mark 2:16, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick." In this scripture, Jesus tells us that the church is intentionally made as a hospital for those seeking help from Him. For those who have been sick in sin for a long time and for those who have carried burdens without hope of relief throughout their lives, Jesus offers rest. In Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus says, "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Through Jesus Christ, we find rest from all the burdens in our lives, whether they are lies, fornication, adultery, bad desires, or similar sins. Jesus will settle us and cleanse us.
Just as doctors in a hospital visit patients daily to analyze their progress, Jesus does this even more frequently. In John 14:26, He says, "But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you and will remind you of everything I have said to you." The Holy Spirit encourages us constantly, speaking to us and reminding us of God's words. Just as doctors encourage patients to continue with their medication, the Holy Spirit encourages us to follow Jesus, who has redeemed us and continues to redeem us.
James, speaking about true religion, says in James 1:27, "Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world." He refers to how the church should operate, acting as a hospital to help those in need. This includes visiting people to give them courage and recognizing those with special needs in the church, helping them materially while encouraging them to turn to Christ as their savior.
Jesus wants us to make the church a hospital where people can be healed in all aspects of life. The church should be a place where people are saved spiritually, mentally, physically, economically, and socially. Let us make our church a place where, when Jesus looks at it, He can say, "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!" (Psalm 133:1).
Engage in mission, bring them to Jesus.