Can health care and gospel witness work together?
One striking aspect of Jesus’ life and work is his concern to address not only humanity’s greatest need – forgiveness for sin – but also his ministry to the whole person. Time and again, we see Jesus intertwining spiritual care with attention to people’s physical, emotional, and social needs:
To the paralytic he says your sins are forgiven and get up and walk.
He restores dignity to a bleeding woman by healing her.
After setting free the man enslaved to a legion of demons Jesus commissions him to return to his people and witness to them.
In his ‘sheep and goats’ parable he especially commends those who fed the hungry, quenched the thirsty, welcomed strangers, visited the sick and prisoners.
MY BROTHER’S KEEPER
In Genesis, Cain asked God, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” The rest of the Bible cries out, “Yes, you are!” Jesus’ ministry emphasised holistic care, and the Bible leaves us in no doubt that we all carry the responsibility of meeting people’s physical needs.
Among those to respond are the nurses, doctors, and other medical professionals called by the Lord to bring blessing and transformation across the Muslim world. Some are working in fully-equipped hospitals in oil-rich countries. Others are working among the very poor in clinics and community health projects. But all our Frontiers workers have a desire to address both their patients’ physical and spiritual condition, offering to meet them at their deepest need to know God.
One of our medical workers put it like this: “Many Muslims have a fatalistic view of the world. That if my family member is sick, or my child dies of disease, then that is God’s will. We have a message that God loves you and he desires that you come to know him through Jesus. God is not the one who kills you.”
MEDICINE AND THE BIBLE
Jimmy, a highly qualified surgeon and his wife Jan, a nurse, moved with their team to a Muslim city in the Sahara. Not wanting to start a hospital or clinic, they explored a different approach asking, “What’s it going to take to make disciples of Jesus here as well as transform community health?” Rather than just treat dozens of patients each day, they developed a system of primary health education lessons, interwoven with Bible stories. “We share stories over multiple visits, taking them from creation to Christ. For instance, we teach them about the spread of germs, tying it to how sin infects every man, woman, and child.”
Lessons can easily be shared with neighbours in nearby towns and villages. As a result, much needed primary health care education and Bible stories are now spreading across the region.
MEDICINE & MIRACLES
When the ‘gospel of the kingdom’ comes into new places people will see love in a way they’ve never seen it before. One medical worker told me, “Our patients and their families see our love for God when we worship and see our authentic lives as they experience our care.” They’ll also see the power of God at work. In the book of Acts (14:3) we read how “the Lord confirmed their message by enabling them to perform signs and wonders.” Many of our medical workers expect miracles, so offer prayer for healing, as well as medicine. Sometimes the Lord heals miraculously, and sometimes through treatment. Either way, the offer of prayer is often eagerly received in Muslim communities.
Global health measures have improved significantly since the 1960s. The untold stories behind these advances are often the efforts of Christian health professionals and the effects of biblical worldview on human wellbeing. In that time, we’ve also seen more Muslims come to know Jesus as Lord and Saviour than ever before.
But there is still so much need for the spiritual and physical transformation Jesus offers. Let’s keep praying that an ever-increasing number of passionate and compassionate workers go to the nations.
Mike Jones
British Director
