WISDOM FOR LIVING DAILY DEVOTIONAL
JULY 24, 2024
TOPIC: VISIT THE SICK
BY T. O. BANSO
“I was sick and you visited Me” (Matthew 25:36b New King James Version).
One often-ignored ministry by Christians, including pastors or church leaders, is visiting the sick. Jesus spent much of his time on Earth ministering to the sick. Acts 10:38 says, “How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him” (New International Version).
Jesus did not only heal the sick who came to Him, the Bible also records Him going to visit and heal the sick mother-in-law of Peter. “Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they immediately told Jesus about her. So he went to her, took her hand and helped her up. The fever left her and she began to wait on them” (Mark 1:30-31 New International Version).
Jesus was concerned about the health of Peter’s mother-in-law. He didn’t say after all Peter was His disciple, not his mother-in-law, and he had no time to visit her. Jesus had a busy schedule but made time to visit and minister to this woman. She was healed and ministered to them back - she prepared a meal for them. The Apostle James says, “Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord” (James 5:14 New International Version). Pastors should visit and pray for sick people whether at their invitation, the invitation of their family members, or on the Pastor’s decision.
Christians should visit sick church members and their loved ones but a pastoral visit to sick members and those recuperating in the hospital or at home or their unwell family members is a major part of the ministry of the Pastor or church leaders.
When Lazarus was sick, his sisters informed Jesus. “Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. (This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.) So the sisters sent word to Jesus, ‘Lord, the one you love is sick’” (John 11:1-3 New International Version). Jesus purposely didn’t go to see Lazarus until he was dead because God wanted to perform a greater miracle. Jesus arrived in Lazarus’ house four days after he had been buried, and raised him from the dead.
Pastors and their congregants should accord importance to visiting their members and their members’ loved ones who are sick or convalescing in the hospital or at home. It must not be seen as just a social visit. It is spiritual. Their presence, touching, eye contact, words, gifts, prayer, and the Word of God will give them positive feelings to overcome their health condition. Some people don’t make time to visit the sick but when they die, they go and condole with their families. People should not be more important to us when they are dead than when they are alive.
On Judgment Day, Jesus said the King would say to the righteous: “I was sick and you visited Me” (Matthew 25:36b New King James Version). But He would say to the unrighteous that He was sick and they didn’t visit Him. The King explained: “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me” (Matthew 25:40 New International Version). The converse is also true (verse 45).
Make time to visit the sick. Some church members have felt neglected or abandoned because neither the pastor nor church members visited them when they were on sickbeds in the hospital or at home, and left some assemblies. The Lord rebuked the shepherds of Israel for this kind of behaviour. “The word of the Lord came to me: ‘Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Woe to you shepherds of Israel who only take care of yourselves! Should not shepherds take care of the flock? You eat the curds, clothe yourselves with the wool and slaughter the choice animals, but you do not take care of the flock. You have not strengthened the weak or healed the sick or bound up the injured. You have not brought back the strays or searched for the lost. You have ruled them harshly and brutally’” (Ezekiel 34:1-4 New International Version).
Visit the sick. Even those who are not Christians or Pastors do this. 2 Kings 8:29 says, “Then King Joram went back to Jezreel to recover from the wounds which the Syrians had inflicted on him at Ramah, when he fought against Hazael king of Syria. And Ahaziah the son of Jehoram, king of Judah, went down to see Joram the son of Ahab in Jezreel, because he was sick” (New King James Version). King Ahaziah went to visit sick King Joram.
Also, when Elisha was sick, King Jehoash of Israel visited him. “Now Elisha had been suffering from the illness from which he died. Jehoash king of Israel went down to see him and wept over him. ‘My father! My father!’ he cried. ‘The chariots and horsemen of Israel!’” (2 Kings 13:14 New International Version).
Job’s friends also visited him during his trial, including his affliction with painful sores from the soles of his feet to the top of his head. Job 2:11 says, “When Job’s three friends, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite, heard about all the troubles that had come upon him, they set out from their homes and met together by agreement to go and sympathize with him and comfort him” (New International Version).
The church must pay serious attention to visiting church members who are sick or recuperating in the hospital or at home. Believers are members of the body of Christ and what affects one member affects others. As Paul says in 1 Corinthians 12:26, if one part suffers, every part suffers with it, and if one part is honoured, every part rejoices with it. We should be concerned about the health of one another and the health of the loved ones of one another.
As a Christian, when you visit, you should focus more on the spiritual purpose of your visit and not view it as a social visit. During your visit, speak the Word of God to the sick – encouraging words. Read relevant and short verses of the Bible and pray for him or her. The Apostle John says, “Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well” (3 John 1:2 New International Version). If the sick person is not born again, the visitor should preach the message of salvation to him and lead him to Christ, especially if the person is in a critical condition. His salvation is more important than his healing.
Visitation to the sick should not be too long or without consideration for their condition. The visit should be repeated until the person recovers fully. Visitors should be mindful of how long they stay and what they say. Visits should not inconvenience the sick or hinder them from resting or sleeping.
Visits to the sick should not be limited to church members and their loved ones. Hospital ministry is biblical, as, in addition to praying for the healing of those on sickbeds, their souls can be saved by listening to the gospel preached to them. They can also be given tracts to read and audio Bible to listen to and be followed up on how they are doing physically and spiritually.
When church members or their loved ones are sick or recovering, those in the members’ groups in the church should be informed so they can keep them in their prayers in addition to corporate prayers for them and for visitation and physical support like helping them to run errands or giving them care packages.
Visit the sick. This is one way to them show love. “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2 New King James Version).
TAKE ACTION!
If you are not born again, you need to give your life to Jesus now. Take the following steps: *Admit that you are a sinner and cannot save yourself and repent of your sins. *Confess Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. *Renounce your past way of life – your relationship with the devil and his works. *Invite Jesus into your life. *As a mark of seriousness to mature in the faith, start attending a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church. There they will teach you how to grow in the Kingdom of God.
Kindly say this prayer now: O Lord God, I come unto You today. I know I am a sinner and I cannot save myself. I believe that Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross to save me and God raised Him on the third day. I repent of my sins and confess Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. I surrender my life to Jesus now and invite Him into my heart. By this prayer, I know I am saved. Thank You, Jesus, for saving me and making me a child of God.
I believe you have said this prayer from your heart. Congratulations! You must join a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church in your area where they will teach you how to live your new life in Christ Jesus. I pray that you flourish like a palm tree and grow like a cedar of Lebanon. May you grow into Christ in all things and become all God wants you to be. I will be glad to hear from you. The Lord be with you.
PRAYER POINTS: Holy Spirit, help me to show love to the sick by visiting them, encouraging them, and praying for them. I pray that every sick person shall be healed in Jesus’ name. Father, restore health to the sick and heal their wounds.
(For over 900 in-depth and powerful messages by T. O. Banso, visit www.cedarministry.org).
T. O. Banso is the President of Cedar Ministry International, Abuja, Nigeria.
Phone No: +2348155744752, +2348033113523
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Email: cedarministryintl@yahoo.com,
cedarministryng@gmail.com
Website: www.cedarministry.org
