IS IT possible that the great Second Advent Movement could have been the victim of a colossal confidence trick? This question can perhaps never be answered to the entire satisfaction of everyone. At this stage of our discussion it is an open question, but the majority of us would unequivocally and decidedly echo a resounding "No!" Such would be the immediate reaction of the bulk of our loyal, active, and absolute Adventists. Yet, could it possibly be so? If it were possible, what a master stroke that would be for the archdeceiver to accomplish. He perverted Adam and Eve in the beginning and seduced the children of Israel along the way and accomplished their ultimate ruin. May not spiritual Israel also be in danger of some form of sabotage attempt? What special trap has Satan devised for us as we traverse the last leagues of the hazardous journey toward the eternal kingdom?
There is one particular situation that arose with the early development of our modern medical-missionary program when the devil did in fact mastermind a confidence trick that resulted in the loss of a valued servant and a valuable institution. The results of this master stroke of deception are still being felt by the denomination, and will continue to be felt until we recognize this and take the necessary steps to remedy a situation that arose out of that dramatic episode. Despite the shattering nature of the events of the early nineteen hundreds as they related to our medical program, God's original plan for the conduct of that branch of His work never altered by a peg or pin. In His wisdom God saw that a great transplant operation was necessary for the resuscitation of His movement, and for the continued successful proclamation of the third angel's message.
"Last night the same scenes passed before me that passed before me thirty-five years ago, when the light was given to establish a sanitarium that would be the means of educating many souls in regard to the right principles of living, and of bringing them to a knowledge of the truth. . . . They [sanitariums] must be so con ducted that God can co-operate with the efforts made in them." Loma Linda Messages, p. 837.
The Divine Plan
God's plan for successful work on the basis of personal ministry is outlined by broad strokes of the prophet's pen in Medical Ministry, page 24: "True medical missionary work is of heavenly origin.
It was not originated by any person who lives. . . . [It] has a most glorious mission to fulfill. In all its bearings it is to be in conformity with Christ's work. . . . Nothing will help us more at this stage of our work than to understand and to fulfill the mission of the greatest Medical Missionary that ever trod the earth; nothing will help us more than to realize how sacred is this kind of work, and how perfectly it corresponds with the life work of the Great Missionary. The object of our mission is the same as the object of Christ's mission." (Italics supplied.)
It is necessary that we sense fully the vitally important character of this quotation. Its theme is the greatest Medical Missionary and His work as the desirable pattern for His disciples to follow in successfully presenting the gospel to all creation. Have we followed the pattern? Do we know what the pattern is? Can this denomination stand before the great Judge and affirm that it has faithfully and in all essential detail accepted this infallible plan? These are important questions that should receive a direct and honest answer from every one of us. The answer we give should be based upon an accurate knowledge of the subject, following a comprehensive study from all available sources. It will be necessary also to divorce ourselves of all preconceptions, sentimentality, and emotional departmental bias as we make this study. It needs to be understood that some features that were originally carried by the International Medical Missionary and Benevolent Association have been adopted by other departments of the church. We have no quarrel with that, just so long as the original principles are adhered to and suitable efforts are made to make the instruction effective.
The Ministry to Be Involved
It has been refreshing to read various authors who have in the past few years given prominence to this important subject in the columns of this journal. It is equally encouraging to note the increasing awareness of evangelists and the ministry of the potentialities of some aspects of the medical missionary concept. How much wider, deeper, and broader must our acceptance of the concept become. Referring to the relationship of the two greatest factors in gospel evangelism it is stated, "They are not to stand apart as separate lines of work. They are to be joined in an inseparable union."—Ibid., p. 250. (Italics supplied.) "A gospel minister will be twice as successful in his work if he understands how to treat disease." Ibid., p. 245. "He [the minister] should have a training that will enable him to administer the simpler remedies for the relief of suffering. Ministers and Bible workers should prepare themselves for this line of work. . . . Christ stands by their side, as ready to heal the sick as when He was on this earth in person." Ibid., p. 253. "The Lord has ordained that Christian physicians and nurses shall labor in connection with those who preach the word. The medical missionary work is to be bound up with the gospel ministry. ... As His appointed agency it is to have room and encouragement. Medical missionaries are to have as much encouragement as any accredited evangelist." Ibid., p. 240
. Here we have just a sampling of the vast array of detailed instruction that associates the minister with the medical missionary program of the church. As we pursue our study it is seen that the minister, the physician, and nurse are to join in an effective combination in "finding entrance to the hearts of people."
The Physician in the Plan
The physician is to realize that he has a responsibility for the spiritual welfare of his patients. "Every medical practitioner, whether he acknowledges it or not, is responsible for the souls as well as the bodies of his patients. . . . Every physician should be a devoted, intelligent, gospel medical missionary, familiar with Heaven's remedy for the sin-sick soul as well as with the science of healing bodily disease." Ibid., p. 31.
"The Redeemer expects our physicians to make the saving of souls their first work. If they will walk and work with God, in His love and fear, they will receive leaves from the tree of life to give to the suffering." Ibid., p. 37.
The Physician and the Gospel Minister
The physician is to join with the minister, realizing that their work is one. "The physician and the minister should realize that they are engaged in the same work. They should labor in perfect harmony. They should counsel together." Counsels on Health, p. 550.
This principle was given to this church about seventy years ago. Largely our physicians and ministers have gone about their business independently, despite clear counsel to the contrary. Today the world of medicine recognizes that there is a gap in their therapeutic methods and are seeking the aid of the clergy in meeting the entire need of the patient so that a complete recovery may be possible. God's plan for the conduct of His institutions and the medical work generally is well summarized in the paragraph found in Counsels on Health, pages 204, 205:
"The Lord years ago gave me special light in regard to the establishment of a health institution where the sick could be treated on altogether different lines from those followed in any other institution in our world. It was to be founded and con ducted upon Bible principles, as the Lord's instrumentality, and it was to be in His hands one of the most effective agencies for giving light to the world. It was God's purpose that it should stand forth with scientific ability, with moral and spiritual power, and as a faithful sentinel of reform in all its bearings. All who should act a part in it were to be reformers, having respect to its principles, and heeding the light of health reform shining upon us as a people."
The Spirit of Prophecy carries much instruction on the work, responsibility, and unique position of the physician in soul winning as he cooperates with the gospel minister in God's plan of meeting human need.
The Layman in the Plan
While we recognize that we are living in a period of time when medical science has reached a peak of excellence not hitherto achieved, we do not find any indication in the Spirit of Prophecy that there would ever come a time when the layman would be completely eliminated from the field of usefulness as a medical missionary worker. The direction seems to clearly indicate that as time moved along to the climax the need for such workers would become more and more necessary. Rather than sickness becoming less and less it would become more prevalent. The physical ability of the medical profession to fulfill all their appointments adequately is more of an impossibility than ever. Hence there is a place for the trained, wise, dedicated layman and lay woman to function adequately and effectively, working not as independent units but where possible under the direction of qualified physicians and nurses.
"God's people are to be genuine medical missionaries; for they are to learn to minister to the needs of both soul and body. The purest unselfishness is to be shown by our workers as, with the knowledge and experience gained from practical work, they go out to give treatments to the sick. As they go from house to house they will find access to many hearts. . . . The Great Physician, the originator of medical missionary work, will bless all who thus seek to impart the truth for this time. Physical healing is bound up with the gospel commission." Counsels on Health, p. 497.
Many similar passages can be found that refer to the part lay members are to accept in caring for the sick in body and mind. The results of this service are not to be found in benefit to the sick and afflicted only, but the church will witness a revival of godliness as the result of this kind of personal service and commitment (see Testimonies, vol. 6, pp. 262-264). It is necessary for the spiritual development of God's people to engage in personal ministry of the type encompassed in the medical missionary plan. All thoughts of revival can be forgotten until this plan is adopted in all its ramifications as it is clearly presented in the revelation of God to His people. It is only this kind of dedicated service that will produce the changed life, and the selflessness that God expects from His people. They will move forward with hearts touched with the enormity of human need in readiness to emulate "the greatest Medical Missionary that ever trod the earth."
Many More in the Church—If
If the complete plan of ministry had been incorporated into the development of the evangelical program of the church for the salvation of the complete man we can only begin to guess what the results would be today in church membership gains. As a means of "overcoming prejudice" of "[preparing] the way for the presentation of the saving truth" as a means of contacting people on the basis of their greatest interest themselves the plan is unsurpassed. It is God's plan. Then why do we not accept? Why is it that only now we see some faint stirrings among ministers and evangelists? Why is it that the principle has to be proved in practical demonstrations before our workers will launch out in trial of its possibilities? Why do we doubt its effectiveness when we read such statements as we have already quoted? "How perfectly it corresponds with the life work of the Great Missionary."
