You Visited a Sick Person

Things You will Never do in Heaven, Part 3

 

Introduction

When a family member or friend gets sick, you will make the effort to go visit them to make sure they are doing all right. You might run errands for them, do some chores around the house, or anything that might help them along while they are getting better.

One of the many advantages of Heaven is that there won’t be any more sickness or disease. We’ll be completely freed from those types of mortal drawbacks.

 

Refreshing the brethren

We see many examples of disciples visiting one another or concerned for each other. Tabitha was a woman who served her local brethren faithfully (Acts 9:36) that, when she died, all the widows implored Peter to come right away (vs. 38). Upon his arrival, they showed the tunics and garments that she made while she was alive (vs. 39). She was the kind of disciple that refreshed others and was still in need. She was raised from the dead by Peter (vs. 40-41).

In Paul’s second letter to Timothy, he twice mentioned the household of Onesiphorus (2 Tim. 1:16; 4:19), as he was one who visited Paul often in prison. He may not have been physically ill but, maybe, spiritually and/or emotionally ill. It was said that Onesiphorus refreshed him.

In his brief note to Philemon, Paul commends him for refreshing the local brethren (vs. 7). He, like many others, made an effort to check in with their brethren to see how they fared.

 

Congregations Today

As Christians, we have the same responsibility that the disciples had back in the first century. We are required to check in our brethren from the local congregation; especially those who missed services on Sundays. As Jesus states in Matthew 25:40, “And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’”

At our congregation here, we have people who take attendance and, if anyone is absent, their name is put on a card for someone to pick up in the evening and check in with them to see if everything is all right. If it is known that the person is working or on vacation, a note will be made in that regard. But this way, we make sure that the person knows that we care about them and that their absence was noticed.

Places like a megachurch would never do such a thing as they don’t necessarily have people who are “regular members”. You won’t see a church directory anywhere in the building, so keeping tabs on people is nearly impossible.

Some members react like were truant officers wondering why they didn’t make an appearance. The reason I say this is that years ago, I called a couple who don’t make it to services on a regular basis. I just wanted to see how they were getting on and the wife responded to me like I was going to report her to the church authorities (which we don’t have) for not showing up.

It is our care and concern for one another that we should check in to make sure no one is in any kind of trouble; physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual. If you find it to be invasive of your private life, then perhaps your heart is not right with God. You should appreciate that people look out for your best interests and keep in touch with you. This is one of the reasons being a member of a local congregation is so important.

 

Conclusion

Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 4:16, Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. Our mortal forms are not meant to go on forever. We long to be clothed with the immortal form and be free of sickness, disease, and death (1 Cor. 15:53-54).