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Misdiagnosis in the Church

Surgical errors occur more often than we’d like to acknowledge. Here are a few that rank in the top ten:  

 

Leaving a Foreign Object inside a Patient: Some of those objects include sponges and gauze. But doctors have also left behind scalpels and clamps. Talk about an infection waiting to happen.

 

Operating at the Wrong Site: Sometimes surgeons perform the right procedure but on the wrong body part. That kind of error has led to horror stories like amputating an incorrect limb. Oops! Better send in a diplomatic representative to break that news. 

  

Inflicting Nerve Damage: Unfortunately, even a slight hand tremor when holding a scalpel can cause severe nerve damage. Shake your doctors hand before they put you under, and do a tremor check. 

 

Administering Too Much Anesthesia: This error is often fatal, or can can cause permanent brain damage. Better ask to see your anesthesiologist’s credentials. 

 

Those are terrible mistakes, but one of the most common surgical errors is Performing the Wrong Procedure: Imagine you’re suffering from food poisoning, but leave the hospital with your appendix removed. Or worse, imagine that your appendix is ruptured, but the doc writes you a prescription for some antibiotics and sends you home—to die. 

 

That’s tragic. Someone needed medical attention, entrusted themselves to a medical professional, but instead of being helped, they were harmed. Instead of getting better, they got worse. That gives doctors and hospitals a bad name.  

 

The most common cause for a wrong procedure is simple: Misdiagnosis. It happens more than we’d like to know—but not just in the hospital. It happens in the church too. And not just by pastors. We all do this. That gives the church a bad name. 

 

Paul wrote an encouragement to everyone in the church—not just leaders. We’re all called to care for the body of Christ. We’re family. That’s why Paul gave this charge:   

 

And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. —1 Thessalonians 5:14

 

He includes both a list of people and short instructions to help them. So how do we get involved? Triage was a term used in war to separate victims into categories of need and prioritize that need based on severity. Paul gives three categories of triage in this verse. It’s not an exhaustive list, and not in any order, but it’s certainly a list we can all relate to. 

 

1. The Disorderly: These are undisciplined and unruly people. That’s what the term means, literally “those who step out-of-line.” 

 

It’s a military term and refers to those who leave their appointed place in the ranks. This is like a careless soldier who is too far forward or too far back and needs a warning, a person moving in a direction that is counterproductive and damaging to the body.  

 

Maybe these people shirk their commitments and promises. They are unreliable, self-sufficient, independent, and autonomous. In an active sense, they are rebellious and insubordinate. In a passive sense, they are lazy and indifferent.  

 

They don’t support leadership. They don’t serve. Maybe they come with a consumeristic mind-set. They critique and question more often than not, but never offer to help.

 

Paul is saying that it’s possible for a Christian to enter a season of rebellion and stubbornness. And they need help—your help. How can you offer it?  

 

Paul’s instructions are simple: warn them. That’s the meaning of the term. It’s loving correction aimed at bringing a person to repentance. It means literally, “to put sense into someone.” The idea is to alert someone of the serious consequences of his actions. It’s the caring kind of warning against danger. It’s saying, “Look, you’re going to hurt yourself and others. It’s not worth it. Step back in line with me.”  

 

2. The Discouraged: One person called these people “the quitters.” They are pessimistic. The glass is always half-empty. It’s a compound word in Greek consisting of “little” and “soul.” Faint-hearted and timid. 

 

These are anxious, discouraged folks, those in danger of giving up. They worry. They lack courage and confidence in the face of affliction. They are broken and afraid. They are racked with fear and doubt. That describes a large portion of the body of Christ throughout the last 14 months, doesn’t it?  

 

As one man said: “The fainthearted lack the boldness to accept a new challenge. They fear change. They fear the unknown, and want a risk-free life that is traditional, safe, and secure.” How can we help them? Paul says to encourage them.   

 

His command is made up of two words, near and speak. We come alongside these discouraged souls and speak encouragement to them. They need courage. We speak tenderly and build them up with truth. We enlarge their soul. We can’t scold them from a distance, but must draw near enough to speak comfort.

 

Maybe this person has faced a recent tragedy, the death of a loved one, persecution for their faith, severe temptations, trials, failure to live according to God’s Word.  

 

3. The Delicate: These are the feeble, those without strength and fortitude. The tired and sick—both morally and spiritually. They are more susceptible to error. They have grown weak and frail in their conscience. They easily fall into repeated patterns of sin and temptation. They are unable to easily discern God’s will. They are unstable and remain confused about their life. 

 

They are easily led away by new ideas, strange doctrines, or bad companions. They follow the latest Christian fad, bestseller, or shortcut to a better life. They are easily deceived and tend to drift away more quickly from the hope and security of the Gospel.

 

Maybe they are prone to call certain behaviors sin that are not sin at all. Maybe they have a weak, untrained conscience. Perhaps they sat under legalistic teaching that damaged their understanding of Christian Liberty. 

 

What do we do? Paul says “hold them up.” He means to restore them gently, then support them firmly. We can’t abandon or disregard them. Although weak and broken, they are members of the body and need our intervention. We let them lean on us.   

 

Can you sense the need for wisdom in that list? Sins need repentance. Wounds need healing. Weaknesses need understanding. And we all need patience in dealing with those issues. We need to discern, “Is this person troubled or troublesome?” Notice how Paul closes the list. “Be patient with them all."

 

That means long-suffering. It’s the opposite of being irritated. It’s holding out for a long time before taking action. It means, literally, “to be long-fused.” Issuing forgiveness, not taking offense. Love covers a multitude of sins. Patience is delayed judgment, and it comes from love. You cannot and will not exercise patience toward those you don’t love.  

 

Only the Gospel can produce this kind of unconditional love. Only the Holy Spirit can conform us into the image of the one who was described by the prophet: “A bruised reed he will not break. A smoldering wick he will not extinguish.”

 

Like children—our own children especially, we need to consider the situation carefully. Are they being rebellious? Or are they just tired, hungry, dehydrated or sick?  If the only tool you have is a hammer, you will start treating all your problems like a nail.

 

We won’t do this perfectly. We’ll lose our temper. We’ll misdiagnose; admonish weak people and encourage rebellious people. We’ll offend and be offended. We’ll fail. But…

 

Jesus will be with us. His Spirit will empower us. His Word will guide us. His love will motivate us. We are not alone. We’ve got nothing to prove, nothing to hide, and nothing to lose. So let’s do it together!