The Church: Not a Hospital, but a Place of Healing

Recently, I had the privilege of attending a service, which was a valuable learning experience for me. I left with one intent: to get closer to God—an outcome I always consider a blessing. Anything that sparks a fresh seeking of the Lord, I can conclude, is for my good. Even if the path is uncommon, experiencing God in a new way means it was a win.

WHAT THE LORD SAID

During the service, the Lord dealt with me about a few things. For this entry, I will share something that I believe will help us all. The Lord said to me that some churches are functioning like a hospital, in the sense that they provide only symptomatic relief without pursuing true healing. Consider our natural bodies; treating symptoms without addressing the root cause does not lead to healing. It is the same in the spirit. You may ask, How does this happen? I will do my best to explain this, as the Lord gave it to me.

The Lord is highlighting this topic because He desires that we all receive the healing and deliverance our souls need. With the call to increase love and intercession for one another, my prayer is that this article inspires us to cry out to God for our deliverance, hold up our brethren in prayer, and share the gospel of Jesus with others more than we have before. If you're like me and sometimes stay in your own cave, you can miss the condition of others.‌

But what the Lord said raised a question in my spirit: “Isn’t the church a hospital?” This led me to dive into the Scriptures. Using the King James Version, I was surprised to find no verse that directly compares the church to a hospital. In fact, the word “hospital” was not used at all (I'll discuss the history of hospitals shortly). 

I wondered why I had ever thought of the church as a hospital. Did I hear it somewhere, or did other believers say it, leading me to accept it as true? This made me think of the Bereans—one of my favorite groups in the Bible—who examined the Scriptures to verify the words of Paul. This discussion highlights why they serve as a good example. Whether deliberate or not, we can sometimes make claims that appear genuine but are not grounded in biblical accuracy. I have done this before, so I take the time to pray and examine the Scriptures carefully before concluding a matter. 

IS THE CHURCH REALLY A HOSPITAL?

As I mentioned earlier, the word “hospital” does not appear in the Scriptures. This prompted me to look into the history of hospitals, and I found that the earliest recorded use of the word “hospital” in English dates to the 14th century, coming from the Latin “hospitale,” which means “guest-house.” Initially, it described accommodations for travelers rather than the healthcare facility we know today. 

Next, I examined the term “doctor,” which appears three times in the King James Bible. In each instance, it refers to a person skilled in the law, typically a Pharisee. Last, I looked up the term “physician,” which appears 11 times in Scripture. Physicians were individuals who cared for the sick. However, the most relevant Scripture for our topic is Luke 5:31-32.

Luke 5:31-32 (KJV)

31 And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick. 32 I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

Was this the reason for comparing the church to a hospital? I could comprehend how someone would see that, but was this what the Lord really meant? Upon dissecting this Scripture, I came to a couple of conclusions: the analogy of the physician was not about natural healing but spiritual, and that the only spiritual physician was Jesus.

As I reflected on what God revealed, my thoughts turned to the modern hospital system. Today’s hospitals, while providing essential care, operate as businesses, with revenue playing a central role in their operations. In America, insurance has a significant influence on the quality and extent of care a person receives. This approach can sometimes lead to a prioritization of treatments that are profitable over those that are most beneficial for the patient.

This stands in contrast to the hospitals of the 14th century, which were often supported by the wealthy and the Church, and primarily existed to care for the poor and the sick. In our current system, one of the primary beneficiaries is the pharmaceutical industry — a sector that continues to generate substantial profits from ongoing illness. The reality is, healing isn’t profitable for a business built around managing disease. When sickness is a source of revenue, complete healing can pose a threat to the bottom line.

Considering all of this, we must ask: Does the Church truly want to be compared to the hospital? Instead, let us examine what it means when we model ourselves after an institution that, in today’s world, often thrives on prolonged illness. If the modern hospital profits most when people stay unwell, what happens when the Church adopts a similar model? What kind of culture are we creating if healing—true, transformative healing—isn’t the goal, but maintenance and management of being unwell?

It’s a sobering question: if the Church adopts the method of a system that depends on the sick to survive, what will become of Jesus’s sacrifice to heal?

THE UNDERSTANDING

When the Lord speaks to me or reveals something, I follow the example of Habakkuk and seek the Lord for understanding (Habakkuk 1:1). In asking the Lord for understanding, He showed me that the journey of a person's soul when it is unwell can be understood through the lens of James 1:14-15.

James 1:14-15 (KJV)

14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.

15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

The progression of a sick soul follows a path: man, lust, sin, and ultimately death. If we only treat the symptoms, we are simply responding to signs of death without addressing why death exists. But when we obey God and deal with the root cause, we target the origin of the path, which is man.

CONFRONT THE MAN

“To confront the man” means to examine and challenge the state of an individual’s being, measuring it against the perfect example of man, Jesus Christ. Wherever there is misalignment, necessary adjustments must be made to prevent the sickness of the soul from maturing into lust, sin, and ultimately death. This process involves self-reflection, prayer, fasting, and aligning our lives with the doctrine of Jesus.

How do we accomplish this? The Bible tells us that the Lord desires truth in the inward parts (Psalm 51:6). If we are honest with the Lord and ourselves about our condition and submit to the Physician's (Jesus') prescription, we can avoid spiritual death. But when we only address the symptoms, like Saul (1 Samuel 16), and mask the manifestations, such as torment, with music, shouting, scapegoating, or anything else that keeps us from facing ourselves, then we, the church, are doing precisely what the Lord said—acting like the hospital. 

Instead of seeking a remedy for torment (or any symptom), we should seek to understand why we are experiencing it. The cause of Saul’s torment was the Spirit of the Lord leaving him, which happened because of his disobedience (1 Samuel 15). This reveals that the actual root lies within Saul, not in the evil spirit sent against him.

CALL TO ACTION

So, where do we go from here, Church? The Spirit of the Lord is calling! God is inviting His people to return to the prescription of the Great Physician, as declared in Luke 5:32: “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” This is our admonishment—repent! Repent of every thought, every word, every deed that would grieve the Spirit of God and cause His presence to withdraw from us.

Church, now is the time to fall on our knees and cry out, “Search me, O God! ” We cannot afford to be casual; we cannot afford to be complacent. True prosperity is not measured by what’s in our hands but by the health of our souls in Jesus. As 3 John 1:2 reminds us, it is God’s desire that we prosper and be in health—even as our souls prosper.

Let us repent and seek God wholeheartedly so that we walk in the righteousness of Jesus Christ. For in Him alone lies the deliverance and healing we all need. Let us shape ourselves, as the church, after the model set by the Lord so that in the end we become the glorious bride He will present to Himself (Ephesians 5:27).