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For me, the crucial center, the core of evangelism, is the knowledge that God called me to proclaim the Good News. I am placed at a particular place—my office—at a particular time—now. God sends me patients that He has been working with, people He wants me to tell about Him. How can I be certain that I have such a calling? Christ says in His prayer in John 17:18, "As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world." Earlier in the same prayer, He says, "I gave them the words you gave me" (17:8). Thus, the Great Commission represents not only Christ’s words, but the words that the Father gave Him to say. All Christians are called by God to speak on His behalf. He gave us the "ministry of reconciliation . . . He has committed to us the message of reconciliation" (2 Corinthians 5:18,19). Clinical care is not an alternative to evangelism; it is not a "lure" to trap people for evangelism! It is the location for evangelism. Thus we inquire, "Lord, show me where You are working in my world. I want to join You." God wants us to pray like this to claim His promise to hear us and answer us (1 John 5:14,15). How will we recognize patients with whom God’s Spirit has been working? They are: 1) people who are seeking after God, 2) people who are interested in spiritual truth, 3) people who may be convicted of sin because of specific acts they performed, and 4) people who are convicted that "right" matters. With directed questions, they can self-identify. Putting It Into Practice After taking the History of Present Illness and the Past Medical History, I inquire, "What supported you in all of this?" or "How is your glue holding?" The response identifies the patient’s source of spiritual strength. During the Social History after learning their ethnic origin, I guess the religious affiliation of their parents. Usually, patients have to correct me because I am wrong. Then I inquire, "Did you attend as a child? Do you still attend? How is this meaningful for you?" After completing the work-up, I ask, "What are you famous for?" After a demur "nothing," they tell me some nugget of truth from their heart—something that is part of their identity. With three simple questions that take only a few seconds, I learn the source of their spiritual strength, their religious practice, and their self identity. These questions are not complete, but they allow me to follow up on a subsequent visit. I trust that you will send in questions. We will give opportunity for readers to respond to many of them in subsequent issues. In the meantime,
I would enjoy hearing from you about your questions, experiences, or comments. Contact Dr. Elder at: helder@GoMETS.org. |
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Let
me introduce myself. My name is Harvey Elder, and I recently retired
from a consulting infectious disease practice in the Department of Veteran
Affairs in which I saw primarily HIV-infected people. I was and
continue to be an active member of the Department of Medicine of Loma
Linda University School of Medicine. Currently, I contract with a public
health clinic that cares for people with HIV infections. At times I cover
other clinics.