Shepherd them toward assurance of salvation. If you’re not excited about seeing Christ and spending eternity with him, it will be quite evident when you icily discuss eternity. We read these texts, offer brief comments, maybe even share an excerpt from a past sermon that this brother or sister has heard, share in the joy of what lies ahead, and help them ponder the staggering reality of seeing the glory of Christ. If we’ve worked through passage after passage that helps us to think about death and eternity, then our bedside conversations with a dying saint will be spent returning to those passages. We’re a generation far more accustomed to thinking about living than about life’s brevity and the glory of eternity. So much of Scripture focuses on eternity. Here’s where we need to lay groundwork in our weekly exposition of God’s Word. Shepherd them with a view to eternity with hope fixed on Christ. Rely on the sufficiency of Christ to help that suffering saint walk the last steps into the arms of the Savior. If there is no comfort in the gospel, there is no real comfort anywhere. Reflect on his faithfulness to bear us up until the end (Rom. Talk about how nothing more can be added to what Jesus has finished (Gal. 3), and the triumph of his resurrection over death (1 Cor. 10), the power of his death over sin (Rom. Rehearse the effectiveness of his work (Heb. So speak about what Christ has done (John 19). We derive great comfort from the faithfulness and sufficiency of Jesus revealed in the gospel (2 Tim. Reading Gospel portions breathes peace into a weary soul (e.g. It’s always appropriate to talk about Christ. You treat them as a suffering saint who will soon see Jesus. So what do you do in such cases? You give eye-to-eye focus. I had to get over my squeamishness, realizing how self-centered it would be to do a pop-in visit when her husband needed me to help spiritually and physically at such a time. The sights and odors were enough to turn my stomach, but God gave grace to stay and serve this dear lady and her husband until the last breath. I drove to the home where she lay on a hospital bed, receiving hospice care. Years ago, I got a call that one of our members was nearing death. Unsightly things and unpleasant odors may be around, but you’re there to serve with love and compassion. They need your focus, touch, and sensitivity. Now they live with IVs, beeping machines, bedside monitors, lack of mobility, too-frequent visits from the phlebotomist, medical personnel coming and going, the weakening of body and mind, shortness of breath, and struggles to do what should be normal. The way that person had lived for so long has suddenly changed. Terminal illness can bring an almost non-human sense to the suffering person. Shepherd them with compassion, eye contact, gentleness, and touch. The terminally ill need someone who’s realistic about what lies ahead, not a well-wisher who keeps repeating, “I just think everything is going to be okay.” Yes, everything will be all right when we see Jesus, but right now it’s not. You want someone who’s compassionate, who seeks to enter into the anguish you’re facing rather than just wanting to check another duty off a to-do list. How would we want to be shepherded in such times? As we seek to serve those that may be much closer to death than we are now, let’s keep in mind our own mortality. Shepherd them the way you would want to be shepherded.Īs my wife and I walked the long corridors at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston where I was receiving treatment, I commented, “There are so many terminal patients here.” She reminded me, “We’re all terminal.” Living to be 80 or 90 may seem like a long time, but it’s a speck of dust compared to eternity. Let’s consider seven aspects of shepherding the terminally ill. How should we shepherd terminally ill church members? The Lord has called elders to shepherd the flock, even those sheep facing the immediacy of death. There’s something about vulnerable, compassionate service in the name of Christ, dependent on the help of the Spirit, that allays such fears. Those are reasonable fears, but not reasonable enough to keep us from serving those who need gospel ministry more than ever. Or we may grow anxious that we won’t have the answer to questions a family member asks. We may fret about how we’ll react when we see a friend’s grim physical decline. Honestly, visiting a home or hospital with a terminal patient can be uncomfortable.
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