Series: The Gospel: It's Not...
Message: About Health 
Preacher: Tom Eickmann
Daily Walk: Mark Johnson

Refresh: Open with prayer. Read or listen to Psalm 91:14-16.

Read: Romans 14 (NIV). As you read the New International Version, note 1-3 insights.

Reflect: As the world of Adventism was reeling from the healthcare work of Dr. Kellogg and the theological challenges of Dr. Waggoner, Ellen White was "exiled" to Australia. She, too, had become a challenge and nuisance to the leaders of the denomination. Her attacks on Dr. Kellogg, one of the wealthiest and most influential leaders in the church, and her support for Dr. Waggoner, who was questioning the strongly-held theological views of many of the pastors, was just too much. This exile gave her time to read, pray and think about the mission of the church. During her time in Australia, she wrote many of her best-loved and most Christ-centered books. And during this time she became convinced that our denomination was not doing enough in the healthcare field.
When she returned, she wrote what are known as the "Loma Linda Messages," a series of writings that encouraged the church not just to continue its healthcare work, but to expand it beyond anything anyone had yet imagined. She declared that we should establish a center for medical education, and that we should be building healthcare institutions around the world.  This center for health education should be first class, should be accredited by the appropriate authorities and should be scientifically-based.
This message was too much for many leaders in the church. Despite this, the College of Medical Evangelists and its ancillary schools of nursing, dentistry and other medical fields, eventually established in Loma Linda, California, prospered. Hospitals and healthcare institutions were built around the world. It became the largest Protestant healthcare system in the world.
And still the questions remain: Is this really the mission of the church? Does the healthcare message preach the Gospel? Where is Christ in healthcare? Even if we are to be involved in this field, haven't we gotten away from the original vision of doing away with medications, using diet and exercise instead, and seeking the simple remedies of fresh air, sunshine, pure water, rest and trust in God?

Recalibrate: ​ 

1. ​​Healthcare is a multi-billion dollar business. Shouldn't we be using that money instead to preach our unique doctrines and the simple message of Christ as our risen Savior?
2. What habits do I have that may be keeping me from the level of health that God wants?

Respond: Pray for wisdom, strength and courage to live up to all the light we have.

Research: The founding of Loma Linda Medical Center.