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A casual glance will reveal that folks in our society have gone nuts in their desire to sue each other. Per-capita, the USA has more lawyers than any other country on Earth, and they seem to all stay busy. In the news today I saw where four friends were suing each other because one of the four caught a home-run baseball that was worth some money. I have read where some of the survivors of the September 11th tragedy are now suing our government for trillions of dollars, (that is right – trillions) because the millions of tax free insurance money they have already received just is not enough and they feel that our government is somehow responsible for the actions of the terrorists. All of us have had to make sure that we are properly insured so that everything we own is not taken from us by some get-rich-quick lawsuit schemer. You will be happy to know that you can now buy legal insurance just like medical insurance.

Clearly though, there are times when it would seem some deserve to be sued in the worst way imaginable. My lawyer told me about a case where a client of his went to a hospital for dialysis. When the dialysis equipment was hooked up, the attendant was in a hurry and did not properly connect the hoses. As a result, the blood came out of the person but did not go back in, and no one bothered to check on the individual throughout the procedure. Eventually the individual died. As you can imagine, the hospital and staff were sued for negligence and they lost big in court. I can only imagine how enraged the victim’s family must have been. I know of another circumstance where an individual went to the emergency room with chest pain. He was told it was just indigestion. He went home to die that night of preventable heart failure. Why? Improper diagnosis. Negligence? Absolutely. Lawsuit? You bet.

We certainly do get mad about those in the medical community who are negligent. Our lives are at stake and we will sue in a heartbeat. We expect our doctors to be diligent, honest, and to leave no stones unturned when it comes to our physical health. Yet, have you ever thought about the backslidden preachers who fail to properly diagnose sin and leave it untreated to the demise of its victims? Surely some preachers are culpable and could be sued for pulpit negligence. Yet it would seem in these last days not only are we not outraged by the negligence of preachers who tickle sin instead of tackle it, we seem to be even gravitating to these same pulpit practitioners who are the most reluctant to break out the scalpel and do any operating on the sin that is killing us. While we may never see preachers held accountable down here for neglecting to name sin and condemn it, be sure there is coming a day when the Great Judge of the Universe will hold these men accountable. Allowing churches to fill up with sin and worldliness to keep a crowd or a form of tranquility is as negligent and grievous as any doctor failing to give the proper diagnosis because he does not want to hurt his patient’s feelings. Yet, before you say amen too loud, ask yourself this question: Have I been negligent in telling the lost about the Savior? Do I let my kids get away with things that are wrong for the sake of quiet? Remember my friend, judgement day is coming.

Pastor Steven E. Mays – Faith Baptist Church, Laurens, SC.
BroMays@FaithBaptistTrumpet.org