M.A.S.H.

M.A.S.H. stands for Mobile Army Surgical Hospital. The television series sharing this acronym ran from 1972-1983 and was a favorite of many - still is, I suppose. In any case, the show was a situational comedy based on a group of surgeons out near the front lines in the Korean War. Their mission was to receive wounded, battle torn soldiers from the front lines, fix them up, heal them, and then send them on their way.Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.
The question came up recently, “What are local assemblies actually for?” My answer included the M.A.S.H. analogy. A local church is like a medical tent and the pastors like the surgeons inside. As is the case during wartime circumstances, the local assemblies are placed near the front lines and the pastors are placed inside like “soul doctors”, applying the Word like medicine to wounded soldiers for Christ.And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.So, what are local assemblies for? How do they “fit” into the grand scheme of things? Well, there’s not just one purpose for a church, but we do know that it is analogous to a M.A.S.H. facility. Churches are places where people are able to find rest from the front lines. People often drag themselves into church battered and bruised. I see it all the time from my pulpit - it’s a wonderful realization that my church and pulpit have been ordained by God to tend to His flock (John 21:15-17). Much healing takes place there, as well as encouragement, “not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near” (Hebrews 10:25). So it’s obvious that this is a fundamental reason for the existence of local assemblies.He who gives attention to the word will find good,
And blessed is he who trusts in the LORD.
The wise in heart will be called understanding,
And sweetness of speech increases persuasiveness.
Understanding is a fountain of life to one who has it,
But the discipline of fools is folly.
The heart of the wise instructs his mouth
And adds persuasiveness to his lips.
Pleasant words are a honeycomb,
Sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.There’s one area that has been bothering me as of late. Some Christians have bought the lie that going to church is somehow the end-goal of the spiritual life. How could that be if the battle is outside the “tent”, on the “front line”? It can’t be, and it isn’t. How can a soldier for Christ ever comply with their marching orders (e.g., the great commission - Matthew 28:18-20) if they never step foot towards the front line? While the church certainly has a function, it isn’t the front line. Therefore, simply going to church isn’t the fulfillment of why God leaves believers here on Earth after salvation. “[God] desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4).Do some believe they are fulfilling the “great commission” by simply attending church services? Sadly, I get the sense that this might be true. If it is, isn’t that a little self-centered? I mean, if a soldier spends all of their precious time here on Earth inside the “tent”, and they never take the Gospel out to the front line, hasn’t all their time and energy been focused on building up self? While it’s perfectly good and acceptable and encouraged to attend church services under the authority of a pastor, the ultimate goal is to send soldiers out to the field.The objective of the local church is to equip soldiers for the heat of battle. Going to church should have a real purpose that extends far beyond merely building up oneself; it should have the greater purpose of equipping believers with the Gospel and encouraging them to go out and serve it up in the trenches. In other words, the soldier’s mission is not in the church, although the church fulfills a critical role (ala Ephesians 4:11-12; 6:10-17); rather, the soldier’s mission is outside the church!Perspective is the key when asking oneself, “Why am I here?” Too many seem to be “holed up” in the churches, effectively out of commission. In some cases, like new “recruits” or the truly “wounded”, this is perfectly acceptable. But there also seems to be a group who are like the soldier who fakes injuries longer than they exist to avoid the harshness of the field. This is no good! Even we “soul doctors” are called to the front lines to spread the Gospel outside the churches. No soldier is exempt.When Paul wrote, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7), he wasn’t writing as just a shepherd who tended to the war-torn souls of Jesus’ disciples. He was writing about having gone out to the front lines, himself, as commanded. He was conveying that being left here on Earth after salvation implies a fight. That is why we are here, my friends…not to hide in churches, merely dressing each other with bandages, but to gird our loins and take the Gospel out to a lost and dying world!Hurrah!!!

Love in Christ,

Ed Collins