Are you a “full-code” or “comfort measures” Christian?

What do you mean by “Full-code” and “Comfort Measures”?  Which one are you?
Whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.
James 4:14
Many of you don’t have a clue what I mean by being a “full-code” or “comfort measures” Christian so let me try to explain.
I have a dear friend, Dr. John who’s a Cardiologist.  He is one of the most on fire for the Lord men that I’ve ever met.  His heart for ministry and evangelism is unbelievable.
As you enter his office, you’ll see that he has a whole shelf filled with tracts.  The last time that I spoke in the area he had placed a sign on his office door advertising the youth event that we were doing.

Talk about “no-fear”!  He even holds a Bible study in his office and the whiteboard is there for everyone to see.  He intentionally doesn’t take down the notes from the study until the next week so that everyone who comes in for appointments during the week, will see the notes!  Now, that’s bold!

The last time I was able to visit him he just happened to get called into the office to do a heart catheterization.  He asked if I wanted to go with him and watch.  You better believe that I did!
What happened that day so impressed me that I shared the experience in my book, “Reasons for Hope In the Mosaic of Your Life”.  Please allow me to  share the story from the book with you.
Page 164
“I was visiting a Christian friend of mine who is a cardiologist (heart doctor) in the Pittsburgh area, and he asked if I’d like to go with him on his rounds at the hospital. Of course I said, “Yes!” How cool is that?!
As we walked into the hospital, the nurses saw Dr. John and ran up to him with charts. One nurse asked me, “Are you studying to be a heart surgeon?”
“No,” I joked, “but I stayed at a Holiday Inn Express last night!” She laughed and then told me, “You’d better get your roller skates on! Dr. John is the best. He’s the first one in and the last one out!”
What an amazing way for a Christian to be described by his peers in a secular environment. I could tell that everyone had such great respect for Dr. John. And this was not a Christian hospital. This really made me want to challenge Christians to step up and be the best, no matter what we do. Regardless of our vocation, we still represent Christ!
As I accompanied him on his rounds, Dr. John would pray with his patients. If they weren’t Christians, he would offer them gospel tracts. It was unbelievable to see this doctor offer so much care and such spiritual boldness among folks with serious health conditions.
At one point we walked into a room where nurses put a lead vest on me and a hair net on my head. Dr. John washed up and I followed him into the operating room. Talk about being in the Twilight Zone! The man on the table was awake, and he looked a lot like me. One of the nurses asked me if I was studying to be a heart doctor.
“No, I’m with him!” I said, pointing to Dr. John. I didn’t want to wear out my “Holiday Inn Express” line!
Dr. John started to perform a procedure in which he inserted a tiny video camera and threaded it up the artery in the leg to the heart. He explained everything as I watched it all on the monitor. It was amazing!
Next we went into the ER. As we entered a room where an elderly man sat at his wife’s bedside, the man stood up to shake Dr. John’s hand. I’m not a doctor by any means, but one look at this dear lady lying in the hospital bed told me that things weren’t right!
Dr. John explained the situation to the man. It wasn’t good. After some conversation, he asked the man if he could pray for them. The man said yes, and Dr. John gave me the privilege of praying for the man and his dear wife.
As we were leaving, the nurse asked Dr. John what he would like her to do for the patient. He said, “Put her on comfort measures.”
Once we were in the hallway I asked, “Dr. John, what are ‘comfort measures’?”
He said, “That’s what we offer when there is nothing left I can do for her, Carl, except keep her comfortable until the Lord calls her home.”
I felt as if I had been slapped. I stopped short right there in the middle of the hallway and said, “Dr. John, that’s what I see in the world around me! That’s what I see in so many churches. People are on ‘comfort measures,’ just trying to be comfortable until the Lord calls them home.” I paused before asking, “And what’s the opposite of ‘comfort measures’?”
“Full code,” he said. “When we go ‘full code,’ we do everything we can to keep the patient alive.”
Wow! We need to go “full code” when we see lost and dying people all around us.
My friends, the problem of pain and suffering is a real issue. We cannot minimize it. As you have seen in this chapter, there are clear and biblical answers to why and how death and suffering entered the world. They are not God’s fault; they are our fault. But my question is, what are you going to do about it? Are you just going to keep your mouth shut and stay on “comfort measures”? Or will you go “full code” and seize every opportunity to share the gospel of Christ? That is the only thing that will give people true hope and eternal life.”
So now you understand the title of this newsletter:  Are you a “full-code” or “comfort measures” Christian?  I challenge you to go “full code”.  Think about Dr. John who takes extraordinary measures, both verbally and non-verbally.  What’s your heart condition?  You love Jesus Christ, so do you also love the lost?  Do you love them enough to tell them about the Lord?
Jesus commanded us to “preach the gospel” (Mark 16:15) and to “make disciples” (Matthew 28:19).  If you aren’t already doing so, maybe you could start by handing out tracts, or just leaving them places (I have a friend who found a tract on the sidewalk and, as a result, repented and trusted the Lord)  Then, take another step — open your mouth, and speak boldly.  Trust that the Holy Spirit will empower you to share your faith with others.  He is faithful to you….will you be faithful to Him?  “Raise the bar” on your witness.  Watch and listen for opportunities to preach the Gospel.
As we enter into spring and approach resurrection Sunday, recommit to being a bold witness for the Lord.  Remember what He has done for you.  He saved you!  And in your life, He is sanctifying you!  Celebrate that by sharing it with others.
I’m praying you will be a “full-code” Christian!
Become bold and then . . . Stay Bold!