James 5:13-16

James 5:13–16 “13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.”

I Think one of the things we lack as Baptists as a whole is a ministry of healing.

And if you picked out a passage for how to handle those who are sick it would be this text.

The church should have a ministry of healing. Now when you think healing and churches being involved you might think of many false teachers that you have heard about. That making things like healing a circus. You might have watched videos of being slayed in the spirit, or having hands laid on them and they convulse or shake or do all these what appear to be incredible miracles, and I know God is still in the business of healing people, but as we study the scripture we see that God is a God of order.

He gives us his word he shows us how we should approach these things so lets see how and why we should do this..

SO James starts off by saying is anyone among you suffering. Let him pray.

Prayer should be our natural default in all circumstances. Prayer in the believers life shows an utter dependence on God and not one’s self.

Something cool I read James commands that Christians pray throughout the whole spectrum of emotions.

Whether low or high, at the bottom or the top, in the pits or on the pinnacle, either prayer or praise is appropriate.

This was a command that James personally lived out as evidenced by his own body, for the ancient historian Eusebius testified that "his knees grew hard like a camel's because of his constant worship of God, kneeling and asking forgiveness for the people."? Just as a laborer's hands testify to his occupation, or a runner's feet to his training, James' callused knees testified to a life of serious prayer. So we ought to listen to what he says, not only because he is the Lord's earthly brother, and not only because his writing is Scripture, but because he "walked his talk" on his knees.

So when it comes to praying for the sick there seems to be this pattern.

1 Let him/her call for the elders of the church.

There seems to be a calling for the sick person to initiate this. Doesn’t mean elders cant inquire and ask if they can pray, but James says the request should come from those who are ill/ there are certainly exceptions to this but I think you get the point.

Also we see in this text the sicks need to confess their sins.

Now we know based on scripture not all sickness is based on sin.

John 9:3 “3 Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.”

but sometimes it is.

Mark 2:5 “5 And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.””

John 5:14 “14 Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you.””

In sickness we should confess our sins before God.

So now what are the role of elders.

Pray over them…

Anoint them with oil

In the name of the Lord.

Oil thing has meant various things throughout the past even in different denominations. Some see it medicinal some see it as sacramental, but I see it as symbolic.

Rather than being medicinal or sacramental, the anointing is symbolical.

Anointing in the Scriptures is usually associated with consecrating of setting apart someone for special service or attention.' In this respect oil is also a symbol of the Holy Spirit, who indwells and watches over each believer (cf. 4:5)? So the applying of oil to the sick is a rich symbolic act-setting the sick apart to be ministered to in a special way by the Holy Spirit. When applied by the loving hands of the elders, it is a profound vehicle for comfort and encouragement.

It is difficult to determine from the language of this verse whether the anointing is to take place before or during the prayer, but what is clear is that not the anointing but the prayer (the main verb) is by far the most important action. This prayer-"the prayer of faith" (v. 15)— is the heart of it all, as we shall see in a moment. The elders here are described as praying "over him"

(v. 14), which seems to suggest a picture of the elders standing by the bed of the sick and extending their hands while praying.

One of the pastors In my study said this is how he does it with his elders.

The elders assemble at the home of the ill.

After greetings, a general prayer is offered.

James 5:13-16 is read

The sick person is briefly and gently questioned about the meaning of the passage-as to whether confession has been made, the nature of the ill-ness, and if he or she senses that God is calling for the prayer of faith.

The sick person is then anointed with oil in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

The elders gently lay hands on the ill and each prays, concluding with the singing of the doxology.

I typically go with how to the Lord leads me to, but after careful study this week am open to following this method as well if I am able.

now we get to verse 15 and 16, and again this verse has been taken to mean alot of different things and we see alot of different extremes.

Now despite people getting healed after prayer sometimes that does not happen. So what does it mean to have a prayer of faith, and what does it mean that the one who is sick will be raised up, and healed.

A prayer of faith rests in who God is and what he can do. Remember genuine prayer its a coming to God saying I cant but you can. We should know that God can heal anyone, but its not always his will to heal someone here on earth.

But we go to God always knowing he can.

1 John 5:14 “14 And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.”

John 14:13 “13 Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.”

John 16:23 “23 In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you.”

John Blanchard says the prayer offered in faith is a circular shape; it begins and ends in heaven, in the sovereign will of God.

So even if the person is not healed from their sickness being in Christ means your sins are forgiven.

And prayer as a church so often brings physical and spiritual healing.

Prayer is something I believe we at Agape Fellowship need to big about.

So how can we better care this out?

In order to carry out the divine ministry of healing as prescribed in James, the following steps are suggested:

Seeking God's will. In considering whether to call for the elders, one should carefully read James' directives, confess all known sin, and ask God to indicate his will in regard to calling for "the prayer of faith." Here the prayer of godly friends and pastoral counsel are recommended

Pastoral contact. If the sick person believes God is leading him or her to call for the elders, a pastor or elder should be contacted. The leaders will prayerfully discuss the matter with the sick in respect to James' directions and will determine a time for anointing and prayer.

Preparation. The ill will spiritually prepare for the appointed time. And the elders will likewise prepare: confessing all known sins, praying for the ill, and asking God for believing faith both for the ill and themselves.

Congregational support. If there is time, the congregation will be informed of the anointing, so a broad base of prayer can be established.