Prayer Goals: "I want to pray for other people."

Prayer is not something that anyone that attends a church will ever object to. Churches will argue over a lot of things but few will ever say that words, “We need to stop praying so much!”

Prayer is one of the most powerful things that a Christian and a church collectively can ever do.

We all know this is true. I haven’t said anything that you have heard before. There is a deeper, and much more underlying tension developed through the challenge I laid out last week.

I believe that many Christian believe that prayer is powerful but many don’t pray as often as they should.

Prayer is one of the most basic spiritual disciplines.

Discipline - Learning that molds character and enforces correct behavior; from a Latin word meaning “instruction” or “training”.

Discipline is where we get the English word “disciple”.

Disciplines are easy to identify but difficult to live out in our daily lives.

I’ve never randomly found myself in jogging shoes dressed to run unless I make the conscious decision to do so. I don’t naturally find myself in a library studying for a difficult exam. I’ve never eaten spinach without dying a little bit inside trying to be a healthy man.

Anyone can spend their time what is easy and natural to themselves. Christians must discipline themselves to spend their time in prayer.

In order to encourage our church to achieve prayerful discipline, I have developed 6 “prayer goals” for you and for me to work on together.

Prayer Goal # 1 - “I want to pray for other people.”

James 5:13-18

13 Is anyone among you suffering? Then he must pray. Is anyone cheerful? He is to sing praises.

14 Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord;

15 and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him.

16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.

17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months.

18 Then he prayed again, and the sky poured rain and the earth produced its fruit.

There is a community aspect to prayer that requires a willingness to accept people and a humility of character.

In other words, James is telling you that the church can’t keep our lives secret from one another is we want the blessings of God through prayer.

1. Pray for suffering and sickness to be eased in people. (v. 13-15)

James, the brother of Jesus says to pray in whatever situation one may find themselves in. Even in the time when this book was written, there were people suffering and there was a large gap betwen the rich and the poor. Everyone was experiencing problems.

New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). (). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

Suffering - The experience of all sorts of afflictions and trials. Don’t just pray for deliverance from the suffering, but the strength to endure it faithfully.

Pray when cheerful. The Jews associated prayer with songs of praise.

The church was instructed to call an “elder” of the church to prayer. Elder - Overseer. The elders are urged to go and pray for the sick.

Oil

Practical purpose. - Oil was widely used in the ancient world as medicine. It is to be done as a religious purpose. The early Greek church practiced the "euchelion" (A combination of prayer and oil, which had a purpose of strengthening the body and soul of the sick.) It is a symbolic action. As elders prayed, they would anoint the sick person saying they were "set apart" for God's special attention and prayer.

"In the Name of the Lord" - By whom alone the miracle was performed: men were but the instruments.

Remember that it is prayer that is James's main concern in these verses. Prayer, not the anointing. (euche - strong, fervent wish or petition). It's not the fervency of the frequency that makes it effective - but the faith. Faith refers to a wholehearted unwavering commitment to God.

“save” - made whole

“have committed” lit. “be in the state of having committed sins” That is, the person under the consequence of sins committed.

Indian Christian Mission Center - Experienced many Hindu’s who believe in multiple Gods. Many of the poor were without proper medical attention. “When God allows us to perform miracles of healing through prayer, we are given a better opportunity to share the gospel.”

The church is the first source for you and I to experience medical care. We cannot disregard prayer’s of healing to ease the suffering and sickness of people. You can talk to our church leadership and give us your prayer concerns and we can pray over you.

2. Pray for healing of the effects of sin. (v. 16)

If God responds to prayer and forgives sins, believers can understand the opportunity they have in front of them. Mutual confession of our sins is encouraged by James to be a constant practice that will benefit the vitality of the church.

The church is to involved in all prayers of healing and unconfessed sin can stand in the way of this practice.

This passage contains 3 basic ideas of the Jewish religion. All sickness is due to sin. Deeply rooted in the Jewish belief system. Rabbi's believed that before people could be healed of their sickness, their sins must be forgiven by God. The Jews always identified suffering with sin.

This passage contains 3 basic ideas of the Jewish religion:

All sickness is due to sin. Deeply rooted in the Jewish belief system. Rabbi's believed that before people could be healed of their sickness, their sins must be forgiven by God. The Jews always identified suffering with sin.

Confessions of sin has to be made to other people. It is easier to confess sins to God than another person and yet in sin there are two barriers to be removed. The barrier set up between God and the barrier set up between other people. If both are to be removed, both confessions are to happen. People must put themselves in the right with God and one another.

Repentance implies free will. We are given the opportunity to voluntarily relinquish our sins to God and to others in order to be healed from what ails us.

There is no limit to the power of prayer. The Jews had a saying that the one who prays surrounds his house with wall stronger than iron. It was the channel through which the strength and grace of God were brought to bear on the troubles and problems of life.

"faults" - Falls or offenses. The word is not the same as "sins". * "one another" - To anyone who can pray. * "healed", of your own bodily sicknesses. Also that, if your sickness to be punishment of sin, you may also be healed spiritually. * "Effectual" - Intense and fervent, not "wavering" "When energized by the Spirit, as those were who performed miracles." A righteous mans prayer is always heard generally but his particular request for the healing of another was then likely to be granted when he was possessing a special charism of the Holy Spirit.

“sins” means "faults" - Falls or offenses. The word is not the same as "sins".

"one another" - To anyone who can pray

"healed", of your own bodily sicknesses. Also that, if your sickness to be punishment of sin, you may also be healed spiritually.

"Effectual" - Intense and fervent, not "wavering" "When energized by the Spirit, as those were who performed miracles." A righteous mans prayer is always heard generally but his particular request for the healing of another was then likely to be granted when he was possessing a special charism of the Holy Spirit.

One of Satan’s greatest tools for the church is to isolate people into thinking that their sins are too sinful to be confessed out loud to others. You can either deal with your sin or let your sin deal with you.

Do you want healing? Confess your sin to these brothers and sisters and pray for one another. It’s sitting there waiting for you. You just have to use the product that God gave you through salvation.

3. Pray with earnest and intensity. (v. 17-18)

James provides Elijah’s example in .

James provides Elijah’s example in . His prophecy was according to a divine intimation given to him in answer to prayer. in jealousy for God's honor () and being of one mind with God in abhorrence of apostacy, he prayed that the national idolatry should be punished with national judgment, drought, and on Israel's profession of repentance he prayed for the removal of the visitation.

His prophecy was according to a divine intimation given to him in answer to prayer. in jealousy for God's honor () and being of one mind with God in abhorrence of apostacy, he prayed that the national idolatry should be punished with national judgment, drought, and on Israel's profession of repentance he prayed for the removal of the visitation.

The drought was proclaimed by God through Elijah as a means of punishing Ahab and Israel for their idolatry. Tradition associated the drought with Elijah's praying and it is probable that James has chosen this simply as a familiar illustration. on Israel's profession of repentance he prayed for the removal of the visitation.

"prayed earnestly" lit. "prayed with prayer" Hebraism for "prayed intensely"

"prayed... and" - that is, "and so". Mark the connection between prayer and its accomplishment.

James said that Elijah had a nature like ours. He was not any more special than you and me. He simply had the faith required to pray. Prayer is not simply given to the church for nothing. We are to pray with earnest and intensity for others in need and for the will of God to happen in our world.

"Prayer with thanksgiving, being one special part of religious worship is By God required of all men; and, that it may be accepted, it is to be made in the name of the Son, by help of the Holy Spirit, according to His will, with understanding, reverence, humility, fervency, faith, love, and perseverance; and if vocal, in a known tongue." Westminster Confessional of Faith.

Praying with international students at DBU in the bible study I was leading. My fundamental and southern Baptist background hindered my ability to pray with intensity.

James urges his readers to patient. God is the judge - and he is very near. James wants us to bring every circumstance to God. There is no barrier between Heaven and earth. God hears our praises and prayers. We can ask him for healing. We can live without pretence to each other. Like Elijah in the old days our faithful prayer can change the world.

The Goal has been set. I want to pray for other people. Will you join me?

Prayer list

Prayer this Wednesday at 6:00pm.

Do we believe in the power of prayer enough to do something about it?

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