Is anyone
among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him
sing psalms. 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 sick, and the Lord will raise him
up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.
Is
anyone among you suffering?
Let him pray.
Suffering:
Greek kakopatheó.
Kakopatheó is
used only two other times. Both, by Paul writing to Timothy about enduring suffering
for the Gospel’s sake, even imprisonment. 2 Timothy 2:9, 4:5.
The Founding Fathers of the Church were no strangers
to suffering, and they did not run from it. They faced it, embraced it.
James opened this book saying, “Count it all joy when
you fall into various trials...” James 1:2.
Jesus said, “In this world you will have tribulation,
but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” John 16:33.
Acts 14:22 tells us “through much tribulation
we enter the Kingdom of God.”
1 Peter 4:12, says “think it not strange concerning
the fiery trial which is to try you.”
So, please do not tell anyone: “Just receive Jesus and
all your troubles will fade away.”
Instead say, “BUCKLE UP. If you do this right,
you’re going to suffer, you’ll have sleepless nights, folks will hate
you, friends will forsake you... and you will experience the greatest joy, and deepest
peace, and most overwhelming love, above and beyond anything you could ever ask
or think. It’ll be the ride of your life, and it will last forever.”
Is anyone among you suffering?
Kakopatheó:
the definition is to suffer hardship, to endure affliction.
The word literally refers to any type of trouble
other than sickness.
We all have troubles.
Family troubles. Financial troubles. Friendship troubles.
We’re troubled over our loved ones not knowing Jesus.
We’re troubled over the condition of our nation.
The roof leaks, the a/c breaks down, and the car blows
up.
The month lasts longer than the money.
We face all these troubles and think we need to fix
them.
I need to tell them about Jesus.
I need to write my congressman.
I need to run for congress.
I need to find a mechanic.
I need to get a job or a loan, or...
Maybe. Eventually.
But first we need to do what our text
says: Let him pray.
No matter the trouble,
the first step is always the same: pray.
Do we?
Be honest.
Or do we do everything
else, then say, “Well there’s nothing left to do but pray.”
Psalm
50:15
Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall
glorify Me.
In the day of trouble...
not the day after.
Jesus tells us in this
world we will have trouble, it’s unavoidable.
But that does NOT mean we
just sit back and let it happen.
Ephesians
5:15-20
15 See
then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,
16 Redeeming
the time, because the days are evil.
17 Wherefore
be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.
18 And
be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;
19 Speaking
to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making
melody in your heart to the Lord; (that’s a picture of my
wife, Roxy)
20 Giving
thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord
Jesus Christ;
We walk circumspectly,
preprayered, avoiding many snares and troubles.
Preprayered = preventative
maintenance prayers.
If preprayered, you often
see signs of trouble before it arrives, and you head it off at the pass before
it manifests.
My old cowboy friend from
Oklahoma used to call preventative maintenance:
"Fixin' yer fence
fir th' cows git out"
Philippians
4:6-7
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer
and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7
and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts
and minds through Christ Jesus.
At the first sign of trouble,
the moment anything goes sideways. Don’t panic. Pray.
Before talking to anybody,
talk to Jesus.
And then, listen.
Prayer is communication.
Communication goes both
ways.
No matter what the
trouble is, Jesus has the answer.
Talk.
Listen.
Obey.
(NOTE: In the heat of trouble there are multiple conflicting voices. Be sure to
hear and heed only The Voice of the Lord. *More on how to do that, in a
moment.)
Proverbs
19:2-3, Message Bible:
Ignorant zeal is worthless; haste makes waste. People ruin their
lives by their own stupidity, so why does God always get blamed?
Dougism 101:
Take your time, you’ll get there faster.
Is anyone cheerful?
Let him sing psalms.
When suffering we pray.
When cheerful we praise.
In whatever situation we are in, we talk with the Lord.
It’s a covenant relationship.
For better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in
sickness and in health, we walk with the Lord is an ongoing, ever growing, life
giving, conversation, till death do us unite.
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.
Is anyone suffering? Pray.
Is anyone cheerful? Praise.
Is anyone sick? Phone a friend.
Our relationship with the Lord is personal and powerful,
but not private.
We need each other.
So, God puts us in family.
Hebrews 10:25, forsake not meeting together.
Acts 2:46, 5:42, the early Church met daily,
breaking bread, with gladness of heart, in one accord, sharing the Love of
Jesus.
That is the prototype of the Church.
We are not meant to be alone.
God looked at Adam and said, “It’s not good for man to
be alone.”
So, He created family.
Now, when we are born again, He puts us in family.
Church family.
The Word the Lord uses for Church is Ekklésia. A
group of people called out to live out the Word of God. To lovingly understand
and explain, and where appropriate, enforce, the Word of God. It’s all about
the people, not the steeple.
According to Jesus, our family, is
not flesh and blood relation, but spiritual, those who do His will. Matthew
12:50-51.
Is anyone sick? Call the elders of your family,
Church, Ekklésia.
Elder, literally means,
Floridian, just kidding. It means, elder, older.
However, in context it means a seasoned
leader in your Church.
1 Timothy 3:6 teaches that a leader must be, seasoned.
In other words, not a novice, not a newbie, in faith, lest he become proud and
fall into the same sin as the devil.
So, if sick, call the weathered warriors of your
family (Ekklésia).
They do nothing new, but the same powerful thing.
PRAY.
Are we picking up a pattern here?
If suffering pray.
Cheerful, praise.
Sick, call the elders and... pray.
Why is this different? Why call somebody? Why not just pray like when we
face any other kind of suffering (Kakopatheó)?
Great question.
You are a spirit, you have a soul, and
you live in a body.
Your spirit is who you are, created in the image of
God.
Your soul is your mind, will, and emotions.
Your body is your earth suit to walk through this earth.
Your earth suit is under the curse of the earth. It
grows old, gets damaged and sick, which affects, and infects, your soul.
So when you, are wounded in body and soul, the Lord says
it’s not good for you to be alone, phone a friend.
There are no lone ranger,
Christians.
You were not born with bootstraps to pull yourself up.
You were born (again) into family (Ekklésia),
to help you, hold you, nurture you, nurse you, and carry you, if need be, until
you are healthy and strong and doing the same for others. 2 Timothy 2:2,
Ephesians 4:11-16, Romans 12:6-8.
So, dear Saint, when you’re sick, call the elders and
they will pray, anointing with oil in the name of the Lord.
The oil represents the Presence and
Power of the Holy Spirit.
So, we remember, it is not the people, not the steeple,
not even, the oil; but by My Spirit says the Lord. Zechariah 4:6.
Like the waters of Baptism. It is not the water, not
the baptizer. It’s the Spirit of God in the heart of the baptized.
Like marriage. It’s not the gown, tux, rings, ceremony,
or cake. It’s the Love in the hearts of the bride and groom.
15 And the prayer of faith
will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him
up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.
We do our part.
Suffering – pray.
Cheerful – praise.
Sick – ask for prayer.
The elders pray, the prayer of faith.
God does His part, save, raise, and forgive.
But that does not mean this beautiful,
powerful verse is a cookie cutter formula.
You will not find “The Prayer of Faith” written
anywhere in Scripture. The Lord left it out on purpose. Just like “The
Sinner’s Prayer” is nowhere in Scripture. These are prayers of faith
from the heart, not memorized words recited from the head.
Notice: prayer of faith. Not
prayer of emotion, passion, eloquence, length... it may be those things, but if
it is not of faith, it is just, hot air.
The prayer of faith springs
from hearing Jesus. Romans 10:17. Faith
comes by hearing and hearing the Word of Christ.
Faith comes by hearing, but not just hearing
anything, but specifically faith comes by hearing the Word
(rhema, spoken Word) of Christ.
* This is the part we previously said we would get to
in a moment.
The best way to hear the Word is to know the
Word.
Jesus says, “My sheep know My voice, and a
stranger’s voice they will not follow.” John 10:1-5, 8,14,16,27.
So, as we’re walking with the Lord in our ongoing, ever growing, life giving, conversation, we’re also feasting upon His Word (Mt. 4:4), studying to show ourselves approved, rightly dividing His Word of Truth (2 Tim. 2:15), able to hear and discern His Voice (Hebrews 4:12).
So, when you, the elder, receive a call at 3 a.m. from someone saying, “I’m sick, please pray.” You do not need to say, call back next week after I build my faith muscles. No. You simply, immediately, call Jesus. Then, open your mouth, by faith, and let the abundance of your heart speak (Luke 6:45). Much to your sleepy surprise, you will hear, the prayer of faith, laced with words of Jesus, and the will of Jesus, custom made to save the wounded, sick and weary, soul.
Next, notice the Holy Spirit through James says, save
the sick. He does not specifically say, “heal” the sick.
The word for save, is sózó. It’s used 108
times. It means: to save, to rescue, to deliver, to heal, to preserve.
Interestingly, the word sózó comes from the
word, sōs? Like, SOS, save our ship.
The first time sózó is used is when the angel is
talking to Joseph about Mary and Baby Jesus and says: “And she will bring
forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save (sózó)
His people from their sins.” Matthew 1:21.
The next time is when the disciples are in a boat, in
a storm, Jesus is sleeping, they are freaking, screaming, waking Jesus saying:
“Lord, save us!...” Matthew 8:24-25.
But then in the next chapter, Matthew 9:21, sózó is
used again, only this time it refers to physically healing the woman with the
issue of blood. She said, “If only I may touch His garment, I shall be
made well. (sózó).” As you know, she touched, and was oh so sózó
(healed), in that instant.
That’s how it goes, customized sózó, whether
body, soul or spirit, the Son of Man came to seek and to save (sózó)
that which was lost. Which is what He said regarding the salvation
of Zacchaeus, in Luke 19:10.
It’s no accident that the word for “sick”
in this verse is not the same as the one in verse 14. This one, kamnó,
doesn’t mean sick, as in having the flu, but sick as in being weary to the
point of sick from exhaustion.
It’s only used one other time.
Hebrews 12:2-3. Looking unto Jesus, the
author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him
endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of
the throne of God. For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners
against Himself, lest you become weary (kamnó) and discouraged in your
souls.
The Lord is showing us the prayer of faith, isn’t
just for healing bodies, but ultimately, primarily, for saving sick souls.
In summary:
The sick call, the Church prays, the Lord saves and
raises and it all points to His grand plan and purpose, the forgiveness of sin.
Which is how our text ends:
And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.
It is all fueled by, led by, fulfilled by... PRAYER.
Let’s pray.
Lord Jesus, thank You for showing us You love
us, by offering us the privilege of prayer. Not just to talk, but to hear.
Knowing You’re listening makes every suffering easier. When we hear, help us
obey. As we obey, help us reflect Your Goodness, which leads to repentance, so
of all those You’ve given us, none are lost.
Thank You.
We love You, forever.
Amen.
Prayer Requests:
Call or text: 612-554-2522
Email: pray4measap@aol.com
Facebook: Church at WPV
Books: amazon.com/author/dougspurling
Watch online:
Facebook: The Prayer of Faith, James
5:13-15
You Tube: The Prayer of Faith,
James 5:13-15
This was feed for you to read. Now it’s
Seed for you to sow.
Thank you for sharing.
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