James 5:13-20
Meeting Specific Needs (cf. 1 Kin. 18:41–46)
13 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. 16 Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails 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 land for three years and six months. 18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.
Bring Back the Erring One
19 Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, 20 let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.
Establish your ministry is the call of James here to his readers and to us even now. As we persevere until the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, we have been reminded to pray for the sick, praise the Lord when we are full of joy, and trust God to hear our prayers. God will raise the sick either now or in eternity, but we know that if we pray under the authority of Christ delegated to the elders of the local churches that He can heal the body and soul according to His will by His omnipotent power and authority. He forgives sins and heals within as we confess the sins we commit against one another and pray for one another as He does for us. The example of Elijah’s perseverance in prayer reminds us all to pray without ceasing and not to expect immediate results. This prophet prayed and suffered for three and a half years before the rain came, even though he prayed earnestly every day. He did not doubt or give up, but kept on faithfully petitioning the LORD God until the answer came down from heaven in the form of drops which brought forth fruit at last on earth. Not only are we called to minister in prayer, but also in teaching the truth (Matthew 28:20, 2 Timothy 4:1-2) in love and perseverance to see the growth in other followers in conformity to Christ (Colossians 1:28-29) according to the scriptures and the gospel of deliverance from sin and eternal life with Him. The call to all but especially to those in church authority is, Establish Your Ministry with perseverance and faith in Christ!
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