Read James 5:13-20
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. 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.
1. What does James say we should do if we are sick?
2. What key ingredient does verse 15 say we should have in our attitude towards the prayer for healing? Who do you think should have this ingredient? Do you think if we are prayed for and don’t see instantaneous healing that this means there is a lack of faith?
3. Read Matthew 9:1-7. Why do you think James mentions forgiveness of sins linked with healing of sickness? Do you think all sickness is tied to sin?
1. What does James say we should do if we are sick?If sick we are to pray & call the elders of the church, and let them pray over us, anointing us with oil in the name of the Lord. 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.2. What key ingredient does verse 15 say we should have in our attitude towards the prayer for healing? Who do you think should have this ingredient? Do you think if we are prayed for and don’t see instantaneous healing that this means there is a lack of faith? We pray faithfully for the healer is God not us. God is sovereign. We obey his command to pray in faith.faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.3. Read Matthew 9:1-7. Why do you think James mentions forgiveness of sins linked with healing of sickness? Do you think all sickness is tied to sin?Jesus Forgives and Heals a Paralyzed Man9 Jesus stepped into a boat, crossed over and came to his own town. 2 Some men brought to him a paralyzed man, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the man, “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.”3 At this, some of the teachers of the law said to themselves, “This fellow is blaspheming!”4 Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, “Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts? 5 Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? 6 But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, “Get up, take your mat and go home.” 7 Then the man got up and went home.Jesus has power over sin and sickness.Healing We can see sometimes but forgiveness of sin we can't usually see right away as its in our hearts. I don't think sickness is tied to sin at all. Jesus shows us that forgiveness is more important than bodily healing.This shows us that the most important thing Jesus came to do was to deal with sin. We are to pray and declare healing. We have the authority from Jesus to walk in authority.
1. If we are sick we are to have spiritual leaders pray over us, anointing us with oil. I think it's interesting that this verse is pretty straight forward in what we are supposed to do. Admittedly, I know this is not always my go to thing when I or someone I know is sick. I don't think many followers of Jesus obey this as often as we should. 2. WE should have faith in God. It is God that heals, not us. Without the power of the Holy Spirit, there would not be healing. I think sometimes there is instantaneous healing and sometimes delayed healing. The results, while something we want, should not be our focus. Our focus should be on obedience. 3. I don't think sickness is always tied to personal sins. I do believe it is a result of living in a fallen world where the enemy tries to come to steal, kill and destroy us. However, some sickness is a direct result of personal sin or sin of those around us.