Lesson 12 for December 20, 2014

Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is

anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms. (James 5:13)

Mood changes are part of

peoples lives. James wanted
us to feel Gods presence
anytime, no matter our
mood.
Are we grief-stricken? Lets
talk to God through prayer.
Are we happy? Lets talk to
God through singing.
In addition, hasnt our sorrow
become happiness many
times after singing a hymn?

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. 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. (James 5:14-15)

It seems like James introduced a specific

case; a Christian who suddenly contracts a
serious disease that he wants to put in
Gods hands.
The elders anoint the sick and pray for
him, like the apostles did as Jesus told
them to do.
And they cast out many demons, and
anointed with oil many who were sick,
and healed them. (Mark 6:13)

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. 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. (James 5:14-15)

The Lord will raise him up may be a

double entendre in this text.
Ultimately, God heals the sick (He raises
him up from his bed), or lets him rest
until the day of the resurrection when he
will be raised up.
Lastly, prayer for healing must always
be prayed with the desire of living
according to Gods will. Therefore,
true repentance and forgiveness of
sins must be part of that kind of
prayer.

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. (James 5:16)

James first wrote about healing for the body. Then

he wrote about healing for the soul.
Confessing our trespasses to one another and
intercessory prayer will bring both healing for the
soul and physical healing.
The prayer of a righteous man is effective, but
thats not because he is perfect. He is
righteous because he has asked for forgiveness
of his sins. He has confessed his trespasses, so
he prays for his brothers too.

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.
And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced
its fruit. (James 5:17-18)

James used the example of a righteous

man who ascended to heaven in a chariot
of fire. That way he reaffirmed how
important is to pray for healing.
God heard the prayer of a person like any of
us. God worked wonders through him. That
is the example of a prayer with power to
heal.
According to Malachi 4:5-6, Elijah also
represented the precursor of the Messiah
(both in His First and in His Second Coming).
We are the people of god. We are called to
a work of revival and reformation that will
prepare this world for the Second Coming.

Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and

someone turns him back, 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. (James 5:19-20)

The end of the epistle

of James was written
for the Elijah who will
rise at the End Time.

Behold, I will send you Elijah the

prophet before the coming of the
great and dreadful day of the Lord.
And he will turn the hearts of the
fathers to the children, and the
hearts of the children to their
fathers, lest I come and strike the
earth with a curse. (Malachi 4:5-6)

This is a calling to
restore broken
relationships and
to lead others
back to God.

Christ is the same compassionate physician now

that He was during His earthly ministry. In Him
there is healing balm for every disease, restoring
power for every infirmity. His disciples in this time
are to pray for the sick as verily as the disciples of
old prayed. And recoveries will follow; for the
prayer of faith shall save the sick. We have the Holy
Spirits power, the calm assurance of faith, that can
claim Gods promises. The Lords promise, They
shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover
(Mark 16:18), is just as trustworthy now as in the
days of the apostles. It presents the privilege of
Gods children, and our faith should lay hold of all
that it embraces. Christs servants are the channel of
His working, and through them He desires to
exercise His healing power. It is our work to present
the sick and suffering to God in the arms of our
faith. We should teach them to believe in the Great
Healer.
E.G.W. (The Ministry of Healing, cp. 16, pg. 226)