The Prayer of Faith
Dr. James Smith
James 5:13-20
11 June 2006
During his life and ministry, the founder of the C&MA, Dr. A.B. Simpson became convinced that there were 4 basic messages in the gospel, which summarized what he called, “the complete blessings of Christ which should be emphasized among Christians.”
He called it the 4-Fold gospel; Christ is our Savior, Sanctifier, Healer and Coming King and from the earliest days of the Christian & Missionary Alliance, nearly 120 years ago, the C&MA has been passionate about overseas missions.
And when it has come to this idea of Christ as healer, the C&MA has never been sensationalist or had any of the so-called “faith healers” in our ranks.
And yet, we have held on to this foundational doctrine that Jesus Christ is able and has power to heal the entire person; physically, mentally, emotionally, psychologically as well as spiritually.
Now we all have probably seen or heard of certain T.V. “faith-healers.” People who tell the sick to touch the television while the healer is praying or that if they send in a “love offering” they will receive a “blessed” handkerchief that they may apply to their sick bodies.
But here in our text this morning, James simply advises those who are sick to call the leaders of their church together to pray over them and to anoint them with oil and that God hears the prayers of the faithful and is able to heal the sick.
Many Christians over the years, however, have looked upon the whole practice of anointing the sick with oil as some sort of “magical practice” that if administered correctly, could effect healing.
But as we have found throughout our entire study on this book, the ever practical James would undoubtedly lambaste such a superstitious idea that some people have believed in.
One thing to keep in mind was the fact that both olive oil and wine were regularly used to in the dressing of wounds and the healing of sick bodies.
Remember Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10? The Good Samaritan dressed the wounds of the poor man who had been beaten within an inch of his life, by pouring oil and wine into his wounds.
And in a strange parenthetical comment in 1 Timothy 5:23, Paul tells the young Timothy to, “stop drinking water only and use a little wine because of his stomach and frequent illnesses.”
Remember, that water was untreated back then and could cause a person trouble from time to time and that alcohol was used medicinally to kill bacteria. Even recently, researchers have been hailing that a glass of red wine a day is good for your heart (but not multiple glasses).
Interestingly enough, early Christians were quick to note that the words for oil and mercy are very, very similar to one another in the Greek language and are tied together both linguistically as well as spiritually.
All of this to say, is that as usual, James is extremely practical and he is not focusing on the oil per se, he is focusing on how the church should be the church and how God is faithful and answers prayer.
Consider the process. Oil was understood medicinally and was applied by a caring Christian to one who was sick in one way or another and then prayers were offered.
First there was the sharing of need and the genuine concern of fellow believers. Then the was oil applied and the physical touch of caring hands, who offered words of comfort and prayers entrusting the fellow believer to God.
This is one of the reasons why our “encourage one another time” has been such a popular as well as important component of our Sunday worship times. Many of those same elements are there as well as the opportunity for the church to be the church.
James further continues in verse 16 that Christians should confess their sins to one another and pray for one another to be healed.
And while evangelical Christians have no ritualized practice such as Catholic confession, if the church is being the church, it doesn’t need one.
After all, we all know deep down in our hearts that “confession is good for the soul” as they used to say.
Because it is in the confessing of our weaknesses and sins to trusted Christians who are spiritually mature and sincerely care for our physical and spiritual well-being, that loving accountability and healing can occur.
Within our text this morning, James practically reminds us that God has purposefully made us as physical and spiritual beings and that He is concerned for our whole person.
And as the family of God, we too are to be concerned with all the needs of our brothers and sisters in the faith including their mental, emotional and psychological needs as well.
Christians are well aware of how dangerous sin is in the spiritual life. Sin is to be avoided because it separates one from God as well as God’s people. In fact, in Greek, the word for sin literally means “to miss the mark.”
What Christians as well as the church of Jesus Christ have frequently missed over the years, is how physical sickness can separate individuals from God as well as His church.
Having had some rather serious back and neck problems, I know that when I’m in real pain, it is very hard for me to pray. It is about all that I can do just to attempt to be nice and pleasant to others, which I have often failed to do.
People who are sick, people who are in pain, often have serious difficulties in praying and reading the Scriptures in their own daily devotions.
Furthermore, if they are physically unable to make it to church, Bible study, prayer meetings or Christian activities, they become further and further alienated from the very people who could offer genuine physical and spiritual comfort, encouragement and prayer support.
That’s why if the church is being the church, Christians should naturally be interested and knowledgable about how the various members of the church are doing.
That by no means is an encouragement for Christians to be busybodies and to meddle in other people’s personal or private affairs.
Verse 19 of our passage reminds us that there will be times, when a Christian for one reason or another wanders from the truth and wanders away for the church.
James exhorts us to not let fellow Christians do this easily. If we love one another, we won’t let them go without a fight, so to speak.
And one of the important ministries that Hyde Park Alliance Church serves is to reach out to Christian students at the University of Chicago and let them know that there is a family of believers that cares for them and is inviting them to become a part of our church family.
After all, we have all known Christian students who became so busy with their studies that they actually were stupid enough to think that they could live their Christian lives without being a regular part of a church family.
Or worse yet, they thought that they would put their faith “on hold” while they were students and return to it once they graduated. (By the way, there is an “old fashioned” word for such a thing . . . it’s called “idolatry.”
I know that I’m hitting hard, but James reminds us in verse 20, that whenever a Christian turns a sinner from their errors, that person will be saved and have their sins covered by Christ.
If there ever was a commission given to encourage Christian outreach, here it is.
James practically reminds us in 5:13-20, that the prayer and life of faith is powerful and that God is calling us to be agents of transformation and reconciliation.
What a high and blessed calling we have been entrusted with as followers of Jesus and as spiritual brothers and sisters living out our lives together.
And as this series on the Epistle of James draws to a close, I sincerely hope and pray that the many truths of this book have begun to penetrate your heart and your life.
Let’s Pray
