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The Healthy ChurchThere was a tavern being built in a southern town that was formally dry. The local Baptist church held an all night prayer vigil in response to the bar coming to town. Suddenly a storm blew in and lighting struck the empty tavern and it burnt to the ground. The tavern owner took the congregation to court and sued the church for being responsible for the destruction of his property. The Christians hired a lawyer and claimed they weren’t responsible. When the case went to court the judge was heard saying, "No matter how this case comes out, one thing is clear. The tavern owner believes in prayer and the Christians do not." Today as we finish our studies in James we have gone though a series of 18 studies in this little five chapter book. In those studies we have covered a variety of topics from the taming of the tongue, to true wisdom, but all of these topics have one central theme, life in the Spirit. Living out our faith on earth. The how to - of how to walk by faith. The picture of what faith looks like. Why do we need this picture? Why does the Apostle need to tell us what faith does and does not do? We need to know what faith looks like so we are not presumptuous about our salvation. We do not presume to be saved because we go to church, or we prayed some prayer ten years ago, we do not presume we are Christians by putting false hope on some experience. Rather when the Spirit speaks and tells us, “this is what faith looks like”, we are encouraged or we are convicted that we may not be looking to Jesus as our hope. Does my faith look like what James has been speaking to us? Today as we finish this excellent epistle, James is calling on the church to be everything the Lord desires us to be. He is giving us the look of a healthy church. What the healthy church does and is has nothing to do with size or location, it has everything to do with faith. How it ministers in the spirit and how the church works. So lets consider our text. JAMES 5:19-20 THE HEALTHY CHURCH Keep in mind that the church is more than a particular body of believers, the church in the greater context is individual believers. If you have faith in Jesus Christ - you are the church. So when we speak about the healthy church we are talking both on the level of you and I as individuals as well as the corporate worship of the fellowship of believers. Five things that James list here that all should be working in a healthy church. They should be 1. A praying church. 2. A worshiping church. 3. A miracle seeking church. 4. A repentant church. 5. A evangelistic church.
F.B. Meyer once said: “The great tragedy of life is not unanswered prayer, but un-offered prayer.” When should we pray? James gives us three situations to be in prayer. When we are in trouble, when we are sick, and pray for one another. Most folks will pray when they are in trouble, but some will harden their hearts and not go to the Lord when troubles come. Our nation is experiencing troubles, and people of course are praying. Even our leaders are telling us to pray. When troubles come we need to pray. The first sign of a healthy church is it is a praying church. The first sign of a healthy Christian is that they are a praying Christian. But prayer is not just for trouble, and sickness. If we only pray by dropping in on God in times of trouble, then you have reduced God to a “Genie in a lamp.” Prayer is not only for times of trouble, problems and trials. Prayer is communication with God. Billy Graham said. “Prayer is for every moment of our lives, not just for the time of suffering or joy. Pray is a place, a place where you meet God in genuine conversation.” Martin Luther said. “If I should neglect prayer but a single day, I should lose a great deal of the fire of faith.” Where do we pray? When do we pray? How do we pray? Pray in your prayer closet, as Jesus taught, which just means by yourself with no one watching except you and God. Those are the most sincere prayers, because it is just you and God, those are prayers when your faith is shown for what it is. Then pray corporately as a church body, as we see exampled in the new testament. When the church was first going in Acts chapter four, and persecution was upon them we read how they came together and prayed, their prayers were mostly worship and speaking forth the Gospel, what Jesus had done, then at the end of their prayer they gave their request. Acts 4:29-31 Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus." After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly. They prayed for boldness in the face of troubles and for the Holy Spirit to work in their mist, and the result not unlike Elijah, was great power, as they were filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke bodily, and the place they met was shaken. Prayer is not just for times of trouble as James reminds us, but prayer should be on our lips and in our hearts at all times. 1 Thess 5:16-18 Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. It is God’s will that Christians pray continually, KJV = without ceasing. How do you pray continually? You have the prayers constantly upon your heart and in your mind. Now today it is popular to tell people “I’m thinking about you.” Now that is nice sentiment, but there is no power in having someone on your thoughts, but in your prayers at least for the Christian means that someone is lifting your name before the most high God. Power. Phil 4:6 –7 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Our prayers need not be written in a book, but prayer should be from the heart. Paul, divides it into prayers, petitions and thanksgiving. Prayer is communication, and like you communicate with anyone else there is a time to speak and a time to listen. To hear from God about what ever you are praying for. Petitions, are specific requests and intercession for others. When someone else can not pray on their own behalf, we stand in the gap for them with intercessionary prayer. Thanksgiving is an important part of prayer, because we recognize no matter what we are going through, if you are a disciple of Jesus Christ, what happens on earth is secondary to eternity with God, if you can’t be thankful for anything else, be thankful for Jesus Christ and his salvation. And of course there is the wonderful promise that prayer will remove anxiety, and give us peace, God hears our prayers because Jesus Christ is our high priest, and we can boldly go before the throne of God with our prayers because of what he has done. Jesus told us how to pray, he gave us the great model in. TURN TO MATTHEW 6:9-13We call it the “Lords prayer,” do we pray it just like it is as a prayer, sure why not, but really that is not the point a written prayer that we need to recite. When I grew up as a Roman Catholic we had to go to confession and the priest would give you penance and make you recite so many prayers depending on what you had done. I don’t think prayer should be used as punishment but even beyond that it became meaningless, I could recite an “Our Father” faster then anyone and it had no meaning. Rather Jesus gives us a model for communication with God. Begin with praise. Hollowed be your name, holy is your name, start with worship praise and thanksgiving for the grace and mercy that the Lord has bestowed upon those who are his children. Pray for the Lord’s kingdom to come, and for his will to be done. Pray for your needs, give us our daily bread. Pray for forgiveness, and pray that you can forgive others, Jesus goes on and tells us that if you can not forgive those who have sinned against you, your father in heaven will not forgive you. Pray for deliverance from the evil one who is prowling around like a roaring lion seeking to devour you. James tells us to pray when troubles come, we live in troubling times. But the bible tells us that prayer should be part of our lives even when things are going well. Be like the Apostle Paul Silas in Acts chapter 16. You may recall the events, they are thrown into prison and put in stocks, when about midnight they were praying and singing hymns to the Lord, and all the other prisoners were listening, when suddenly their was a great earthquake and all their stocks fell off. Yes they were in trouble but their prayers were mixed with praise, there is no indication that they are praying “Lord release us.” Rather their prayers were giving glory to the Lord, and the other prisoners were blessed because God met them when they prayed. This church is going to minister to others to the extent we pray for them. Pray for the lost, pray for boldness, pray about situations, like our nation is in right now, pray for our needs, pray for the effectiveness of the church. The healthy church is a praying church. Jesus said. Matt 7:7-8 "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. 1 John 5:14 This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. Do you want more spiritual growth? Are you looking to have a healthier relationship with the Lord? Pray, and you need to make time to do that. Pray when you are in trouble, pray for the sick, pray for one another as James tells us, but pray without ceasing. Back in the late 1800’s five young college students were spending a Sunday in London, so they went to hear the famed C. H. Spurgeon preach. While waiting for the doors to open, the students were greeted by a man dressed in overalls who offered them a tour of the facilities. Finally he took the to the power plant of the church, which was the heating system. They were not particularly interested, in the power plant because it was a hot day in July. But they didn't want to offend the stranger, so they went with him down a narrow stairway. The man opened a door and whispered, "This is our power plant." Surprised, the students saw 700 people bowed in prayer, seeking a blessing on the service that was soon to begin in the auditorium above. Softly closing the door, the gentleman then introduced himself. It was none other than Charles Spurgeon. A healthy church is a praying church. When you pray expect an answer, and then accept the answer you get. The Lord will answer in one of three ways. Yes, No, or Later. A healthy church is a praying church. Secondly a healthy church is a worshiping church.
James says, is any of you happy, let him sing songs. Worship is vital to the lifeline of the church. For some people singing songs is just something we do at church, it carries no meaning, its just part of the ritual. But God views worship differently. Even as we open our prayers with worship, so singing songs to the Lord is something he desires his children to do. He is worthy of our praise and worship, and one of the most emotional ways to worship is to sing to the Lord. The bible says. Ps 13:6 I will sing to the LORD, for he has been good to me. Ps 30:4 Sing to the LORD, you saints of his; praise his holy name. Ps 96:1-2 Sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth. Sing to the LORD, praise his name; proclaim his salvation day after day. Ps 104:33 I will sing to the LORD all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live. Col 3:16… sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. TURN TO PSALM 150Notice where we are to praise God in his sanctuary, your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, praise him in your with you body for his mighty acts of power and his surpassing greatness. How do we praise him? With musical instruments, with voices, and our lives. The healthy church is a praying church and a worshiping church, then it is a miracle seeking church.
Notice how the sick are to seek a miracle, they are to call for the Elders and ask them to pray over them and anoint them with oil. To take the issue at hand and pray a prayer offered in faith and the Lord will heal, the Lord will forgive. But they need to request and confess their sins so that God can move. Its great that the church practices all these things, but do we believe them as individuals? The Lord is looking for those who believe in him and trust in him and desire to see him move in their lives and that is why he tells the sick person to request prayer. Healing often involves more then the physical, often people need healing for their emotions, their hurts, and relationships. There is a lot of sickness and pain out there, and it all needs miracles. Divorce, grief, drug addictions, depression -all need a miracle and the Lord will heal those as well as disease. We call for the Elders, and we pray.
The Elders are the church leaders who have shown their spiritual maturity and have been placed in a position of authority. In this church the official elders are Barry Simpson and Dave Buffo. But Elders go beyond that an elder is a mature Christians who God has raised up to work in the ministry to the body. You don’t need me to call out your name, because God knows who you are and he is using you as you function in the ministry to the body. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective, not that any Elder is perfect, but they are men that God is using, and their hearts are toward the Lord.
Some of you have never seen this anointing with oil. This is the main scripture that we get if from but really it is a practice that the Jews did for centuries. They would anoint someone with oil who the Lord was setting apart for the ministry. They would anoint the person who had a need in their life, they would anoint even a wounded animal with oil. The oil represents the oil of the Holy Spirit, there is nothing supernatural about the oil itself, its not like “holy water”, most people use olive oil, but 10-30 weight will do in a pinch, the type of oil is not what it is important but what is symbolizes. The oil becomes a point of contact for us to offer a “prayer offered in faith”, that God receives. That the person says, I need a touch from the Holy Spirit and I am calling for mature Christians to pray over me, and with me.
Not that we work ourselves into some frenzy of faith, not that it is the zeal or passion we pray with, no it is just the prayer offered in faith. I do not always know what God wants in a situation. Sometimes I do, if someone wanted me to pray if they should get a divorce, I know the answer. If someone wanted me to pray if they should lie to their employer, I know the answer. But if someone wanted me to pray for their healing, I do not know the mind of Christ unless he reveals it to me. So what do I do? I pray for the healing, and I pray knowing that if it is the Lord’s will they will be healed. I pray believing and I pray leaving it in God’s hands. But we pray, we pray the prayer of faith, knowing full well. 1 John 5:14 –15… that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us-whatever we ask-we know that we have what we asked of him. The example is Elijah, the mighty prophet of God. Elijah was just a man, he made his share of mistakes, he got discouraged, he needed the Lord as much as all of us. But God used Elijah powerfully. TELL THE STORY…. The healthy church is a praying church, a worshiping church, a miracle seeking church.
Repentance is vital to the Gospel. Jesus first message was “Repent for the kingdom of God is at hand.” Why has repentance gotten such a bum rap in this day? Too often we hear the church call people to confess that they have failures in their lives, but we need to take it the next step and call it sin, and call for repentance. Repentance is being sorrowful for sins with such a depth that you do something about it. You are convicted in your soul that God will judge and you change your life because you know that is where the Holy Spirit is driving you. Repent means to turn around, to go in the directly opposite direction that you were going, to change your mind and your direction. Here James gives us a portion of text that is often misunderstood, when he says, confess your sins one to another. Our catholic friends developed confessional based upon this scripture. But is that necessary for salvation, for forgiveness? No. Sometimes confessing your sins to another is important to usher in the spiritual health that the Lord desires you to have. To keep you from being ineffective in your walk with the Lord. Confession to another brother or sister in the Lord is good for accountability. Being accountable to another person for a weakness that leads me to sin, keeps me walking in the ways of the Lord. A healthy church is a praying church, a worshiping church, a miracle seeking church, and finally the healthy church, the healthy Christian is evangelistic.
James 5:19-20 My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins. The final sign James leaves us with is simply the Gospel. A healthy church, the healthy Christian will share the Gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ, that he came and died in my place. The wages I have earned from my sin is death, eternity away from God, but. 2 Cor 5:21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. I think its great that James ends with the restoration of sinners, the Gospel message, the central message of the bible, the message we are called to share with others. We all have sinned against God, but there is rejoicing in heaven when one sinner comes to faith in Christ and asks him to forgive. James reminds us of our part in the Gospel, to compel others to come to faith. But you say, Rich I’m just not that outgoing, I’ll leave that to you and Billy Graham. Let me give you three ways all of us are to evangelize.
Your life speaks louder then your words. What does your life say about your devotion to the Lord, when people see you do they see a new creation? Do they see a person who is following the Holy Spirit. 1 Peter 2:12 Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us. There’s an old saying that says, what you are speaks so loud that I can not hear what you are saying. The old poem by Gilbert. Your writing a gospel a chapter a day by the things that you do and the words that you say. Men read what you’ve written, whether faithless or true, say what is the gospel according to you. The first way we evangelize is how we live our lives.
Christian practice their faith, we gather and worship corporately, we are involved in church and from that fellowship of believers the Holy Spirit speaks to us, and He uses us to reach others in this community. Church attendance is mostly for believers to come together and worship the Lord, not primarily for evangelism. But as we come together it prepares us for evangelism. Many people never fellowship with other believes and they become stagnate in their faith, because- say what you want about the church, we gather here for no other reason but to worship the Lord and hear from him. And he meets us here. When Christians practice their faith by church involvement and living out the precepts of their faith, more people will be evangelized then if we are loners who are not participating in the body of Christ. Invite someone to church.
The third way we witness to others, is by what we say. We tell others about Jesus Christ. Tell them about the gospel. Know what you believe and why you believe it. Share your faith. Sometimes this is a hard area because we are shy or more than that we are unprepared. Know your bible, God will show you what to share, you don’t need to be like a walking encyclopedia, because your life will have already shown your faith, then you just tell them about Jesus. The fear is gone because you are just ready. When people see Christ in you, they will ask questions and we are to answer. 1 Peter 3:15 …. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. There is one more important thing that a healthy church does, it celebrates our Lord, and that is what we will do as we remember him in communion. Series: James -Through the Bible |
(C) High Sierra Fellowship 2008 |
