1. Let’s Pray. James 5:13-18

2. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives. James 4:3

3. Praying for yourself (v13). Praying by the elders (v14-15). Praying for each other (v16). Praying powerfully and effectively (v17-18).

4. Praying for yourself (v13). Is any one of you in trouble? Is anyone happy? And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. Eph 6:18a Read together

5. Praying for yourself (v13). When life is rough, pray. When life is great, pray. The importance of being with God, instead of doing for God.

6. v13a Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Pray that we see our suffering through God’s Kingdom and not ours (Chapter 1:2-7) “We have to pray with our eyes on God, not on the difficulties.” Oswald Chambers

7. Praying during difficult times Pray for wisdom (1:5, 3:17-18). Pray against double mindedness (1:6-8). Pray for perseverance (1:2-4, 5:10-11). Pray for deliverance.

8. v13b Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. We are in trouble if we only come to God when we are in trouble. Be joyful always, pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thess 4: 16.

9. Praying by the elders v14 Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. v15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well: the Lord will raise him up.

10. Should we expect to have the same kind of miraculous healing today as was done by Jesus and the apostles in the book of Acts? Are the gifts of healing in 1 Cor 12:9 & 28 still available today? John Wimber

12. Some common questions 1) When I am ill should I go to a healing rally? 2) If I am not healed after being prayed over, does it mean I have insufficient faith? 3) Is my illness a result of God punishing me? 4) Should churches have “healing ministries?”

13. 1) When I am ill should I go to a healing rally?

14. Praying by the elders V14 Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing… 1 Cor 12:28

15. Praying during difficult times (includes during severe illnesses) Pray for wisdom (1:5, 3:17-18). Pray against double mindedness (1:6-8). Pray for perseverance (1:2-4, 5:10-11). Pray for deliverance. What does the “faith healer” teach?

16. Jesus, came to redeem us from Satan’s power and dominance over us…we are to reign as kings in life. That means we have dominance over our lives. We are to dominate, not to be dominated. Circumstances are not to dominate you….Disease and sicknesses are not to rule and reign over you. You are to rule and reign over sickness. We are to rule as kings in life by Christ Jesus, in whom we have redemption. Kenneth Hagin

17. 2) If I am not healed after being prayed over, does it mean I have insufficient faith?

18. v14 Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. v15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well: the Lord will raise him up.

19. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” Mark 2:5

20. 3) Is my illness a result of God punishing me? v14 Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. v15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well: the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven.

21. There is a general connection between your spiritual health and your physical health.

22. Many illnesses are psychosomatically linked.

23. Modern society tends to take a mechanistic approach to the problem of illness. When a machine malfunctions, the mechanic diagnoses what is wrong and removes or fixes the faulty part. When our physical bodies break down, we expect the doctor to diagnose what is wrong and remove or correct the faulty part. After this has been done, the body is supposed to function normally again. Humans are not machines, however, and a number of factors contribute to health. One of the things that can destroy our health is the paralyzing weight of sin. It does not show up on any blood test or X-rays, but is virulent as any physical disease. David E. Garland, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (pg 98, The NIV Application Commentary on The Gospel of Mark)

24. “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, John 9:2b-3a For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. 1 Cor 11:30

25. v16a Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. Sin directly causes some sickness. Sin indirectly causes all sickness. James teaches us to firstly pray ourselves for healing, then to call on the elders to pray and finally to pray with each other for corporate healing.

26. 4) Should churches have “healing ministries?”

27. Praying by the elders V14 Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord.

30. Should churches practice altar calls?

33. This, then, is how you should pray: our father in heaven, hallowed by your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Matt 6:9-10

34. What does it mean to truly pray with faith. To acknowledge God’s sovereignty in all matters including our health, and to submit to His will, as Elijah did (5:17-18, refer also John 14:14). To remember in all circumstances we are an anointed people, consecrated by God (5:14).

35. Paul prayed for healing from his thorn in his side, but God’s will was not to heal him (2 Cor 12:8-9).

36. Praying for each other v16a Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. How accountable are we to each other? How much do we actually know each other?

40. Prayer that is powerful and effective v16b the prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. V17 Elijah was a man just like _______

41. Let’s Pray.