What Does the book of James Tell us About Prayer?

 The Importance of the Unity in the Church: James and the Power of Prayer

The church I attend held a prayer service last night. For the last 3 months or so we’ve been slowly going through the book of James. Written by James the brother of Jesus, it’s a practical and short New Testament letter to an early church in Jerusalem. Faith is a common theme, as is confession of sins and righteous living. The last chapter gives practical steps for praying over the sick and confessing sins to one another. Prayer is central to building strong Christian communities inside and outside the church walls.

Confession and Healing

In that attitude, a slightly different service was arranged to maximize one on one prayer. Instead of a single sermon, there were stations throughout the sanctuary with prayer partners. We used the last chapter of James (5) as a templet for faith in practice.

First comes obedience to the Word, then a move of the Spirit to do good works.

 “Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, an let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.” (13-14)

Our team usually prays at the end of the service. Volunteers (Elders) come forward to wait and agree with those in need. It’s not just for the sick either. A fair amount need prayer for job situations, marriage and issues with families and kids. Many are there on behalf of others. Prayer is such an integral part of a Christian community that I feel terrible for those who aren’t afforded it. I don’t mean corporate prayer from the leadership. I’m talking about the ground level one of one type of prayer. We could all do well to follow the instruction of the apostle Paul and “…bear one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2).

Doers and Hearers

To bear another’s burden might begin with prayer, but often requires follow ups and practical help. Church leadership does this. It’s part of their mission. But the church isn’t just an organization of ordained ministers who get paid to preach and visit members in the hospital. It’s a union of people, committed to growing in faith and knowledge of the scripture. The two biggest tasks for Christians are, preaching the gospel to those outside the church and bearing the burdens of those inside it. As it was with the first church in the book of Acts, it remains to this day. Faith in practice for the unity of the church and its impact on non-believers, is a strong theme from the book of James. As is waiting and trusting in God's plan.

He follows up his instructions to the elders about healing. “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. Confess your trespasses to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed” (15-16).

Now we have a starting point. Sickness, disease and injury are realities of life. But our confidence for healing was secured by the Christ’s resurrection. James doesn’t spend time on legal arguments about the authority residing in the church over disease. Healing is axiomatic. That tells me the principle of divine authority was understood when James wrote his letter. No explanation was needed.

Agreement and Reluctance

James is concerned with doing and being the church. Faith plus works equals life in Christ.

God works through His people as a channel to others. This is important to remember during these sessions of healing prayer. We don’t heal or save anyone. The Christian’s role is to agree with scripture for the one in need. We speak and God moves. A lot of the reluctance around healing prayer is connected to the emotionalism of tent revival meetings from the 1980s. Large churches in particular want to avoid anything that seems weird or out of control. Even Paul, in his first letter to the Corinthians, lays out some restrictions for church control over speaking in tongues during service. The idea being, people won’t join if they’re afraid of being in cult.

The gospel is for everyone so handle with care.

But the scripture is clear on the power of God when the gospel is preached. In Acts 10, Peter speaks to the house of Cornelius and they have an encounter with the Holy Spirit. Peter became the channel of God’s power by being obedient to the vision he had about the Gentiles.

Conclusion

This is the model for churches. Obedience proceeds salvation and healing. More believers are brought into the faith because they see the goodness of God, demonstrated through healing. We prayed for almost 500 people in all 3 services this weekend. Some responded with salvation and others believed for physical healing. The ones I prayed with were there for healing on behalf of others. I expect miraculous stories in the weeks ahead and I can’t wait to hear them.