Series: Pray this way...
Sermon Recap
James 5:13–20 closes his letter with a call
for the church to be a praying community, in suffering, in sickness, in sin,
and in wandering. James points to the prayer of a righteous person as having
great power, and holds up Elijah, a man with a nature like ours, as proof that
ordinary believers' prayers accomplish extraordinary things. He closes with a
call to pursue one another when we wander from the truth, because bringing a
wandering brother or sister back covers a multitude of sins. Prayer, in James's
vision, is never meant to be a private, individual practice alone. It is the
lifeblood of a caring community.
James 5:13-20
"Is anyone among you suffering? Let him
pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. 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 one
who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he
will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one
another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great
power as it is working. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed
fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not
rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth
bore its fruit. My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and
someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from
his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of
sins."
The
Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001
by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Ephesians
6:16.
Discussion Questions
- What stands out to you most in James 5:13-20?
- Why do you think James connects prayer to every season of life rather than only to crisis moments?
- What makes confession to one another difficult, and what would it take for this to grow as a group?
- Why is it significant that James describes Elijah as "a man with a nature like ours"?
- What does it look like practically to "pursue" someone who is wandering from the truth without pushing them further away?
- Who is someone in your life right now who needs your consistent prayer or your pursuit?
Closing Thoughts
James envisions a church where no one carries
their burdens alone, where confession is met with prayer rather than judgment,
and where wandering believers are pursued rather than written off. As a group,
we can practice this by being honest about our struggles, praying specifically
and consistently for each other, and taking the risk of pursuing someone who is
drifting from the faith. A group that prays for one another this way becomes a
picture of the gospel itself, people who could not save themselves, brought
back by relentless love.
END
Teacher Notes:
A Praying Community
James 5:13-20
Someone is
suffering? → Pray.
Someone is
sick? → Call the church. Pray.
Someone is
struggling? → Don't let them face it alone.
Someone has
wandered? → Go after them.
Prayer is powerful?
Don't underestimate what God can do through ordinary people.
Prayer, to James,
is never meant to be a private, individual
practice alone.
He sees prayer as the lifeblood of a
caring community.
James 5:13-20
"Is anyone among you suffering? Let him
pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. 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 one
who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he
will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one
another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great
power as it is working. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed
fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not
rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth
bore its fruit. My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and
someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from
his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of
sins."
Discussion Questions
Why do you think James connects prayer to
every season of life rather than only to crisis moments?
What kinds of suffering tend to drive us
toward God?
Why does suffering sometimes drive us toward
God, while other times it causes people to turn away from Him?
Why is it sometimes easier to pray for
someone's physical problem than their spiritual problem?
What is the difference between praying for
someone and praying with someone?
Why is it significant that James describes
Elijah as "a man with a nature like ours"?
What does it look like to "pursue"
someone who is wandering from the truth without pushing them further away?
How do we understand prayer when God doesn’t
answer in the way we prayed He would?
Three truths we can know:
An
unanswered prayer is not necessarily an unheard prayer. God may say yes, no, or wait, but silence or
a different outcome doesn't mean God wasn't listening.
Faith
isn't believing God will do what I ask. Faith is believing God is good and trustworthy even when He doesn't do
what I ask. That's a much harder and deeper faith.
Our
ultimate hope isn't that God will always heal this body. Our ultimate hope is that God will ultimately
make all things right.
What does it look like to be a community that
doesn’t simply pray for one another, but actually carries one another to God in
prayer?
