|
News for the Pews |
Home
18th May 2024
SaturdayReflection
************************
John Piper offers
The Elders, the People, and the Prayer of Faith
************************
Is any one among you suffering? Let him pray. Is any cheerful? Let him sing praise.
Is any 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 sick man, 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 man has great power in its effects.
Elijah was a man of like nature with ourselves 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 the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought fort its fruit.
James 5:13-18
The idea that God has placed "gifted" healers in our local churches is excluded by James, who says nothing about sending for someone who possesses a gift.
We are simply to send for the elders, whose task is to pray, not to effect the healing by virtue of some personal gift.
Indeed, James goes out of his way to say that if a sick person is raised up this will be by the power of the Lord working in answer to prayer, not by any power channelled through the elders.
In James 5:13-18 we see at least three kinds of praying not just one.
And all three of them are ways of praying for people who are sick or suffering in some way.
You can't use this text to say there is just one biblical way to pray for the sick.
There is a great deal of flexibility possible here.
First, there is praying for yourself.
"Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray."
Here the suffering may be of any kind.
We are not told that only in some kinds of suffering you should pray for yourself.
So our response to some suffering should be praying for ourselves evidently without always pulling the elders or other people in, though of course, it doesn't have to be either-or.
Second, there is the praying of the elders over a sick person.
"Is any 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 sick man, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins he will be forgiven."
This is a case where the person is so weak and bedridden that they can't get out easily to the gathered church.
We see this condition in the phrase "pray over" (probably signifying their being on a bed with the elders around); and we see it in the statement, "the Lord will raise him up" (implying that they are laid low).
So the situation when the elders are called probably involves a physical condition that keeps a person from getting out to the fellowship.
Third, there is the praying for each other.
"Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another that you may be healed."
This is very general.
It could include what we know as a prayer meeting.
It could include private prayer at home for a friend.
It could include teams of people praying for others in their presence or at a distance.
But notice that the issue is still healing in verse 16:
"pray for one another that you may be healed" -
not necessarily limited to physical healing but in this context surely not excluding it either.
So calling for the elders in the case of a bedridden Christian is NOT the only model in this text.
We simply don't know all the ways that these churches prayed for the sick.
Now what's the point of saying,
"Elijah was a man of like nature with ourselves"?
The point is to block the objection that says he was somehow extraordinary and cannot serve as a model for our praying.
The point is just the opposite of those who say Elijah and Elisha experienced miracles because they were unique spokesmen for God.
The point is: Elijah was just like you so that you can be encouraged that YOUR prayers will have great effect - like stopping the rain for three and a half years.
><(((°>
This is an edited version.
The full article and Bible references are avaiable on request
John Piper
is founder and teacher of desiringGod.org and chancellor of Bethlehem College & Seminary.
For 33 years, he served as pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
He is author of more than 50 books, including Desiring God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist and most recently Foundations for Lifelong Learning: Education in Serious Joy.
Contact the Rector
The Revd.
Nic.Edwards
The Rectory,
Church Lane,
BUGBROOKE,
Northampton,
NN7 3PB
Land Line: 01604 - 815496
(Can be accessed from the mobile device)
Mobile: .....
E-mail:
thebeneficeofbhkandr at gmail dot com
Contact the Benefice Office
Sunday School Rooms, Church Lane,
BUGBROOKE, Northampton, NN7 3PB
Land Line: 01604 830373
E-mail:
thebeneficeofbhkandr at gmail dot com
Mon., Tues., Wed,, Thur., Fri.
9:00am to 11:30am
For Baptism bookings (Christenings)
to arrange an appointment please contact
the Benefice Office.
For Wedding bookings:
please contact the Benefice Office to arrange
an appointment.
Who Made This?
Seeing as you asked, if you can give helpful
advice or report factual corrections and
'deliberate mistakes',email:-
regparker3 at gmail dot com
Email addresses shown using words in an
attempt to avoid 'spam',
Type the email address replacing 'at' with '@',
and 'dot' with '.'
|