Community Group Discussion Guide James 5:13-18 Weekend of November 10 & 11, 2018 I. Starter Question: Simple question: When have you prayed much about something and God didn t answer your prayer how you expected, or seemingly not at all? Vulnerable question: What life situation has caused you to fall on your knees in prayer more than any other? II. Discussion of Scripture: Context: The book of James is considered to have been written by James, brother of Jesus. James is writing this letter to a group of Jewish Christian house churches in Palestine who are in conflict. His intent in writing the letter is to encourage the believers to be doers of the word, and not hearers only. Last week, Pastor John preached on James 5:7-12, a passage dealing with patience in suffering. The main point of the sermon was this: We are to patiently stand firm for the coming of the Lord! This week, we re looking at prayer. Prayer is a spiritual discipline we are to lean into because it is powerfully effective! As it says in verse 16 of this week s passage, The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. A. James 5:13-18 (ESV) The Prayer of Faith 13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. 14 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. 15 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. 16 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. 17 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. 18 Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit. Brief Explanation: James speaks of three groups of people: those who are suffering, those who are cheerful, and those who are physically sick. He says the suffering should pray, the cheerful should sing praise, and the sick should have elders pray for them. When James speaks of the anointing with oil, it is important to note that it is the Lord who heals, not the oil the oil is just a symbol. It is also important to note that healing will come (v. 15) through this prayer of faith. The healing may be here on earth, but definitely at the resurrection of our glorified bodies.
While James speaks of the importance of church elders praying for the sick, he doesn t say it s just the elders who should be praying, but all of us. In verse 13 he says those who are suffering should pray. Then he exhorts us in verse 16 to confess your sins to one another and pray for one another as a conduit of healing. James concludes with the example of Elijah who was effective in petitioning the Lord. He makes a careful point to call out Elijah in verse 17 as a man with a nature like ours to counter any objection that Elijah was somehow more special than us. The Lord heard and acted on his prayer to both stop and start the rain! This same God who acted for Elijah is the same God who can act for you! Your prayers are powerful. For Discussion: 1. What kinds of sufferings is James referring to in verse 13 when he asks, Is anyone among you suffering? 2. What are some examples of times that you ve been cheerful? What were you thinking about during this time of joy? Was one of your responses one of sing[ing] praise? (v. 13) 3. What is your immediate response to falling sick? Is James saying you shouldn t also visit a doctor or use medicine? (v. 14) 4. What Is the oil used by the elders to anoint the sick? (v. 14) Is it medicinal, supernaturally imbued with healing power, or symbolic? 5. In verse 15, when James says that the prayer of faith will save the sick and his sins will be forgiven, is that saving physical, spiritual, or both? 6. What are some stumbling blocks for Christians in confessing their sins to one another? (v. 16) 7. What is the effect of a righteous person s prayers? (v. 16) What does it mean to be righteous? Why does the righteous person s prayer have great power? Do you believe that your prayers have great power? If not, how will your prayer life change knowing this? 8. How do your prayers look like Elijah s (v. 17)? How do your prayers not look like Elijah s? What can you learn from his example? When have you seen God work healing in someone s life after much prayer?
III. Responding in Prayer: 1. Pray for our church that we would be led by the Spirit to fully embrace the mission of our church: Love God, Love People, and Make Disciples. As Christians, we were chosen for purpose the purpose of glorifying God, and we glorify God by loving him, loving people, and making disciples! We will be blessed in the doing of the mission set before us. Relating this week s passage to our mission some of the ways we fulfill our mission is by loving God through prayer, loving people by praying for their healing and salvation, and making disciples which multiplies the powerful effects of prayer throughout the nations! 2. Pray that we would fall into a regular pattern of prayer no matter where we find ourselves in the spectrum of life. Let us pray when we are suffering; let us pray with thanksgiving and praise to God when we are cheerful and full of joy; let us pray when we are sick. 3. We confess that we have a lack of faith in the power and effectiveness of prayer. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. (James 5:16) So, let us pray earnestly for our church, for our families, and for the persecuted church in the world around us. We desire that the world know the hope of the gospel. We are to patiently stand firm for the coming of the Lord! And, we are to pray for his return. Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. (Revelation 22:20)
Our Mission: Love God. Love People. Make Disciples. Mission / Vision / Values of Henderson Hills Baptist Church Our Vision: Our vision is to become a diverse family of surrendered and transformed people who passionately love God and others. We endeavor to be a body that is overcome by the reality that this life is not about us, but all about the glory of God. We want to be transfixed by the gospel of Jesus Christ and compelled by His heart for our world. We strive to be seed-throwers and fire-starters, hope-announcers and gracegivers, risk-takers and constant-reformers, lifelong-learners and sold-out doers. We desire to be a people who gladly give our lives to free the captive, strengthen the weak, embrace the outcast, and seek out the lost. Because Scripture is our authority, we strive to be a family that serves together, studies the Word together, plays together, worships together, and lives life together. By God's grace our world will be changed because we are here. Our Values: 1. Glorifying God: We value the passionate pursuit of knowing God and walking with Him. 2. Submitting to the Authority of Scripture: We value the sufficiency of Scripture in every aspect of our lives. 3. Living the Gospel of Jesus Christ: We value sharing the Gospel and making disciples. 4. Serving with a Kingdom Perspective: We value living our lives focused upon what will matter most for eternity. 5. Cherishing the Local Church: We value the essential role of the church in the sanctification of the believer and salvation of the nations.
6. Doing Life Together in a Christ-Centered Community: We value that God uniquely uses personal relationships to sanctify and sharpen believers.