How does faith work in Ministry?
by Prayer
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.” (James 5:13–20, ESV)
What do you do when you don’t know what to do?
_Pray_
Two sides of a coin:
- Prayer is the key to unlocking God’s prevailing _power_ in our lives.
- The lack of spiritual maturity will be _rooted_ in the lack of prayer.
“The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much”
How does faith work, individually and corporately?
++Prayer
- ++Praying family
- ++Personal commitment
- ++”Old Camel Knees”
Why do we sing praises and songs of worship every Sunday at W.C.C.?
1. Singing is _praying in agreement_.
++2. Singing is _emotional and relational_ healing.
++3. Singing is a _praise party_.
++4. Singing is a _filtering process_.
Too Busy Not To Pray
Prayer is an unnatural activity. From birth we have been learning the rules of self-reliance as we strain and struggle to achieve self-sufficiency. Prayer flies in the face of those deep-seated values. It is an assault on human autonomy,>
an indictment of independent living. To people in the fast lane, determined to make it on their own, prayer is an embarrassing interruption. Prayer is alien to our proud human nature.
-Bill Hybels
- _Communication_
- _Response_
Conversation Prayer- “Suffering” _Distress/ hardship_
“Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray.”
Praise Prayer- “Cheerful” _Take heart _
“Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise.”