Good morning. Today we're going to look at the Pastor's favorite book – James. Is anyone among you suffering? Let them complain. Oops that's the revised perverted version. No, it says let him pray. Sadly too many Christians do complain when something bad happens. Of course what American Christians think is suffering is nothing at all. Our worst day is better than a lot of people in the world's best day. Is anyone cheerful? You don't have to encourage someone to sing when they are cheerful – it's just natural. And you don't even have to be in the shower to do it. Are you sick? Call for the elders of the church. That must mean that they are really sick to have to call for the elders to come to them. I'm sure there are people in the church that have the pastor on speed dial. The prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. That's confirming that it wasn't just a bad cold. See, we are the ones that are supposed to be praying for that kind of sickness. It's when we are so sick that we have no faith to believe that we will be healed that we need to call for the elders to come to us. We then rely on their faith. We are to first ask in faith without doubting, and then God will heal us. If we don't have the faith, then we call. The effective prayer of a righteous person can accomplish much! You are righteous and your prayers can accomplish a lot! God will listen to you when you ask for something. Remember to ask in faith without doubting. Father help the reader to trust in You and in himself/herself. Help him/her to believe that his/her prayers will be very effective. Keep him/her from suffering; from becoming sick; to always be cheerful – singing praises to You.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Therefore I exhort you, be imitators of me

  Good morning. Paul then gives a list of a lot of things that he has gone through as an apostle. I do not write these things to shame you, but to admonish you as my beloved children. For if you were to have countless tutors in Christ, yet you would not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. There could be many people that you listen to either in church or through the Internet or other means; but there was only one person (as a general rule it was a person) that lead you to Christ. Therefore I exhort you, be imitators of me. He was saying that just like a child imitates his or her father, they were to imitate him. He says that again seven chapters later. Since it is easy to forget some things about people we have not seen in a while, Paul says that he sent Timothy to them to remind them of his ways which are in Christ, just as he taught everywhere in every church. Some have become arrogant, as though I were not coming to you. I shall find ou...
Read more
  Good morning. So Peter just told them that basically they were responsible for the death of Christ. Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, brethren, what shall we do? Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. As we will see much later, it seems that at this point in time they believed that you could not receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit without first being baptized in water. It appears that that idea did not change until chapter 10 after God baptized Cornelius and his family in the Holy Spirit before they were water baptized. Now lest someone think that this was just for the people in the first century Peter then says, for the promise (of the Father - baptism in the Holy Spirit) is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself. That means us! And...
Read more

And as he heard these words, Ananias fell down and breathed his last; and great fear came over all who heard of it

  Good morning. I pray that everything is all right with your family. And as he heard these words,  Ananias fell down and breathed his last; and great fear came over all who heard of it – ya think? Based on Peter’s words to the wife later, I don’t think Peter was expecting this to happen. If that happened today, a lot of congregations would be shrinking 😳 . The young men got up and covered him up, and after carrying him out, they buried him. Notice that there was no ceremony, and no one gave a eulogy. I don’t know if that was the custom or if it was because of the way he died – probably the custom. They needed to bury people right away because there was no embalming. Now there elapsed an interval of about three hours, and his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. What, no one cellphoned her 🙃 ? Notice that it took three hours. Whether that is because it was a long way off, or it took a long time to dig a grave we don’t know. Responding to her, Peter said, tell me whet...
Read more