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

Law is not made for a righteous person, but for those who are lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinners

  Good morning. So, was the law a bad thing? We know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully (not to control people, as some were), realizing the fact that law is not made for a righteous person, but for those who are lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane…, and whatever else is contrary to sound teaching, according to the glorious gospel of the Blessed God, with which I have been entrusted. I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, putting me into service, even though I was formerly a blasphemer etc. Yet I was shown mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord was more than abundant, with the faith and love which are found in Christ Jesus. Formerly Paul was good in the eyes of the law, but unrighteous in the eyes of God. Despite that, God was more than able to use him in a magnificent way to bring the gospel to the Gentiles. Father thank You that Your Grace is gre...
Read more

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

Philip, who was one of the seven deacons, went down to the city of Samaria and began preaching Christ to them.

  Good morning. Therefore, those who had been scattered went about preaching the word. Philip, who was one of the seven deacons, went down to the city of Samaria and began preaching Christ to them. This is the area where Jesus had the discussion with the woman at the well. Remember from Acts 1:8 that after Jerusalem, Samaria was mentioned. Samaritans were looked down upon by the Jews and considered more or less half Jews. A lot of the Jews of the northern kingdom were taken away and replaced by others who were not Jews. They intermingled with the Jews that were living in the northern kingdom. Even though Samaria was not far away, the disciples had not come there to preach the word before this. The disciples may have even thought that it was impossible for them to get saved, just like the Gentiles. The crowds with one accord were giving attention to what was said by Philip, as they heard and saw the signs which he was performing. Even though he was “just a deacon”, God worked throug...
Read more