Is Anyone Among You?

In this message from the Questions series, Bro. Don draws out three questions from James 5 that all point to the same answer: prayer. Whether we are suffering, cheerful, or sick, James calls us to respond with prayer, and Bro. Don makes clear that prayer is not just one element of this passage but the entire emphasis of it. He walks through the difference between personal prayer in times of suffering, praise in times of cheerfulness, and corporate intercessory prayer in times of sickness, reminding us that we too often run to God when things are hard and away from God when things are good. He addresses the anointing with oil, explaining its dual meaning as both medicinal and symbolic of the Holy Spirit, and unpacks the close relationship between sickness and sin that James draws together in this passage. Bro. Don then turns to Elijah as the example of a righteous man whose fervent prayers changed the weather, and challenges us that prayer can do whatever God can do because it is simply our hearts being shared with him. The message closes with a call for the church to function as a true community of believers, praying for one another, going after those who have wandered, and taking seriously the divine responsibility that belongs to every member of the body of Christ.