How far do you take this?

[agedman]

James, the half brother of the Lord states:

13Is any one of you suffering? He should pray.
Is anyone cheerful? He should sing praises.
14Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15And the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick. The Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven.
16Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man has great power to prevail.​

James then gives an example of the effectual prayer:

17Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. 18Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth yielded its crops.
​

This thread concerns the confession and the prayer involved in the healing of one sick.

Let me give a scenario that may be modified at will by the posters to the thread.

The room is darkened slightly and a few men called by God to be elders enter. They stop near the one sick....

That is where (imo) folks don't carry the torch to the finish line.

Where is the emphasis on sharing and confession of sin with each other?

Should there not be the admission of both the weakness in whatever area one is prone to sin, and admission of specifics in which that person stumbled? Should not all in attendance confess?

Elijah, James presents, was a person just like we are. Yet, look at the prayer life. Are we less endowed with the Spirit of God then Elijah was?

Ok, folks, in this pandemic or as a pastor said, "panic-demic" there will be a growing need to pray.

What are your conditions and responsibilities when it comes to using James as a guide?

 

[Bible Thumpin n Gun Totin]

James, the half brother of the Lord states:

13Is any one of you suffering? He should pray.
Is anyone cheerful? He should sing praises.
14Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15And the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick. The Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven.
16Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man has great power to prevail.​

James then gives an example of the effectual prayer:

17Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. 18Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth yielded its crops.
​

This thread concerns the confession and the prayer involved in the healing of one sick.

Let me give a scenario that may be modified at will by the posters to the thread.

The room is darkened slightly and a few men called by God to be elders enter. They stop near the one sick....

That is where (imo) folks don't carry the torch to the finish line.

Where is the emphasis on sharing and confession of sin with each other?

Should there not be the admission of both the weakness in whatever area one is prone to sin, and admission of specifics in which that person stumbled? Should not all in attendance confess?

Elijah, James presents, was a person just like we are. Yet, look at the prayer life. Are we less endowed with the Spirit of God then Elijah was?

Ok, folks, in this pandemic or as a pastor said, "panic-demic" there will be a growing need to pray.

What are your conditions and responsibilities when it comes to using James as a guide?

I take "sick" in that verse to mean "extremely ill". I.E not common cold, but perhaps Ebola, TB or something else of that severe nature. I arrive at that conclusion because when Timothy was having stomach troubles, a relatively minor issue, Paul exhorted him to drink a little wine, rather than oil and prayer. Also, the image of "praying over" in my mind leads one to believe that the sick person is in bed and unable to move much due to severe illness.

If I ever got TB or Ebola, or anything else case I would want any born-again Protestant to pray with me, and the Elders of my Church or any other Church that I agreed with to use oil and prayer.

As for confession, I think that is something the Church does not do well today. In college I had ever increasing severe issues with porn and my recently born-again fundy Baptist self reached out to an older born-again 60-year old Professor at my college who went to a Non-Denom Conservative Chapel. For 2 years we would meet in his school office for a half-hour to hour for prayer and teaching. I also had special software on all my computers that would send suspicious screenshots to him and we would talk about them.

I love that man to this day and the Church as a whole is weaker for the lack of accountability and confession that we do. As you rightfully pointed out, confession is extremely important. God mentions it in His Word for a reason.

 

[timf]

I wonder if the people that James was writing to (the 12 tribes) were unsaved Jews, Messianic believers, gentiles or a mix.

Would this have any bearing on the message of James.

I also heard Zodiahtes once say that the Greek word for "anoint" used in James was considered the rubbing of oil and was considered a routine medical remedy at the time as opposed to a special supernatural cure.

 

[atpollard]

What if the answer is "no"?

7 And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. 8 Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. 9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
- 2 Corinthians 12​

 

[agedman]

What if the answer is "no"?

7 And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. 8 Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. 9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
- 2 Corinthians 12​

That was the testimony of the lady who wrote, “Just as IAm.”