Patience and PrayerJames 5:7-20

p. 1120-1121

James as a Pastor

Pastoral care

v 7 – 11: Encouraged Patience.

v 12 -20: Command to pray and to care for one another.

Purpose

Applied pastoral care and encourages care.

Three areas: To Know - Faith grows through patience and prayer.

To Understand - God’s character in life’s situations.

To Express - True faith by trusting God and caring for one another.

1. Pastoral care – Patience is encouraged

1. Pastoral care – Patience is encouraged

1. Pastoral care – Patience is encouraged

“Job’s friends spoke about God, but

Job, he spoke to God.”

(Paul Stevens, Professor Emeritus Regent College )

1. Pastoral care – Patience is encouraged

“My ears had heard of you, but now my eyes have seen you.” Job. 42:5.

1. Pastoral care – Patience is encouraged

William Cowper – suffered from severe depression, despair and mental illness.

Attempted suicide.

God watched over him.

Became a hymn writer and a poet.

1. Pastoral care – Patience is encouraged

“ God moves in a mysterious way,

His wonders to perform;

He plants His footsteps in the sea,

And rides upon the storm.”

William Cowper

1. Pastoral care – Patience is encouraged

God and John Newton (wrote: Amazing grace) cared.

John Newton represents the Church.

Trials = spiritual growth and maturity.

Trust God more!

1a. God’s character. V.7-11 v.10:.

God as Judge.

God as being patient.

God as loving and faithful.

God as knowing all things.

God as personal and gracious.

God as caring, merciful and compassionate.

God as our helper.

2. Pastoral care – Command to Pray and care for one another.

v.12 -20: Prayer and care means practicing genuine faith!

v. 17: Elijah the man of prayer.

Church called to be praying community.

God answers prayers: Fervent prayer + faith.

pray at all times.

2. Pastoral care – Command to Pray and care for one another.

v.14 – 15. Church called to pray for the sick.

Use of oil – Mk. 6: 12 -13.

Healing – by the wounds of Christ (Isa.53:4-5;1 Pet. 2:24)

Missionary C.T Studd’s experience.

Missionary C.T Studd’s experience

• “ The elder brought in the lamp oil, dipped his finger, anointed my forehead, and knelt down and prayed. How did God did it I don’t know, nor do I care; but this I knew next morning, that whereas I was sick, nigh unto death, now I was healed. We can trust God too little, but we cannot trust God too much”

• (Grubb, Norman P. (Norman Percy), C.T Studd, Cricketer and Pioneer, London : Lutterworth Press, 1933, 148-149).

2. Pastoral care – Command to Pray and care for one another.

v.14 – 15. Church called to pray for the sick.

It’s the Lord Jesus who heals (not the oil).

Prayer of faith is shared responsibility.

Healing stimulates hope, increases faith and love.

Miracles? All things are possible with God.

2. Pastoral care – Command to Pray and care for one another.

v.19- 20. care for the unfaithful and rebellious.

Called to bring back the Prodigal sons and daughters.

They lost their first love – Parable of the good soil and seeds.

2. Pastoral care – Command to Pray and care for one another.

Only one life, ‘twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last”.

( C.T. Studd)

2a. God’s character. v.12-20 v.10:

God as the One who forgives sins.

God as the healer.

God as our Father.

God as different from humans.

Living it……

God demonstrated His love through Jesus.

Church is God’s provision to provide pastoral care.

As Disciples of Christ we are called to care.

Application

Congregation must seek help.

Church is always helpful (God’s divine provision)

Application

Jesus cares for you, can you trust Him? Can you care for His Church?