In a world where it seems that we are living a new chapter of Revelation every single day, how are we supposed to react as Christians and still lead others to Christ – including straying Christians?
James 5:7-20 (NASB)
7 Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains.
8 You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near.
9 Do not complain, brethren, against one another, so that you yourselves may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing right at the door.
10 As an example, brethren, of suffering and patience, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.
11 We count those blessed who endured. You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome of the Lord’s dealings, that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful.
12 But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath; but your yes is to be yes, and your no, no, so that you may not fall under judgment.
13 Is anyone among you suffering? Then he must pray. Is anyone cheerful? He is to sing praises.
14 Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord;
15 and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him.
16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.
17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months.
18 Then he prayed again, and the sky poured rain and the earth produced its fruit.
19 My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth and one turns him back,
20 let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.
I confess that I find myself asking the Lord not to tarry any longer and wonder why he continues to wait to send Jesus back and finally restore peace on the earth after exterminating evil for a time.
Verse 9 speaks to me as I find myself complaining way too often about the state of my country, when in the big picture, I know what needs to happen and that the things we are seeing will continually decline – more and more rapidly, it appears. I remind myself often that the delay is God being merciful for the people that have been on the fence. The time is coming quickly when the Lord’s waiting will be finished. I pray that you find the truth before he gets to that point. I will continue to suffer (as I see it) until everyone who sill be saved is saved. Every single soul is worth whatever pain and/or suffering I may have to put up with here on Earth.
Verses 13-18 talk about the effectiveness of prayer. In America today, prayer has been tossed aside in our churches and personal walks with God, instead being replaced by worship songs, ‘quiet times’ where we expect to hear from God, all the while we never open our hearts up to Him. Read the Psalms – David continually poured his heart out to God – and he was beloved for it. Jesus spent significant amouts of time in prayer, talking to the Father. My Mom was a prayer warrior, and even though I attempted many times to learn to follow in her footsteps, my gift is different. However, I still yearn to pray and pour out my heart to God. Many of us have never been taught how to pray – I challenge you to read everything the Bible has to say about prayer – tell God what you have learned. The Holy Spirit was given to us to help us remember and understand what the sriptures say – read it and ask questions, out loud if you are comfortable. You may be surprised how the communication feels.
Lastly, verse 19 talks about our responsibility of keeping our brothers accountable. This verse isnt’ talking about non-believers, it is talking about BELIEVERS. That’s important – the church (institution) has focused heavily on the spreading of the Gospel, but many times seems to have neglected those of us that are in the faith. The New Testament discusses at length the need to continually study and watch that you don’t succumb to your old ways that the devil is trying to lure you back into.
Spread the Gospel! – Lives depend on it!
I pray, MARANATHA! (Come quickly, Lord Jesus!)
Your brother in Christ,
Duane
