REFLECTIONS FROM THE EPISTLE OF JAMES

What a Believing Community Can Do to Deal with Difficulties (Part 2)

James 5:12-20

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.
16Therefore, 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.
17Elijah 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.
18Then he prayed again, and the sky poured rain and the earth produced its fruit.
19My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth and one turns him back,
20let 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.


Introduction
In the first part of this message, we talked about warnings or road signs given by James to the dispersed Jewish believers. These road signs taught us to consider God’s will, be kind to people, and be patient in times of difficulties.

Today, we will hear the last message in our series “Reflections from the Epistle of James.” This is also the 2nd part of message #4 and was taken from the last section of the Epistle.

Let us continue to listen to this 1st century message and glean some more for our 21st century life.

I. Be Honest (v.12)
This verse is related to the issue of speech James was talking about throughout the Epistle. James also spoke out against taking oaths. The swearing of oaths was common among the Jews. Oaths were taken as a solemn declaration as to the truth of something or as a commitment to future action (Oxford). Taking an oath was such a common practice that many entered into these oaths lightly which explains why James said “so that you may not fall under judgment.” Christians should be true to their words. We need to be honest all the time.

It is common to Filipinos to say “di ko sure” (I’m not sure) whenever they are invited to an event, most of the time it means “no, I’m not coming.” When invited to eat we usually say “no thanks busog pa po ako” even if we are starving. In order to avoid embarrassment we say such statements.

In this regard Christians need to speak the truth at all times. There is a Filipino saying that says, “Ang pagsasabi ng tapat ay pagsasama ng maluwat.” The essence of this saying is that if we speak the truth our relationships will last. In times of difficulties, we need to speak the truth because this will help us get through the difficulties.

II. Call Upon the Lord (v.v. 13-18)
Instead of swearing when in trouble, James exhorted this bunch of Christians to pray. Instead of murmuring or complaining believers need to bring their pain and suffering to God through prayer. Difficult times should be turned to occasions of prayer. The ministry of the elders was also highlighted. The sick is to call the attention of the elders to pray for them and to anoint them with oil. The anointing of oil was a common practice in their time but here it was done in the name of the Lord. “Elder” refers to the official leaders of the church.

While it is true that the sick should pray for themselves, James told them to call their church leaders to intercede for them. To confess their sins to one another will also help in the speedy resolution of their troubles and will make their prayers effective. Here an effective prayer is related to being righteous in God’s sight. When we accepted Christ, we are declared justified. We are declared righteous. Elijah was man who showed what the prayer of a Christian can accomplish.

In times of difficulties, we should call upon the Lord instead of swearing. God the Father declared each of us righteous by virtue of the death of His Only Begotten Son Jesus Christ. Therefore, our prayers will be effective because of what Christ has done for us.

III. Care for One Another (v.v. 19-20)
James was referring to those who have drifted away from their faith and were living contrary to faith. The one who helped such individuals is declaring forgiveness on a wider and deeper sense.

This last section of the Epistle rings loudly in our ears because we are now facing a challenge of leading people back to our church. We are not in the position to tell whether they have drifted away from their faith but the mere fact that they don’t go to church anymore sends an important message for all of us. I know we can do something for them for the forgiveness of sins. I am sure there are ways and means to bring them back to our fold to continue their journey with us. We will not rest until we have done our best to reach out for the people who once shared the joy of serving God with us.


Conclusion
These road signs from James will surely help us get through difficult times.
James was concerned with the practical outworking of faith. Right living is the proof of faith. We, the Church should be the springboard of compassion, truth, love, and obedience. Faith is not something we say or think about but something we do. It is something we live day by day.

There is a need for us to go back to the practical application of faith to meet the needs of people around us. With God’s help we ought to put to practice the Christianity (religion) James was talking about.