The Essentials of Christian Community

Dylan Sanders

Misc • Sermon • Submitted 5 years ago

James 5:13–20

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Community Groups

English Standard Version Chapter 5

The Prayer of Faith

13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. 17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. 18 Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.

19 My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, 20 let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.

Prayers of Vulnerability

James urges his readers to pray with request, praises, and confessions

Not just in solitary, but also with other believers and elders

Confess sins with one another also

Everyone else seems put together

Not open about our sins

However, we all know everyone is struggling with them

God has given us each other to help overcome sins, sicknesses, and to celebrate when those request are answered

We are to be united in life

The second great commandment

Can not truly love someone if you do not know how to serve them

Confidentiality

No where in the passage is anyone else the focus other than the afflicted

Notice that this passage does not

if someone is struggling, you

pray with them

rejoice with them

anoint their head

his sins are forgiven

he is healed

These groups are not to add to your story books, they are to help restore people to God

If you want to be part of a group, you must never compromise that trust

Someone is vulnerably, opens up about a sin or struggle, you do not share it outside of that group unless it will lead to them being hurt, someone else being hurt, or it is illegal.

Sexual abuse, dealing drugs, etc.

Restoration

These groups are not for you to have stories to tell, but to restore people to God

If you want others to protect what you talk about, you must protect everyone else too

English Standard Version Chapter 5

There is honor is bring someone back to God who has wandered away

Involves confessing sins, repenting of sins, confronting sins, and recognizing that every sin in your life represents a barrier between you and a more intimate relationship with God.

Conclusion

It will become easy to talk about difficult situations in these groups, however, our goal in these groups remains higher.

We are committed to these groups restoring people to a more intimate relationship with God through relationships with his church