The Mechanism of Faith- Part 9
Faith Carried Out

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. 1

I. Things We Face
a. Suffering
i. Let him pray
b. Cheerful
i. Let him sing praise
c. Sick
i. Let him call for the elders of the church
1. What is an elder-
a. Here in the text the word:
i. Πρεσβύτεροσ- Presbuteros
1. Means- older leader
a. James 5:14
b. Acts 20:17

b. Other terms for elder:
i. ἐπίσκοπος- Episkopos
1. Means- overseer or bishop
a. Acts 20:28
ii. Ποιμένας- Poimen
1. Means- Pastor/Shepherd
a. Ephesians 4:11
b. 1 Peter 2:25
2. Do all these terms mean the same thing?
a. Functionally- yes
b. Descriptively- no

ii. “anointing with oil”
1. “The anointing with oil is the part that creates controversy. Are we to
take this oil to be medicinal in nature? The good Samaritan, we recall,
treated the wounded man with oil and wine—the former to sooth
and the latter to cleanse (Luke 10:34). If this is the correct

1 The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Jas 5:13–20.

understanding, James was telling sick people to ask for prayer and go
to the doctor.” 2
2. It is sometimes simple things like this that the devil uses for great
controversy over nothing!
a. I will say, I do not oppose either stance.
b. I have done this with a young boy in the past, privately with
his parents.
c. There is no condemnation for the interpretation either way.

II. Why Lead to the Elders
a. The Point
i. The Bible gives good descriptions of the qualifications of an elder:
1. 1 Timothy 3:1-7 (READ)
2. Titus 1:1-9

b. Illustration: When you are trying to get a job, if you know someone who works for
the company you are seeking employment with, you talk with them. Why?
RELATIONSHIP MATTERS
i. (Can you put in a word for me?)
ii. (Can you speak on my behalf?)
iii. We understand that relationship matters in our job search, and
relationship matters to God. In fact, the reason it matters to us is because it
matters to God.
c. When you’re sick, do you pray?
i. Who do you want praying with you?
1. Do you want someone praying who ignores God? Perhaps his
prayers, other than a call of repentance, are ignored by God.
2. You want someone talking to God who knows God.
ii. 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. 3 — James 5:17-18
iii. POINT: Elijah didn’t have the power, but he had a relationship with
the one who did.
III. To reach the Wanderer
a. if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back 4
i. who?
1. This can be interpreted two ways:
a. A believer- a Christian that “backslides”
b. A lost person- death being eternal death

ii. Someone who knew the truth but a wanderer- Definitely possible
1. Simon Peter
2. We have never, in the flesh, become immune to temptation and it
is dangerous to believe so.
iii. Someone who is lost

2 Roger Ellsworth, Opening up James, Opening Up Commentary (Leominster: Day One Publications,
2009), 160.
3 The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Jas 5:17–18.
4 The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Jas 5:19.

iv. The wanderer, here, is one who needs a “turning point” or
repentance. EITHER WAY- BOTH NEED SOMEONE TO SHARE THE TRUTH.
IV. CONCLUSION: Jesus taught us that faith changes us and it changes things we do.
a. Everyone needs a faith that is more than words.
b. We need a faith that does something