Our new sermon series starting on 30 July is called “Jesus Speaks, how the words of Christ transform our speech”. Taking various texts from the gospels we’ll explore together not only what Jesus said to certain people, but how he said it. Here are some of the topics we’ll be looking at together:

• the need to be clear about the gospel as reflected in Jesus’ words to Nicodemus in John 2
• speaking with clarity as well as compassion, following the example given by Jesus at the well in John 4
• the healing words of Jesus in John 5

and others. Please pray for our church as we seek God together for speech that come from the abundance that flows from the a heart transformed by God’s grace.

Today, to conclude our studies in James, we reviewed James 5:13-20.  Our topic is prayer: faith prays.

Pray Together

• What are some of the church needs you’re aware of?
• Who in the church needs your intercession?
• What are you and your loved ones praying for at the moment?
• What wider situations can you pray into?

Read Together

In our text, James is showing us how prayer should be a central part of our lives.  Whether we are suffering, cheerful or sick, there is always abundant reason to pray.

Sin and Prayer

From Isaiah 59:1-2, we discussed how sin is a barrier to prayer.  If you or I have sins we harbour, sins we cherish and from which we refuse to repent, then they are a barrier to effective prayer.  Not that God cannot hear, He does not hear.  He disregards it.

Discuss:

• Are you conscious of times when your prayers have been hindered by your own sin?  How did you discern it?  What did you do about it?

Prayer in Different Contexts

James talks about prayer in the context of suffering, cheerfulness and sickness.  We looked at Christ in Mark 14:32-38 as an example of prayer in suffering.

• Have you had experience of prayer in suffering context?  How quickly did you go to prayer?  How did God respond?

In discussing prayer in plenty, we considered sections of Deuteronomy 8.  Here, Moses warns Israel not to forget the God who gives them so many blessings.

• If we do not naturally go to prayer, how much less when things are going well!  How can you encourage one another in this?

Then in discussing prayer in sickness, we saw how, while God instructs to call for prayer and the anointing of oil, it is the prayer of faith that is efficacious to save.  Someone shared with me after the message a time when a close family member was seriously ill, and in obedience and faith called for brothers and sisters to pray and anoint with oil as instructed, and there was healing.

• Have you had any experience with healing?

The main purpose and plan of God in answering prayer, whether healing, suffering or anything else, is to work His own perfect will.  Whether that is to bring deliverance today, or strength to endure, He is working out His purpose.  This is what faith knows and believes.

James: Well Done is Better Than Well Said

Think back over the entire study in James.

• Is there anything particularly memorable and striking for you?
• What things have you felt conviction over?
• Any situations that you will now, by God’s grace, approach differently?

Keep Each Other Accountable

Your Connect Groups are intended to be a place where you can talk and share openly and honestly about the areas in which we struggle.  Can you still remember this verse?

1 Corinthians 10:13  No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

We all struggle in many ways, so be encouraged so share together and pray together.

Pray for One Another

Share your prayer needs and requests.  Commit to pray for one another, not just now but throughout the week.

This week we considered James 5:7-12, where our primary subject is that of patience.  It’s an area in which many of us struggle, so pray that the Spirit will enable and empower you.

Pray Together

• What are some of the church needs you’re aware of?
• Who in the church needs your intercession?
• What are you and your loved ones praying for at the moment?
• What wider situations can you pray into?

Read Together

James commands us to be patient: to endure in hardship, difficulty, or trial.  As you’ll remember, the time-limit for our endurance is not simply “until the end of the trial,” but rather it is until the Lord returns!

Discuss:

• What areas in your life do you see a call to endure?  Where is there a need for patience?
• Do you find it comes naturally? (probably not!)  Are there things you have found help or hinder your patience?

After you’ve re-read the text, discuss:

• How does the example of the farmer aid your understanding of patience?
• What about the example of the prophets?  How about Job?
• Remember we looked at Hebrews 11:32-40.  Do the examples here help you?

The Why of Patience

We often want to know the why, don’t we?  If we could see, specifically, how God would ultimately use this situation for good, then it would make endurance in the here and now easier.  However, we must remember that faith and sight are mutually exclusive (see 2 Cor 5:7)

When discussing this, we considered Job, and also looked at both 1 Peter 2:19-21 and 2 Peter 3:9, 12.

• What general reasons for patience can you see in the text?
• What people do you know who have not believed in Christ?  How then can you “hasten the coming of the day of God?”

The How of Patience

You’ll recall that we considered the fact that, on the one hand, James exhorts us “endure!  Be patient!  Strengthen and establish your hearts!”  Yet, on the other hand, Paul prays in Colossians 1:9-12 that God would strengthen us for endurance and patience.

• How do we resolve the tension this brings?
• What does that practically mean, for you and me today?

Hopefully, you’ll recall this most important point, that our obedience to James’ exhortation is to submit ourselves before God and pray for His power in our lives.  It’s not a matter of us trying harder; it’s a matter of us surrendering more and repenting more deeply.  We allow God’s love to hold more and more influence in our lives.  And then, “Love is patient…” (1 Cor 13:4)

Oaths

The last verse in our section today was on the topic of oaths.  Recall the application of this is that we should have a good testimony, at church and in the world, that we are men and women of our word.  If we have said we will do it, it’s as good as done.

• Are you aware of how others view you in this regard?
• Are there commitments you’ve made and then failed to come through?  If so, how did you handle it?

Keep Each Other Accountable

Remember, your Connect Group is meant to be a place you can safely share your struggles and know your brothers/sisters who love you will pray for you.

James 5:16 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.

Pray for One Another

Share your prayer needs and requests.  Commit to pray for one another, not just now but throughout the week.

“Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others”

– Philippians 2:3-4

During last Sunday’s sermon I mentioned that the Apostle James liked to ask questions. Jesus did it. Paul did it. I want to encourage you to also ask good questions and have good conversations. Good conversations that contain good questions express care to those around us. It seems like developing conversations is a bit of an art form, but we should be committed to the process. So, I thought I’d try and give you some ways we can also ask better questions and have better conversations:

1. Recognise that you’re in a spiritual battle.

This simply means that we need to fight to have good conversations. We won’t fall into them, they are not incidental. What are we fighting? Well normally we’re fighting against our own self-consciousness. Most of us are pretty aware of our inadequacies when it comes to striking up conversations and then raising the conversation from the secular to the spiritual so we steer clear of it altogether. That’s Satan’s goal – to prevent us from having good conversations.

2. Keep your focus on others

No-one likes having the kind of conversation when it’s clear the other person is more interested in something else that is going on the room. Keep your focus on the other person as you talk to each other. Keep eye contact. Be genuine in your interest. Be persistent in your questions. This is an adventure in building lasting friendships and encouraging others in the Lord. Make the conversation about them and Jesus, not you and … you!

3. Keep the topic spiritual

Again, you won’t stumble into this. It’s often much easier to talk about the weather, sport or your next day off. It’s hard for us to speak of spiritual things – not only because somethings these things can be quite person but because we’re all sinners. Jesus said in John 3:19-20:

And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.

So sin, Jesus says, likes to stay in the darkness (Jn. 3:19-20). This means we have to constantly swim against the tide. Remember what James has been saying? Words reveal the heart. if our worlds are filled with worldly concerns, that’s because their hearts are filled with worldly concerns.

4. Encourage others to do this same

Encourage those who you know well to talk about the sermon immediately after the service. Our tea and coffee time is a great opportunity for this. It is entirely possible for the Word to fall along the path and for other activities of the day to snatch it up and carry it off. So encourage those you love and know well to help you – and our church – to have good conversations right after the close of the service.

5. Fashion questions to use

One of the best ways to help to develop spiritual conversation is to consistently and subtly force other people to do the talking. Here’s some ideas:

• What are you reading in your quiet times?
  • follow on question might be …. let’s talk about that!
• What has God been teaching you lately?
  • follow on question might be … how do you think you can do what God is showing you?
• How’s your marriage?
  • extended question (better) – What is God showing you about your marriage? How are your quiet times with your husband/wife?
• What are you praying for at the moment?
  • follow on question … how can I pray? Could I pray for you right now?

6. Stop talking

A conversation isn’t a speech. They are not monologs. Chances are that we lessen our effectiveness with our conversations if we are loaded with remarkable things to say. My experience is that better conversations are borne out of a genuine interest to hear what the other person is saying. Let them talk. Begin with listening as a rule.

So next time we gather, why not try it out …. develop spiritual conversations by asking good questions.

First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Saviour, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time. For this I was appointed a preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.

1 Timothy 2:17

Previously, in former posts here we’ve examined Paul’s instructions concerning the gospel – that it should be guarded, celebrated and fought for. We are, if you like, on a great mission to save lives. The church is surrounded by people who don’t know Jesus (and in some cases haven’t even heard of Jesus). So how do we do all of the gospel stuff (guard, celebrate and fight for) whilst carrying out this great mission? His answer: we start with prayer. Look at what Paul writes in verse 1:

First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.

So in this section Paul is encouraging Timothy (and us) to pray for all people – notice that Paul repeats himself 4 times just so we get it! Here are the four Greek words that Paul uses to encourage us to prayer:

• Supplications is the Greek “deēsis” and means: “requests of an urgent need”.
• Prayers is the Greek “proseuchē” and means: “offering of prayer”. This is often associated with sacrifice and fasting. It emphasise the giving of our time and energy to it.
• Intercessions is the Greek “enteuxis” and means: “requests are made on behalf of others”.
• Thanksgivings is the Greek “eucharistia” and means: “grateful language to God, as an act of worship)”.

So all of these four words help when we are thinking about prayer. They help is in our

• urgency – the time to pray is now;
• priority – the need to pray is crucial;
• direction – the focus of our prayer is others (note that Paul says be made for all people – regardless of race, social status, or gender, God does not discriminate between persons
• attitude – the heart of prayer is worship

Here is what I think Paul is driving at …. the Christians demonstrate their gospel dependence on God and gospel love for others through faith-filled prayer. Our prayers that are offered on behalf of others become an expression of faith in God and love for others.

Why do we pray Gospel Saturated prayers?

Let’s look …. two reasons:

1. That we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.
2. God our Saviour, .. desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

So firstly understand that those at the top of the cultural river affect what happens downstream. Paul’s point is to prayer for those in power over those without power, because the decisions that they will make will eventually affect you. Paul’s desire is a peaceful and quiet life but also one that is godly. So, in effect Paul is encouraging us to pray that our leaders will make the kind of decisions that will help us live like that! That’s a kind of prayer I can pray, how about you?

Secondly, Paul is motivated to see the love of God displayed. He says: “pray the truth about who God is and what He has done in Jesus to be made known”. Again that’s a kind prayer I can pray, are you with me? God said:

I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live

Ezekiel 33:11

And the, in our text, it’s as if Paul is reminded again of the glorious gospel and erupts into a hymn of praise:

For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.

Ultimately, we love and work and go on this life-saving mission because we know that there is only one God and He alone deserves our highest praise. And so worship is the goal of prayer. We prayer so that the eyes of men and women and children all over our city and in our country would be open to the glorious truth of God’s love for them and that they would turn to Him and give Him praise, and at the sound of His name every knee would bow and tongue confess that He is Lord. The goal of our praying is worship.

For this I was appointed a preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth. 

I love this last verse as Paul just seems to get caught up in this wonderful truth and declares “for this!”, for this I am called.