Growing by Prayer and Confession

Services

SunDAY: 9 AM Sunday School, 10:30AM Worship /TuesDAY 6 pm prayer/ WedNESDAY 6PM Bible study

Feb. 23, 2025

 Reverend Greg Gibbs
 James 5:13-20
 Growing, Growth, prayer, Confession

Background:

  • This is a time in which prayer should be increased
  • Learning from the Book of James and applying it today in the US
  • Applying prayer to suffering
  • James is known for practicality, being designed for practical use...genuine faith in our actions and works
  • How to practice what we talk about?
  • James and his brothers didn't believe in Jesus (John 7:4-5; Acts 12:16-17)
  • James later believed
  • Prayer is communicating with God
  • Confession is a theme of prayer, but practicality is throughout the book of James
  • Prayer is important and was evidenced by Moses, Jesus, and the apostles (Mark 1:35)
  • Ministry is about serving, giving of yourself


Key Sermon Points:

1. Prayer and Health

  • We must pray and praise when God has done things
  • The health is about spiritual health
  • Sometimes we are persecuted from the outside
  • The suffering is more external and spiritual than physical
  • Today we are under a time of persecution
  • We need to pray for the affliction in order to have the strength to go through
  • There are people that are going through and others that have gone through and must share their testimony
  • It's about encouragement, stimulation and refreshment
  • We must have prayer and praise
  • Spiritual health is in view in v. 14 - 15
  • The oil in v. 14 is about comfort and restoration
  • Practical application is about someone coming along side of you to help restore you
  • The sickness is about not being well in the Lord
  • Restoration is with God first and then with the fellowship with others

2. Prayer and Confession

  • We must share what we are going through v. 16
  • Corporate prayer is emphasized
  • Confession is about building community and unity (John 17)
  • Effectual prayer is underlined by a wholeheartedness and passion
  • Do you have at least one prayer partner?
  • Do you have someone that can hold you accountable?
  • Praying in God's will

3. Prayer and Life

  • There are people in the church that are not saved
  • The call of the Church is to pray for those that are lost among them
  • A believer can get caught behind enemy lines if they go solo
  • Some know the Lord, but are looking fleshly
  • Our goal is to go after those people without allowing them to wander too long that they die without Christ