James 5:13-18
1. We began by talking about prayer & what is Biblical prayer. Pastor Nate said that prayer is an act of worship where one comes humbly, reverently, boldly before God through Christ by His Spirit to offer praise, give thanks, confess sin, and offer up both our needs and cares as well as the needs & cares of others.
A: Many people view prayer as a way to ask God for various things, but there’s much more included in Biblical prayer. Which component of this definition have you incorporated into your prayer life & has made a huge difference?
B:Which component of this definition would you like to see more in your prayer life & how can you plan to add it?
2. We then looked at v. 13-14 & the suffering, cheerful, & sick.
A: To the suffering, James encourages prayer rather than revenge. The default for people is to find a way to get back when evil occurs. How does prayer offer a better way than revenge when evil is experienced?
B: To the cheerful, James says to pray a prayer of praise for their strength in the midst of difficulty. How has suffering led to greater dependence on the Lord in your life?
C: Finally, to the sick James says to get help from others. For those that are spiritually distraught & weak, they must choose to hide their weakness or admit their weakness. Why is it so hard for us to confess to fellow Christians when we need help?
3. We then looked at v. 15 & the hope we have because of God.
A: We see a promise in this verse that the spiritually weak will be restored. They will move from defeat to delight. And God gets the credit for this work. Why is it important when reading this passage to understand that it is God who deserves praise for restoration rather than any person or thing?
B. We also read that when confessing sin, forgiveness is available. We have a tendency to forget the gravity of forgiveness, what help us remember the beauty of forgiveness?
4. We ended with instructions to the community of believers.
A: First we see a command to confess sins to one another. At MBC, we hope to see this happen through small groups. How has taking the step of joining a small group & being honest with one another by confessing sin/not trying to act like everything is perfect been good for your soul?
B: We also see in v. 16 that there is a call to pray for one another. Again, this happens at MBC through small groups. What do you think keeps people in our context from following these instructions of confessing sin & praying for one another?