More important than the healing of the body is the healing of the soul. Our purpose is not, after all, to make people healthier sinners but to point them to the eternal life found in Jesus. Perhaps that is why the only clear reference to healing in the passage for this week is our memory … Continue reading –>
Read James 5:14-15. What are the essential elements James prescribes for anointing the sick, and what important spiritual components are found in these texts? The fact that the sick person calls for the elders of the church to come and anoint him or her with oil in the name of the Lord and pray expresses … Continue reading –>
Read James 5:13. What interesting contrast is he presenting here? How do we apply these admonitions to our own experiences? Though dealing with two different things (suffering, cheerfulness), James links them with prayer and praise: pray when you are suffering, praise when you are cheerful. The two practices are not that different from each other, … Continue reading –>
Read for This Week’s Study: James 5:13-20; 1 John 5:14; 1 Cor. 15:54; Heb. 12:12-13; John 8:43-45; Prov. 10:12. Memory Text: Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much (James 5:16, NASB). People are fascinated … Continue reading –>
Joel Sandoval Joel realized it was Sabbath. His parents would be in church, praying for him. In the midst of the chaos in the house and outside, Joel knelt in a corner and prayed. He was sure that death was near. He opened the New Testament to the book of Psalms and began reading. Joel … Continue reading –>
Further Study: Read about the experiences of Elijah and Job in times of testing and its significance for us in the last days in Ellen G. White, From Jezreel to Horeb, p. 155-166; What Doest Thou Here? p. 167-176; In the Spirit and Power of Elias, p. 177-189, in Prophets and Kings. “To wait patiently, … Continue reading –>
Read James 5:12. Commentators have puzzled over why James seems to make such a major issue out of swearing solemn oaths. Even if the intent were to prohibit all speech of this kind, why would it seem to be urged as important “above all” as he has spoken about in this chapter or perhaps in the … Continue reading –>
Read James 5:10-11. What do Job and the prophets have in common? Why do you think these examples are highlighted? What personal lessons can we take away from these stories for ourselves amid our own trials? The prophets of Israel were faithful in preaching the word of the Lord without altering or compromising it. Hebrews, … Continue reading –>
When is the Second Coming? Why are we still here? It’s not surprising that now, in the 21st century, we have doubters and scoffers. In the history of the church, this is nothing new. The most dangerous threats to Israel throughout its history came not from their enemies but from within their own ranks and … Continue reading –>
James 5:8 affirms that Christ’s coming is at hand or near. But, after nearly two thousand years, how are we to understand this promise? Jesus described the coming kingdom (Matt. 4:17, Matt. 10:7, Matt. 24:33) by means of parables to teach the unfamiliar heavenly things in terms that are understandable. A close study of these … Continue reading –>
