Characterizations of a godly church, 1Thessalonians 1:1-10

After finishing up our study of the book of James last week, we are beginning a new study in the first letter to the church at Thessalonica.  I felt led to look at this book primarily because of it’s heavy emphasis on eschatology.  As we are finishing up our study of Revelation in our bonfire Bible studies on Wednesday nights, I have referred to 1 Thessalonians a number of times. And so I wanted to study this book to get a more in depth look at Paul’s perspective on the second coming of Christ as a parallel to the emphasis that John gave us in Revelation.

But since we don’t do topical preaching here at the Beach Fellowship, we are going to look at the whole letter by way of exposition, and not just the eschatological part.  Because it’s important to look at scripture in context, and not just cherry pick texts that would seem to support a particular topic that a pastor might want to deal with.

That being said, let’s first consider the deeper background of this book as a means of putting this letter in it’s rightful context before we get into some of the opening remarks Paul makes. The historical background of this church in Thessalonica is found in Acts 17.  In that account, Luke gives the details of how Paul and Silas and Timothy came to the city on Paul’s second missionary journey.

Thessalonica was a large, major city in Greece that had a large port on the Aegean sea. At that time it had a Jewish community which had a synagogue there.  As was customary with the apostles, they began their missionary work at the synagogue.  Some of the Jews were converted as a result of Paul’s preaching for three consecutive weeks, as well as a larger number of prominent Greeks who had been regular attendees at the synagogue.

The Jews weren’t happy over the fact that Paul and his fellow workers had converted many of the people there, and so they started a riot, and arrested one of the converts, and basically were trying to shut down the spread of Christianity in that city.  And so it seemed best for Paul and his fellow workers to leave town.  Paul ended up eventually in Corinth which is where he wrote this letter from.  

In the time between his visit and his letter, Paul had sent Timothy back to the church, to see how they were doing and to encourage them and strengthen them.  Timothy returned to Paul and gave a good report about the church, and perhaps conveyed some concerns and questions that they had, and thus we have the basis for this letter.  And by the way, this letter is thought by many scholars to be the first of the Pauline epistles.  Though it’s possible that Galatians may be.  But in any respect, it’s fairly certain that the date of the letter is around 51AD.  So a very early letter to a fledgling church in Greece.

Notice the authors of this letter.  Paul, Silvanus and Timothy.  Paul of course we know.  He is more than likely the actual author inspired by the Holy Spirit.  Silvanus or Timothy might have taken dictation from him and did the actual writing.  This missionary team was the result of a breakup that Paul had earlier with Barnabas and John Mark.  Barnabas went his way with John Mark, and Paul took Silas, who is also known by  the Latin version of his name which is Silvanus.  And then somewhere along the way Paul took along Timothy, the young apprentice.  It’s also apparent from Acts that Luke the physician is part of the group as well.

So as is typical of such letters, it begins by stating who it’s from and then who it’s addressed to.  It says, to the church of the Thessalonians.  The word church there in the Greek is eklesia. It means a gathering of people called out from their homes to a public assembly. It’s clear from the account in Acts 17 that these are people that have been converted.  Paul is addressing the congregation of people who make up a church.  It’s not a reference to a building, nor an denomination, nor a particular race, but a people called out of the world by God to be the people of God.  Notice he says, to the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. That’s a witness to their understanding of equal divinity of Christ to the Father.

I  believe in this first chapter, Paul reveals several godly characteristics of the church which I think should be an example for us today.  This church Paul says in vs 7 that they were an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia.  They were an exemplary church.  We will find out as we go along that doesn’t mean that they were perfect.  There were some areas of sin in the lives of some of them that needed to be done away with.  But for the most part, I believe we can learn from these characteristics that Paul says they are exemplary in, as a template for what constitutes a godly, healthy church.

The first characteristic that is fundamental to a church is it’s made up of the saved, the converted.  These people are the church, a called out, converted assembly of believers.  Notice in vs 10 Paul says that they were “turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God.” That’s a characteristic of a person who is saved.  They are converted, turned, changed.  It’s a change from idol worship to worshipping the true God.

Also notice that Paul says they were called, and chosen. Vs 4, “knowing, brethren beloved by God, His choice of you.”  The scripture says that salvation is of the Lord.  And if that is true, and of course it is true, then it should not be a surprise that salvation is initiated by the Lord.  That is the doctrine of election.  God sovereignly chooses people to be saved.  That doesn’t mean that you don’t have a choice, that you don’t have to believe, to have faith in Christ, but it means that God has given spiritual sight to your eyes, God has convicted your heart of your need for salvation, and He has loved you with an effectual love, called you to Himself, and He has provided all the means by which you are saved.

Furthermore, a distinction of this church is that they were recipients of God’s grace and peace. In Paul’s greeting in vs 1 he says, “Grace to you and peace.”  Notice that peace comes after grace. God reaches out to us in grace, that we might have peace with God. We who were formerly enemies have been brought near to God, have been given peace with God, which results in the peace of God which guards our hearts and minds.  Many people seek the peace of God as a antidote for tribulation.  But you will never have the peace of God until you make peace with God, and you cannot have peace with God until you have known the grace of God which is the atonement provided through Jesus Christ on your behalf.

For those who are converted, who are the living church of God, Paul gives thanks in vs 2. “We give thanks to God always for all of you, making mention [of you] in our prayers.”  Notice Paul gives thanks for all of them.  That’s a pretty special pastor who is able to do that.  It’s easy to give thanks for those who are strong in the faith, who are pillars of the church, who are faithful and true.  It’s another thing to give thanks for everyone else.  But that is the ministry of the pastor, to pray constantly for the church.  Prayer must always be accompanied by thankfulness.  We can be thankful that they have believed unto salvation.  We can be thankful that they have been delivered from captivity to the dominion of darkness and transferred to the kingdom of Jesus Christ.  They may not be the most faithful of His servants, but they belong to Christ, and we should be thankful for that.

When the apostles sought to establish deacons in the first church in Jerusalem, they said as for themselves, they would devote themselves to prayer and the ministry of the word.  If you take that literally, then half of the pastor’s job description is being devoted to prayer.  That’s a pretty convicting statement for me to consider.

Paul continues on that subject of praying for the church in vs 3, “constantly bearing in mind your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the presence of our God and Father.”  In this verse we find three other characteristics of a godly church. Faith, love and hope.  These attributes are common to all believers.  They should be common for all churches.

Paul gives thanks for their work of faith.  This reminds us of what we learned in our study of James.  Faith without works is dead. I don’t think that Paul is talking about their faith so much as he is the works that come as a result of faith.  Saving faith produces action.  It’s not just an intellectual assent to the truth, but deeds that are in keeping with a new nature, a new heart, a desire to serve the Lord. It’s a new way of living, working for the kingdom of God.

Paul said in Eph. 2:10 “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” The faith of the church in Thessalonica produced good works, a work of faith.

Then he is thankful for their labor of love.  Once again, Paul takes a concept that implies on it’s own a feeling, an attraction, and puts work to it.  It’s a labor of love.  It doesn’t mean that you don’t have feelings about the church, about the Lord, but it means that you realize that you aren’t going to always feel like doing it.  I think of my mother who loved her family, and worked very hard to keep us fed and clothed and clean, day after day, year after year.  She didn’t always feel like it.  She might not have always acted all lovey dovey.  But she did what she did because she loved us.  And if the truth is known, particularly my brother and I made her life miserable more often than not. But she still did her best for us, whether we always deserved it or not.  That’s a labor of love.  When we love one another in the church, it’s not always going to be because we feel like it, or because they deserve it.  But because Christ loved us when we were sinners. So sacrificial love that worked was another characteristic of the church.

And then Paul is thankful for their steadfastness of hope.  The word hope on it’s own has a transitory sense to it, doesn’t it?  Hope rises and falls quickly sometimes.  But Paul is thankful for their steadfastness of hope.  That means that their hope doesn’t waver from day to day.  Their hope doesn’t wane when things don’t happen when they wanted it to happen.  

What is that hope, by the way?  What are they supposed to be hoping for?  I’ll tell you what it is in Paul’s own words found in Titus 2:13 “looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus.”  Hope is speaking of the second coming of Jesus Christ.  And as we learned in Revelation, there are a number of corresponding elements that are tied to the second coming of Christ.  Not the least of which is the resurrection.  Paul is going to speak considerably about the resurrection  towards the end of this letter, but for now he is alluding to it, by the phrase steadfastness of hope.

Peter speaks of this hope in the resurrection as a living hope, in 1Peter 1:3-5 saying, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,  to [obtain] an inheritance [which is] imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,  who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” So hope is not a nebulous, ethereal kind of wish, but a firm expectation of something that has not yet been realized, but which you firmly expect to happen.

Listen, our hope is rooted in the second coming of Jesus Christ.  Our hope is not found in the things of this world.  Our hope is not in politics, or in science, or in financial freedom, or in finding true love.  Our hope is in Christ and that hope will be fulfilled when He appears for the second time to claim His church, His bride.

Paul said in 1Cor. 15:19 “If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied.”  And then he goes on in that passage to talk about the resurrection and the promise of Christ’s return being a certain hope that gives us assurance and takes away fear of death.

The next important characteristic of this godly church is that they are a church that preached the gospel. There are a lot of churches today that have all the outward trappings of a church, they have a building that looks like a church, they have people who claim to belong to the church, but they don’t preach the gospel.  

But the church at Thessalonica was a true church because they preached the gospel. Notice three things about the gospel they preached.  First it is a gospel that is powerful. Secondly it is a gospel that was imitated by the church.  And thirdly it is a gospel that they have proclaimed throughout the region.

First a gospel that is powerful.  Paul says in vs 5, “for our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake.”  Paul would say later in Romans what that power of the gospel does.  He said, in Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”  The gospel is powerful unto salvation.  It’s not a social gospel which we preach.  It’s not a feel good gospel that tells you what you want to hear.  It’s not a prosperity gospel that promises you heath, wealth and prosperity. It’s the good news that Jesus Christ the Son of God came to earth to offer Himself as a sacrifice for sinners, as their substitute to satisfy the wrath of God, so that they might be saved from eternal death, and by His power be given new life, even everlasting life. That is the gospel.  Paul preached it, and the apostles lived it.He says you know what manner of men we proved to be.  That means they lived what they preached. 

And then notice Paul says the church imitated them.  “You also became imitators of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much tribulation with the joy of the Holy Spirit.”  Listen, that’s discipleship.  It’s living in such a way that you can say, imitate me.  Because I am imitating the Lord Jesus. And so we imitate Jesus.  That is growing in faith.  That’s spiritual maturity.  LIke the child that walks in his father’s footsteps imitates his father and grows up to become like his father.  So we imitate Jesus Christ and we grow up to be like Jesus. Peter speaking  about imitation, 1Peter 2:21 “For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps.”  

And Paul says that this church in Thessalonica also suffered tribulation as a result of the gospel.  A hallmark of genuine Christianity is tribulation.  The world is not going to love you.  You will be persecuted for the sake of the gospel.  In the case of this church, persecution  more than likely came from the resident Jewish community who were angry that the church was making converts from among them.  If you never proclaim the gospel to anyone, then you probably won’t face persecution.  But the world finds the gospel offensive, and so if you proclaim it, then you should expect them to attack you and try to shut you down.

But the result of their imitation of Christ and their suffering was an example to other Christians throughout the region.  Paul says in vs  7 “so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia.”  Listen, the most effective sermon you will ever preach is not necessarily one that is heard, but that is seen.  How you live out the gospel, how your life reveals that it is different, it’s changed, is the best testimony to the power of the gospel.  A life that doesn’t look any different than what it was before salvation is likely not saved at all.

So the church was a living testimony to the power of the gospel. They lived what they believed. That’s the work of faith, to live in a manner in keeping with what you profess.  But not only did they imitate Jesus Christ, and live as an example of Christ followers, they also acted in love to bring the gospel to the world around them.  They were evangelistic.  Having been the beneficiary of missionaries, they became missionaries.   Notice Paul commends them in vs 8 “For the word of the Lord has sounded forth from you, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith toward God has gone forth, so that we have no need to say anything.”

They took the great commission seriously.  But I also love the way Paul puts it.  He says the word of the Lord sounded forth from you.  They preached the word.  Not a social gospel.  They weren’t solely focused on doing good deeds for neighboring communities without presenting the gospel to them.  A lot of churches are all about having soup kitchens but delinquent in preaching the word of God.  They are professionals at producing Christian entertainment, but absent when it comes to presenting the cross of Christ.  Once again, as Paul said, we should not be ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God unto salvation, to the Jew first and also the Greek.  The word of God which is able to save souls must be the priority of the church’s ministry.

And the testimony of those people in foreign lands that had heard their gospel, who had received their message, got back to Paul and Silas and Timothy.  And that report was that those people in Thessalonica really been changed.  It was evident that they were truly saved, truly living out the gospel.  And the contrast between their old ways of worshipping idols, and the way that they now lived as ambassadors of the gospel was evidence of their conversion.  Once again, an essential characteristic of the church is that they are changed, converted.  They turned from idol worship to serving God.  A dramatic change that was evident to a watching world.  

Listen, your life should be a living billboard to the power of the gospel to convert, to change.  Unfortunately, the only thing a lot of neighbors see different about most people who claim to be Christians is that they go to church occasionally.  Their life isn’t much different otherwise.  I’m not suggesting that we be different just to be different.  To be weird, so that we cut our hair differently, or wear clothing that is different from the rest of the world.  Not those type of external things, but a change inwardly will be evident on the outside by what you do, what you say, and how you live.

Finally, as I mentioned earlier, the last characteristic of a godly church is that they have a living hope, looking for and hastening the day of the Lord, when Christ will return for His bride.  Paul said about the Thessalonians in vs 10 that they were waiting  “for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, [that is] Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come.”  When we have an expectancy of Christ’s return, then we will live differently.  When we are looking forward to the life to come then we will not be enamored with the lusts of this world. When we are looking forward to Christ return, then we will be working that we might be found faithful when He comes.  

And also notice in the gospel that produces hope, there is a warning of judgment.  The gospel that is preached that does not include the wrath of God against sin is not the full gospel.  The gospel that doesn’t warn that when Christ returns He will come in judgment is not the full gospel.  The word of God that doesn’t preach about sin is not the full gospel.  But the good news is God has offered Jesus Christ as the atonement for our sin, that we might escape the wrath of God.  And that is our blessed hope by which we look forward to the day when Christ will come again to claim His church and to live with us forever.  

As the apostle John said, 1John 2:28 “Now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears, we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming.” Let us be found faithful when He comes.  Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus.

Restoring the wanderer, James 5:19-20

As we learned from our study in Job last fall, not all suffering is the result of sin.  Job was called by God the most righteous man of his generation.  And yet, God allowed Satan to attack him and his family.  One of the great debates that Job engages in with his friends was over this seeming contradiction of faith and faithfulness, that God allows suffering on the righteous. 

However, that being established,  sometimes suffering is the result of sin. There are consequences to sin, and though we may be forgiven for the penalty of that sin, we may still have to endure suffering as a consequence of that sin. An example of that may be someone who sins by drunkenness, and while they were drunk got into a car and caused an accident.  As a result of the damages and injuries they caused, they ended up in jail.  They may be forgiven of that sin if they repent and confess it to the Lord, but God does not necessarily remove the consequences. 

Or another example is that of King David.  He not only cheated on his wives by having an affair with another woman, but he participated in killing the woman’s husband in order to cover up his sin.  David was certainly a believer at that point in his life.  And when he was confronted by Nathan the prophet about his sin, he confessed and repented of it before the Lord.  But the Lord brought about certain consequences as a result of his sin. Not the least of which was that the child born of that adulterous relationship died. So in that case we see that sometimes suffering is caused by sin.

Now I say all that because last week we looked at the spiritual restoration of a believer who had suffered in some way to the point of despair and despondency.  They were a believer, but they were at such a low point in their faith that they could hardly even pray any more.  They were at the end of their rope.  They were almost at a point of letting go, of going so deep into depression that they might not recover.  

Remember James said that such people should go to the elders of the church who would pray for them so that they might be restored, delivered from this spiritual weakness, restored to spiritual health.  But there was an interesting thing that James added to that.  He said in vs15 “and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him.”

Notice that, “if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him.”  He didn’t say because he has committed sins, but if.  That shows that this man’s condition is not necessarily the result of sin. But on the other hand, it shows it’s possible that sin had contributed to his suffering.  Not everyone who suffers is being punished for some sin.  But some who suffer are suffering the consequences of their sin.

Now in these last two verses of James, he addresses that believer who has gone astray, who has fallen into sin, who is suffering the consequences of that drift into sin, and who needs to be rescued and reconciled and restored.  So to that point he says in vs 19, “My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth and one turns him back,  let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.”

Some Bible teachers have used this verse as a proof text for evangelism, for the ministry we have been given to reach the lost with the gospel.  And while that is our mission, and some elements found in these verses can apply to carrying out that mission,  I don’t believe that is primarily what James is addressing here.

I think first of all, we need to remember the context of this letter.  James is writing to Christians who are scattered abroad, who are believers, and who are suffering persecution and physical attacks and alienation because of their faith. And the context of the entire book as well as the immediate context of the section starting in vs 13 support that.  So from the context we should assume that James is still addressing that situation in the church.

But even more to the point, notice James says this to believers in the church.  He starts out by addressing “my brethren.”  In every other case where we have found that address in this letter, it was evident that James was speaking to his fellow Christians.  Christians are the brethren.  The unsaved, the world is not your brethren. But it’s evident that he is speaking about Christians because he says, “My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth and one turns him back…”  These people are among the brethren, they are the church, the saved.

So these verses are not about evangelism. They are about spiritual restoration of the wayward prodigal. You remember the story of the prodigal son.  He was part of the family, but he went away from home and fell into sin, and experienced suffering as a result of that sin.  So James is acknowledging that there will be some from among them who will wander away from the truth, who will fall back into the path of sin. It may be a brief time, or even season in their life, when they abandon the path of righteousness and stray into sin. And James indicates that they need to be rescued.

Jesus told a parable about such a rescue operation. He said in Luke 15:4-7 "What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open pasture and go after the one which is lost until he finds it?  When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!'  I tell you that in the same way, there will be [more] joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.”  The sheep was part of the fold, belonged to the Master, yet had gone astray and was in need of deliverance.

So on a similar note James ends this letter by encouraging the church to go after those that have strayed. He first describes the runaway and then he describes the rescue operation.  And we will see two primary characters in this scene - the prodigal and the pursuer … and then there’s the prize.

First let’s take a closer look at the prodigal. So James says, “My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth…”  He’s talking about a believer from among the church straying from the truth.  An unbeliever doesn’t stray from the truth.  He can’t stray from it because he has never known the truth.  

2 Cor. 4:4 says the unbeliever is blinded to the truth. 1 Peter 2:8 says the unbeliever is offended by the truth. Romans 1:18 says he suppresses the truth.  Rom. 1:25 says he would rather believe a lie than the truth.  And 2 Thess. 2:10 says he did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved.  So a believer is the only one who can wander away from the truth, because the unsaved never had the truth.  A prodigal then is someone who belongs to the family from which he’s wandered away.

Though he may wander away for a time or even a season, the indication is from the original text that he does not habitually live apart from the truth, but it is speaking of occasionally drifting away.  So the prodigal is what we used to call a backslider.  That term isn’t used so much today.  I used to think as I was growing up in the church that it referred to someone who sat in the back of the church. But it actually means someone who was on the uphill path of following the truth, but who began to slide back down into sin.

The term that James uses for wander is from the Greek word planeo, which is where we get our word planet.  These bodies around sun were called planets because they seemed to wander in the sky.  

The fact is, you don’t have to do much to become backslidden.  In fact, doing nothing is what causes your spiritual house to become disordered.  Just like with your physical house, when you stop cutting the grass, stop fixing things that break, stop vacuuming, stop painting,  and before you know it, your house is a mess.  Those little things start to mount up.

Notice the thing which the prodigal drifts away from - the truth. The truth is the way of truth. It is doctrine of truth.  It’s the gospel of truth. Heb 2:1 say, “For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away [from it.]”  

The tempter is always going to try to seduce us away from the truth.  To compromise the truth. To try to change the truth to something more palatable, something less offensive, something that is more accommodating to the ways of the world.  Drifting from the truth is always connected at some point to a decision  where you think “you don’t need to interpret that scripture so legalistically. You don’t need to be so rigid, so dogmatic. You don’t need to be fanatical.  After all, you’re human.  This is how God made you.  There’s no harm in it. It’s not really a sin.” And so you begin to coast, until you realize after a time that you have actually drifted far away from where you started. If you are not moving forward, you are automatically drifting backward.  The Christian life is either swimming against the current or being swept away by the current.  You can’t tread water as a Christian.

I read a quote by D. A. Carson, a well known pastor and commentator who wrote, “We do not drift toward holiness. We do not drift toward godliness, prayer, obedience to Scripture, faith, and delight in the Lord. We drift toward compromise and call it tolerance; we drift toward disobedience and call it freedom; we drift toward superstition and call it faith; we drift toward prayerlessness and delude ourselves into thinking we have escaped legalism; we drift toward godlessness and convince ourselves we have been liberated.”

So as he comes to the conclusion of his letter, James gives us a warning that there will be some who will drift away, who will wander away from the truth, and give heed to seducing spirits who will try to convince them that you can still be ok if you don’t take it all so seriously. James warns that drifting is an ever present danger in the life of the disciple.  So in response to that danger, he speaks to those who would rescue the drifter from that danger.  He speaks to the pursuer.

Notice next in verse 19 the description of the pursuer is one who turns him back.  Then notice verse. 20,  he turns a sinner from the error of his way.  In other words, they’re heading in the wrong direction and you turn them around. The word for turn can refer to the conversion of an unbeliever who turns to God for salvation.  But it can also be used of restoration and fellowship which fits the context here since James is clearly writing to Christians about wayward believers from among them.

For example, the Lord Jesus used this word in Luke 22:32 when He told Peter that Peter would deny Him, “but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers."  Jesus used the same word for Peter returning to his walk of obedience that James uses here for the prodigal who is turned back to the path.

So the pursuer in effect, performs an act of intervention, confronting him with the truth, confronting him with his sin, so that he turns around and heads once again in the right direction.  That’s what Nathan the prophet did for David.  It’s what Jesus did for Peter when He pursued him after His resurrection and gave Peter the opportunity for reconciliation.

I think to confront a prodigal and turn him back is an act of love.  We often wonder how are we supposed to love one another.  This is one way.  You turn back someone who is drifting from the error of his ways.  It’s like the love of a parent that reproves a child who misbehaves.  Because the parent loves the child he disciplines them.  Not because he hates the child, but because he knows this way is best for them and he loves them and wants what’s best for them. Proverbs 13:24 says “He who withholds his rod hates his son, But he who loves him disciplines him diligently.”

And likewise, God our Father disciplines us when we need it, because He loves us.  Heb 12:6 says, “FOR THOSE WHOM THE LORD LOVES HE DISCIPLINES, AND HE SCOURGES EVERY SON WHOM HE RECEIVES.”  That discipline may result in the prodigal suffering as a result of their sin.  That may be the way God uses to turn them.  To get them to see the error of their ways.  And in like manner, God uses other believers to be the instrument by which the sinner is turned back.  A Christian brother or sister  is often  the agent of restoration that God choses to use.

That means that we need to speak the truth in love to the one who is backsliding. Eph 4:14-16 says, “As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming;  but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all [aspects] into Him who is the head, [even] Christ,  from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.”   Speaking the truth in love to the one who has been deceived, who has be tricked into believing the devil’s lies, who has drifted away from the truth, is the means that God uses to accomplish reconciliation and restoration.

Listen, we don’t turn back the prodigal by ignoring their sin.  Or by accommodating their false doctrine. Or by trying not to offend them or say something awkward.  No, we have to point out their error, point out their sin, and tell them that the way they are going leads to destruction.  That’s the ministry of the pursuer. To say this is the wrong way, come and go this way.

James is not talking about a Christian losing their salvation and needs to be saved all over again as if someone who is born again can become unborn. But he is talking about the very real possibility of a Christian brother wandering away in disobedience that must be warned of wasting their lives. And that’s the loving thing to do.  Actually, it’s unloving to allow your Christian friend to get off the track without a warning,  without any rebuke,  without you telling them you’re praying for them to return.

The church’s  problem is not just that we have delinquent prodigals. The church’s problem is we have delinquent Christians. According to the scriptures, this is the ministry of the believers in the church. It isn’t just the job for the minister. It’s a ministry that you have been given, to love one another.  And you need to understand that the stakes are high. So let’s look at the prize involved as the pursuer chases down the prodigal. 

The prize is mentioned in vs 20, Let him know that “he who turns a sinner from the error of his way”, will accomplish two things: First, he will save the prodigal’s soul from death.  The pursuer will save the prodigal’s soul from death. James could mean that literally—the sinning, unrepentant believer is brought to an early death.  Remember, James has been speaking in the context of suffering.  And sometimes the wanderer experiences the consequences of suffering because of his sin.  I can’t help but think of someone who I have reached out to repeatedly and tried to help for almost 10 years now.  This person I believe is a Christian.  But they are a Christian that has wandered away from the truth and he cannot seem to turn around.  He is unable to stay away from alcohol. And I am almost constantly expecting to one day find out this man has died in some way or another as a result of his drinking. I pray not, but I fully expect it to happen one day.

Such a man like that may be who James is referring to when he says he will save his soul from death.  I think it’s possible that such a person, if they are really saved, will be disciplined by the Lord in a progressive way to the point that it could even lead to their physical death.  Paul spoke of that in relation to a person living in sin in 1Cor. 5:5 saying, “ [I have decided] to deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of his flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.”  Did you get that?  God will allow Satan to destroy this person in the flesh, that his spirit will be saved.  He is a Christian, that is living in sin, unrepentant, unwilling to listen, and as such God will allow him to be killed by Satan so that he would not continue to put a stumbling block in front of the church.  But he will be saved in the day of judgment.

Paul also spoke in that regard concerning those who came to the Lord’s table, that is the Communion Table, unworthily.  They had unrepentant sin in their lives.  And Paul said that for that reason, some of them had become sick and even fallen asleep.  Paul wasn’t referring to the common practice of Christians to fall asleep in church.  But that refers to dying as a Christian.  To die as a Christian is referred to as falling asleep.

So there is no question that God might bring about the death of an unrepentant believer.  I am thankful though that it says in 2Peter 3:9 “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.”  I am thankful that Psalm 130:3 “If You, LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?”  I am thankful that James said in chapter 2:13 that mercy triumphs over judgment. Because otherwise, I would be dead long ago.  But we should not presume upon the mercy of God.  We should not presume that because God didn’t strike us dead yesterday when we sinned, that if we continue to sin today that God will not strike us dead.  God is patient, but when His patience runs out, or when our sinfulness becomes a stumbling block to others and drags them into sin, then we should not expect anything less than a sudden harsh judgment.

John could also be using the word for death as a metaphor for a deathlike existence.

In other words, even though the believer is saved, he lives in guilt and futility and purposelessness and bitterness.  But when they are turned back by another brother or sister, their spirit is renewed, their life finds spiritual vitality, and they are rescued from the way of death. 

Not only is there a rescue back from spiritual calamity, but secondly, there is a reconciliation back to spiritual communion.  Notice again, He who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.  The pursuer doesn’t help the prodigal sweep his sins under the rug and act like nothing has happened.  It’s not hiding sin, it’s confessing it as sin.  It’s repenting of your sin.  And that results in being forgiven of your sins.  

And when you confess your sins, and repent of your sins, and are forgiven of your sins, then your fellowship with the Lord is restored.  Living in sin as a Christian doesn’t take away your salvation, but it takes away the joy of your salvation.  It takes away your felllowship with the Lord and with other believers.  Unrepentant sin quenches the power of the Holy Spirit in your life.  But being cleansed  of sin, produces power over sin through the Holy Spirit living in you.  So that you might be free from sin.   So that as Jesus said, “the truth shall make you free.”

The prize then is reconciliation with God, restoration of fellowship with God and with other believers, and the power to live in the Spirit and not give in to the flesh.

Perhaps someone here today is a prodigal son or daughter. You’ve drifted for days, weeks, months, maybe even years and maybe you’re wondering if it’s too late to return home. Maybe you think you’ve drifted too far away. The sins have now mounted up and the way back seems no longer possible.  I have good news for you, that for those who repent of their  sins, God will gladly forgive them. In the story of the prodigal son, while he was still a long ways off, the father saw his son returning, and ran to him, rejoicing.  God will forgive, God will restore you.

I urge you to turn around . . . turn around like the prodigal son and come home and be restored to your Heavenly Father.  1 John 1:9 says, “If you will confess your sins, He will be faithful and just to forgive your sins and cleanse you from all unrighteousness.

And for those who are walking in the truth, I hope you will remember that you have a ministry, a rescue ministry to those who have wandered from the fold, who are out there suffering, hurting, as a result of their sin.  I hope that you will speak the truth in love, and confront them and show them that they are on a path to destruction and lead them back to fellowship with the Lord.  You have a ministry.  I pray that you fulfill it.  

The Power of Prayer, James 5:13-18

As I have said many times, especially in this study of the book of James,  we need to consider the context of a particular passage or verse  in order to properly interpret scripture.  And this is especially important in the passage we are looking at today.  This particular passage has been used as a proof text for a whole host of erroneous ideas.  

For instance, the Catholic Church has used this text as a basis for it’s doctrine of extreme unction, or final rites for the dying.  It’s been used as justification for what’s called “faith healer” practitioners. And it’s been used to support the practice of anointing with oil.  But most frequently it is used as a text to support the idea that you can be healed of any sickness if you follow this formula.

My intention this morning is not to debate whether or not God heals people today. I am convinced that God can and does heal on some occasions, according to His will. However,  I don’t believe that God ordains faith healers to go about performing healing campaigns.  But I don’t think the context of this passage supports the idea that this is talking about physical healing, or faith healing per se.  I think the context of this passage supports the essential need for prayer and the power of prayer in the Christian life.

So I believe this entire passage from vs 13  to 18 isn’t a text on healing, but on prayer. It is not a passage about healing physical disease. It is a passage about healing spiritual weakness, spiritual weariness, spiritual exhaustion, spiritual depression which calls for battling by spiritual means, which is through prayer. 

Now there are five elements of prayer that I believe are exhibited in this passage.  One, the comfort of prayer, two, the prayer of praise, third, the prayer of restoration, four, prayer of fellowship, and the power of prayer. Now I believe all these elements of prayer are revealed in this passage. 

Let’s start with the comfort of prayer.  Remember that James is writing to the church in this particular time and place, which is made up mostly of displaced Jews, who were suffering persecution, hunger, having lost homes and businesses, and perhaps even loved ones due to persecution.  These 1st century Christians were battle worn, bruised and battered. James began this letter on that note, saying that they were to rejoice when they encountered various trials, knowing that the testing of their faith produced patience, and let patience have it’s perfect work.  That meant that God used the testing, the trials to produce endurance in their faith as they underwent severe trials in the flesh.

James goes on to speak of the fact they were dragged into court, lied about, slandered. He says that they were poor in the flesh, but rich in faith. That they were to experience suffering in a similar manner as Job.  So we should ask ourselves, is it logical to think that James suddenly changes gears in the last passage and starts talking about how you can live your best life now?  How God just wants you to be healthy, wealthy and wise, and you can be healed from any sickness?  Is that what he has been saying?  No, of course not.  The context of the letter is that they were suffering and they needed to endure it with patience. 

So James says in vs 13, “Is anyone among you suffering?” Well, the answer to that would be “yes, practically all of us.”  And let me add to that.  Suffering is universal. Jesus said “in this world you WILL have tribulation.” No one escapes it.  Sooner or later suffering comes to everyone. Christians are not exempt. In fact, it’s part of the Christian experience we should expect.  Notice James says among you.  He’s speaking of the church.  Some may not seem to be suffering very much in comparison to you.  But sooner or later they will experience suffering, though there are as many ways and means of suffering as there are people who suffer.  Just because you suffer divorce doesn’t mean everyone will suffer divorce.  But someone else might suffer bankruptcy, or cancer or loss of a loved one.

So what is the remedy for suffering?  James says, “Then he must pray.”  Peter said it this way in 1 Peter 5:7, “cast all your cares upon Him, for He cares for you.”  Paul said in Philippians “be anxious for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God, and the peace of God, which passes all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” 

There used to be a hymn we sang in the church I grew up in, in which was the line, “take your burdens to the Lord and leave them there.”  There is comfort in prayer.  There is a resource in trouble, in persecution, when evil falls on you.  Take it to the Lord.  Pray, talk to the Lord who is your Heavenly Father, who has promised to keep you, to sustain you, to deliver you, to uphold you, to hear you when you call.  

When you are suffering, don’t try to take measures into your own hands.  Don’t try to get your own revenge.  Take it to the Lord in prayer and leave it there.  Cast all your anxiety on Him for He cares for you.  There is comfort in prayer, in knowing that He hears me, and He loves me and He will do what is best for me.

The second point is the prayer of praise. James says, “Is anyone cheerful? He is to sing praises.”  That sounds easy enough.  When you’re happy, sing.  But I think it’s more than that. The word cheerful means well in spirit.  I was talking with Rusty and Pam at the Bonfire Bible study last week and we were discussing whether or not I was ever happy.  I am sometimes happy, though you may not think so judging by the way I might look.  I like to blame my dour expression on my genetics rather than my disposition. I was born with this difficulty in smiling.

But as I said to Pam and Rusty the other night, I am not as concerned about the ups and downs of being happy one minute and down the next minute as I am concerned about doing what is right regardless of how I feel at the moment.  But maybe more to the point, James is making the case that most people have ups and downs.  You may be suffering one week, and the next week you’re on top of the world.  But in either condition, we need to focus on the Lord. 

In trouble, we don’t really have too much difficulty in coming to the Lord.  But in times of prosperity, in times of plenty, when things are going good, when I’m happy, then I tend to forget about the Lord.  Job made this insightful comment in Job 2:10, “Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips.”  So when times are bad we pray, and when times are good we praise.  

The point is, that whatever circumstances we find ourselves in, we praise God. And he uses the Greek word psalletō, from which the word “psalms” comes.  I am constantly encouraging people to pray the psalms.  You will find as a general rule, there is much complaint in the Psalms, there is much of an attitude of prayer, and yet in almost every psalm, it concludes with a tribute to the mercy of God, the faithfulness of God, and praise to God.  That’s a good template for our prayer.  

And praising God when things are going good is a good way to prevent idolatry in our hearts, where we kind of attribute the good results in our lives to our own merit, or how smart we are, or how hard we worked, and consequently, how much we deserve, or have earned our happiness.  No, we should praise God when things are good. He is the source of good. James said in chapter 1:7  “Every good and perfect gift comes from above.” Don’t sin through pride of your own accomplishments, but praise God from who all blessings flow.

Then in the third point, James moves from those that are suffering or cheerful, to those who are despairing.  This is the person that has suffered a long time, and they’ve lost their ability to hang on.  They may be suffering from spiritual depression at this point. They have no more strength.  I remember 25 years ago when I had what was like a physical and mental breakdown, I had always heard when you reach the end of your rope, tie a knot in it and hang on.  And I remember one night it got really bad.  And I knew I couldn’t hang on to that rope any longer. But I was afraid if I let go I might go insane.  And I remember feeling like my hands slipped off the knot and I started doing backflips into darkness.  Maybe I passed out, I don’t know.  But I woke up the next morning, and realized that somewhere in that darkness, God had kept his hold on me. 

James speaks to those people who feel they can’t hang on any longer. He’s talking to the exhausted, weary, depressed, defeated Christian. Vs 14 “Is anyone among you sick? [Then] he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him." 

The Greek word that James uses there translated “sick” is astheneo. There are several possible terms in the New Testament that can refer to sickness or disease. The term here is astheneō which may refer to sickness; it may, and it is sometimes used that way in the New Testament. But all Greek lexicons agree that its primary meaning is to be weak, to be feeble, to be impotent. For instance, Paul uses it that way in 2Cor. 12:10 “Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.” And I think it should be interpreted that way in this verse, as weak.

So if you read, “is any among you weak?” That gives a completely different sense. You’re discouraged, you’re weary, you’ve been persecuted, beat up, trying to hold on and about to slip off the knot at the end of your rope. You’re weak. And sometimes at that point, it’s hard to pray.  Dr. Martyn Lloyd Jones, a very well known 20th century pastor who was also a physician, wrote a book on spiritual depression.  I have that book if any of you are interested in it.  But the point is that spiritual depression is not uncommon, it’s not un Christian.  In fact I think Christians can be prone to spiritual depression at times more often than we like to realize. 

The point is that when you’ve hit bottom spiritually, you may not be able to pray effectively.  Maybe you don’t even want to pray. So, what do you do? You need to find somebody else that can pray for you.  If you’re spiritually weak, James says you should go to someone who’s spiritually strong, which is the elders of the church. Because they’re the spiritual strength that you need. The spiritually strong need to help the weak, encourage the fainthearted (1Thess,5:14). 

And in their spiritual strength they will pray for you. Notice the end of vs 16 the result of their prayer. “The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.” It’s important that the elders of the church can be called a righteous man. Their prayer can help you when you are at the end of your rope. The elders can be called alongside to help you when you’re at the bottom and can’t seem to find strength anymore.

A lot of pastor’s today seem to think that their job is to counsel people.  They take a few counseling classes and basically profess to have psychiatric abilities to help people work through their problems.  I’ve had pastor’s practically brag to me about how much time they spend counseling people.  I am not suggesting that we don’t offer sound biblical counsel, but I think it’s a mistake to try to mix man’s wisdom and God’s wisdom.  The apostles said that they should devote themselves to the study of the word and to prayer.  I think pastoral prayer is an undervalued asset. It’s something that is promised to produce better results that psycho babble by a pastor who is trying to be a therapist. 

It’s a ministry of prayer that God has called pastors to.  They are to give themselves continually to prayer and the ministry of the Word. That means to come alongside the wounded warriors, the brokenhearted people who are at the end of their rope, and they don’t even have the strength to call upon God. That’s the pastoral ministry, to come alongside that weary Christian who is defeated, without strength, and on behalf of that individual, lift up prayers to God from a righteous heart.

But the question arises from the verse, what about anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord? What does that mean?  The word for anointing is literally to rub with oil.  Oil in that day was very often used as medicine.  The word in this verse is aleipho.  It’s not the word used for ceremonial anointing. That would be the word chrio. This word aleipho is the same word used in Luke 10:34 in the story of the Good Samaritan, who used wine and oil on the injured man.  The wine was used for the alcohol in cleansing his wounds, whereas the oil was sued to soothe the wounds. 

So what James is indicating here is that the primary emphasis of the pastor in this case, at that time, was the role of prayer for the person who is weak.  Prayer is the main emphasis.  But secondarliy, is to rub their wounds with oil.  Notice though he says that the prayer offered in faith will heal the one who is sick.  Not the oil will make them well.  Though there may be medicinal qualities to oil.  The weakness is primarily spiritual, and so the remedy is primarily spiritual. But at the same time, we should not neglect their physical needs either.  And in the case of oil, it was considered to have certain restorative powers.  People’s heads were anointed with oil as a balm, as a comfort, as a means of refreshing, and as a physical comfort.

Remember James said in chapter 2:15-16 “If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food,  and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and be filled," and yet you do not give them what is necessary for [their] body, what use is that?”  So the primary need is spiritual, but don’t neglect the physical needs of the body as well.  Oil is to refresh the body, prayer is to restore the soul.

But it’s important to note that Jesus never used oil in healing. He performed more miracles than anyone, and yet He never anointed or rubbed oil on someone as a means of healing. In the book of Acts, the apostles healed many people, but again we don’t find they used oil for that purpose. So the emphasis is  on prayer, not on oil.

I’m reminded in this of the 23rd Psalm. David said of the Great Shepherd, “He anoints my head with oil.”  That’s a reference to when the shepherd brought all the sheep into the  fold, after the had come in from grazing all day, he put his staff down in front of the gate, and only one sheep went through at a time. And as each sheep went through, he checked over the whole body. Wherever there was a wound, he poured oil and soothed it. Wherever the skin was parched, he rubbed it in and then he would let the sheep go in. That’s the shepherd’s ministry. That’s the of caring. It’s a ministry of restoration.

And notice James says you anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. That means, on behalf of Christ.  To say, “in the name of the Lord” means consistent with Christ. So we are to act on behalf of Christ to His people. That’s what it means to do something in the name of the Lord. To be His hands and feet.

And then notice it says, “and the prayer offered in faith will save the one who is sick.” Now that’s the common translation. It’s first of all the prayer of the righteous man, the prayer of the elders, offered in faith.  But the word translated sick needs to be considered more closely. That is not the common word for sick.  James uses the word kamnō, whose primary meaning is to be weary. 

It is only used one other time in the New Testament, in  Hebrews 12:3 - and it is translated there properly as “weary.” It says, “Consider [Christ] who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you may not grow weary and lose heart.” That’s exactly what it means here. He’s talking about the people who in the midst of persecution are fixing their eyes on their trouble rather than on their Savior and are not able to endure and have grown weary and lost heart.  That’s the only other place that word is used, and it’s used as weary, not sick. And it is not only the same word as in Hebrews 12:3, but it’s used in the very same context.

So, going back to our text in James 5, and you should read it this way: “The prayer offered in faith by those godly men will restore the one who is weary and has lost heart.”  Speaking of spiritual restoration, spiritual strength. Obviously it has to be a prayer offered in faith, according to the faith. In James 1:6, he said, “But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord.“

So the elders pray, believing,  using their faith vicariously for this believer’s weak faith, and that prayer restores the one who is weary. The word “restore” comes from the Greek word sozo. It means to save, to deliver, to rescue, to restore. It can also mean to preserve, to make whole.

Vs 15, “The prayer of faith will restore the weary, and the Lord will raise him up.” Notice he says, “And the Lord will raise him up.” That means to rebuild. That’s the word egeirō, to arouse, to awaken, to excite. He’s stumbled and fallen, spiritually. He’s lost all his strength to go on. But the Lord will restore and raise him up again. 

Then notice the last part of verse 15 – “if he’s committed sins, they’ll be forgiven him.”  This proves he’s not talking about disease, because the Bible teaches clearly that not all disease is the result of sin.  That’s why James says, If he’s committed sin.  There is not a direct result of sin in the case of spiritual weakness. But if there is a contributing sin that’s involved, your sins will be forgiven. And having your sin removed is a key part of spiritual restoration.

The fourth point is prayer of fellowship. James says in vs 16, therefore, linking what has been said in the previous verse to this verse. He’s just said if you’re spiritually weak go to the spiritually strong and God will restore you.  Now he says, “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.” So, if the prayers of a righteous man can help you in that weakness in your life, you ought to be confessing your sins to one another and praying for one another so that you may be whole.

This is addressed to the need for fellowship in the church. You need fellowship with other believers so that you’re praying for one another sharing one another’s burdens. Fellowship is being able to confess your weaknesses to one another, talk about your struggles, your difficulties, and then be encouraged by other believers who have undergone similar circumstances to persevere.  He says confess your sins to one another. It doesn’t mean share every sordid detail of a sin you are having trouble with, but it does mean to confess that you’re weak, that you are struggling.  Not putting on a front that everything in your life is great. There is a saying, confession is good for the soul.  I think that saying finds it’s root here in this verse. Confession is a means of cleansing, of restoration.  And most importantly, of restoring our relationship to the Lord.  David prayed in Psalm 51, renew a right spirit within me. Restore unto me the joy of my salvation.  And he said, “if I regard iniquity in my heart the Lord will not hear me.” So confession is essential to fellowship and being restored.

Then James closes with an illustration about the power of prayer.  He gives an illustration of Elijah, from a time when he was persecuted, when he was so overwhelmed in his struggle that he wanted God to take his life.  James says of that time, in vs17 “Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months.  Then he prayed again, and the sky poured rain and the earth produced its fruit.”

Elijah was a man with a nature like ours. He was just like we are. He was just a man.  He was human. He suffered and bled just like we do.  There was a time when he was hungry. There was a time when he was afraid. There was a time when he was ready to give up and die. He was just a man. But, he prayed earnestly.  As intense as the difficulties were, so was the intensity of his prayer life. His prayers were so powerful it didn’t rain for three-and-a-half years. He prayed again; the sky poured rain, and the earth produced its fruit. The only thing we know about this prayer is what James tells us. The only thing we know about the duration of the drought – three-and-a-half years – is what James tells us.

Now that’s an interesting choice of illustrations for James to give us.  And  if he had been talking about physical healing, then it’s really a strange illustration to use. If he wanted to illustrate physical healing, he could have drawn from a lot of Biblical illustrations of physical healing.  But if he wanted to illustrate how God sends down refreshing rain on dry, parched land, this is a perfect illustration. If he wanted to illustrate how God can restore and answer prayer of a discouraged prophet who wanted God to take him because he had become so discouraged, then it’s a very appropriate illustration.  Because what he’s been talking about is the weary, weak, exhausted, depressed soul of the wounded warrior who needs an outpouring of the refreshing rain of the blessing of God. It’s a perfect illustration of the power of prayer. 

As God sent the rain in response to the prayers of a righteous man, so in response to the righteous prayers of men today does He send the restoration to the parched, dry, weary, weak, struggling believer who needs so desperately a refreshing anointment from heaven.  We have an amazing resource in prayer, complete access to our God who wants to restore and to deliver us, who wants to save us from sin, who wants us to be effective in our ministry.  I hope we will not neglect this great privilege that we have in prayer. Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be restored. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.