Fornicating on the Battlefield

by Tony Anderson

When I ask men about their sexual behavior, most guys are surprisingly honest when anonymity is a factor. We’ve spoken about porn, oral sex, prostitution, lust, marriage, thoughts, immorality, intimacy, desires, homosexuality, masturbation, sexual abuse, incest, greed, and idolatry. I’ve eaten meals with pastors, executives, bankers, doctors, religious people, church planters, frat guys, students, entrepreneurs, traffickers, and average guys that work 40 hours a week and stay relatively pure.

The Majority of Us Are Sexually Broken

Most of us had absent fathers. 1 in 5 of us were sexually abused. Every one of us has learned the art of concealing sin. Around 80% of men in the church are currently using pornography. Some of us don’t need a girlfriend because we’re in full-fledged relationship with our hand or laptop. And some of us know the feeling of cold emptiness after leaving a strip club or a brothel. Some of you men know what it's like to go to sleep next to an empty shell of a woman that used to be your wife because your infatuation with photoshopped women has extinguished the intimacy. You’re no longer lovers, you’re roommates with children. Some of you are fathers that see your sexual sin manifested in your children, but you’re too fearful to expose it in your own life regardless of the damage its doing to your marriage and family. “What if coming out with this stuff makes things worse?” is the only question you’ve thought of.
I know where you’re at. I know what you’re thinking. And I know the lies you’re deceived by. I’ve been where some of you are.

You Love Porn...And Jesus? 

A good friend of mine has battled sexual addiction all of his life. He’s a graduate of Bible college and is part of a healthy church. He’s got a lovingly invasive community and has had numerous Godly mentors pushing him towards Jesus for the last 7 years, but he still uses pornography every chance he gets—disabling the X3 watch on his phone and computer. If he’s alone for longer than 30 minutes with an internet connection, he begins searching for filth. He still habitually masturbates. He lies about his sin. He conceals his secrets. He manipulates Christian women into sinning with him, then he lies about that. He exemplifies the epitome of selfishness and a lack of self control.
But he also calls Jesus his Lord…Are you that guy? It’s sometimes an anomaly to me when men can be sexually enslaved while following Jesus, yet that’s what the overwhelming majority of them tend to be living. Can the two coexist? Are they diametrically opposed? Isn’t one the antithesis of the other?

Still Enslaved 

I’m not going to quote your favorite authors or offer free accountability software. I don’t have a PDF to read or an invitation to a men’s conference. You’ve probably already tried those things. You’ve read books and made countless commitments, which you’ve broken. You’ve tried accountability. You’ve gone through a “freedom season.” You’ve confessed your sin. You’ve been rebuked. You’ve disconnected the internet. You’ve been kicked out of the house. You’ve destroyed the computer. You’ve memorized the Word of God. You’ve pleaded with Jesus to remove the thorn in your flesh. You’ve shouted, screamed, and wept. You’ve tried everything and you’re still shackled.

A Different Kind of Image 

Just imagine for a moment that this is reality: You’re on a battlefield. It’s dark. Chaotic. Cold wind is whipping your face. The stench of death fills the air. Corpses of demons lie all around you and the field is soaked in blood. You can hear the sounds of armor and weapons colliding while sparks are flying. Screams pierce your ears.
You see chiseled, powerful beings radiating in white and they’re destroying shadows, gripping the throats of principalities and slitting them with iridescent blades. But you’re without armor. You wonder how you got to this place and why you came unprepared.

Since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles.

Men that you recognize are rushing the opposite direction—spears aligned, ready to throw. Swords sharpened, shields fixed, helmets lowered they’re ready for battle. They’re calling for you to join them. They’re rushing for the the front lines—they’re unafraid. They know they’ve been given victory.
But not you. You’ve got your pants down around your ankles. You’re roaming in circles looking for the seductress that’s calling you by name. You can’t wait to fornicate on the battlefield.
And all the while, the kingdom is coming. The lost are being found. The sick are being healed. Demonic assignments are being cancelled. The veil is being lifted off of false religion and the persecuted church is exponentially growing in the face of opposition. Jesus is authoritatively mediating a covenant—the Spirit is interceding for the children of God, breathing life into dry bones.
You? You want an orgasm.

A Reminder of Who You Are

• You are God’s child
  John 1:12
• You are a friend of Jesus
  John 15:15
• You have been justified
  Romans 5:1
• You’ve been united with the Lord and are one with him in Spirit
  1 Corinthians 6:17
• You’ve been bought with a price…you belong to God
  1 Corinthians 6:19-20
• You’re a member of Christ’s body
  1 Corinthians 12:27
• You’ve been chosen by God and adopted as his child
  Ephesians 1:3-8
• You’ve been redeemed and forgiven of all your sins
  Colossians 1:13-14
• You are complete in Christ
  Colossians 2:9-10
• You have direct access to the throne of grace through Jesus
  Hebrews 4:14-16
• You are free from condemnation
  Romans 8:1-2
• You cannot be separated from the love of God
  Romans 8:28
• You are free from any condemning charges against you
  Romans 8:31-34
• You’ve been established, anointed, and sealed
  2 Corinthians 1:21-22
• You were washed…you were sanctified. You were justified in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God
  1 Cor 6:11
• You are hidden with Christ in God
  Colossians 3:1-4
• God started this work in you, and he will bring it to completion
  Phil 1:6
• You are a citizen of heaven
  Philippians 3:20
• You haven’t been given a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind
  2 Timothy 1:7
• You are born of God, and the evil one cannot touch you
  1 John 5:18
• You are a branch of Jesus Christ, the true vine, and a channel of his life
  John 15:5
• You have been chosen and appointed to bear fruit
  John 15:16
• You are God’s temple
  1 Corinthians 3:16
• You are a minister of reconciliation
  2 Corinthians 5:17-21
• You are seated with Jesus Christ in the heavenly realm
  Ephesians 2:6
• You are God’s workmanship
  Ephesians 2:10
• You can approach God with freedom and confidence – not because of your obedience, but because of Jesus’ obedience
  Ephesians 3:12
• When you are faithless, he will remain faithful, because he cannot deny himself
  2 Timothy 2:13

Fix Your Eyes on Jesus 

Since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him, he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? (Hebrews 12:1-5).
You've been eating with the pigs long enough. Come home, son.

Click here to see the original post at the Resurgence website.

Top 10 Reasons To Watch "The Playboy Club" on NBC

1. Hugh Hefner defines class and sophistication.
2. It's about time we had a show that glamorizes the porn industry.
3. Finally something to compete with "family" television programming like "Jersey Shore".
4. Young girls will find new purpose as they aspire to be Playboy bunnies.
5. The Hefner empire needs more money.
6. It's not porn if it's on network television, right?
7. Young ladies will finally learn that looks are all that matters.
8. What else are you going to do, read a book?
9. It's great sermon research for my next series "The Play-Christian Club".
10. It's a show that feeds the idols of sex, celebrity, and money all at once.

Obviously this is a sarcastic response to the upcoming network television show "The Playboy Club". Porn is destroying lives, the lives of those who make it and the lives of those who consume it. The pornification of America is a cancer that is sweeping though secular society as well as the church of Jesus Christ. If you struggle with porn you are not alone, please take a moment to read Mark Driscoll's free resource "Porn Again Christian". This is a frank commentary and recommended reading for adult men and women.

Did Michelangelo really carve the Statue of David?

A guest blog by Stacey Leighty

Someone recently told me: “I’m too logical to believe there is a God.”  This statement has been weighing on me ever since.  Mostly because I consider myself to be an extremely logical person (what with being a math major and everything) and I believe in God.  All of my ponderings have led me to the conclusion that I’m too logical to believe there is no God.  Follow my thought process, if you will.

For some reason, I started thinking about the (new) seven wonders of the world – here are just a few of them:

1. The Great Wall of China – built between 5 BC and 16 AD, it’s the world’s longest manmade structure.  But, how do we know it’s manmade?  Were any of us there when it was built?  How do we know that rocks didn’t just fall into place over thousands or millions of years to create this wall?  Sure, there were eyewitnesses to the building process, but I’ve never met them either.  How do I know they’re trustworthy?
   
2. Christ the Redeemer Statue – a 130 ft. tall concrete and soapstone statue towering over Rio de Janeiro.  It was designed by Heitor da Silva.  I didn’t know who designed it before I looked it up, but I knew there was an artist/designer.  It will be illogical to think otherwise.
   
3. The Taj Mahal – built between 1632 and 1648, it’s a mausoleum commissioned for an Indian emperor’s wife.  It actually incorporates quite a few different architectural styles in its design.  But, again, how do we even know that there was an architect?
   
4. Petra – an ancient city in Jordan literally carved out of the rock.  Who carved it?  Would it be logical to assume that years of wind and water somehow carved out beautiful, inhabitable buildings in the stone?

So, here’s the conclusion I came to: I believe that all of these “wonders” had a builder or artist or architect for one reason – they exist.  Their mere existence points to the fact that they were indeed built or designed by someone.  I see a building and I know there was a builder.  I see a piece of art and I know there was an artist.  Yet, we see all of creation around us and some would say that there is no Creator?  How can this be?  The human eye is more complex than any of these wonders, and yet it’s logical to believe that it came into existence by mere happenstance?  That, in my opinion, is illogical.  I think it takes far more faith to believe that everything we see around us came into being with no Creator orchestrating it all.

Don't Think Now, Take The Road

“He (Jesus) said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” (Matthew 14:29–30, ESV)

The wind was actually boisterous, the waves were actually high, but Peter did not see them at first. He did not reckon with them, he simply recognized his Lord, and stepped out in recognition of Him and walked on the water. Then he began to reckon with the actual things, and down he went instantly. Why could not our Lord have enabled him to walk at the bottom of the waves as well as on the top of them? Neither could be done saving by recognition of the Lord Jesus.

We step right out on God over some things, then self-consideration enters in and down we go. If you are recognizing your Lord, you have no business with where He engineers your circumstances. The actual things are, but immediately you look at them you are overwhelmed, you cannot recognize Jesus, and the rebuke comes: “Wherefore didst thou doubt?” Let actual circumstances be what they may, keep recognizing Jesus, maintain complete reliance on Him.

If you debate for a second when God has spoken, it is all up. Never begin to say—‘Well, I wonder if He did speak?’ Be reckless immediately, fling it all out on Him. You do not know when His voice will come, but whenever the realization of God comes in the faintest way imaginable, recklessly abandon. It is only by abandon that you recognize Him. You will only realize His voice more clearly by recklessness.

Chambers, O. (1993). My utmost for his highest : Selections for the year (NIV edition.). Westwood, NJ: Barbour and Co.

The Discipline of Prayer

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. ” 1 Thessalonians 5:16–18, ESV

Prayer has always been an integral part of my life. Talking with God about my life, interceding for others, and praising Him has come natural to me since the day I came to Jesus. I have been serving the Lord for over 15 years now and I can truthfully say I have spent time in prayer almost every day.

It was through a prayer of surrender that I came to know Jesus as Lord of my life. Once Jesus was part of my life so was talking to Him every day. I have missed on occasion, but those days are usually my toughest, loneliest, and most unproductive because I have not spent time with Jesus, my best friend.

In ministry it is easy to get so bogged down in what needs to be done that we can neglect the one that all our efforts are supposed to be for. it's like the father who works 80 hours a week so his kids can have the best of everything but all his kids really want is to be with Him.

God loves the wonderful things His people do in His name to further the Kingdom but business of any kind is never an excuse for not spending time with God. We must remember that we are workers in the Lord's field. Let us also remember to pray to the Lord of the harvest.

There are many lessons on prayer and I am sure that another is not needed here. Prayer is not something learned, prayer is something practiced. I have five main things that have kept my prayer life consistent for 15 years.

1. Schedule time for prayer
2. Pray in the morning
3. Be genuine
4. Find a consistent place to be alone with God
5. If you miss a day, don't beat yourself up

This might seem over simplistic or leaving you wanting more instruction but prayer is wonderful in that it is something unique that you and God share. Your prayer time will not be like my prayer time and your prayers will not sound like mine or anyone else.

A word to my friends in ministry. Pray before you get to work or at least pray before your expected office hours begin. I have found that as I sacrifice my time to the Lord in prayer He honors that time with more of His presence. Everyone else in your church must make time to pray. How can you lead them in this discipline if you refuse to practice it yourself?

Prayer is foundational for everyone. The habit of prayer is not always easy but it is always beneficial. Commit to make prayer a priority. You'll be glad you did.

Back to the Future

I recently completed my sixth class in my Assemblies of God ordination studies. The class was on the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Old Testament written by Moses. The study was encouraging, enlightening, and full of hope.

The Old Testament points to God's plan of redemption for fallen humanity as far back as Genesis 3:15, where God says to Satan,  "I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” In God's Son, Jesus, victory over sin and subsequent death has been granted once and for all. Jesus crushed Satan when he rose from the dead and His victory has been imparted to those who by Faith receive Him as their personal Lord and Savior.

Throughout the Pentateuch we are reminded of who we are in God's plan, His standard of holiness, and how desperately we need a Savior. God's law as expressed through the ten commandments and Leviticus 19 can never be satisfied in our efforts or desire to please Him. The law exists to point us to our profound need of a savior.

The wonderful instruction, commands, promises, and blessings found in the first five books of the Old Testament set the foundation for our faith in Christ. The first step in coming to saving faith in Jesus in acknowledging our sin. We know what sin is because it is outlined in the Pentateuch. Without acknowledging sin we cannot acknowledge our need for a savior. Paul said in Romans 7:9, “I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin came alive and I died. ” It is in our realization of how sinful we really are that drives the consuming need to look to our Savior.

When I came to Christ over 15 years ago and picked a Bible for the first time I didn't start reading in Genesis, I started in John. As I matured in my faith I began to study the Old Testament and my eyes were opened to see Christ everywhere in the Bible, not just the New Testament. I want to encourage you, if you have never studied the Old Testament, particularly the Pentateuch, to commit to doing so. I believe that this trip back to the future will open your eyes to the love and provision of God and His wonderful plan for your life.

The Plan

 April ended with a wonderful South Texas District Council. We had wonderful speakers for every service and the Spirit of the Lord moved in the hearts of those in attendance. Stacey and I are truly blessed to be part of a wonderful fellowship.

Thursday morning during the prayer service the Spirit of God spoke a powerful and timely word into my heart. The Spirit said to me, "I have given you the vision, and I will lead you in my plan to see the vision fulfilled.”  I just began to weep before God as He also reminded me of Jeremiah 19:11, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

As many of you know I am a detail guy, someone who likes to have a plan and follow it. By God’s grace he has given me many great visions for His will in my life and I have been privileged to see some of them come to fulfillment. As I reflect on those victories I see that it was never my plans that led to eventual success. It is only when I surrendered to God’s plan that success was realized.

As Stacey and I began this new missionary endeavor God gave us a vision of a church in Stuttgart full of military families growing in grace, sharing their faith, and daily worshiping God. So I formed a plan to get us there, my plan, not His. That Thursday morning in prayer at council God showed me my foolishness, and I was broken.

The new plan is this, trust the Lord and His plan as He chooses to reveal it to me in prayer and His Word. My daily goal is to walk in obedience to the leading of the Holy Spirit. This time the vision is too big for my plan and the stakes too high to fail. God has called us and given us a great vision and He knows the plans He has for us. Our only job is to follow the plan.

Tips for Staying Fit on the Road

About 3 years ago I weighed 280 pounds. The bottom came while trying on size 50 pants and they were not fitting. I decided in the dressing room to lose weight by exercising and eating right. I lost 80 pounds in about eight months, getting as low as 199 pounds.

I put about 30 pounds back after a year following several missions trips to Germany and Romania. I have been between 215 and 230 ever since then. My goal weight is between 190 and 200 and I have yet to keep it there for any length of time. But recently I have rededicated myself to the effort and am well on my way to reaching this goal.

Of course being on the road 80% of the time makes staying fit and eating right a real challenge. I am currently making some progress in reaching my weight goal and thought the tips I have learned over the years night help others. If you are interested in maintaining your current weight or losing a few pounds I hope the following tips help.

1. Pray - Food can be an idol, it is for me, and I need the power of the Holy Spirit to empower me to gain the victory over my idols. Pray daily for the Holy Spirit to guide your food choices.
   
2. Eat In - This can be tough for an itinerating missionary, but make a deal with yourself that you will not eat out unless it is a special occasion, or in the course of building a ministry relationship.
3. Good Choices - When you do go out remember that you eat to live not live to eat. It's easy to lose control at a restaurant so try and look at the menu online and research the calorie and fat content before arriving. That way you will know what to order before the smells and pictures hit you.
4. Brand Loyalty - Seek out restaurant chains that have several healthy options but keep in mind not everything on the menu is healthy. Some examples include: Subway, Genghis Grill, Chipotle Grill, TGI Fridays, Soup or Salad, Jason's Deli, Panera Bread, Applebee's, Orange Leaf Yogurt.
5. No Red Meats - This is a must if you are trying to lose weight, there are some benefits to eating red meat but the negatives outweigh the positives here. Instead eat chicken, turkey (best choice), fish, and once in a while lean pork.
6. Drink Water - Your body is mostly water and many times when you feel hungry you are just thirsty. Before snaking (healthy of course) drink a tall glass of water and two tall glasses at every meal. Cut out sodas (including diet) all together.
7. Portion Control - Most restaurants serve way too much food with your order. My number one way to not eat it all is to ask for a take out container right away and split my meal (if I am not sharing with my wife, also good) and take it home or to the hotel for lunch the following day. Never eat until stuffed only until you are no longer hungry.
   
8. Join a Gym - Joining a good gym with plenty of weight machines, aerobic options, and locations close to your home is an important step in getting fit.
9. Schedule Workouts - When can you dedicate 60- 90 minutes a day three times a week to working out? Look at your calendar and see what days you are most likely available. If you are a morning person go in the morning, if not, then in the evening. Be sure to give yourself at least one day in between workouts to recover.
   
10. Strength Train- Aerobic activity helps you burn calories while active, but strength training keeps you body burning calories 2 to 3 hours after working out. More is not better here, you are looking for 14-18 reps with moderate exertion levels. If you are unfamiliar with strength/resistance training getting a trainer for a few weeks is recommended.
11. Free Training - This is a term I use for training when you are traveling. I hate to run but it is the one thing I can do wherever I am. Get a good pair of running/walking shoes and pack workout clothes. Make every attempt to stay on schedule no matter where you are. Choose a hotel with a fitness center (most offer this amenity) when traveling. You can also visit a park and play basketball or Geocache as a family.
12. Stay Active - Leading an active lifestyle on days you are not working out will accelerate your fitness and weight loss levels. Play golf, walk, go to the park, and other activities will help you lose weight faster.
13. Shop Smart - Choose foods that will strengthen and build your body, not make you feel sluggish and tired. Avoid processed food if possible. If you cannot buy fresh all the time get frozen not canned veggies. Pay attention to portion sizes and nutritional information. Try to plan out balanced healthy meals for your family.
14. Pack Your Snacks - One thing that really works is buying road snacks at the market before your trips. Convenience stores don't often have a wide selection of healthy snacks so buy ahead and back a grocery bar with nutrition bars, nuts, fruit, and water.
15. Be Persistent - If you slip, get up, analyze why you slipped, and develop a plan not to slip again. This is a marathon not a sprint so once in a while you are going to stumble. Being healthy and fit is not a fad, it's a life choice.

I hope this serves as a blessing. I am not a fitness guru or a expert, I am just a guy who struggles in this part of his journey with the Lord and has learned some things along the way. I am convinced that bringing discipline to this area of my life brings glory to God and refusing to do so brings dishonor. 


Philippians 3:19, Matthew 6:25, Romans 8:12-14

Three Keys in Missions Giving

At a national conference, a pastor of a large and growing church asked a colleague for some counsel: “We are starting another building program, but we have many financial problems. We are constantly in debt and under pressure for more money. What is our problem?”

After asking a few probing questions, the colleague correctly diagnosed the twofold difficulty: First, the pastor was not teaching his people to tithe and give offerings and alms as directed in Scripture. Second, he did not regularly promote missions in his congregation with such things as missions conventions, faith promise giving, and adding new missionaries and projects to the church’s support list. In other words, the troubled pastor had overlooked three key principles related to missions giving:

1. Missions and world ministries outreach is not an optional program. Every local church, regardless of its size or income, is part of the active body of Christ and must share in the task of the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19–20; Mark 16:15–18).
   
2. Part of a church’s spiritual program is to develop a missionary vision and program. A well-planned missions convention can become one of the spiritual highlights of the year.
   
3. When churches begin to give to missions or increase their missions giving, the general income of the church usually increases as well.

One particular congregation was giving only $255 annually to missions. Within six years, however, it had increased its annual missions giving to $43,000. At the same time, the annual amount the members gave for local operating expenses and ministries increased to $46,000. Moreover, this church had been burdened with a debt of more than $80,000. Yet during the time of missions growth, the church paid off its debt in full and purchased a parsonage for its pastor.

Kilpatrick, J. (2006). Church Administration, Finance, and Law (48–49). Springfield, MO: Global University.

Is He Risen In You?

“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.” (Colossians 3:1, ESV)

 Do you remember the day you gave your heart and life to Jesus? The day that you cried out to Him in complete surrender and asked Him to fulfill His promises in you? That is the day of your death, the day you died to yourself. Or did you?

So many people in churches today come forward and make a decision to be a Christian, come to church, volunteer, make friends, sing cool songs, do the right thing, etc. There are very few who come forward to die. There is no acknowledgment of guilt, no repentance, and no death.

“This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.” (Matthew 15:8–9, ESV)

The blame for most of the false or weak conversions in our churches rest primarily on the pastors and spiritual leaders in our churches. In an effort to see our altars full we have watered down the message of the cross. The message of the cross calls us not to just raise our hand in our seat, or say a prayer, but calls a man to come and die.

After three days Jesus rose from the dead and He is now at the right hand of the Father making intercession for the saints. Has Jesus risen in you? Is He the author and director of your life? Does Jesus and your relationship with Him take priority over every other thing? In order for Christ to rise to this place of prominence in your life you must share in His death.

Examine your heart and ask Christ to put to death every thing that is not of God in your life so that the life of Christ may rise up in you.

“For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” (Romans 8:13, ESV)
 

Do You Now Believe?

“Behold, the hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me. I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”  (John 16:32–33, ESV)

‘Now we believe.’ Jesus says—‘Do you? The time is coming when you will leave Me alone.’ Many a Christian worker has left Jesus Christ alone and gone into work from a sense of duty, or from a sense of need arising out of his own particular discernment. The reason for this is the absence of the resurrection life of Jesus. The soul has got out of intimate contact with God by leaning to its own religious understanding. There is no sin in it, and no punishment attached to it; but when the soul realizes how he has hindered his understanding of Jesus Christ, and produced for himself perplexities and sorrows and difficulties, it is with shame and contrition he has to come back.

We need to rely on the resurrection life of Jesus much deeper down, to get into the habit of steadily referring everything back to Him; instead of this we make our commonsense decisions and ask God to bless them. He cannot, it is not in His domain, it is severed from reality. If we do a thing from a sense of duty, we are putting up a standard in competition with Jesus Christ. We become a ‘superior person,’ and say—‘Now in this matter I must do this and that.’ We have put our sense of duty on the throne instead of the resurrection life of Jesus. We are not told to walk in the light of conscience or of a sense of duty, but to walk in the light as God is in the light. When we do anything from a sense of duty, we can back it up by argument; when we do anything in obedience to the Lord, there is no argument possible; that is why a saint can be easily ridiculed.

Chambers, O. (1993). My utmost for his highest : Selections for the year (NIV edition.). Westwood, NJ: Barbour and Co.

Heal the Sick

“Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. ” (James 5:13–14, ESV)

It is the responsibility of the sick to call the elders of the church. When a person is so ill that he or she cannot go to church, they want the people with the most faith in the church to come and pray. Normally, when the illness is not major, the rule is ‘pray for each other’. The elders will act just like the disciples in Mk. 6:13 who must have learned it from Jesus, and anoint the sick person with oil as they pray, so their prayer is not only heard, but physically felt. The important fact is that the prayer is to the Lord and the anointing is done in the name of the Lord. It is the Lord, not the power of the prayer or the oil, who will raise him up. And that is just how James promises that the Lord will respond to the prayer offered in faith. This is not a ‘hope so’ or ‘maybe’ prayer, but a prayer which shows secure confidence that God will heal because the elders have first listened to God and have received this confidence in their hearts. It is close to Paul’s gift of faith in 1 Cor. 12:9. Such prayers take time; they are not a quick ritual or routine.

Carson, D. A. (1994). New Bible commentary : 21st century edition (4th ed.) (Jas 5:13–18). Leicester, England; Downers Grove, Ill., USA: Inter-Varsity Press.