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The Praying Church
Shaun Rossi // The Epistle of James
All of life should be lived with a God-ward, God-dependent focus, shared together with God’s people and chiefly expressed through prayer.
“13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. 14 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. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.[b] 17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. 18 Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.”
— James 5:13-18
Sermon OutlineI. Individual Prayer Makes a Praying Church v 13
“10 “And when the Lord your God brings you into the land that he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give you—with great and good cities that you did not build, 11 and houses full of all good things that you did not fill, and cisterns that you did not dig, and vineyards and olive trees that you did not plant—and when you eat and are full, 12 then take care lest you forget the Lord, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.”
— Deuteronomy 6:10-12
“2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits,”
— Psalm 103:2
II. Corporate Prayer Makes a Praying Church v 14-15a
“6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.”
— Hebrews 11:6
III. Confession of Sin Makes a Praying Church vv 15b-18
“18 If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.”
— Psalm 66:18
george Muller: An inspiration to pray
George Muller (1805-1897) was a Christian missionary who founded an orphanage in Bristol, England. He was concerned about the needs of the many orphans whom he saw on the streets, of course. But his primary reason for founding the orphanage was to demonstrate that God is still a prayer-hearing God and that it is not in vain to trust in Him.
Muller’s life verse was Psalm 81:10 “Open your mouth wide and I will fill it.” For over 60 years, he saw God faithfully provide for as many as 2,000 orphans at a time. Amazingly, Muller never disclosed any needs to potential donors, even if they asked. He and his staff would pray and often see God provide the exact amount that they needed on the day they needed it. Muller gave God the glory by writing an annual narrative of how the Lord had provided, once the needs had already been met.
Reading a biography of Mullers life along with the many accounts of God’s provision for the orphans can offer great inspiration to your prayer life. The Lord is faithful to provide all that we need!
Calling the ELders to Pray at UCCThe elders of United Community Church will be more than willing to pray for you if you become seriously sick, so please call us! However, please note that it is the sick person who is to call for the elders, not vice versa. The elders are not omniscient! Don’t expect that we should know when you need prayer, necessarily. It would help if you told us, and when you do, you are in no way burdening us. Practically, contacting a member of the pastoral staff is a good starting point for calling the elders.
Please also note that we do not view these verses to mean that only the elders should pray for you when you are sick. A small group leader, a member of our after service prayer team (we normally always have a prayer team on duty to serve you after services), or any member at UCC, for example, will likely be happy to pray for you.
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By United Community ChurchShaun Rossi // The Epistle of James
All of life should be lived with a God-ward, God-dependent focus, shared together with God’s people and chiefly expressed through prayer.
“13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. 14 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. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.[b] 17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. 18 Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.”
— James 5:13-18
Sermon OutlineI. Individual Prayer Makes a Praying Church v 13
“10 “And when the Lord your God brings you into the land that he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give you—with great and good cities that you did not build, 11 and houses full of all good things that you did not fill, and cisterns that you did not dig, and vineyards and olive trees that you did not plant—and when you eat and are full, 12 then take care lest you forget the Lord, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.”
— Deuteronomy 6:10-12
“2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits,”
— Psalm 103:2
II. Corporate Prayer Makes a Praying Church v 14-15a
“6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.”
— Hebrews 11:6
III. Confession of Sin Makes a Praying Church vv 15b-18
“18 If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.”
— Psalm 66:18
george Muller: An inspiration to pray
George Muller (1805-1897) was a Christian missionary who founded an orphanage in Bristol, England. He was concerned about the needs of the many orphans whom he saw on the streets, of course. But his primary reason for founding the orphanage was to demonstrate that God is still a prayer-hearing God and that it is not in vain to trust in Him.
Muller’s life verse was Psalm 81:10 “Open your mouth wide and I will fill it.” For over 60 years, he saw God faithfully provide for as many as 2,000 orphans at a time. Amazingly, Muller never disclosed any needs to potential donors, even if they asked. He and his staff would pray and often see God provide the exact amount that they needed on the day they needed it. Muller gave God the glory by writing an annual narrative of how the Lord had provided, once the needs had already been met.
Reading a biography of Mullers life along with the many accounts of God’s provision for the orphans can offer great inspiration to your prayer life. The Lord is faithful to provide all that we need!
Calling the ELders to Pray at UCCThe elders of United Community Church will be more than willing to pray for you if you become seriously sick, so please call us! However, please note that it is the sick person who is to call for the elders, not vice versa. The elders are not omniscient! Don’t expect that we should know when you need prayer, necessarily. It would help if you told us, and when you do, you are in no way burdening us. Practically, contacting a member of the pastoral staff is a good starting point for calling the elders.
Please also note that we do not view these verses to mean that only the elders should pray for you when you are sick. A small group leader, a member of our after service prayer team (we normally always have a prayer team on duty to serve you after services), or any member at UCC, for example, will likely be happy to pray for you.
Back to Bulletin