Regional Synod of Canada - Reformed Church in America

Pioneer Christian Monthly

Date - June/75

Contributor - The Church in the World

Title - The Church in the World

Topic - Healing

"IS ANY AMONG YOU SICK? LET HIM CALL FOR THE ELDERS OF THE CHURCH" - James 5:14

Are the sick of today missing a golden opportunity by not calling on the Elders of the Church? Are the Elders having a ministry which they hitherto have ignored? Should an Elder go to the sick even though he does not have the gift of healing and should he go even if he is not invited by the sick person in question? That are questions that are on the minds Of many. Let me try to shed some light on that subject in the following pages.

WHO WAS JAMES?

James was not just an ordinary Elder. He was the brother of the Lord and head of the Church in Jerusalem as well. He was a Jewish Christian, who spoke to Jewish Christians in the Jewish city of Jerusalem.

While most Christians were not safe in the city of Jerusalem, James was able to remain there for many years after the disciples were scattered abroad. He was allowed to stay there for he had won the respect of friend and enemy alike.

Since James was a Jew and since he spoke to Jewish believers, who thought like Jews and believed like Jews, James could say things (about going to the Elders) which Paul, Peter and John could not say to the non-Jewish believers. The non-Jewish believers did not give as much authority to their leaders as the Jews did. Neither did the non-Jewish Christians fully understand the meaning of "anointing". In other words his message should be put in a Jewish setting.

As I pointed out above, James himself was an Elder of the Church. He was not just an Elder or a minister as we know them today. His authority was so great that even the disciples respected him and accepted his authority. He even chaired the first council meeting which the disciples and church leaders held in the city of Jerusalem.

LOOKING AT THE SITUATION OF THE FIRST CENTURY

The Church in Jerusalem lived in a crisis situation. Foreigners were a constant threat to the people who lived there. Many fled from the city prior to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D.

As we read the letter of James we notice that the people believed that the Lord was at hand (James 5 : 3); that the end of time was near. However, James tried to make the people aware that they were not ready for the Lord's return. Corruption, greed, pride and a lot of gossiping we're found among Christians. The well-to-do were strangling the poor through their unfair dealings. Just read his letter and you will see what I mean. You will also see that he warned them not to fall "under condemnation".

JAMES' CONCERN FOR THE SICK

After reading the letter of James I get the impression that James is concerned with the spiritual well being of the sick. He must have noticed that many of them were not yet ready to meet the Lord. Their hearts were still not right. There were still too many sins to be confessed. That is why James asked them to contact an Elder, rather than a doctor (such as Luke) or a witch-doctor as so many did in those days. The main emphasis is therefore on the confession of sins, on getting right with God. Physical healing is often the result of restoration with God.

Perhaps I might add that the elder is not to go to the sick but that the sick person has to take the initiative. He has to ask for the Elder. When he is ready to confess his sins he can do so in the privacy of his home in the presence of the Elder. He has to call the Elder, for that man has proven that he can bridle his tongue and, what is more important, the Elder has received the authority to forgive sins, in the name of the Lord.

THE MEANING OF ANOINTING

Even as the Good Samaritan carried a container of oil with him, so did every Jewish traveler take oil along on a far journey. Oil was used in the same way as we use salve and lotions. It is to be applied to wounds, sores and burns.

However, James is not talking about healing physical sores; he is talking about anointing forgiven sinners. When he talked about anointing to Jewish Christians, they knew what he was talking about. To anoint a person was to set him aside for the Lord, even as the ancient Kings were set aside for God.

What I have been saying is that the sick were urged to confess their sins in the presence of an El der. He in turn would forgive their sins (in the name of the Lord) and as an added assurance of salvation, he would anoint them with oil. Such a person would be ready to await the Lord's return.

SOME CAUSES OF OUR ILLNESSES

Let me start out by saying that an Elder should stick to his main task: to give spiritual guidance and comfort to the sick. He should not try to become a healing specialist or become a modern "Oral Roberts". However, I must add that I firmly believe that after a sick person is forgiven his sins, unburdened from his worries, set free from the forces that enslave him, he will be healed from many of his illnesses.

When God made mankind, He gave them all sorts of rules and instructions to live by. They deal confessing guilt, showing gratitude, with eating habits, resting, casting worries on the Lord, and a great number of others. Now I believe that a great number of our illnesses are the result of not living in harmony with the rules given by our Creator. Look how much harm we can do to the body by eating and drinking too much! Look how the chemical substance and the outward appearance of the body changes through feelings of bitterness, shame, jealousy, guilt and anger! And haven't e all heard the expression that many persons worry themselves sick?

However, before I go on I would like to make it unmistakably clear that many persons are ill due to no fault of their own. They suffer from the mistakes of nature, from the sins of their environment or from causes not yet mentioned. Some of those bear their illness with courage while others find it hard to accept their lot. They too may need love and a patient ear from someone they can trust.

The point which I seek to make is that there is a spiritual side to many of our illnesses and that spiritual guidance is needed in the healing process. Many people are not cured by more pills, more surgery and more X-rays. What they need is a new outlook, a new hope, a new spirit, something of God's Spirit. They need to be brought back in harmony with the laws and principles of the Creator.

What James mentioned in his letter is still quite in order in our time. Many of the sick and terminally ill have a difficult time spiritually. They often battle with guilt feelings that go back for years. Like most of us they need outside help to overcome hostile feelings and bitterness.. They may even need help to free themselves from the power of worldly possessions. Such persons might receive a great blessing when they call their Elder. He in turn might help them to find peace and harmony with God.

PRAY FOR RESTORATION RATHER THAN FOR MIRACLE

Our God is a God of law and order. There are millions of those laws to be found in creation. Since these laws are dependable we know how long it takes for a seed to sprout, a tree to grow, a calf to be born, a sore to heal and for a child to mature. Even as in a normal household it becomes quite chaotic if a father keeps on setting aside the house rules, so it would become chaotic if God would set aside His laws every second someone prays for it. For instance what would happen if God would suspend the law of gravity for only a few minutes? We would all fly into space and freeze to death. So, rather than continually asking God to set aside his laws (that is what miracles are all about), let us pray that we might learn to live in harmony with those laws which God has given to us in creation and in His Word.

At one time it was Satan who tried to coach the Lord into performing miracles. The Lord was able to withstand the temptation by saying to Satan: "You shall not tempt the Lord your God" (Matt. 7).After looking at all this I believe that it is more fitting for us to pray for a restoration than for miracles. A miraculous healing without a change of heart is like putting new wine in old wine skins, to use a biblical expression. This does not bring the desired results. What is needed is a restoration of broken relationships an untangling of the forces that enslave us; what is needed is to bring a sinner in harmony with God, with himself and with the environment. Perhaps we might call this a miracle too.

However, let me add that our God is not trapped in the network of his own laws. He can add and subtract to them at will. He is still our Creator and He is still able to create new hearts, new lives, a new heaven and a new earth.

SEEK THE ADVICE FROM A TRUSTED ELDER

Persons in need can be desperate and often say and do desperate things. They are extremely vulnerable to abuse. It is almost unbelievable what the sick and their relatives are willing to believe or do. They are literally being robbed, misled and abused by fortune tellers, faith healers, witch doctors and well-meaning individuals. Since the sick and the desperate are in a state "of not being their normal selves" they need some protection against those who make use of their weaknesses. They need a person who has won the trust and respect of the community. In the time of James, it was the Elder who fitted that bill. Why not put the same trust in the servants of God today?

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