James 5:20 KJV  [20] “Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.”      The sinner in our text is a believer, not an unbeliever. Sin in the life of a Christian is worse than sin in the life of an unbeliever. We expect unbelievers to sin, but God expects His children to obey His Word, and He will chasten His children whenever they fail to do so.      We should always attempt to win the lost, but we must not …

James 5:19 KJV [19] “Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him;”      James mentions two men in our text. He first speaks of a careless backslider, and then a concerned brother is mentioned. We have witnessed both types of men, and honestly, we have been both. These are certainly two men to whom we can all relate.      Consider the first man in our text. He is a brother who has erred from the truth. He has made a conscious choice to go his own way. He drifted from what once held him …

James 5:18 KJV [18] “And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.”      The second prayer of Elijah brought about a second miracle. It was amazing to see the Lord shut up the heavens, but an even greater witness to see Him open them up again! The second prayer proved several things to Elijah and those who witnessed the event.      First, it proved that the Lord had not yet finished His work. For three and half years, there had been no rain, and some questioned if it would ever rain again, …

James 5:17 KJV [17] “Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.”     Elijah was not a superman, but he was a spiritual man. He was a man who believed in prayer. He prayed believing, he prayed persistently, and he prayed earnestly. That is how we should pray today for our nation and our churches. Earnest prayer is the greatest need of the hour. May the Lord burden our hearts to go deeper …

James 5:16 KJV [16] “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”      To be right with God, we must confess our sins to Him, but we must also confess our sins to one another. We do not hear a lot of teaching and preaching on that today. We promote testimony services, but what about confession services? If we had more confession services, we would have more testimonial services. I’m not talking about airing out our dirty laundry because there are things …

James 5:15 KJV [15] “and the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.”      James is not giving us a blanket formula for healing the sick. Many believers have fallen sick with a terminal illness and passed away. It was the Father’s will for them to leave us, and no prayer was going to heal their body. Prayer is not to accomplish our will but to accomplish the Father’s will.      The key phrase in verse fifteen is “if he have committed …

James 5:14 KJV [14] “Is any sick among you? 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:”      It is a blessing to have a church family. I don’t know how a saved person can make it without being part of a local New Testament Church. I know many would criticize that statement, but it is the truth. I joined the church immediately after being saved and baptized, and the Lord has given me the desire to be a part of the church …

 James 5:13 KJV [13] “Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms.”       Is it possible to be afflicted and be merry at the same time? It was for Paul and Silas in the book of Acts. They had been beaten with many stripes and thrown into the inner prison. They suffered affliction for their faithfulness in preaching the Gospel. Even though they were afflicted, they were not through serving God. The Bible says in chapter sixteen that they began praying and singing praises to God. We don’t know what they were singing, …

James 5:12 KJV [12] “But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation.”      Our word should be our bond. As Christians, we should be people of integrity. When we give a direct answer to someone, they should be able to take it to the bank. People should be able to trust what we say because we prove ourselves trustworthy. When we answer, there will be no need for earthly oaths and swearing. I’m …

James 5:11 KJV [11] “Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.”      The book of Job contains the conversations between God and Satan, Job and his wife, Job and his so-called friends, and Job with his Creator. The problem with Job’s friends is their lack of awareness of the conversation held in the first chapter and their lack of knowledge regarding the blessings that would take place in the final chapter. It’s a lesson …