Is any sick among you, let him call . . . Having others take the initiative to call for the elders is for those who are too young or incapacitated to do so.

I believe the reason is that the when the sick person calls it is an act of faith on their part and also assumes that if sins need to be forgiven that they have worked through that issue too. Otherwise, calling without the sick person’s specific request may be an imposition on them even if they don’t openly admit it.

The reason I say this is that too many believers are taught by example, that when they are sick they are simply to expect pastors/elders to come to them unsummoned. They can actually become annoyed or embittered if they are not visited by them in a timely fashion. So, this is the common, unspoken tradition among so many of today’s believers; and no one teaches them what James actually says: “Let him who is sick call for the elders of the church.” Pastors/elders often visit the sick on their own initiative and anoint with oil and pray for healing and too often do not see any fruit of the visit, except for the emotional comfort their visit would naturally provide.

I asked my old pastor a question one time when we were going, unsummoned, to visit someone at a distant rehab center who had had a stroke recently, “Out of a hundred times that you’ve visited the sick in hospitals, etc, how many times have you actually been summoned by them?” He thought for a moment and said, “Out of a hundred? Maybe 5 times.” I said then, “Wow. What is the rate of success in those visits with regard to the Lord raising them up or the ministry of the forgiveness of sins?” He then said, “not much at all.” I said, “Maybe around 5%?” He kind of laughed and said, “Yeah, maybe.” I reminded him of times when he was summoned and the remarkable results that took place at those times. Some of those incidents had become widely known in the church.

I suggested that when we got to see this brother with the stroke that we ask him what we can pray for instead of assuming we should anoint him with oil and pray the prayer of faith over him for healing as we had in mind originally. That turned out to be good advice, because we were surprised at his actual request when we asked him what we could pray for. The only thing he wanted was the grace to trust God for what had happened to him, for had deep doubts about God for the first time in his Christian life and was fearful and despondent about the future. As to healing, he said he did not think his partial paralysis was ever going to leave him. So, he never requested a prayer for healing. That showed us starkly that had we simply assumed we should follow the direction in James 5:14-15 even though we had not received the call from him to come pray for him, we would have been wide of the mark. He needed ministry and prayer of a much different sort, which he was open to.

I know from the pastor’s and my experience as an elder with this issue that whenever someone called for elders that we have seen high (not 100%, but noticeably high) rates of physical recovery (not necessarily immediate; but rather noticeable improvement and recovery in their conditions) and/or spiritual restoration to the Lord due to sins being forgiven. At least, it is certainly much higher than when the sick person is passive about calling for the elders and has not obeyed the instruction himself. I have used the ministry a couple of times when I had been sick and I experienced total recovery from chronic conditions I was suffering with at those times.

James is very clear – “Let him who is sick call.” As a matter of fact, James 5:14-16 is the clearest and most detailed instruction in the Word about what a Christian who is sick is to do and the relationship that sin can have in the matter.

Goodness, even doctors do not call their patients and say, “I heard you were sick? Do you want to come to the office?” Nor do plumbers call their customers and say, “I heard your toilet was clogged. Do you want me to stop by?” OK, that is a little facetious and mundane, but the point is the same.

I don’t know if this admonition applies to your family member or not, godlysoldier. I am just speaking to this issue from the way you said “The family has called upon some godly elders.
That came and prayed last night.” and from what I have learned over the years about this subject.

In this case, it would be this documentary beamed into the viewers’ homes… preferably right over the TBN feed during during Paula White or Creflo Dollar’s “program” (ever wonder about that word?).

Thank the LORD for the Internets.

And must say that i’m more aware of those that use the saying that states i am Christ’s, and must say quite honestly that I’m in need of a older translation of original Scripture before the many translations, for better clarity in my personal study of God’s Word.

By coming across this site since being made aware of it, I must say that it wasn’t an accident, while still hoding firm broadly on how I interpret God’s Word.

Sad to see the state of all the one’s who make merchandise of God’s Word, simply for profit and ill gotten gain!, If it was vexing to Jesus when he made that whip and chased out the one’s in the Temple willing to exploit the then worship of the True and Living God, why are so many willing to say that they have what they have by authorship of selfhelps that point in God’s direction, while empowering folks to be in a selfish type of a mentality? And not promoting the selflessness that the Word of God calls for?

Luke 9:23 And he said to [them] all, If any [man] will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

Great posting

May the Lord give you favor to speak the truth to your loved one.

I can remember when I was attending a COGIC church and the “spirt of god” was moving (lil “g” on purpose) and the Pastor called me out of the audience, had me to lay on the floor and told another sister to come and step on my stomach. Now at the time, you know I “thought” that that was a direct prophetic command from the Lord. Then after I got up, the Pastor spoke some prophetic babble about God going to use “me” to provoke “other women” to jealousy in serving Him! (WHAT..you say!) Boy at the time, I was on a spiritual high because the Holy Ghost called me out and spoke to me, couldn’t get any more “charismatic” than that!

While looking at these videos, that just came back to my mind and that happened back in 1997! My Lord was I blind and being led into a ditch!

And now, my heart grieves because I have a family member that’s dying of cancer because of this foolish unsound extra-biblical-having-what-you-say-denying-that-you-are-sick-claiming- your-miraculous-healing-by-ignoring-the-doctor’s-report-because-your-believing-in-the-report-of-the-Lord-WOF-doctrine!

Please pray for me and my family as it is a very trying time right now and these videos just brought everything to a head. I’m very angry right now because of this and I need just calm my soul and let the Word of God take away this anger..Thank you all for your prayers!

My last WOF church I came out of, we had “guest” dancers from a sister church that were so provocative, dancing right in front of the Elders that were sitting in the front row, I could feel the Elders uneasiness, especially as they were sitting next to their wives. I was literally sick and just wanted to run up there and kick them all out of the church. I made a comment to one of the “Deaconess” and she said girl, it’s better that their dancing in the house of the Lord than the club. But the way some of them were dancing, I dare to say that they were “probably” just in the club that Saturday night before!
And the Pastor’s of that church were up there right along “shaking it” with them….I knew that God was opening my eyes and getting ready for me to do a “mass exodus” out of that ministry! Thank God He did just that!!!

“But the hour is coming and now is, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is looking for such to worship Him.

God is Spirit, and those that worship Him MUST worship in SPIRIT AND TRUTH! Jn 4:23-24