[Evangelical]

Originally Posted by ZNPaaneah

I like what James says about "if you are sick call for the elders". A true elder has prayed earnestly for the church to be healed, just like Elijah.

17Elias 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.
18And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.

I think all of us have “like passions with Elijah”. We would like to pray that God’s fire would fall from heaven, all of God’s people would fall on their face and say “He is God” and all the false prophets would be defeated.

But that is not the reference that James gives. He talks about Elijah praying that it wouldn’t rain. Anyone can pray that “it doesn’t rain today” and no one would see that as miraculous. You could do it for a week and no one is going to care. Even if you did it for a month people would basically shrug. This indicates how Elijah was long-suffering, patient, and endured for three years and six months. Now imagine you are in the grip of a terrible drought, it hasn’t rained for two years. If someone knew you were praying for it not to rain they would hate you. This prayer would make Elijah despised. In our minds if someone is sick we want to walk in, lay hands on them, say “be healed in Jesus name” and then they stand up and take up their bed. But this is a very different image of “healing the sick” -- three and half years praying that it not rain.

Also, why would praying that it not rain “heal the sick”? If we look at the context of Elijah’s prayer we see a very interesting story. Israel was infected with Jezebel, a heathen queen. Her rule over Israel was the sickness. When Elijah prayed for fire to fall and the prophets of Baal were killed it didn’t cure Israel of Jezebel’s reign, instead she sent the army looking for Elijah. Rather it was a terrible drought for 3 1/2 years that loosened her grip on the country. At that point everyone in the entire country wants it to rain, so when Elijah demonstrates that only God has the power it showed that God has the power of life, and that this life is what really rules over Israel. This is where you learn that Elijah is the true elder and Jezebel is an evil imposter.

James is talking about the church being infected with a false prophet. In typology the prophets of Baal were involved in money. The Lord’s house is supposed to be a house of prayer and they turn it into a den of thieves. They make merchandise of the saints. James had been involved with the Judaizers, false prophets who had infected the house of God. The cure is not to pray for fire to fall from heaven, but rather that the life giving rain would be withheld by God from these ones. Elijah had to pray for three and a half years the prayer of faith for Israel to see this. His prayer of faith saved Israel and Israel was raised up.

So when James says to “pray for one another, that ye may be healed” this is the context. Someone prayed for him and he was healed. His epistle is the game plan for dealing with a cult, heresy, or any error among the church. If this is not your life then you are not "elder material".

Doesn't that make Elijah the "Prophet of the Age"?