This past Sunday our “one another” passage was James 5:13-18:
Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. 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. 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. 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. 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. Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.
I wonder if that text sounded familiar to you? If it did, it may be because early in 2025, we preached through the book of James at CBC. You can find the previous sermon on James 5:13-18 on our website or on YouTube here.
Pete and I preached the same text on prayer. Each sermon, though, was unique. Different application. Different focus. Different personalities. However, they both contained the same truth.
This is one of the things I love about God’s Word. It has one meaning, but comes with different expressions and different experiences in receiving it.
Throughout the summer, we will have different voices preach from God’s Word. This is not an accident. It is not a result of me having too much time off. I will be here with you sitting under the preaching of these men more often than I will be gone. This is an intentional strategy. CBC is blessed to have men who are qualified and called to minister to the church in this way (preaching and teaching God’s Word is one of the primary ministries of your elders).
Every time someone besides me preaches, I receive compliments on the blessing people received hearing God’s Word from a different voice. It is a reminder that the power of the preached Word is not exclusively found in one person, but in God’s Word and the attending work of the Holy Spirit in that moment.
What a wonderful thing!