Carolina

The role of bringing back wandering sheep is important because it shows faith in action rather than words. You are participating in winning and bringing souls back to Christ, rather than just reading that this is was is suppose to be done.

The role of oil in healings to have a physical element to the point or place of the healing. The oil itself will not heal but is just a physical representation of the anointing. Healing can take place without the oil, but it has a place in the role. The role that the prayer of faith has is extremely important, this is what initiates the healing. No healing will take place without faith (at the same time GOD can heal whenever he wants) it is usually the catalyst for the healing to start to be initiated. Confessions of sins is like having clean bandages to wrap the wound. You want the vessel clean you want the dressing of healing to be clean, so sins have to be confessed.

The elders role in praying for the sick is to lead them through prayer and to be an intercessor on their behalf in asking for healing-to guide them through the process in receiving healing from GOD. I am not sur of their spiritual qualifications but they must be patient, long suffering, humble and a fervent prayer.

It is the elders who are to initiate the healing-because they are suppose to be more mature in the faith to help lead the person who is sick to grow in Christ and in their hope and faith for the healing. This is important to have a sense of order in the body of Christ.

James refers to church members as adulteresses because of the way they are married God but also flirt with the world. The adultery consists of being in the world when we are to be a separate people. The aggrieved husband is The Lord. Friendship with the world is being an enemy to God

I think what God approves of is what He deems as good-peace, love, faith, innocence, humbleness-this is what pleases him, this is His pleasure. Our pleasure is for sure self-centered-this is the opposite of what those qualities stem from-rather they stem from selflessness. What is wrong with living to increase ones pleasure is we would be living out of God's will-pleasure based life is living more in the World.

The tool that peacemakers use to sow peace is through conversation/conduct. How you treat others matters and once this is modeled to others they have the opportunity to treat others in the same way. The fruit of righteousness is sown in the peace of them that make peace.

"Bitter envy" and "selfish ambition" are direct opposites of humility. When you are humble you are not afraid or envious of others who pass you by-this could be by a career or another ambition. You can be supportive of others and cheer them on without feeling like you are left behind or want what someone else has. If you deny that you have these feelings of bitterness and selfishness it can only grow into something dark and worse. You have to come to understand why you have these feelings and bring it to Jesus to come to a place of peace so you can heal. Boasting rarely helps anything-it will not help you heal concerning this matter.

What has to happen before the tongue can be tamed is a change in your heart. In the verse Matthew 15:18-But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man-It refers to what comes out of your mouth ultimately comes from within. In verse Matthew 12:34-O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh-only Jesus Christ can create a clean heart.

I believe James is aware of the responsibility of the teacher of the Word and is making the reader aware that to go into this profession you will have a stricter judgement. It states in James 4:17 "Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth. it not, to him it is sin". Strictness is appropriate because they are already aware of the requirements and cannot claim ignorance, it is therefor a responsibility. Yes, I do believe higher standards for a pastor than for myself-but at the same time acknowledge we are both human with faults.

When James refers to works-in 2:22-"Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?"-he gives the examples of those who believed and then had works and the result. In Ephesians when Paul states in 2:10-"For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath ordained that we should walk in them"-this matches up with what James had wrote because we are created in Christ Jesus (those who have faith) for we are his children and by our good works faith is made perfect and evident.

The belief of a demon is that God does exist-it is his enemy and end. The belief of a practicing Christian is that God not only exist, but is alive, is closer than a brother, he is the way, the truth and the life, he is someone to lean on when we are weak and a compassionate, loving Father. The belief of a non-practicing Christian is that God exists and that person is able to tell you Bible stories, doctrine and theology but does not have a personal relationship with God.

I think we are very responsible for the poor and needy in our church community and human kind-how can we not be? I feel very strongly about this-it is our hands that can give food, our mouths that can pray, but it is the spirit of God that prompts us to do these things so we cannot boast that it is because we are good.

Faith is dead without action because how can you have faith without living it out. Thinking of an analogy where a person has legs but does not use them-not because of an accident but just constantly, purposefully sitting. That person knows they have legs and what they can do but choose not to use them. You can have faith and intently, consistently not have any action with it. You choose not to participate, to help, you go out of your way to not be part of any group, you have excuses-you do not have time, its inconvenient, your shy. It can be alive, in a certain way because you do have faith. Its tangible because you claim you are Christian, you can tell the gospel (if needed!), you do the necessary things you HAVE to do. The same way if you have legs, someone will say-Yes, I see their legs-you use them if necessary to get up and go to the bathroom (only if necessary!), if you needed them to run out of your house because of a fire you could (if needed!/lol).

How showing regards to the wealthy is a denial of mercy is through our ability to show compassion to those who we have power over/we should put the poor in the high place-that is mercy and treat our neighbor as we wish to be treated. Mercy rejoices against judgement through love, this is by blessings, it is more desired than offerings and sacrifice and overcomes through repentance.