Is any one of you sick?

Most Christians expect the preacher to come pray with them before surgery or when in the hospital. However, the Bible teaches us to call the elders when we are sick and desire to be prayed over.

James 5:14 says, “Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him.”

Notice also, it is the responsibility of the Christian to ask the Elders to come pray for them. Elders don't have ESP to know when anyone is sick and in need of prayer. If you don't ask them to come, don't be mad if they don't.

Also, I believe it's not just Elders responsibility. A church may not have elders yet, or may not have enough to cover the number of needs in the community. We should all be visiting the sick. It's not some paid preacher’s job. We all should be ministering to each other. (see Ephesians 4:11-16)

It’s our privilege to show them love. When we do, we are serving Jesus himself. What we do to the least of these, we do to Jesus. What an honor to serve Jesus! I thank God I get to serve him in his hour of need and visit him when he is sick.

Matthew 25:41-46 "Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick or in prison and you did not look after me.’ "They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ "He will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ "Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."

What if we focused on who we were praying for ourselves rather than expecting the preacher to do it all? What if churches had members who realized we are all to be ministers and went to the sick on their own? What if our churches reached out to hospices and hospitals? What if we witnessed and prayed with AIDS patients and cancer victims? What if we went to the sick with the good news and love of Jesus as the whole body of Christ? What if we obeyed what Jesus taught? What would happen?