The Prayer that Saves Souls (Part 2)
Posted by: biblenotes <biblenotes@...>
From: Martin Overfield
Date: Mon, 26 Mar 2001
The Prayer that Saves Souls (Part 2)
"Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may
be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much ...
he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul
from death ..." (James 5:16, 20)
I want to know what it takes to pray the kind of prayer that saves souls
(because God answers). Following is a five-part description of this kind of
prayer.
The prayer that saves souls is:
I. A PRAYER OF INTEGRITY
The Scripture declares that it is "the prayer of a righteous man" that
"availeth much". "The LORD is far from the wicked: but he heareth the
prayer of the righteous."(Proverbs 15:29)
To be righteous we must have a right relationship with God and our
fellow man.
Right with God -- We must be on good terms with God. "Who shall ascend
into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place? He that
hath
clean hands, and a pure heart;" ( Psalms 24:3, 4). This means that we live
right before God in all our actions, reactions, motives, thoughts, and
words. We are to be so thoroughly righteous that we do not even entertain
sin in our heart. For the Word says, "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the
Lord will not hear me:" (Psalms 66:18).
Right with man - "If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably
with all men." (Romans 12:18). Notice that James 5:16 says, "Confess YOUR
faults one to another" NOT confess your brother's faults!
There are two possibilities when problems exist between others and us:
1) Someone has something against me; 2) I have something against someone.
Sometimes both may be true at the same time. In both cases Jesus said that
I should go to the one with whom I have the problem to try to resolve it.
In Matthew 5:23, 24, Jesus makes it clear that we should make reconciliation
FIRST before bringing our offering to God. (see Matthew 18:15-17)
If anything will hinder our prayers, being crossed up with our brethren
will most certainly do so. Some things may never get resolved this side of
the judgment, but let it not be because we failed to do our best to make
reconciliation.
II. A PRAYER OF INTERCESSION
"and pray one for another" -- not talk about one another. One will notice
that the primary end in view here is the salvation of souls. This kind of
praying involves going before God on behalf of another. True intercessory
prayer is born of a compassionate spirit. It involves a true burden for
souls and praying for another as we would want someone to pray for us
if we were in their situation.
The word here for faults includes willful transgressions as well as
mistakes in its definition. Galatians 6:1 says, "Brethren, if a man be
overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the
spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted."
Who needs intercessory prayer?
1) The best of saints -- though this Scripture concentrates on those who are
on the way toward eternal loss
2) Believers in need of a holy heart (entire sanctification) -- the baptism
with the Holy Ghost
3) One in error or slipping in his relationship with God,
4) The backslider - "Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth," (James
5:19)
5) Those never converted - "he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for
ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world." (I John 1:2)
III. A PRAYER OF INTENSITY
"effectual fervent prayer" -- The two words effectual and fervent come from
ENERGEO in the Greek, in which one may readily see a similarity to energy in
the English. Vine's Dictionary says it means "to put forth power, be
operative, to work".
This kind of praying involves heat, sweat, energy, and tears. It is
wholehearted praying. If indeed we intercede for someone, we will no doubt
pray with the help of the Holy Spirit, making "intercession for us with
groanings which cannot be uttered." (Romans 8:26). It is not so much in the
words of the prayer, but in the spirit of the pray-er that we find this
seriousness and Holy Ghost burden that will prevail with God.
IV. A PRAYER OF IMPORTUNITY
"He prayed again" is written of Elijah concerning the time when he had just
come from the victory at mount Carmel. He went to the place of prayer and
sought God for the outpouring of rain. Remember that he sent his servant
seven times to check for rain. The seventh time the servant reported that
he saw a cloud about the size of a man's hand. (I Kings 18:44)
(If I have used the following illustration before, it certainly bears
repeating.)
John Wesley Redfield also "prayed again" and prayed seven times. He
was in a hard place. He said that preaching to the people there was like
"pouring water onto rocks". He became so desperate that he spent a
whole week in prayer, only returning to his house for a little rest and a
little
food. Every time he prayed, he could only get so far. He said that it
seemed he bumped up against a huge stone.
Sunday morning he told the people that he intended to see something
happen for God there or to see that "ungodly apology for Methodism
annihilated". Nothing happened that morning. That evening he told them
that he had come to redeem his pledge. He asked all who would join him
to help him pray. Just two quiet souls arose to assist him. The three of
them went to prayer in that service.
The two prayed at their seats and Mr. Redfield prayed on the platform.
As he prayed he came up against the huge stone again. He attempted to
prevail in prayer six times, apparently to no avail. Then he tried the
seventh time. This time he said that the huge stone shattered into many
pieces. The two quiet souls gave such shouts that the community rushed to
the church to see what was happening. The people got right with God and
one another and had a mighty revival.
Some prayers will only be answered when the pray-er determines not to
let go until the answer comes.
V. A PRAYER OF IMPLICIT FAITH
"The prayer of faith shall save the sick." How much more shall the prayer
of faith, by the answer of God, save the sick in soul?
"And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall
receive." (Matthew 21:22)
"And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing
according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us,
whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired
of him." (1 John 5:14, 15)
"What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them,
and ye shall have them." (Mark 11:24)
"If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it." (John 14:14)
The prayer that saves souls is a prayer that culminates in the act of
simple faith, which receives from the hand of God that very thing that He
has promised.
Lest someone would say, "But, we cannot believe for someone else's
salvation.", let us revisit the healing of the man with the palsy. Remember
that Jesus also forgive his sins at the same meeting.
"And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a
bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be
of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee." (Matthew 9:2). He saw THEIR
FAITH! I believe that this man's faith must also have been involved; but,
if it had not been for the faith of them that brought him to Jesus, I doubt
that this man would have been saved.
Remember what Jesus said to the critics who were thinking that Jesus
had no power to forgive sins: "For whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be
forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and walk? But that ye may know that the
Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick
of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house." (Matthew
9:5, 6)
So I say to you, which is easier for Him Who created all things by the
word of his mouth, Who became the God-man and sin-sacrifice for us that
He might be just in forgiving us all our transgressions, Who rose again from
the dead and is alive forevermore, "Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today
and forever" -- I say, which is easier for Him to SAY? All He needs to do
is speak the word and we shall be healed and those for whom we pray if we
will but trust Him with childlike simplicity and earnestness, and expect Him
to do what HE SAID He would do!
CONCLUSION
This kind of prayer "availeth much". This is the prayer that receives
an answer from the hand of God. It makes the difference between Heaven
and Hell for souls. Unless someone prevails in prayer for souls, many souls
will be utterly and eternally lost that would have been saved. In the light
of all this, how tremendously weighty are the words of this Scripture: "and
pray one for another, that ye may be healed."! (James 5:16b).
Dear reader, will you and I pray the prayer that saves souls?
Yours In Christ,
Martin Overfield
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