What is a holy kiss?

Date: August 22, 2012
To: The Body of Christ
From: Aldwin Naruse
Subject: Daily Devotional Journal
Re: Holy Kiss

What is a“holy kiss?’

In light of our last document that we wrote regarding “Hugging and Kissing in the churches,” we were directed to do research on the topic of “holy kiss.” We see pastors and church leaders use this term casually, but it is not certain if the intended meaning of this term from the Bible is really understood.  Therefore, the Lord has led us (husband and wife) to do further research and a study on the “holy kiss.” Here is what we found.

Keywords to define here are “holy” and “kiss.”  “Holy” means a fitting sanctity, godly, pious, pure from evil contact, ceremonially pure, without spot, sacred, associated with God, sincere, pure. (Zodhiates)

Holy means separated from sin, consecrated to God, sacred, often presented in a way which involves divine demands on the conduct of believers, forsaking sin, living a holy life. It is characteristically godlikeness.

Holy means free from anything inconsistent with their calling as saints. (Strong’s)

A kiss of charity -

There was to be an absence of formality and hypocrisy. Freedom from prejudice arising from social distinction, from discrimination against the poor, from partiality against the well to do. In churches, masters and servants would salute each other without any attitude or condescension to one another. The kissing took place between persons of the same sex. (Strong’s) Greek word for “kiss” is Philema (Strong’s)

Kisses were in common form of affectionate greeting for family members, intimate friend, or those who were objects of respect. Due to abuses in subsequent centuries, the church limited the practices of liturgical kiss of fellowship to men kissing men and women kissing women. (Keener)

Different Kinds of kisses
1. Deceitful - 2 Samuel 20:9-10, Luke 22:48

2 Samuel 20:9-10 (AMP)
9 Joab said to Amasa, Are you well, my brother? And Joab took Amasa by the beard with the right hand {as if] to kiss him. 10 But Amasa did not notice the sword in Joab’s hand. So [Joab] struck him [who was to have been his successor] with it in the body, shedding his bowels to the ground without another blow; and [soon] he died. So Joab and Abishai his brother pursued Sheba son of Bichri.

Luke 22:48  (AMP)
48 But Jesus said to him, Judas! Would you betray and deliver up the Son of Man with a kiss?

2. Insincere - 2 Sam 15:5 (AMP)
5 And whenever a man came near to do obeisance to him, he would put out his hand, take hold of him, and kiss him.

3. Fatherly - Genesis 27:26-27 (AMP)
26 Then his father Isaac said, Come near and kiss me, my son.
7 So he came near and kissed him; and [Isaac] smelled his clothing and blessed him and said, The scent of my son is as the odor of a field which the Lord has blessed.

4. Friendship - Exo 18:7, 1 Sam 20:41

Exodus 18:7 (AMP)
 7 And Moses went out to meet his father-in-law and bowed in homage and kissed him; and each asked the other of his welfare and they came into the tent.

1 Samuel 20:41   (AMP)
41 And as soon as the lad was gone, David arose from beside the heap of stones and fell on his face to the ground and bowed himself three times. And they kissed one another and wept with one another until David got control of himself.

5. Esteemed - 2 Sam 19:32-39   (AMP)
32 Now Barzillai was a very aged man, even eighty years old; and he had provided the king with food while he remained at Mahanaim, for he was a very great man.
33 And the king said to Barzillai, Come over with me, and I will provide for you with me in Jerusalem.
34 And Barzillai said to the king, How much longer have I to live, that it would be worthwhile for me to go up with the king to Jerusalem?
35 I am this day eighty years old. Could I now [be useful as a counselor to] discern between good and evil? Can your servant appreciate what I eat or drink? Can I any longer enjoy the voices of singing men and women? Why then should your servant be still a burden to my lord the king?
36 Your servant will only go over the Jordan with the king. Why should the king repay me with such a reward?
37 Let your servant turn back again, that I may die in my own city and be buried by the grave of my father and mother. But here is your servant Chimham; let him go over with my lord the king. And do to him what shall seem good to you.
38 The king answered, Chimham shall go over with me, and I will do to him what seems good to you; and whatever you ask of me I will do for you.
39 So all the people went over the Jordan. When the king had crossed over, he kissed Barzillai and blessed him, and [the great man] returned to his own place.

6. Sexual love - Gen. 29:11, Song of Solomon 1:2
Genesis 29:11  (AMP)
11 Then Jacob kissed Rachel and he wept aloud.

Song of Solomon 1:2 (AMP)
 Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth! [she cries. Then, realizing that Solomon has arrived and has heard her speech, she turns to him and adds] For your love is better than wine!

7. Illicit love - Proverbs 7:13
Proverbs 7:13  (AMP)
13 So she caught him and kissed him and with impudent face she said to him,

8. False religion - 1 Kings 19:18, Hosea 13:2
1 Kings 19:18  (AMP)
18 Yet I will leave Myself 7,000 in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal and every mouth that has not kissed him.

Hosea 13:2  (AMP)
2 And now they sin more and more and have made for themselves molten images of their silver, even idols according to their own understanding [as it pleased them], all of them the work of the craftsmen. To these [very works of their hands] they speak or pray who sacrifice to them; they kiss and show homage to the calves [as if they were alive]!

9. Holy love - Romans 16:16, 1 Cor 16:20
Romans 16:16  (AMP)
16 Greet one another with a holy (consecrated) kiss. All the churches of Christ (the Messiah) wish to be remembered to you.
1 Corinthians 16:20  (AMP)
20 All the brethren wish to be remembered to you and wish you well. Greet one another with a holy kiss. (Broomall)

Commentary:
“Greeting, by means of a kiss, appears to have been a common practice in the early church, and to have been followed for some centuries after the beginning of the Christian area. The custom is mentioned by Justin Martyr, Tertullian…Augustine, and numerous other early writers….According to the historians of the early church, the abuses to which the practice would ordinarily lead were avoided by the separation of the sexes when the church assembled for worship, an arrangement inherited from the synagogue…” (A Commentary on the New Testament Epistles by Guy N. Woods, Vol. 7, pg. 136).  The early synagogue already knew that this “holy kiss” may be abused, so they separated the sexes in churches. Men sat on one side and women sat on the other side of the church. How great is that. The church knew that there are people (men or women) who would take advantage of this holy kiss in the church.

The holy kiss ( Romans 16:16, 1 pet 5:14) which later entered the church liturgy was an expression of christian love and was presumably restricted to ones own sex. (Marshall)  Here, another author is saying that the holy kiss is “restricted to one’s own sex.” That means, if you are a man, you can only kiss another man and same with the women. I have never been to these churches in the Bible times, but I think that they really took much preventive measures. They understood human appetites and provided restrictions. They really kept the church holy and pure.

“Then let the men give the men, and the women give the women, the Lord’s kiss. But let no one do it with deceit, as Judas betrayed the Lord with a kiss” (The Constitutions of the Holy Apostles, Book 2, 57, page 422, Vol. 7, The Ante-Nicene Fathers).

Again, another confirmation here that the holy kiss is to be expressed within the same gender, not cross gender. Amazing. The different writers are saying pretty much the same thing.

Upon examining the article entitled “Kiss” in Smith’s Bible Dictionary, we see that it was customary to greet one another with a kiss during the apostles’ time. It still is in many countries today. But this kiss was not something God commanded the apostles or anyone to do. It was merely a custom; a salutation.

Notice that it was not a command from God. It is merely a custom (man-made). That means, God did not mandate this church practice. And if we do not engage in the holy kiss, we have not sinned.  Today, one may view the modern tradition of shaking hands as being equivalent with a “holy kiss.” This is a more acceptable greeting in our society.

There are four places in the New Testament that refer to the “holy kiss”—Romans 16:16; 1 Corinthians 16:20; 2 Corinthians 13:12; and 1 Thessalonians 5:26. In each instance, the Greek words denote a kiss which is sacred—physically pure and morally blameless. It was a common custom in most nations for people to kiss each other at meeting or parting to display their love, sincere affection, and friendship for each other. The kiss is called "holy" to distinguish it from a sexual one and from a hypocritical and deceitful one, such as Joab gave to Amasa (2 Samuel 20:9) or such as Judas gave to Jesus when he cried, “Hail Rabbi,” and betrayed Him into the hands of His enemies (Matthew 26:49).

I believe there are reasons—higher principles—which may require us to obey Paul’s command in a different way than actually going about kissing one another. The higher principle is this: “Avoid every appearance of evil” (1 Thessalonians 5:22). In our culture, kissing means something quite different from what it meant in the days of Paul. If kissing one another would cause some to stumble or cause unnecessary offense to the gospel, then it may not be the thing to do.
http://bible.org/search/apachesolr_search/holy%20kiss

To avoid every appearance of evil is a command from the Word of God. So we are to avoid this at all costs.

Whether or not the holy kiss should be a tradition we carry on today is not clear in Scripture. Whether or not our salutations to our brothers and sisters in Christ include the holy kiss, the important thing is that our greetings spring from real love and friendship, be characterized by sincerity, and represent true Christian fellowship.  Isn’t this the sole purpose for greeting our brothers and sisters, which is from real genuine love, friendship, sincerity and true fellowship? And if so, isn’t there any other way that we can express this genuine love and unity for one another?

In our culture, Christian unity may not be best demonstrated by a kiss. There may not be a way for us to greet others with a kiss which is truly holy. If not, then let us find some way in which to demonstrate our unity. One way is to open our homes to those believers who would not normally be invited into the intimacy of our restricted privacy and fellowship. Culturally, this would be shocking to those who wish to preserve and promote our differences. For Christians, it would be an excellent way to demonstrate the greater unity we have in Christ in the midst of our differences. Some outside the faith, who would claim us as a part of their culture or group, will undoubtedly be angered. Let it be so. Christian unity must be something we not only declare in concept but demonstrate in our conduct.

Holy kiss, like some other practices with symbolic meaning that change from culture to culture such as foot washing or head covering for wives. Holy Kiss would not convey the same meaning today  that it did in the first century and in most cultures, it would be seriously misunderstood. Such commands are best obeyed by substituting an action such as a handshake or bow, depending on culture that would convey the same meaning in a modern context. (Dennis)

If we take the word of God literally and not look at the latent meaning which is to examine the depth, the width and the height, we would only see the literal context. We will miss what the Spirit is saying through the Word of God. It would develop into a religious practice. It will be abused if taken literally. This is operating by the letter of the law and not by the Spirit. There is no discernment involved. Taking things literally on the surface is very dangerous. It must be discerned.

In conclusion, we have found out that the “holy kiss” was intended as a customary greeting in the early churches. It was never a commandment, but merely a tradition. Also, it was intended to be expressed between people of the same gender, meaning men with men and women with women. The apostle Paul’s intention for the holy kiss was for the purpose of Christian unity. It was never a commandment mandated by God Himself. It was a greeting gesture and man perverted it by including hugging and kissing in churches today and using “the holy kiss” as their basis of justification. It is clearly a perversion.

Today, some preachers and pastors use this term “holy kiss” too loosely. Their interpretation and application are indirectly causing people to sin. If we are to imitate our church leaders, and be under their spiritual leadership, we must examine the Word of God, line upon line, precept upon precept to understand the real truth of the matter. If our interpretation and application of Scripture are causing church members to sin, God will hold us accountable. And we must answer to God and make full disclosures of the spiritual conditions of the souls that we were entrusted with.

As under-shepherds of the Lord Jesus Christ who is the head of all churches, church leaders must make accountabilities of what they are teaching. This error must be addressed and corrections made for the sake of the Body of Christ at large. Once the Holy Spirit has brought an understanding through the Word of God, repentance is in order. Church practices should adhere to the Bible’s intended meaning instead of denominational traditions and beliefs.


Aldwin and Wendy

P.S.  Sorry, guys, no endorsement here for you to freely kiss the girls in your church.  


Work cited
1. Marshall, Howard I., A.R. Millard, J.I. Packer, and D. J. Wiseman. New Bible Dictionary.
Downer's Grove: Intervarsity Press, USA. 1996.

2. Zodhiates, Spiros, Hebrew Greek Keyword Study Bible, Chattanooga: ANG publishers, 2008.

3. Vines, W.E., and Bruce, F., Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Old Testament Words, Grand Rapids,
MI, Baker Book House Company, 1981.

4. Dennis, Lane T., ESV Study Bible, Wheaton: Crossway, 2008.

5. Strong, James, the New Strong's Expanded Exhaustive Concordance, Nashville: Thomas
Nelson publishers, 2001.

6. Broomall, Wick, The Open Bible Expanded Edition. Nashville: Thomas Nelson publisher,
1985.

7. Keener, Craig, IVP Bible Background Commentary New Testament, Downers Grove, IL,
Intervarsity
Press, 1993.

Hugging and Kissing in churches???

Date: August 18, 2012
To: The Body of Christ
From: Aldwin Naruse
Subject:  Daily Devotional Journal
Re:  Hugging and kissing in churches

IS IT OKAY TO HUG AND KISS IN CHURCH?

Romans 16:17-18  (NKJV)
17 Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them. 18 For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple.

Ephesians 5:6-7  (NKJV)
6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. 7 Therefore do not be partakers with them.

Ephesians 5:11  (NKJV)
11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.
.
Matthew 23:27-28 (NKJV)
27 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. 28 Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
.
Luke 6:26 (NKJV)
26 Woe to you[a] when all  men speak well of you,
For so did their fathers to the false prophets.

2 Corinthians 11:13-15  (NKJV)
13 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. 14  And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light.15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.

2 Peter 2:17-19  (NKJV)
17 These are wells without water, clouds[a] carried by a tempest, for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.

18 For when they speak great swelling words of emptiness, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through lewdness, the ones who have actually escaped[c] from those who live in error. 19 While they promise them liberty, they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by whom a person is overcome, by him also he is brought into bondage.

Mark 8:34-35  (NKJV)
34 When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. 35 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it.

Romans 12:1  (NKJV)
12 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.

Colossians 3:2  (NKJV)
2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.
.
James 4:4 (NKJV)
4 Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

1 John 2:15 (NKJV)
15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

commentary:
Cultural consultant Peter Apo makes the statement that “how you greet people is totally personal,  even in Hawaii.” That is so true. There is no one universal way that dictates to the world what is the absolute right way to greet. Even in Hawaii, not everyone is comfortable with the “hug and kiss” kind of greeting. This might be the Hawaiian way, but many people who have lived in Hawaii for many years still choose not to hug and kiss as a form of greeting.

In the Star Advertiser Newspaper article titled “Incoming” written by Henry Alford dated August 7, 2012, he states:

“Social kissing might have evolved as a way for people to inoculate themselves against
passion, as well as to demonstrate their ability to rein in or even transcend desire,” said
Daniel Akst, the author of “We Have Met the Enemy: Self-Control in an Age of Excess.” Akst views social kissing as a form of “regulated infidelity” meant to stymie courtship.

Clearly, personal boundaries have been violated due to “regulated infidelity.” Many people have imposed their form of greeting onto other people and by doing so used it to satisfy their own fleshly appetites for lust or skin-to-skin contact. Churches do it all the time.

Today, many churches encourage hugging or kissing as a form of welcome or greeting to newcomers or even old timers. It is a practice that has been enforced and re-enforced over and over again so that if my wife goes to a church and she, as a woman, choose not to hug a brother in the Lord, then she is branded as “not having any Christian love or no Aloha.” In a church that encourages lots of hugging  and kissing between church members, one who withdraws from this form of greeting is almost ostracized. One brother in a church said to my wife, “well, in this church, if you don’t like to hug, we are going to have a problem.” At another church, the pastor called out my wife and said to her “in this church, we hug and kiss to greet each other. And that is why we have so many kids. You need to learn our cultural practice and we will teach you how.” This is after my wife had refused to greet him with a hug. What he was really saying to her was that “if you want to come to my church, you have to  let me hug your body. Translation:  Be a piece of meat for me.   And if not, don’t come to my church.”  It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure that out.

My wife used to think it was okay to hug both men and women in church and that it was the “Christian thing” to do. She, too, bought the lie. However, she no longer believe that. She no longer hug or allow men to hug her in churches. I don’t care if he is the senior pastor. The word is the ultimate final word, not the pastor. Many men go to church nowadays because they know that this is the one place that they can legally hug a sister in the church and that he can get a moment of satisfaction just to be touching a woman’s body, chest to chest. After all, the pastor is not only endorsing it but encouraging it. So why not? What the church has become is a “meat market” for wolves in sheep’s clothing, and sometimes, that wolf is the pastor himself.

Sisters, wake up and smell the coffee. You do not have to be public property. You don’t have to submit and yield to the hugs. You are not a piece of meat. Rise up and separate yourselves from darkness. This is darkness.  It does not matter if the man is a pastor, president or pope, when men approach to hug you and you don’t want to be hugged, just simply say “no, thank you." If he insist on hugging you after that, it is called “sexual harassment.” I have had a pastor who imposed a full frontal hug on my wife. He pretty much just helped himself. And after the hug, he says to her “sister, you don’t know how much you blessed me today.” Translation here: “sister, you don’t know how long I have been waiting to rub my chest against big breasts because my wife is flat-chested.”

I shared with a sister regarding hugging in churches and how I am against it and her response to me was that she used to be uncomfortable with the idea, but she has learned to be comfortable with it.  Translation: “At one time, I did not want men to hug me, but I have learned to compromise my values so that the church will accept me and let me come back.” What this sister has done is yield to  unrighteousness for the sake of acceptance. And there are many “sisters in Christ” who are doing the very same thing.

“GENERALLY, YOU CAN intuitively sense whether an individual is protective of their
personal space. Typically, if a person doesn’t want to be hugged or kissed, then a hand will probably come up for a handshake. “ (Wu)

“Everyone’s going to do what’s right for them. Some people can accept the custom, and
some can’t.” And some people like to play it safe by sticking with the handshake. (Wu)

So why do some men still insist on hugging the women in churches?
Answer: Because they have an appetite for a woman’s body. Many men in churches are not as holy as one would think. Many of them are living in the flesh. And what is the flesh all about? According to 1 John 2:16, they are given over to “the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh and the pride of life.”  And many of the women in the churches are the same way as well, in the flesh. They want to be hugged and grabbed by the men. They want to be treated like a piece of meat.

No one in this world, no matter what position he holds, has the right to insist that others adopt his way of greeting, especially if his form of greeting is violating one’s personal space. Hugging and kissing between people who are not married to each other forms negative soul ties. And these negative soul ties turn into a stronghold. This is how addictions are formed. We cannot get enough of  it. It feels good to the body. It appeals to the sense of touch. When we are tempted by our own evil  desires (to hug or be hugged by a person of the opposite sex) and are drawn away (from God), we are then enticed by the devil. And when we can conceive it in our minds, we live it out in sin. When sin is fully grown, it gives birth to death (beginning with spiritual death). (James 1: 13-15) And this is exactly what the devil wants God’s people to do. Do not be deceived. Be wise as a serpent and harmless as a dove. (Matthew 10:16)

If you cannot go without hugs, then get married and then hug your wife or husband all day long. It is better to hug your spouse than to burn with passion.

Work cited
Wu, N., “In Hawaii, Greeting Vary by Situation” Honolulu Star Advertiser Newspaper,
Honolulu, Hawaii, August 7, 2012.

Public display of affection (PDA) in Iran
Iranian law forbids women to be seen in public with men who are not family members. However not all Iranians comply, and many meet their significant others in public parks. Now police have decided to put an end to the growing phenomenon and forbid couples to hold hands in public.

Ruzbahani said married couples were also called upon to "act modestly" in public.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3462586,00.html

PDA In Egypt
Public display of affection are very taboo and you will get the attention of the police if you do it. They are always  looking for ways to protect a woman's honor.
http://www.expatexchange.com/expat/index.cfm?frmid=203&tpcid=3340116

PDA in Ancient middle east
Public displays of affection between people of the opposite gender, including between married people, are frowned upon everywhere more conservative values hold sway. Public displays of affection include activities as minor as hand-holding.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etiquette_in_the_Middle_East

PDA in USA high schools and middle schools
“It is banned in many high schools and middle schools in USA in order to teach social standards that the school's administration finds acceptable. This rule may also serve to protect the school from being implicated in sexual harassment lawsuits among students.”
http://psychology.wikia.com/wiki/Public_display_of_affection

PDA in Farrington High School, Honolulu, HI
Principal Al Carganilla, believes public displays of affection do not have “… a place (on) the campus. Parents wouldn’t approve of inappropriate behavior.” When he sees PDAs around the campus, he tells the participating students to stop.

David Antenocruz, head of security, said that there are consequences to those who do not follow a warning. What many may not know is that an act of public displays of affection is a class D offense in Hawaii’s Chapter 19 booklet. If people ignore a warning from an adult, they could be required to go through “counseling, detention, suspension,” according to Antenocruz.

PDA is not a new concern. 2002 graduate Maria Aparra Nasserghandi, comments, “You can’t put a leash on 1000 students. They can set rules or regulations in planners; however, other than that they can’t push them any further.” She believes that if a couple goes too far, “… they should be suspended.”

Other than Hawaii, schools worldwide have different views on students showing affection. According to an article from Time Magazine’s website, Megan Coulter, for example, an eighth grader at Mascoutah Middle School, in Mascoutah, Ill., received two after-school detentions for hugging her two friends, one boy and one girl. Her school had placed a ban on any public displays of affection, and she violated it.

In another case, the ‘Student/Parent Handbook’ at Glencoe High School, in Hillsboro, Ore. states, “School is not the place for long embraces or kisses. Respect each other and act appropriately.”

Effectual Prayers

Date: January 18, 2013
To:  The Body of Christ
From:  Aldwin and Wendy Naruse
Subject:  Daily devotional journal
RE:  Effectual Prayer

Effectual Prayers

James 5:13-16

King James Version (KJV)
13 Is any among you afflicted (to cause pain or distress to, undergo hardship, suffer trouble, endure hardness, tormented, suffer adversity, to be evil entreated, suffering due to the pressure of circumstances, or the antagonism of persons, pressed)?

let him pray (to ask earnestly for something, make request, beseech, entreat, commune, invocate, petition, solicit,  beg,  plead)

commentary:
Those who are physically sick or spiritually sick need to pray to our Father God in heaven, the creator of heaven and earth for He is the great physician and has all the answers to our problems.  God is a jealous God and desires fellowship from us.  He desires that we go to Him about everything because He desires that we commune with Him.  Even though He knows all our needs and our problems, He still wants us to acknowledge that we need Him and is one hundred percent dependent on Him, to develop that co-dependency with the Lord.  We need to have this attitude of dependence on Him.  When adversity strikes, we are reminded of the importance of needing God and depending on Him for all our needs.

Job in the beginning did not have that intimate relationship with God, he was blinded.  God allowed satan to afflict him and he came to realized that God is God and he repented.    

Job 42:5-6

New King James Version (NKJV)

5 “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear,

But now my eye sees You.

6 Therefore I abhor myself,

And repent in dust and ashes.”

Job now knows that he is nothing apart from God.  His eyes has now opened and He can see God and hear God.  He now knows that he is totally dependent on God for his life.  He now knows that he needs God every moment of every day.  

When a person walks away from God or thinks that he does not need God, he is spiritually sick.  He will be easily tempted by the devil and will be used by the devil.  Because he has taken himself from the lordship of Jesus Christ, by default, he places himself under the devil’s domain.  He is now in partnership with the devil.   When he is tempted by his own evil desires, he will not have the power to resist  those temptations because he is not connected to God.  He has become the devil’s puppet.   

Either we are under the divine lordship of Jesus Christ or we are under satan’s control.  There is no middle ground.  If a person is not with God, he is with the devil.  There is no neutral ground.  

Jesus said in Matthew 12:30,
He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad.

So either a person is with God or he is not with God.  And if he is not with God, he is, by default, with the devil.

Unless he returns to God fully, he will stay sick and never be healed.  He must repent of his sins and ask God for forgiveness so that his fellowship with God is restored.                      

Jesus Christ is our all in all.  He alone is able to meet all our needs.  We must bring our needs and problems to Him.  WE must acknowledge his lordship in our lives.  We must continue to build our relationship with Jesus Christ.  We must go to God for everything.  Nothing is too big or too small for Him.  

Is any merry (cheerful, lively, well)?
let him sing psalms (shout, song of praise, celebration, hymn, worship with music, make melody).

Those who have a joyful heart ought to sing to the Lord for He inhabits in the praises of His people.  God desires that we sing praises to Him and worship Him in songs.  He desires that we just sit at His feet and give Him undivided devotion and attention.  Our God in heaven is the only one worthy of all praise.  He is the only one who deserves all our worship.  He is our creator, the alpha and omega, the beginning and the end.   

14 Is any sick (frail, ill, faint, weary, weak)  among you? let him call for the elders (matriarch, superior, senior, forebearer, advance in life, seniority of age, of rank, a position of responsibility, exercise spiritual care and oversight of church, maturity of spiritual experience, overseer) of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing (blessing, dedication, devotion, exaltation, making holy)  him with oil in the name of the Lord:

There are many in the churches who are sick, not just physically sick but spiritually sick.  Believers are spiritually sick when they are living in sin.  When a person is living in sin, he is separated from God.  Therefore, he is connected to the devil.  Nothing good comes from the devil for he is a thief who comes to steal, kill and destroy. But Jesus came to give life and life more abundantly.   (John 10:10)  So a person without Jesus is spiritually sick.  A person who does not have a relationship with Jesus is spiritually sick, though he may go to church every Sunday.   

Here, in this verse, it is saying to the sick to have someone who is mature in the spirit to pray over them.  Those who are young in the faith ought not to pray over others, but those who are not only spiritually mature but has clean hands and a pure heart.  Only then is he qualify to pray for others.   If he is in sin and in darkness, he is not to pray for others because his prayers will be cursed and he will spiritually contaminate those whom he lays hands on to pray.  To anoint someone is to make holy.  And only those who are truly holy in the eyes of God is qualified to pray for those who are sick.

15 And the prayer of faith  ( allegiance, assurance, belief, confidence, reliance, sureness, conviction ) shall save (rescue, deliver, salvage, recover, redeem, set free, ransom, unshackle,)  the sick (frail, ill, faint, weary, weak)  , and the Lord shall raise (resurrect, rise up, stir up)  him up; and if he have committed sins ( evil, guilt, iniquity, transgression, wrongdoing, offense, disobedience, imperfection), they shall be forgiven  ( pardoned, reinstated, taken back, welcome home) him.

There is power to prayer when it is accompanied by faith.  When we pray, believing, we shall receive. (Mark 11:22-24) And these prayers will rescue those who are sick in spirit or in body.  This is where we as believers can stand in the gap for those who are weak in their faith.  We are to be like the four friends who brought the paralytic to Jesus.  It was the faith of these four men who saved their sick friend.  The sick friend could do nothing for himself.  But his four friends made it their business to get him in front of Jesus by opening the roof and letting him down to Jesus.  In the Bible, the sick friend said nothing.  Jesus saw the faith of his four friends and said to the sick man “Your sins are forgiven you.”  We as believers can rescue our sick friends when we pray in faith for them and when we stand in the gap for them.  God honors faith, for without faith, it is impossible to please God.  (Heb 11:6)

16 Confess (acknowledge, assert, affirm, admit, confide, disclose, reveal, profess ) your faults  (blame, sin, mistake, crime, error, flaw, trespasses, transgressions, wrongdoing, misconduct)  one to another, and pray (petition) one for another, that ye may be healed ( cure, recovered, make whole again) .

The Holy Spirit will lead and direct you to whom you are to make your confession to.  It may not be a priest or pastor, but it will be someone sent by the Holy Spirit who has the anointing of God because the effectual fervent prayer of the righteous man avails much.

We must confess and admit our sins and trespasses to one who we can trust.  When there is sin, healing will not take place.  But when we have confessed our sins, we have come cleaned before God and man and that is when God can make us whole again.  We can do nothing of substance for the kingdom of God unless we are whole again.  Jesus came to save and heal the sick.  He wants us to be free.  

The effectual  (authoritative, powerful ) fervent  (intense, heartfelt, sincere) prayer of a righteous (good, honest, faithful)  man availeth  (to be strong, to have power, profit) much.  

So an authoritative, powerful, intense, heartfelt prayer of a good, honest, faithful man profits much.  We cannot allow a passive will to be concluded with.  We must know by the Holy Spirit the divine will of God.  It is found through searching in the Word of God and in His Spirit by His divine knowledge to know his will.  We cannot settle for permissive, passive will.

A faithful and honest person who prays will be heard by God because he is clean and has a pure heart.   A person who is living in sin and darkness  will not be heard by God.  

1 John 5:14-15

14 Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15 And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.

When we ask for things according to God’s will, He hears us because we are asking for the things that He desires for us to have.

Prayers resulting from true faith, mature faith, persistent faith avails much.   
Without the anointing of God, the prayer becomes religious.  It becomes just words.  But those whom God chooses are given this power and  authority. (Matt 10:1) Jesus gave the disciples power and authority to cast out demons and heal the sick.  

Elijah knew God’s word and God’s will and persistently prayed  in faith according to God’s revealed purpose.  The prayer of faith by the Holy Spirit  discerns God’s will and persevere until it is accomplished.  

So we do our part by exercising our faith and God will get the results.  The prayer of faith, the gift of healing and extraordinary supernatural strength are the evidence of having the anointing from God.  Without it, we are just acting as religious hypocrites, full of head knowledge but have no real power and authority..  Having a super charismatic personality may not be of faith, but just an external show, putting on a performance.  .  

Faith is knowing the will of God and persisting in His will.  Healing power of God is evident by preserving health, devising good nutritional habits, having a healthy lifestyle, forgiveness of disease-causing sins and by the prayer of faith.  This gift of faith given by the Holy Spirit is the ability to operate in the supernatural realm and to supersede and override the natural.  Related to the gift of faith is the gift of healing and the gift of miracles.

If anyone is sick spiritually, mentally or physically, according to James, he should call the elders of the church and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord and then the prayer of faith from the intercessor will heal the sick.

17 Elijah  was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly  ( serious in intention, purpose, or effort; sincerely zealous)  that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.

The intercessor should be like Elijah.  He should have the markings characterize by being a , good, faithful, honest person who is serious in intention and is purposeful and sincerely zealous.   He is one who is a seeker of God because he is earnest and determined.  He does not carry or exhibit any outward religiosity such as a white collar or a title in the church but simply a man or woman of God and not of the church or religious denomination, operating under the divine Lordship of Jesus Christ only.  

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

The man of God must be consistent just as Elijah.  This person must pray consistently.  By being determined to receive what He has so earnestly prayed for, the holy intercessor will have his prayers answered, just like Elijah.  He shall see the fruits of his labor, his labor in prayer.  He shall see the miracles of God because he himself has done his part and when God sees a man or woman faithful in his or her calling, God will reward him or her by answering their prayer in the affirmative.  God will not be indebted to any man.  God is true to His word and He is faithful.  When we do our part, as night follows day, God will do His part.    Therefore, we must never grow weary of praying or doing good, for in due time, we will reap good fruits if we do not give up.  

If we do not exercise our faith, like Elijah did, our faith becomes merely words of paper.  Exercising of our faith is like a muscle that must be strengthen on a regular basis.  Otherwise, the faith becomes weak and sick, with no substance at all and the devil has won.  This is why churches today has no power and authority.   The church has become weak and sick and mediocre.   We cannot take the backseat and accept par value but continue to take the high ground and impose the kingdom of God over all circumstances.  Remember God created man in His image and likeness  to have power and dominion over all the earth.  (Genesis  

Genesis 1:28
Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”


I cannot phantom to believe that a person’s faith is so shallow like Thomas. “ So now, you have faith because you see the holes in my hands.”  This permissive and passive will is so lukewarm.  

Revelation 3:15-16,
15 “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. 16 So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.

Faith that is not tested cannot be trusted.  We are to continue the fight of faith until the end.  It is by our faith that we stand before the Lord at the final judgement.  I must continue to demonstrate my faith before God and man so that I am proven and tested to be part of the fellowship of believers..  I cannot take any passive or lukewarm position.  I must be aggressive to take the high ground.  I must never settle for any passive or permissive position.  I am called in ministry to demonstrate the Christ residing in me, from grace and mercy to glory to glory.  It is the Christ and no religious denomination who gets me in heaven.  It is by faith and faith alone in Christ Jesus.