American Christianity

by Frederick Hoehn, copyright 2013, all rights reserved.  

Chapter 1

I grew up in church.  I was part of the church orchestra, and church choir, and church youth activities.  

My Sunday School teacher, Amanda Rediger, taught me good things from the Bible, and my God-fearing Mother, of course.  

My Mother, when she was a girl, attended Sunday School.  The Lady who was her Sunday School teacher got a little aggressive with her one time and insisted that she pray a sinner's prayer and become a Christian, which my Mother did.  

(Jesus did say, "Compel them to come in."  Luke 14:23)

Later, when my Mother got alone, the Lord spoke to her.  The Lord said, "Well, you weren't very enthusiastic today about becoming a Christian, were you?"

My Mother answered the Lord, "No, I wanted to have some fun."  

My Mother was a younger sister.  She had older brothers and sisters, and had been looking forward to the time when she would be old enough to do like them, and go dancing.  

The Lord asked her, "Do you want to be lost?"

She answered, "No, I don't want to be lost."  That was close to a century ago.  She went to be with Jesus in heaven most of a decade ago.  

As a youth in church, I looked around and had the thought, "These people at church are nice people, but it seems like there's more to Christianity than what they have here."

I was right.  There's more to Christianity.  I found some good teachers.  Of all the Evangelists, and Pastors, and Preachers, and Teachers, the best teacher I've found is Kenneth E. Hagin.  

He passed on in about 2003, but he wrote close to a hundred books, most of which were best sellers, meaning they sold more than a million copies each.  

I've seen his books in Christian book stores.  Find out where the "Charismatic" section of books is at the book store.  Or, you can go to www.Rhema.org.  When you get to their home page, then go to "bookstore."  

They also have CD's and DVD's.  

Hagin would not have gotten around to writing all those books had he not received a miraculous healing as a teenager.  

He was born with an "incurable" heart disease.  Five doctors told him he would die before reaching the age of 21.  

But those doctors forgot about Jesus.  He died at about age 86.  

The teenage Hagin said, "Well, if medical science can't do anything for me, maybe I could get God to heal me."  

He started reading in the Bible with the first book of the New Testament, the book of Matthew.  

After Matthew, the book of Mark.  He got up to Mark chapter 11, and found verse 24:
"Therefore I say to you, whatever things you desire, when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you shall have them."

So that's what Hagin did.  He asked the Lord to heal him, and believed for his healing.  

It didn't happen overnight.  It took sixteen months.  But the Lord miraculously healed him of a defective heart.  

Then the Lord told Hagin, "Now go teach my people faith."  So Hagin taught faith for about seventy years.  Notice that the calling of being a Teacher on Hagin was from the Lord.  

There's a calling on me from the Lord.  I'm called to be a Priest, and as a Priest, I'm also a Teacher, and the Lord has ordained me to preach.   

Kenneth E. Hagin also walked in the office of a Prophet.  

I've also learned from another teacher, Dr. Norvel Hayes. (www.nhm.cc)  His headquarters is in Cleveland, TN.  Hayes said the Lord told him, "Now these are the most important words that ever came out of my mouth."  

(Some of the words in the Bible are more important than other words in the Bible.)

The words Jesus was talking about are the words in Mark 16:17,18.  
 17 And these signs shall follow those who believe, in my name they'll cast out devils, they'll speak with new languages,
 18 They shall pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly thing, it won't hurt them.  They shall lay hands on the sick, and they'll recover.

We pick up serpents the same way the Apostle Paul did, unintentionally, after the shipwreck in the book of Acts.  

The same with drinking a deadly thing.  Jesus quoted the scripture, "You shall not tempt the Lord your God," when Jesus was tempted by Satan.    

That leaves three other things that should be a regular part of the lives of Christians, and a regular part of church services at Christian churches:  Casting out Demons, Speaking in Unknown Tongues, Laying on of Hands for sick people's healing.  

Are you a Christian?  How many churches do you know of that have these three things happening on a regular basis?  

The very first sign following is the casting out of demons from people.  But I couldn't provide a list of churches that are doing that.  There was one church in Northwestern Indiana, in Highland, IN, the Hegewisch Baptist Church, on Cottage Grove Ave.  

I was present at meetings there when they were casting out demons under pastor Win Worley.  Now that he has passed on, I don't know how much of that they're still doing.  You might check it out if you're near there.    

But the casting out of demons should be pretty much a normal thing in Christian churches.  

I don't think Dr. Charles Stanley casts out demons because I know that he teaches against the Baptism with the Holy Ghost with the speaking in unknown tongues.  

He said that's been done away with.  But if it's been done away with, how did I get it at age 13 or 14?  No, it hasn't been done away with, and he's teaching false doctrine about that.  

I think it's fair to say that Charles Stanley is not Pentecostal, not full-gospel.

The speaking in unknown tongues comes when you get the Baptism with the Holy Ghost, available from the Lord Jesus.  It's an unknown tongue (language) because the person speaking doesn't understand what he is saying.  

The Holy Ghost (or, Holy Spirit) provides the words, and then the Christian speaks out those words, after the person has received the Baptism with the Holy Ghost.  Ask Jesus for it.  

There is a mistake people sometimes make.  Sometimes people get the idea that once you've received the Baptism with the Holy Ghost and have spoken in unknown tongues, that's all there is to it.  

Now you can check that off on the list of things to be accomplished.  

No, after receiving the Baptism with the Holy Ghost, we're supposed to pray in unknown tongues every day.  The Lord didn't give that to you to put into a dark closet somewhere.    

Romans 8:26 says, "Likewise the Spirit also helps our weaknesses, for we don't know what we should pray for as we ought to, but the Spirit itself makes intercession for us with groanings that can't be uttered in articulate speech."  

In other words, you can pray for things you didn't know how to pray for in your natural language, by praying in the unknown tongue.  You can pray more effectively.  

In Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, John the Baptist says that Jesus is the Baptizer with the Holy Ghost, and the Bible teaches that Jesus wants every Christian to have the Baptism with the Holy Ghost.  

Ask Jesus for the Baptism with the Holy Ghost, and when you pray, believe you receive the things you ask for. (Mark 11:24)  

God doesn't take control of your mouth and tongue.  The Holy Spirit gives you words, and then you add your voice and speak those words out.  

The Lord will punish those who teach against the Baptism with the Holy Ghost for their false teaching.  And they might be found guilty, on Judgment Day, of helping to send some people to hell.  (Blood on their hands, as per Ezek 3:18)    

John Osteen was a Baptist Preacher and Pastor who didn't have the Baptism with the Holy Ghost with speaking in unknown tongues.

But as he studied the Bible, he came to the conclusion, "Well, what's wrong with it?  It's scriptural."  So John Osteen got the Baptism with the Holy Ghost with the speaking in unknown tongues.  

As he began to share about it with some of the people of his church, the church kicked him out.  

But some of the people of the church followed John Osteen, and they started Lakewood Church in Houston, TX.  Last I heard, they had thirty thousand members.  

But Osteen's previous church, that didn't want what God wanted them to have, will be judged for their disobedience to God.  

Christians should be laying their hands on sick people for their healing.  When you do, say a simple prayer, asking the Lord for the needed healing.  When you pray, believe that you receive what you're asking for. (Mark 11:24)  

Chapter 2

Sometimes, of course, an affliction could be more than just a virus or some bug.  It could be demonic, in which case, cast out the demon.  Ask the Lord for his guidance.  Believe you receive. (Mark 11:24)

The Lord will work with you as per Mark 16:20.  

We Christians have authority to cast out demons from Jesus in Luke 10:19, "See, I give you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall in any way hurt you."  

We learn from Ephesians chapter six that our main enemy is the Devil and his demons, and the four categories of demons are listed there.   

Mark 16:17,18 also tells us we should be casting our demons.  

It's not just pastors that should cast out demons.  It says "believers," and that means just common Christians.  It would help, though, if you've been reading your Bible and praying.  

1 Thes 5:17 says, "Pray without stopping."

Of course we have to eat.  But then go back to praying.  We have to work.  But pray on the job.  

We have to sleep, but then go back to praying, and worshiping.

The Lord told Kenneth E. Hagin, "People who are praying for me to do something about the devil are wasting their time.  I gave you (the Christians) authority over the demons, and if you don't use it, the job won't get done."

If we don't do it, the job won't get done.  And the demonized people won't be set free.  And more people will wind up in hell than necessary because we didn't do what the Lord wanted us to do.  

But there is a kind of demon, Jesus said, that doesn't come out except by prayer and fasting.  

On the subject of worshiping, the Lord said to Norvel Hayes, "My people don't worship me enough, and you don't either, son.  You tell the people that if they'll spend time worshiping me, they can have anything they want."  

Anything you want.  Does that interest you?

Judgment Day will come, at which time I hope to hear from the Lord, "Well done, you good and faithful servant," and not be ashamed and tearful about all the things I should have done and didn't do.  How about you, friend?  

Martin Luther started out as a Catholic Priest, and studied the Bible for himself, as all Christians should do.  

If you'll study the Bible for yourself, then if someone gets up and starts teaching false doctrine, you can say, "My Bible doesn't say that."  

The Bible says, "Go from the presence of a foolish man, when you perceive that the lips of knowledge aren't in him." (Prov 14:7)

As Luther studied the Bible, he found ninety five things where Bible doctrine was different from the teachings of the Catholic Church.

So Luther left the Catholics, and now we have the Lutheran Church.  

I wasn't there in the early days, of course.  That was long before my time.

But I kind of think they've cooled off quite a bit.  I'm pretty sure your average Lutheran doesn't have the signs following of Mark 16:17,18.  

There were some meetings about a century ago, referred to as the Azusa Street meetings (in Los Angeles, CA).  

I believe I've heard that the Assembly of God denomination grew out of those Azusa Street meetings.  But I think the AOG has cooled off a lot, and I should know something about it, since I grew up in an Assembly of God church.  

Another denomination that formed in about the 1920's is the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel.  But I think Foursquare has cooled off a lot.  

They used to have miraculous healings under their founder, Aimee Semple McPherson.  I've been to their Angelus Temple church in Los Angeles and seen one or more glass display cases of braces and crutches and things no longer needed by the person that got their healing at a Foursquare Church.  

I owe a debt of gratitude to the AOG for good fundamental Bible teaching.  But, sad to say, I've never seen a demon cast out at an AOG church.  

If you ask them whether they believe in casting out demons, I'm sure they would say they believe in it.  But what about James 2:20, "Faith without works is dead"? 

It is written, "Show me your faith without your works, and I'll show you my faith by my works." (Jas 2:18)

So what good is it if you believe in casting out demons, but that's never done at your church?
 
In Revelation chapter 3, verses
 14 And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, These things says the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God,
 15 I know your works, that you're neither cold nor hot, I'd rather you were cold or hot.
 16 So then because you're lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of my mouth.
 17 Because you say, I'm rich, and increased with goods, and don't need anything, and don't know that you're wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked,
 18 I advise you to buy from me gold tested in the fire, so you'll be rich, and white clothing, so you'll be clothed, and so that the shame of your nakedness won't be seen, and anoint your eyes with eye salve, so you'll see.
 19 As many as I love, I scold and spank, be zealous therefore, and repent.

The Lord finds fault with the church at Laodicea for being lukewarm.  Being lukewarm, they no doubt had few of the signs following of Mark 16:17,18.  Jesus says, "I'll vomit you out of my mouth."

Oh God in heaven, please help us not to be among those who are vomited out, in Jesus' name, Amen.  

Chapter 3

Much of what I've learned came from good teachers.  

I met a young man in Los Angeles.  He lived in the same building I lived in.  We had played a few games of chess.  He was a professing Christian.  

I tried to give him a little book that I knew had some good teaching.  He said, "No, I get everything from the Bible."  

Well, I'm very much in favor of studying the Bible.  But had he never read in Ephesians chapter 4
 11 And he gave some, apostles, and some, prophets, and some, evangelists, and some, pastors and teachers,
 12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the building up of the body of Christ,
 13 Until we all come to be united in the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,
 14 So that from now on, we won't anymore be children, tossed back and forth, and carried around by every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, by which they wait in ambush to deceive,
 15 But speaking the truth in love, will grow up into him in all things, who is the head, who is Christ,

One of the offices God has created in the Church is Teachers.  If God thought it was important to put teachers in the church, then I'm sure it's important to listen to good teachers.  

Of course, there might be some teachers that ought not to be listened to because of false doctrine.  Don't listen to Charles Stanley on the subject of the Baptism with the Holy Ghost.  

But here's how to recognize the good teachers from the bad.  Jesus said, "Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks." (Matt 12:34)  

What is in that teacher's heart will come out of his mouth.  If you study the Bible for yourself, you will see if that teacher consistently puts out good doctrine, or if he sometimes gets off into false doctrine.  

If he sometimes teaches false doctrine, that's a teacher you don't need.  

Also, ask the Lord for his guidance.  When you pray, believe you receive. (Mark 11:24)  

Romans chapter 8,
 13 For if you live after the flesh, you'll die, but if, through the Spirit, you kill the deeds of the body, you'll live.
 14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

God wants us to be led by the Spirit of God.  

It's one of the benefits of being a Christian.  

But that will work better for you if you've received the Baptism with the Holy Ghost with the speaking in unknown tongues.  

And you'll be better at casting out demons if you've received the Baptism with the Holy Ghost with the speaking in unknown tongues.  

There is very important teaching concerning right confession for Christians.  And you can speak things into existence. (see Mark 11:23)

I recommend, "God's Creative Power Will Work for You," by Charles Capps.  It's a little book that was priced at about $2.00, but I believe it's worth $25.00 or more.  

I've seen it at Christian book stores, or go to www.CharlesCapps.com

Back in the Old Testament book of Numbers, chapter 14, verse 21, God says, "But as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord."

If God says something's going to happen, it will happen.  No prophecy of the Bible will go unfulfilled.  

But, as I look around, it doesn't look like Numbers 14:21 has happened yet.  

What is the delay?  I think that one element holding things up is that Christians are not aware that they are supposed to have the signs following of Mark 16:17,18.

When you become a Christian, it's not just an "add-on" to what you were before.  

In 2 Corinthians 5:17, "Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature, old things have passed away, see, all things have become new."

Christianity is not an add-on, it's a new life for us from what we were before becoming Christians.  

And Christianity is not the sum total of the traditions of some local church, nor of some denomination.  

Christianity is what God says it is in his book, the Bible.  Don't look to tradition, look to the Bible.  

Don't say, "Well, that's the way my church has been doing it now for many years."  Don't say, "Well, that's the way my Grampa did it."  

Did you ever consider that maybe Grampa wasn't perfect in his theology?  

In Matt 5:48, "Therefore be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect."  

Whether Grampa was perfect or not, let's try to obey Matt 5:48 ourselves.

Let's work out our own salvation "with fear and trembling," as per Phil 2:12.  

But why with fear and trembling?  Because it's just so easy to get sloppy, to neglect praying, to neglect Bible reading, to assign the Lord a position other than first place in our lives.  

Jesus taught that if we love anything more than him, we're not worthy of him.  

That doctrine of "Once saved, always saved" is a lie.  Christians can lose their salvation and go to hell, and I've written on this before.  

You have to be faithful until death.

You have to endure to the end.  

Judgment Day will come, and then we'll see which Christians had the signs following of Mark 16:17,18, and which were lukewarm like the Laodiceans of Rev. chapter 3.  

May God help us to live in such a way that our reward will be full on Judgment Day.  

Scriptures quoted are from the Holy Bible, Hoehn Version and the New Testament, Hoehn Version, copyright 2011, both available as ebooks for the Kindle reader at Amazon.com

The Lord bless you.  Frederick Hoehn
www.FredHoehnMinistries.com

___James chapter 1
 1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes that are dispersed around, greetings.
 2 My brothers, count it all joy when you fall into various temptations,
 3 Knowing this, that the testing of your faith works patience.
 4 But let patience have its perfect work, so you'll be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.
 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God for it, who gives to all men liberally, and won't find fault, and it shall be given to him.
 6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering.  For he that wavers is like a wave of the sea driven by the wind and tossed.
 7 For let that man not think that he'll receive anything from the Lord.
 8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.
 9 Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted,
 10 But the rich, in that he is made low, because as the flower of the grass he'll pass away.
 11 For the sun has no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withers the grass, and the flower of it falls, and the grace of the fashion of it perishes, so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways.
 12 Blessed is the man that endures temptation, for after he's been tested, he'll receive the crown of life, that the Lord has promised to those who love him.
 13 Let no man say when he is tempted, "I am tempted by God," for God can't be tempted with evil, nor does he tempt any man,
 14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away by his own lust, and enticed.
 15 Then when lust has conceived, it produces sin, and sin when it's finished, produces death.
 16 Do not err, my beloved brothers.
 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, nor shadow of turning.
 18 He chose to father us with the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits of his creatures.
 19 So, my beloved brothers, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger,
 20 For the anger of man doesn't accomplish the righteousness of God.
 21 So, lay apart all filthiness and the unnecessary naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.
 22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like a man seeing his natural face in a mirror,
 24 For he sees himself, and goes his way, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.
 25 But whoever looks into the perfect law of liberty, and continues in it, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
 26 If any man among you seems to be religious, and doesn't bridle his tongue, but deceives his own heart, this man's religion is for nothing.
 27 Pure religion and undefiled before God the Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

___James chapter 2
 1 My brothers, don't have the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons.
 2 For if a man with a gold ring comes to your assembly in fancy clothes, and a poor man in dirty clothes comes in also,
 3 And you have respect to him that wears the fancy clothes, and say to him, "Sit here in a good place," and say to the poor, "Stand there, or sit here under my footstool,"
 4 Aren't you then partial in yourselves, and have become judges with evil thoughts?
 5 Listen, my beloved brothers, hasn't God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him?
 6 But you have despised the poor.  Don't rich men oppress you, and bring you before the judgment seats?
 7 Don't they blaspheme that worthy name by which you're called?
 8 If you fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, "You shall love your neighbor like yourself," you do well,
 9 But if you have respect of persons, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as sinners.
 10 For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.
 11 For he that said, "Do not commit adultery," also said, "Do not kill."  Now if you don't commit adultery, yet if you kill, you've become a breaker of the law.
 12 Speak in such a way, and do, as those who'll be judged by the law of liberty.
 13 For he shall have judgment without mercy, that has shown no mercy, and mercy rejoices against judgment.
 14 What does it profit, my brothers, though a man says he has faith, and doesn't have works?  Can faith save him?
 15 If a brother or sister needs clothes, and lacks daily food,
 16 And one of you says to them, "Depart in peace, be warmed and filled," but you don't give them the things that are needed for the body, what good is that?
 17 Even so faith, if it doesn't have works, is dead, being alone.
 18 Yes, a man could say, "You have faith, and I have works, show me your faith without your works, and I'll show you my faith by my works."
 19 You believe that there is one God, you do well, the devils also believe, and tremble.
 20 But don't you know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
 21 Wasn't Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son on the altar?
 22 Do you see how faith worked with his deeds, and by works faith was made perfect?
 23 And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness, and he was called the friend of God."
 24 You see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.
 25 Likewise also wasn't Rahab the prostitute justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way?
 26 For like the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

___James chapter 3
 1 My brothers, don't be many masters, knowing that we'll receive the greater condemnation.
 2 For in many things we offend all.  If any man doesn't offend in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body.
 3 See, we put bits in the horses' mouths, so they'll obey us, and we turn around their whole bodies.
 4 Look also at the ships, which though they're so large, and are driven by fierce winds, yet they're turned around by a very small helm, wherever the captain wants.
 5 Even so, the tongue is a little member, and boasts great things.  See how great a matter a little fire kindles!
 6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of sin, so is the tongue among our members that it makes dirty the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature, and it is set on fire by hell.
 7 For every kind of animals, and of birds, and of snakes, and of things in the sea, gets tamed, and has been tamed by mankind,
 8 But no man can tame the tongue, it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.
 9 With it we bless God, the Father, and with it we curse men, who are made after the likeness of God.
 10 Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing.  My brothers, these things ought not to be.
 11 Does a fountain send out at the same place sweet water and bitter?
 12 Can the fig tree, my brothers, produce olive berries?  Or a vine, figs?  So no fountain can yield both salt water and fresh.
 13 Who is a wise man, possessing knowledge among you?  Let him show out of a good lifestyle his works with meekness of wisdom.
 14 But if you have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, don't glory, and don't lie against the truth.
 15 This wisdom doesn't descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.
 16 For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.
 17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be reasoned with, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.
 18 And the fruit of righteousness is planted in peace by those who make peace.

___James chapter 4
 1 Where do wars and fightings among you come from?  Don't they come from your lusts that war in your members?
 2 You lust, and don't have, you kill, and desire to have, and can't obtain, you fight and war, yet you don't have, because you don't ask.
 3 You ask, and don't receive, because you ask wrongly, so you can consume it on your lusts.
 4 You adulterers and adulteresses, don't you know that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God?  Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world is an enemy of God.
 5 Do you think that the scripture says for nothing, "The spirit that lives in us lusts to envy?"
 6 But he gives more grace.  So he says, "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble."
 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God.  Resist the devil, and he'll run away from you.
 8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.  Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double minded.
 9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and cry, let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.
 10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he'll lift you up.
 11 Don't speak evil about each other, brothers.  He that speaks evil about his brother, and judges his brother, speaks evil about the law, and judges the law, but if you judge the law, you're not a doer of the law, but a judge.
 12 There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy, who are you that judges someone else?
 13 Go on now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we'll go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and make a profit,"
 14 Actually, you don't know what will happen tomorrow.  For what is your life?  It is a puff of steam, that appears for a little time, and then vanishes away.
 15 For you ought to say, "Lord willing, we'll live, and do this, or that."
 16 But now you rejoice in your boastings, all such rejoicing is evil.
 17 Therefore to him that knows to do good, and doesn't do it, to him it is sin.

___James chapter 5
 1 Go on now, you rich men, cry and howl for your miseries that shall come on you.
 2 Your riches are corrupted, and your clothes are moth eaten.
 3 Your gold and silver are rusted, and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh like fire.  You've heaped treasure together for the last days.
 4 See, the wages of the laborers who have reaped down your fields, which you've kept back by fraud, shouts, and the shouts of those who've reaped have entered into the ears of the Lord of Sabbath.
 5 You've lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton, you've nourished your hearts, like in a day of slaughter.
 6 You've condemned and killed the just, and he doesn't resist you.
 7 Be patient therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord.  See, the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, and has long patience for it, until he receives the early and latter rain.
 8 You also be patient.  Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is getting near.
 9 Don't grudge against each other, brothers, so you won't be condemned, see, the judge stands at the door.
 10 Take, my brothers, the prophets, who've spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience.
 11 See, we count them happy that endure.  You've heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord, that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.
 12 But above all things, my brothers, don't swear, not by heaven, nor by the earth, nor by any other oath, but let your yes be yes, and your no, no, so that you don't fall into condemnation.
 13 Is anyone among you afflicted?  Let him pray.  Is anyone merry?  Let him sing psalms.
 14 Is anyone sick among you?  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,
 15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up, and if he has committed sins, he'll be forgiven.
 16 Confess your faults to each other, and pray for each other so you'll be healed.  The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man is does a lot of good.
 17 Elijah was a man subject to the same kind of passions that we are, and he prayed earnestly that it wouldn't rain, and it didn't rain on the earth for three years and six months.
 18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.
 19 Brothers, if any of you strays from the truth, and someone converts him,
 20 Let him know, that he that converts the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.