September 28, 2014 · James 5:14

Oil on the Beard

Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord.

“I grew up in a pretty Baptist church, where we take the Bible quite literally. There's a couple places where we don't quite do things. I didn't see the oil thing happen too often — or this wasn't talked about. I hope it happened. I just want to let you know — if you're sick, and you would like the elders to pray for you — we will do that. … And we have done it. So — something about oil, when you pray — this is the special way of making a physical sign of the power of the Holy Spirit. So — that's magic oil. You got the wrong oil. No. It's — it's a symbol of the faith of the believers — that God can heal this. … But I promise you that if you don't try, you don't know. There's something about praying for healing that's important. So this is part of the oil. It's the spirituality of oil in the Christian's life.”