But we need to have accountability in our lives. Now, I know the Bible says that we're to confess our sins to God, and I'm not saying you should confess your sins to someone as if they could forgive them, because we need to go directly to God. And there's times when all of us need to confess our faults. I've spent hours and hours with this man. I'll also ask him about the tenses of the Greek, and he helps me in my biblical studies a lot. When there's something from the Scriptures that I can't figure out, I'll go to him and ask him what the Greek has to say about it. He's a Greek scholar and reads directly from the Greek. He's an older gentleman, and we've spent a lot of time together. The Bible talks about confessing our faults one to another. I think that because we've emphasized the priesthood of the believer, going directly to God and not to one another, we've lost some things. You know, there's something in the body of Christ that is missing. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." This is one example in Scripture of the power of godly relationships. The Bible says in JamesĀ 5:16, "Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed.
Each ligament, each part of the body has its own gifting, its own talents, its own way of giving strength and knowledge. And as part of one another, we draw strength from one another. It has hands, eyes, ears, and other different parts. We also have to realize that the Scripture describes the body of Christ as a physical body. If I were having a problem with my marriage, I would want to go to a man who was godly, who has obtained godly wisdom over the years. If you would also consider the word "elder," it is used many times in Scripture, and it is used to describe someone who is older, someone who is mature, someone who has walked the life of Christ, and who has been successful in his family and in his marriage. They're encouraged by the power of godly relationships as they walk together. They're encouraged to pray together and to encourage one another daily. For instance, the word "church" is the Greek word ekklesia, and it means "a called out group." As you look in the Word of God, you'll see that the church, or the people of God, are encouraged to meet together. When you think about it, the entire Bible talks about this subject. Today we're talking about the power of godly relationships.