Those Suffering Don’t Call For The Elders

“Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand."

"Do not grumble against one another, brethren, lest you be condemned. Behold, the Judge is standing at the door! My brethren, take the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering and patience. Indeed we count them blesses who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord---that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful. But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath. But let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No,' lest you fall into judgement."

"Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms. Is anyone among you sick? 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. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven." (James 5:7-15)

Those who suffer according to the will of the God don't call for the elders of the church; they ARE the elders of the church. They are those who pray for the sick, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord that they may understand and turn/return to the way of righteousness.

"For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning. For it would have been better for them not to know the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them." (2 Peter 2:20,21) 

The elders understand and wait patiently for the precious fruit of righteousness to be found by, and in, them. 

Upholding Your Sovereignty Even As God's Sovereignty Manifests

"And it came to pass, at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near and said, 'Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and I am Your servant, and that I have done all these things at Your word. Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that You are the Lord God, and that You have turned their hearts back to You again.' Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood and the stones and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench. Now when all the peoples saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, 'The Lord, He is God! The Lord, He is God!"

(1 Kings 18:36-39)

"And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, also how he had executed all the prophets (of Baal) with the sword. Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, 'So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow at this time.' 
(1 Kings 19:1,2)

"We therefore ought to receive such, that we may become fellow workers for the truth. I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to have the preeminence among them, does not receive us. Therefore, if I come, I will call to mind his deeds which he does, prating against us with malicious words. And not content with that, he himself does not receive the brethren, and forbids those who wish to, putting them out of the church. Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. He who does good is of God, but he who does evil has not seen God." (3 John v8-11)

"Brethren, JOIN IN FOLLOWING my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern. For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross of Christ: whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame---who set their mind in earthly things." 
(Philippians 3:17-19)

Both Jezebel and Diotrephes joined with Satan to retain their sovereignty even as God's sovereignty was manifesting. Jezebel died violently; not sure about Diotrephes but, when you are dismissing John the apostle, you are heading the wrong way. "Join in following", Paul teaches, not resisting. Allow God's Spirit to minister to you as He manifests.

Receive the Witnesses as They Come

"This will be the third time I am coming to you. 'By the mouth of two or three WITNESSES every word shall be established.' " (2 Corinthians 13:1) 

The center-column notes in NKJV lists two references in the book of Deuteronomy that shed light upon the significance of this portion of Scripture.

"Whoever is deserving of death shall be put to death on the testimony of two or three witnesses; he shall not be put to death on the testimony of one witness." (Deuteronomy 17:6)

"One witness shall not rise against a man concerning any iniquity or any sin that he commits; by the mouth of two or three witnesses the matter shall be established." (Deuteronomy 19:15)

"I have told you before, and foretell as if I were present the second time, and now being absent I write to those who have sinned before, and to all the rest, that if I come I will not spare---since you seek a proof of Christ speaking in me, who is not weak toward you, but mighty in you. For though He was crucified in weakness, yet He lives by the power of God. For we also are weak in Him, but we shall live with Him by the power of God toward you. Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?---unless indeed you are disqualified. But I trust that you will know that we are not disqualified." (2 Corinthians 13:2-6)

These witnesses come to reveal God's will in Christ Jesus; to establish us with and in Him; to make us complete in Him. Moses writes that one witness of a man's sin shall not rise against him, BUT THREE WILL! Disqualification comes when a man is overwhelmed by dedication to his own way rather than the Way. In this he resists what completes and qualifies.

"If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin which does not lead to death, he will ask, and He will give him life for those who commit sin not leading to death. There is sin LEADING TO DEATH. I do not say that he should pray about that."(1 John 5:16) A bad place to be when God allows no prayer for someone.

"And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life. Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen." (1 John 5:20,21)

Each witness brings understanding by which we come to know God through His Son!

Justified Freely and By Works

"But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, THROUGH FAITH in Jesus Christ, to all and on all WHO BELIEVE. For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being JUSTIFIED FREELY by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God sent forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus." (Romans 3:21-26)

Propitiation (v.25) is noted (NKJV) as mercy seat. "In His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed"; that includes each of ours. A place of mercy for each one, "to all and on all who believe", the beginning of the demonstration of His righteousness on each life.

"What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, 'Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,' but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? THUS ALSO faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, 'You have faith, and I have works.' Show me your faith without your works, and I WILL SHOW YOU MY FAITH BY MY WORKS. You believe there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe---and tremble! But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father JUSTIFIED BY WORKS when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? Do you see that faith was working together with his works, AND BY WORKS FAITH WAS MADE PERFECT? And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, 'Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.' And he was called the friend of God. You see then that a man is JUSTIFIED BY WORKS, AND NOT BY FAITH ONLY.' (James 2:14-24)

So the believer is justified freely by God's mercy through the blood of Christ. The only work in that is asking God to birth you again, beginning again in the name of Jesus. But once you have been justified freely, you begin to learn how to be justified by the works of faith in Christ. The righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, which the world NEEDS to see must be witnessed to them by us. Not by the works of the Law, nor by our own way, but by the working of faith in His name.

"Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith." (Romans 3:27) We have no boast in this, but joy in Him!