James 5:16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

The Greek word for fervent is zeo. It is the root for zealous, it means heat. The Greek word zeo is not found in James 5:16. Rather the Greek word energeo is translated effectual fervent. The reason it is translated this way is not apparent unless you translate the most commonly used word for energeo which is work.

The work prayer of a righteous man avails much doesn’t carry forward the idea set in place by the previous sentence, that being the power to heal. This is one of those cases where a word for word replacement text cannot carry the contextual understanding of the experience.

Neither can the idea of effectual fervent prayer carry the contextual understanding without the insinuation of the power to heal. We cannot heal, the power to heal resides in God manifested in us thru the Holy Spirit. Neither can we be effectually fervent in prayer without that same Holy Spirit.

Think of it in this way, the power to heal is released by the prayer only if the two are connected much in the same way that the hammer on a pistol is released only if the trigger is pulled. I can tell myself that I pulled the trigger but I am neither the trigger nor the hammer.

I would like to think that the people in those times had an experience which allowed them to make this connection without further explanation. Now, here we are two thousand years removed from the events trying to replicate the experience without those transitional thoughts.

Romans 12:10-12 Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another; Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord; Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;

Fervent in spirit; instant in prayer; make the connection.

2 Corinthians 9:8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:

Prevenient grace is God’s divine intervention in our lives before we make a decision to accept Jesus Christ.

Justifying grace is God’s declaration of our right standing before Him not because of what we have done, but by our faith in Christ.

Sanctifying grace places us in a protective state, separated from the effects and influences of sin.

Which kind of grace is work grace?

Ephesians 3:7 Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power.

We never hear about work grace do we? It is however obvious from these passages that grace has an important part in supply and demand. I say this because of it being linked to all sufficiency for good works in the first verse quoted here.

The specific grace is tied to your personal ministry in the second scripture quoted here. It is imparted via the gifts granted to serve and the impetus is the power of the Holy Spirit. The equivalent thought would be to see these as two types of energy, potential (at rest) and kinetic (in motion).

Another expression could be spiritual in context and application. That would be grace imputed (at rest) and grace imparted (in motion). This grace in us has already done its work in us and remains at rest until it is released, imparted, to be effectual in the lives of others.

That transfer of energy will accomplish whatever type of grace for which the recipient of the grace needs in accordance with God’s will. Grace is what grace does and is not limited in power according to our labels and understanding.