Why Pray In Jesus Name?: If you abide in Me and My words abide in you, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you John 15:7. But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit 1 Corinthians 6:17. In this word the Lord shows us that a man of prayer must be one who abides in Him. To live before the Lord surely is good, but it is quite possible that you and the Lord may still be two; the Lord is the Lord, and you are you. Only when you live in the Lord can you become one with Him. Then you can say to the Lord, Lord, it is not I alone praying here, but it is You and I, I and You praying together. This is not just I praying before You, but, much more, it is I praying in You. I am one who is united with You and who has become one with You. Thus I can pray in Your name. The Bible says that we should pray in the Name of the Lord. To pray in the Name of the Lord is to pray in the Lord. You who pray in the Name of the Lord are in the Lord and are a part of Him; you and the Lord have become one. We have often used an illustration to explain the matter of praying in the Name of the Lord. Suppose I have some money deposited in the bank, and I write out a check, sign my name on it, and give it to a brother to draw the money from the bank. When he goes to withdraw the money, he represents me, not himself. When the teller releases the money, he does it not according to that brother’s name but according to my name. At that moment, that brother is I. He is acing as your agent, by your authority. The same is true when we pray in the Name of the Lord and God answers our prayer. Therefore, in order to be a man of prayer, one must be a man who lives in the Lord. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it John 14:14. ...Truly, truly, I say to you, Whatever you ask the Father in My name, He will give to you. Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you shall receive, that your joy may be made full John 16:23-24. In John chapters 14, 15, and 16, the Lord Jesus told people to pray in His Name. In these three chapters, the Lord says over and over, “Ask in My name. This is the same as His saying, “Abide in Me,” and “You in me, and I in you.” To ask in the Lord is to ask in His Name. When we pray, it is the Lord praying in us, and we praying in Him; the Lord and we praying together. For we are those who are united with the Lord and have become one with Him. Once I was asked to give the invocation at a student graduation ceremony at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center. There were about 500 people in the audience. I completed my heartfelt prayer, “…in the Name of Your dear Son Jesus Christ…Amen!” There was a deafening silence…I heard no Amens in agreement…just silence. I turned and sat down on my assigned seat on stage and watched the ceremony to completion. Once the ceremony was over and the hall was clear for the most part, an angry supervisor approached me and, gritting his teeth, asked me what I thought I was doing up there. I played stupid and asked what he meant…I just had to hear it. He said, “You know perfectly well what I mean…You don’t have to say that name!” Still fishing, I coyly asked, “What name?” He abruptly turned away in a huff and I went to my office praying in my spirit, thanking the Father for the opportunity He has given me. I had such unbelievable peace about the whole matter. I had a fellow instructor enter my office later to tell me I was in a lot of trouble and would probably have to explain my actions to the Director. A Catholic Chaplain even approached me and told me how wrong and insensitive I was. I told him he was the one who signed a contract and agreed to certain stipulations in regard to NOT saying the Name...I did not. I was also paid a visit by one of our facility attorneys who kindly explained how important it was for us to respect the feelings of others. I opened my Bible and told him I appreciated his take on the situation and that I did not go out of my way to offend anyone. I added that I was a Christian and I say my prayers in the Name of the Son of God, Jesus Christ based on Scriptures like Ephesians 5:20, “…giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” and Colossians 3:17, “… whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” I further explained that this was my way of life as directed by God‘s Word. He retorted by telling me he was a Christian also and felt he did not have to use the name of Jesus, especially if he knew beforehand it would offend somebody. I felt so sorry for this man and I prayed for him. I explained the Bible was my authority; not my thoughts or feelings regarding the matter. I challenged him to show me a legal precedent whereby saying the Name of Jesus Christ was illegal. My Blacks Law Dictionary did not even list the phrase, political correctness and seriously wanted help in what it entailed. I wanted to know why it appeared Christians were the only focal point of political correctness in not offending anyone; after all, I attended other functions where a Hindu and a Buddhists said words during an invocation and it appeared it didn‘t matter if they offended me. My questions went as far as the legal department in Washington D.C. and nothing could be found that I said nothing ’illegal’ nor was there any advice offered as they tip-toed through the delicate situation involving me and the precious Name of my Savior! I felt compelled to type out three prayers, each one ending in the Name of Jesus, Christ Jesus, or Jesus Christ. I went to the Director and won an immediate audience with him. I felt he had been briefed. He sat back quietly as I explained by stance that, “I must obey God as ruler rather than man…” (Acts 5:29). I showed him the three typed prayers and explained if I was ever called upon to give another invocation I would use one of these three prayers. Anticipating he would say something about the Name, he simply said, “Well, this one has one too many Lords.” I asked, “Is that all.” He smiled and nodded in the affirmative. God is truly awesome! I never anticipated being called on to give another invocations, but I was called upon time and time again after this incident, ending all my prayers…”In the Name of Your Dear Son Jesus Christ…Amen!!!” People HAVE to hear the Name of Jesus my friends! There is NO OTHER NAME under heaven whereby a man must be saved (Acts 2:21; 4:10-12; Romans 10:8-15)!!!! Stand up, stand up for Jesus, Ye soldiers of the cross; Lift high his royal banner, it must not suffer loss; From victory unto victory, his army shall he lead, Till every foe is vanquished, And Christ is Lord indeed. In His life inside us we find true confidence. We can be confident in our indwelling Christ Jesus, who makes the glory of God resident in each of us right where we are today. The cornerstone of our confidence is Christ in you, the hope of glory. God bless you all, Brother Mark
Posted on: Sat, 19 Jul 2014 19:32:15 +0000
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