If the only way we can pray is in the name of Jesus, then we need to know, "How did Jesus pray?" I know many of you will almost immediately think of the Lord's Prayer. However, I do not consider that to be the model prayer for a Christian.
What instructions did Jesus give us-the Believers-for the time after He had ascended? You will find that in John 16:23, where Jesus, speaking to His disciples, says, "And in that day..." Right there we have to stop and ask, what "day" does He mean? It is obvious that if He said, "in that day" then He did not mean "in this day" (the day in which He was living). Put another way, He was contrasting the future (from the time He was speaking) to the present in which He spoke. Another way of putting this would be to say, "In the future..."
This is a little-discussed point, but note that in the three and a half years we have any record of, the disciples never one time prayed to the Father for anything. Whenever they needed something, they asked Jesus for it. I mean, why would you drive a hundred miles to the company warehouse to buy some shaving cream when the local store owned by that company has it a half mile down the block? Jesus was right there with them. Anything they needed, He supplied it. When the waves crashed in on their boat, they awoke Him and said, "Save us, Lord!" When someone was sick, they said. "Lord, this person is ill. Please heal him." Whatever it was, they asked it of Him directly, not of God the Father.
So it is significant that when we read John 16:23, we find Jesus after explaining to them He was going to the Father soon, saying, "And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you." Remember, just a little earlier in John 14:14 we read: "If you ask anything in My name, I will do it [for you]." Yet here He says, "Don't ask Me anything, but instead ask the Father in My name."
He elaborates on this in verse 24: "Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask [or a better transition is, "Ask now," or "Ask, after this point, in My name"], and you will receive, that your joy may be full." Do you see the difference? While Jesus was with them physically, they asked Him. But soon after Jesus said those words, He would not be with them anymore, and they would have to ask the Father in His name. Why couldn't they ask the Father in His name while Jesus still walked with them? Jesus had not delegated that name to them yet. He hadn't died and risen from the dead.
Notice also that Jesus said, "You will receive, that [or, "in order that"] your joy may be full." God wants us to have full joy. Not just tolerable joy or partial joy, but full joy. Full joy is when your pantry is well stocked and you aren't hungry every night. Full joy is when your car works and can take you to your job without breaking down. Full joy is when your body is whole and you aren't battling sickness and disease every day. That does not mean that you should not be joyful when circumstances are not perfect, but that is not God's best for you.
In these verses we have the "how to pray" from Jesus: "And in that day you will ask me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name..." tells us everything we need to know about how to pray. That is the key that starts the car of faith, if you will.
You need to know what to do with the car once it's running, and you need to know what to pray for after you begin your prayer, but this is the formula for an answered prayer. You are to "ask the Father in My name." Do not ask Jesus. Unless you are engaging in praise and worship ("Thank You, Jesus, for Your sacrifice," or "Praise You, Jesus, that You are King of kings and Lord or lords"), you do not pray to Jesus. He said so. Instead, you are to direct your requests to the Father in Jesus' name. It's like a letter. "Heavenly Father" is the introduction, the "Dear So-and-So," and "In the name of Jesus" is your signature line. You sign your prayer in His name, not your own. Your name doesn't carry any weight in the spirit world. Just try healing the sick in the name of Tom, or in the name of Cheryl, or in the name of Buddha, and see who gets healed! Those names do not have the authority to heal anyone. What you put in between the "introduction" and the "signature" is all you.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Jesus Took Your Sickness Away
Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. Isaiah 53:4-5 (KJV)
Understanding what Jesus did for you on the cross will help you to connect your faith to God's healing power.
God loves you. He thought about you before you were a twinkle in your daddy's eye. He already made provisions for your body long before anybody ever thought you'd ever be around. That's called a God who loves you, a God who cares, a God who's on your side, a God who wants to make sure you are blessed in everything in your life. He wants you blessed in the city and blessed in the field. And most importantly, He wants you healed in your body.
Isaiah says, "Surely, he bore your griefs..." The word "grief" means sickness, disease and pain. "Sorrow" means pains. In other words, surely he hath borne our sicknesses, diseases and pain. The word "borne" means to suffer punishment for something. So we can conclude that somebody deserved punishment, somebody deserved to suffer, somebody deserved to have cancer and AIDS and sickle cell and lung disease and heart disease, and other diseases. Who was it? It was me and it was you.
We were born in sin, our forefather's sin, Adam's sin, and Eve's sin. We deserved to have all that, but Jesus bore that punishment in our place on that cross. He took in his body every sickness, every disease, every pain, every AIDS, every cancer cell, every lung disease, every heart disease, every kind of sickness and disease for you and He bore it away for you. Why? S o you don't have to have it.
With every stripe Jesus took on His back, He was looking at you. With every stripe He bore, Jesus was thinking about you, knowing that if He took it, you would not have to. Now that is love.
You don't have to be sick. You don't have to die prematurely. You don't have to lay down to the devil and say, there's nothing I can do. There's one who's already done it for you. His name is Jesus. He's the same yesterday, today, and forever.
Scripture References: Hebrews 13:8; Jeremiah 1:5; 1 Peter 2:24
Understanding what Jesus did for you on the cross will help you to connect your faith to God's healing power.
God loves you. He thought about you before you were a twinkle in your daddy's eye. He already made provisions for your body long before anybody ever thought you'd ever be around. That's called a God who loves you, a God who cares, a God who's on your side, a God who wants to make sure you are blessed in everything in your life. He wants you blessed in the city and blessed in the field. And most importantly, He wants you healed in your body.
Isaiah says, "Surely, he bore your griefs..." The word "grief" means sickness, disease and pain. "Sorrow" means pains. In other words, surely he hath borne our sicknesses, diseases and pain. The word "borne" means to suffer punishment for something. So we can conclude that somebody deserved punishment, somebody deserved to suffer, somebody deserved to have cancer and AIDS and sickle cell and lung disease and heart disease, and other diseases. Who was it? It was me and it was you.
We were born in sin, our forefather's sin, Adam's sin, and Eve's sin. We deserved to have all that, but Jesus bore that punishment in our place on that cross. He took in his body every sickness, every disease, every pain, every AIDS, every cancer cell, every lung disease, every heart disease, every kind of sickness and disease for you and He bore it away for you. Why? S o you don't have to have it.
With every stripe Jesus took on His back, He was looking at you. With every stripe He bore, Jesus was thinking about you, knowing that if He took it, you would not have to. Now that is love.
You don't have to be sick. You don't have to die prematurely. You don't have to lay down to the devil and say, there's nothing I can do. There's one who's already done it for you. His name is Jesus. He's the same yesterday, today, and forever.
Scripture References: Hebrews 13:8; Jeremiah 1:5; 1 Peter 2:24
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
When We Pray, God Works!
Two things about prayer are truly amazing: (1) God listens when we pray. "If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer." (See Mk 11:24). You may not have much clout anywhere else, but when you pray God listens. (2) We seldom pray. We've the greatest privilege imaginable - access to the control center of the Universe -- yet we rarely use it. And our lack of prayer surprises God.
Through the prophet Ezekiel He lamented: "I sought for a man among them who would...stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one" (Eze 22:30 NKJV). Upon learning that Sodom and Gomorrah were going to be destroyed, Abraham didn't rush to warn the cities. No, he chose to "[remain] standing before the Lord" (Ge 18:22 NIV). When God said the golden calf warranted a nationwide death penalty for Israel, Moses interceded and saved them. One translation of Exodus 32:11 says, "Moses soothed the face of his God." An obscure priest by the name of Phinehas begged God not to send the plague, and it was checked. (See Ps 106:30 NIV).
You say "Why place such a premium on prayer?" Simple. Because when we work, we work. But when we pray, God works! Scripture attaches breathtaking power to prayer. "When two of you get together on anything...and make a prayer of it, my Father in heaven goes into action" (Mt 18:19 TM). Does any other activity promise such results? Did God call us to preach without ceasing? Or have committee meetings without ceasing? No, but He did call us to "pray without ceasing."
"PRIEZ SANS CESSE"
Through the prophet Ezekiel He lamented: "I sought for a man among them who would...stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one" (Eze 22:30 NKJV). Upon learning that Sodom and Gomorrah were going to be destroyed, Abraham didn't rush to warn the cities. No, he chose to "[remain] standing before the Lord" (Ge 18:22 NIV). When God said the golden calf warranted a nationwide death penalty for Israel, Moses interceded and saved them. One translation of Exodus 32:11 says, "Moses soothed the face of his God." An obscure priest by the name of Phinehas begged God not to send the plague, and it was checked. (See Ps 106:30 NIV).
You say "Why place such a premium on prayer?" Simple. Because when we work, we work. But when we pray, God works! Scripture attaches breathtaking power to prayer. "When two of you get together on anything...and make a prayer of it, my Father in heaven goes into action" (Mt 18:19 TM). Does any other activity promise such results? Did God call us to preach without ceasing? Or have committee meetings without ceasing? No, but He did call us to "pray without ceasing."
"PRIEZ SANS CESSE"
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