Last Week, Inside – Outside. This week In Jesus’ Name. Due to misunderstanding Jn 14: 14, 26; 15: 16; 16: 23, 24, 26, just to name a few, people think, by saying and YOU MUST say (they teach) In Jesus Name – at the end of every prayer, so your prayer is “answered”. Without this magic formula, no prayer is valid (they teach). Yet, they are misunderstanding Jesus, what he says, just as most people always did. Jesus said temple, they think building. He meant body. Jesus said harvest, they said fields, Jesus meant souls. There are just too many examples, when people took physically, what he never intended to be meant. Just like in the case of “In Jesus Name”. Many denominations, teach, emphasis, force you to say “In Jesus Name”, as the formula to add to the end of your prayer. Pure misunderstanding of what Jesus said. No understanding of what Jesus meant. People say – say a prayer, Lord give me money, food – In Jesus Name. They think, by adding these words – magic! Prayer is powerful and effective. But they have no clue Jesus said, do not pray for physical things Mth 6: 25-32. Pure paganism. You seek God’s understanding, Mth 6: 33. The rest will be ADDED. That means, don’t ask for them. As the pagans do. You focus on what Jesus meant in his teaching. Not what he said. Eat my body. Goodness me, stop focussing on what he said. But what he meant. Drink my blood. Slurp slurp. Goodness gracious me. Is Jesus teaching cannibalism and vampirism? Of course not. Understand what eating and drinking means. It does not mean eat and drink. It means INTERNALISE his words. Didn’t you read John 6: 63 - the flesh counts for nothing! So, physical people, why are you teaching people, physical eat and drink, when Jesus says – the flesh counts for nothing! Goodness me. If I were to think, as you think, it means I look at everything physically! Goodness me. Now, what is a name? It is an identifying factor. Your name identifies you. Who you are. What you do. How you think. Your name identifies you. Mine identifies me. We are to ask for things, in the identity of who Jesus is. Most do not know the identity of Jesus. You ask them, who is Jesus? Straight to physical identity. Didn’t you read, when Jesus threw physical identities out in Mark 3: 31-35? Didn’t you read? Don’t you understand? The flesh counts for nothing? So, let’s stop using ‘In Jesus name” as some sort of magic formula at the end of a sentence. Like pagans do with their mantras. Jesus said you do not receive – because you do not ask in my name Jn 16: 23, 24 and all the others mentioned... James 4: 3 says the same thing, in a different way. Do you really think, you can ask for whatever physical thing you want, then close in prayer “In Jesus name”, and all will be given? How foolish. Your motive is wrong. Yourself. Your prayer is wrong – asking for pagan things; and your ending is nothing but a superstitious mantra! Ears, but never hearing. Never understanding. So, what does it mean, “ask in my name”? I have already told you, ask in the real, true identity of Jesus. Lets look at Ps 37:24. Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Stop thinking physical and pagan. Think Ps 73: 25 – The only thing, a true Christian desires, is to make God pleased with our lives. A true Christian wants to be a pleasing aroma in the presence of God. And when we desire Christ, Christ alone, when we desire, more love, more patience, more self-control, more goodness, more forgiveness – these wonderful spiritual attributes, is what we ask God for; These spiritual attributes are what we should be asking in the identity, that is the name of Jesus, understanding he wants us to grow spiritually. People never asked for more spiritual growth, they never asked in the identity of Jesus. They just asked for pagan physical things. They do not yet know the meaning of “The Name of Jesus”. Jesus taught us, via the disciples, you never asked, recognising who I am – God. And what I can do for you – save you from the outside, and change your nature and character Ezek 36: 26-37. People sadly do not understand who Jesus is. What he can do for your soul. Sadly, people tack on – “In Jesus name”, as if Jesus was some sort of sugar daddy, providing all they want physically. Yet not realising they do not know who Jesus really is. Jesus just taught on rank paganism with its physical wants, Mth 6: 25-32. Yet do not understand Jesus wiped all that away with verse 33. And then they use Mth 7: 7 as a money asking verse, and to Mth 7: 7 John 16: 24 – and yet totally ignored the fact Jesus has just finished a whole teaching on stop asking physically. Ask, ask what? Ask for Mth 7: 11. No, not the store, but spiritually. Ask for spiritual gifts from God. If our eyes are open, its easy to understand. Mth 7: 22 – prophesy, demon driving, miracles, “In Jesus Name!!! WOW! Saved!!! No. Jesus said – Mth 7: 23 – I don’t know you. Be careful of groups that do this. They need salvation, as they do not understand, and do not know, what or how to IDENTIFY with Jesus. They use the phrase as a formula. They are lost, as par Jesus’ Words. Sad. We must encourage people, to ask, teach, do things, in the NAME that is IDENTITY of Jesus. And what is that Name? What is that identity? God first. Others second.
MCC Admin
20 Iyyar 5781