PRAYING TO THE FATHER IN JESUS NAME

Praying to the Father in Jesus Name
By Evangelist Kabaso Sydney

 

 

"In that day you will no longer ask me anything. I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete. Though I have been speaking figuratively, a time is coming when I will no longer use this kind of language but will tell you plainly about my Father. In that day you will ask in my name. I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf. No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God"—(John 16:23-27)

Here in this passage of scripture, Jesus tells us that we should not pray to Him. Yet many sincere Christians spend most of their time praying and petitioning Jesus instead of petitioning the Father. I hear their prayers, "Oh, Lord Jesus, please help me with this or that!" That is a wrong way to pray.

Pray to the Father in Jesus Name

 

Jesus taught us that it is better to go directly to the Father. "I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name." So let's accept his teaching and not tradition. Jesus did not want to take glory away from His Father and so He instructs us to pray to the Father and not to Himself. Jesus submitted Himself to the Father’s authority; therefore, the Father is in charge. This truth is a revelation every Christian should understand. Your prayer life will become more powerful and effective on

Here in this passage of scripture, Jesus tells us that we should not pray to Him. Yet many sincere Christians spend most of their time praying and petitioning Jesus instead of petitioning the Father. I hear their prayers, "Oh, Lord Jesus, please help me with this or that!" That is a wrong way to pray.

Jesus taught us that it is better to go directly to the Father. "I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name." So let's accept his teaching and not tradition. Jesus did not want to take glory away from His Father and so He instructs us to pray to the Father and not to Himself. Jesus submitted Himself to the Father’s authority; therefore, the Father is in charge. This truth is a revelation every Christian should understand. Your prayer life will become more powerful and effective once you receive this truth. Jesus taught His disciples to pray after this manner, "Our Father in heaven." Prayer is directed to the Father, not to anyone else.

Only while Jesus was on the earth, could people ask Jesus for help. However, Jesus said that it wasn't right to ask Him anything after His resurrection. We are now living in the day of the new covenant, so praying and petitioning Jesus is not the proper way to pray.

Someone may argue this point and say, "Why can't I pray to Jesus?" Because Jesus said not to! That is a good enough reason for me!

"Well, I don't understand why I can't," someone may persist. It's not whether you can't, but it's whether you should. Let me explain the work of the Trinity..

One Mediator

For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 1 (Tim 2:5)

Notice that Jesus is the mediator not the object of our approach to God. Although Jesus is God by nature, He is the Son of God the Father, which places Him in a subservient role. This is what Jesus meant when He said, "The Father is greater than I" (John 14:28). Jesus is the mediator, which means that He is the go-between God and men. He is like a bridge. You cross the bridge to get to your destination. So you go through Jesus to get to God the Father. Unfortunately, many treat the bridge as their destination. They go to Jesus instead of to the Father. It is an unscriptural approach to prayer.

Let me explain what His being mediator is NOT. You do not say your prayer to Jesus, so that Jesus can take your prayer to the Father. Jesus ruled this out: "I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf." So His mediator-ship does not mean that you ask Jesus to pray to the Father for you. I bring this up, because our Catholic friends usually accept Mary as co-mediatrix. They will claim that they do not pray to Mary, but only ask her to pray for them. In this sense they see her as co-mediatrix. But notice that Jesus said concerning His mediator role that He would not ask the Father on our behalf. So if this were true of Christ, it would be true for Mary as well, according to the Catholic view.

Beside, the Word says that there is only "one" mediator, and He is the "man" Christ Jesus. The "woman" Mary is exempted from being co-mediatrix based on this clear passage.

PRAYING TO SAINTS

Since Mary is not co-mediatrix, you can be sure that the other saints are not either. Why people would waste their prayer time talking to saints, I will never understand. The time I was a Catholic, they taught me that “Catholics don’t pray Mary, they ask Mary on their behalf” "I figured since Mary was the mother of Jesus, he would have to obey her. So I prayed to Mary thinking she would tell her Son what to do."

Now some of you may be laughing at this explanation, but this is actually what was taught to me some years back. Many Catholics believe just like I used to believe, and they are very sincere. However, being sincere does not make someone right. The only teaching we should adhere to is the Bible and not tradition. Jesus said to some very religious leaders, "You nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition" (Matt. 15:6). In another place he says, "You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men" (Mk. 7:8).

We all need to ask ourselves this question. Do I hold onto traditions that go against the word of God? If the answer is yes, then get rid of your tradition that has robbed the word of God of its power. God's Word has the power to save, heal, bless and deliver. But traditions stop the word of God of its saving, healing, blessing and delivering power. Praying to saints is really praying to idols. An idol is any person or thing that occupies the place in your heart that only God Himself should occupy. We should never put any person or thing in God's place. We should pray only to God and not to saints.

Why even pray to saints if Jesus said that we could go to the highest in all authority? Why go to someone lesser if you can go to the greatest? Let me give you an illustration: Suppose I had a problem with a certain federal law. Then the Vice-President hears about my problem and writes to me a letter inviting me to speak to the President about my situation. But instead of accepting the invitation, I tell the Vice-President, "I really do appreciate the opportunity to talk to the Head of Chief, but you see, I'm so unworthy to talk to the President. I wish I could get the nerve to talk to him, but I can't. Instead Mr. Vice-President, I'm going to talk to my Congressman about my problem. Thank you anyway."

Now, what would you think of me for turning down the opportunity to talk with the President? You would think I was crazy! Well, aren't we crazy for passing up the opportunity to talk to the Head of Chief of the universe?

I could almost hear Satan laughing at some people. He laughingly says, "Look at those people with false humility. Jesus told them they have the right to go to His Father, yet they're trying to pray to his mother! Ha! Ha! Ha!" As you read this article, you might be getting mad at me for tearing down your doctrine. However, I'm not tearing down your doctrines, instead I'm giving you something better. Isn't it better to pray to our heavenly Father than some saint? Sure it is! So, let us get on the right track and start praying to our Father in Heaven. Hallelujah!

IN JESUS NAME

Jesus not only taught us to pray directly to the Father, but he also said to pray to the Father in Jesus’ name. In other words, we do not go to the Father without first going through Jesus Christ. If you’re trying to pray to God without Jesus, then you'll get nowhere. You see, no one is worthy to go to God the Father in prayer because we have all sinned. No sinner can go to God since God is perfectly Holy. However, God made a way for mankind to approach Him. That way is Jesus!

 "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (Jn. 14:6).

What about coming to God through Joseph Smith, Muhammad, Rev. Moon, Hare Krishna, or some other self-proclaim prophet? The answer is found in Acts 4:12:

"Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."

There are some people who want to unite all religions together. They falsely teach, "All the roads of all religions lead to God." But Jesus contradicted this by saying, "For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it" (Matt.7:13-14). Jesus is the small gate and narrow road. You must go through the Lord Jesus to get to God.

Several years ago I was talking to a girl about God and her relationship to Him. It was apparent to me that she was not born again. However, she tried to convince me that she was religious. She said, "I pray to God every day."

I shocked her with my next statement. I told her, "But God doesn't listen to you!" Her eyes got as big as quarters.

"Why do you say that?" she asked.

"Because you do not go to God through Jesus Christ." I then proceeded to tell her about salvation. That evening she accepted the Lord Jesus into her heart.

Many people are just like this girl. They pray to God and get no results. Why? They don’t get results because they don't go through Jesus Christ the Lord. God listens to you when you go through Jesus.

GOD IS OUR FATHER

There is one more point I want to write concerning prayer: God is our Father! Many people think of God as being mean and angry. However, God is our loving, caring, and watchful Father. Whatever problem you might have pray to your very own Father, who will take care of your problems, if you're born again of God's Spirit. If you're not sure that you're born again, then please pray the following prayer out loud and from your heart.

Dear God in Heaven. I come to you through your Son Jesus Christ. I come as a repentant sinner. Please forgive me of all my sins. I'm going to live for you starting right now. I believe that Christ died for my sins, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day and that he is Lord. I now make Jesus the Lord of my Life. I'm now saved by the blood of Christ. Heaven is my eternal home. And God is now my very own Father. Thank you Father-God for adopting me into your Family. Amen!

MISSIONARIES SERVING IN ZAMBIA

Vessels of Honour International Ministries is compiling a list of missionaries serving in Zambia from different parts of the world and their addresses and contacts, including sending churches.Please contact us by email if you need to register a missionary serving in Zambia.Email us on vehozambia@gmail.com

Keep this flag up by supporting our missionaries

1. Kabaso Sydney Mupukwa - +260 966717712- Vessels of Honour International (Sending Church).

Website:http://sydneykabaso.wordpress.com
Bank Details. Sydney Kabaso, Barclays Bank Zambia Limited.Account Number 0061041109 Kabwe Zambia.

Mission Areas: Soul Winning, Discipleship and Church Planting

THE MINISTRY OF A SERVANT

Greetings Once again from all corners of the world.Am glad that you have decided to spend your time on this blog.Today am sharing on the ministry of a servant from Luke 14;16-24.

Am writing this from my spirit, on 26th February 2010 the Lord told me to go into Mozambique to mobilize a call for missions.I knew no one in that country.I traveled with the Lord and I was so obedient to hear the voice of the Spirit.I arrived at 15:00 PM, I took time to preach the Gospel first with the street youths.Being a Saturday the entire city was packed with people that were like sheep without a shepherd.

They were busy drinking, smoking and womanizing.I slept in the street that first day before going to the hotel.The result ended in number of souls being won to God.It was a marvelous time to work with the Lord.In short, the Lord proved to me his word that..."Go ye therefore and teach all nations..teaching them to observe whatever I have commanded you and am with you always even unto the end of the world." Mark 28:19- 2

My friend you can not command unless you are in command and you can not teach unless you are taught.Obedience is the key in missions.You should be obedient to the word of God..The lord gave me this message whilst I was in the mission field in Mozambique.

(1 Cor 3:9) "For we are laborers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building."

Here the apostle Paul makes a statement that seems a bit unusual. God is the Sovereign Almighty Creator of the universe. He is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent. The Bible tells us that He is above all and beyond our full comprehension. But He has chosen us to be co-laborers with Him! Isn't that the most amazing thing that you have ever thought about?

Now some would say that Paul is talking about those who are called into "The Ministry". I would have to agree. But all too often we view "The Ministry" as an occupational field like the military or the medical profession. Although it can be the path that many take as far as their life's work is concerned, it should not be narrowed to only mean this. All of us, whether we are 'occupational ministers' or not, should be involved in ministry.

Evangelist Kabaso in the hub of Maputo- Mozambique on a mission trip.

 

Now as co-laborers with God we need to understand that there are some things that God has told us to do, and we should be obedient. Now there are other things that God has reserved for Himself. We cannot do what God has reserved for Himself, and He will not do what He has commanded us to do. We are 'co-laborers together with God'.

Read: Luke 14:16-24 Let's consider this passage this morning and see a number of important things concerning the ministry. For the application of this parable we want to identify the characters. The guests represent those who are without Christ; the servants represent the believers in Christ; and of course the Master represents the Lord. I know that there are several spiritual applications and meanings to this passage, but I want to focus on what it says concerning ministry. 

I. The Purpose of the Ministry. v23-24

A. To Fill the House with the Lost.

1. The word 'fill' means to be completely full…not partially or half-full.
2. Now whose responsibility is it to see that the Master's house is filled?
3. Right…the believer's.
4. That is what God has commanded us to do, and He will not do what we can.
B. To Feed the Hungry.
1. There is nothing wrong with programs to provide folks with food.
2. We make up food baskets for those who are in need, and we have a food pantry to provide food for those who are hungry.
3. But that isn't the primary purpose of ministry.
4. Jesus instructed Peter to feed His lambs.
5. The primary purpose of ministry is to feed those who hunger for the Word of God.
6. Vessels of Honour International  is to be a source of spiritual nourishment for all who come through those doors. 




The Hungry are those in need of the Word of God

  
7. We cannot force-feed anyone.

a. There are some who are spoiled and just want to eat junk food.
b. There are others who go away hungry claiming that they just weren't being fed.
c. Again, we are to do what God has commanded us to do.
d. It is our responsibility to fulfill the purpose of the ministry.

II. The People of the Ministry:

A. The Savior

1. All of our work, our ministry should be done in and through the power of the Lord.

Mark 16:20, "And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen."
2. He is the only source of our spiritual energy.

John 14:12, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father."
3. He always equips us to do what He calls us to do.

Acts 1:8, "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth."
B. The Servant.

1. Remember, he is representative of all believers.
2. Three times in this passage he was told to go out.

a. His first command was to go quietly and calmly and simply invite them to come to supper.
b. The second command was more urgent. "go out quickly"
c. The third time the command was given it was the final call. "compel them to come".
3. The servant has not fulfilled his responsibility to his master until his Master's wishes are fulfilled.
4. Too often we lack the servant's heart attitude of pleasing our Master.
5. The focus of this exchange is not on what the servant wants or desires, but only upon what the Master commands.
C. The Guests: we see three different groups of people here.

1. Those who had previously been invited to come. v17
2. Those who had not been invited before. v21
3. Finally, the call goes out to everyone, everywhere. v23

III. The Result of the Ministry.

A. Many were invited, but they wouldn't come.
B. They began to give excuses as to why they couldn't come.

1. These excuses were ridiculous.

a. I bought a piece of ground and must go see it…who ever heard of buying real estate sight unseen!
b. I bought a five yoke (10) of oxen and need to go prove them or check them out.
c. The third fellow couldn't think as fast as the others and said, "Well I am married now so I can't come."

2. But then most excuses are foolish aren't they.
3. People still make excuses today, but one day every one of us will stand before God.
4. Some will stand as believers before the judgment seat of Christ, others will stand as unbelievers before the Great White Throne judgment.
5. Either way, excuses will not matter then.

C. Note the Master's response to the excuses.

1. Go invite others…
2. Compel them to come in…
3. You see we are not to debate or argue with those who make excuses and refuse to come.
4. We are to go out to others and do everything we can to get them to come to the Master's house.
5. Why? Because men and women; boys and girls need to hear about the love of God.
6. They need to know that Jesus Christ died on Calvary for their sins.
7. They need to understand that there is hope for them if they will, by faith, come to Jesus Christ. 




Soul winning is our key principle at Vessels of Honour International

We are co-laborers with God. Our job is to fill His house and feed His lambs. His job is to save their souls. Will we do what God has called us to do or will we make excuses? Go out quickly…the time is short. What we do for Christ, we must do now…we dare not put it off.

Have you heard the Master's call today? Perhaps you need to come and accept Christ as your Savior today, come now. Maybe there are those here who have not been focusing on what the Master wants from His servants. Will you come today and surrender to His will in your life. Will you go out and compel them to come in? 

Whatever the need, the invitation is for you. Come today before it is too late. In case you need to pray with me the prayer of salvation please email me now at sydneykabaso@aol.com or meet me on Facebook by clicking here.

SHALOM SHALOM UNTIL NEXT POST. Evangelist Kabaso Sydney.

The Church on the Wheels

Vessels of Honor International Ministries was founded in Luanshya Zambia by Evangelist Kabaso Sydney. It is an Evangelistic Mobile ministry it is common refereed to us the church on the wheels. In that it is not a static church or  stationed building but rather a dynamic church, it reaches out to the unreached souls with the power of the word of God.

In February 2012, Vessels of Honour Ministries in Kabwe Zambia have launched "Church on the Wheels programme" that  is aimed at reaching out to families,individuals in different institutions.Bicycles have been targeted to be used to reach out to distant places with good news.

In this article I will try to explain  three important things on what we believe is the church on the wheels and its though this three principles we shall utilize to reach places that need us.

Carrying the power of God on the wheels.

A good study of the first century church shows a lot of progress that the apostles made. In spite of the fact that they were introducing an entirely new system over an already existing old one, it is evident that they prospered. 3000 men gave their lives to the Lord the first day Peter preached. Later 5000 believed in Christ and the Lord continued to add to their number day by day those who were being saved. Both Jews and Gentiles were obedient to the faith. The church blossomed.

It was not a stagnant church. It was not a lukewarm church. It was a vibrant and dynamic church - always on the wheels. They were able to withstand, by the power of God, the challenges of their days and had something they kept for the subsequent generations.

Now, why and how did they succeed? What made them so prosperous? What did the apostles do that made them record such tremendous results? In trying to answer these questions, we shall consider the 7 things the apostolic church committed themselves to. For us to have similar results, we are expected to do what the apostles did.

• A church committed to God: The first thing we discover is that the members of the church were not just committed to the church religious practices. They were committed to God and His glory. They had vibrant personal relationships with the Lord, thus they were able to co-exist in love in their fellowships. Individual members having a personal knowledge of Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, through repentance to God and faith in Jesus Christ, is the only basis or foundation for a church having a cooperate relationship with the Lord. Organizational structures are useless, no matter how religious, if the members do not know God and pursue His glory. Our horizontal relationship with our fellow humans cannot be good when our vertical relationship with God has problems and vice versa. If a church is filled with people who do not know the Lord personally, it is going to be very difficult for it to pursue the glory of God. We find that in the early church, the people were totally sold out to God Himself. When they were imprisoned and beaten, they rejoiced and counted it as a privilege to suffer for the Lord. They were even ready to die if that was God’s will for them. It was a church made up of people that knew their God. No wonder they did exploits.

• A church committed to the Great Commission: Also the early church was committed to the preaching and spreading of the gospel. Having received the charge from the Lord to preach the Good News in Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria and the Gentile Nations of the world, they were all out to obey their Master. (See Mat.28:19 Mark 16:15). Peter was a married fisherman but he was involved. Barnabas was a rich man and yet he obeyed the commission. Luke was a Medical Doctor but became a missionary physician. Philemon and Onesiphorous were wealthy people and yet were committed to missions. Timothy was a young man and yet preached the gospel. Priscilla and Aquila was a couple that supported missions and gave out their house for fellowship. Throughout the Book of Acts, we see the early church on fire for the Lord. Men from different walks of life were committed to the preaching of the gospel. One thing is clear, whenever a church is distracted and is not committed to the vision of preaching the gospel and the expansion of the Kingdom, the devil will commit her with trivial issues, quarrels, division and politics.
Furthermore, the gospel was not just preached to fulfill all righteousness, it was preached with power and demonstration of the Spirit. (See 1 Thess.1:5; 1 Cor.1:24; Col.1:27 etc). It is a sin for a church to lack the power of God or to preach the gospel of God as if it has no power.

• A Church Committed to prayer: We equally notice that the church was a praying church. Jesus once threw away the money-changers out of the temple telling them that the temple was supposed to be a house of prayer. (Lk.19:45,46). The church is not a place where emphasis on money and earthly success should take upper hand. It must be made up of a people who have both private and cooperate altars – people that pray as individuals and together as a church. The apostles once decided on issues of priority saying “it is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables…we will devote ourselves to prayer” (Acts 6:2, 4a. Also see Acts 12:5,12; 3:1; 16:13 etc). Paul gave testimonies of what his prayer life and that of those who worked with him was like. (See 2 Thess.1:11,12; 1 Thess.1:2,3; Col.4:12; 1:3,4; Eph.1:16-23 etc). In line with the Lord’s admonition in Luke 18:1, “Men ought always to pray and not to faint”, Paul urged the Thessalonians to “pray without ceasing”. (1 Thess.5:16). The early church was a praying church and members were involved. No wonder they experienced the power of prayer.

• A church committed to the Word of God: In Acts 6:2-4 as we noted above, another issue of priority the apostles decided was the Word of God. They said, “we will devote ourselves to prayer and the ministry of God’s Word”. Christians were not lazy to study doctrines (See Acts 2:42). They were committed to both teaching and exhorting each other in their homes, house fellowships and in the temple. Many of the people following the apostles were determined to confirm what they were being taught by themselves like the Boreans (Acts 17:10-12).

Members of the church were not slothful as we see today in most of our churches. They were not swallowing hook line and sinker what the preachers tell them. They were both individually and as a church committed to the study and obedience to the Word of God. Paul instructed Timothy, “Till I come, attend to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching, to teaching”. (1 Tim.4:13).

The Church committed to  prayer

There are plausible words of wisdom, the so-called ‘prosperity’ gospel, and peddlers of God’s word (2 Cor.2:17). Unfortunately, none of these can save a man from hell nor change his eternal destiny. The apostles majored on the things that matter. 1 Cor.2:12; 1:23-25. They preached the full gospel. If the Bible is not the sole guide for faith and practice for a church and its members, man-made traditions and vested interests will dominate and they will not be able to accomplish anything tangible for God.

It is in the word we believe as Vessels of Honour Ministries and through this word we shall continue to minister the power of the word to the dying world.Every month we have targeted to be having an outreach and buying more bicycles and Bibles to be distributed to individuals who fail to afford a bible.Will need your support as we reach out to the unreached places in Zambia and beyond.

Mission house open in Kabwe

Mobile Church starts in Zambia

Vessels of Honour International Ministries have launched mobile ministry in Zambia.The mobile ministry is intended to serve those who do not have a church and areas where there are no churches.It is a church on the wheel, we believe that a church should not be static but dynamic.Jesus commissioned us to preach the Gospel to all nations.He did not say remain in one place.

With this mobile ministry we are reaching out to the hospitals, stations, markets, rural areas,Schools and communities.