I referred to this in my last topic
http://www.nairaland.com/3342877/ready-short-message-christians-lyoncrescent
However i want to go into it in a greater detail in two parts.
I want to write a commentary about something that is very common in Nigerian churches today. When prayers are going on you hear people pray through the God of their pastors either living or dead. So you hear things like the God of Babalola, God of Oschoffa, God of Adeboye, God of Oyedepo, God of Olukoya and so on. I have heard many people including senior pastors refer to the example of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the bible and justify why they pray that way.
In about a dozen places in the Bible, the Lord God is referred to as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (e.g., Genesis 50:24; Exodus 3:15; Acts 7:32). This name of God emphasizes the covenant that God made with Israel and the Israelites’ special place as God’s Chosen People.
When God revealed Himself to Moses in preparation for bringing His people out of Egypt, He called Himself “the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob” in Exodus 3:15. He also instructed Moses to identify the Lord by that name when speaking to the Israelites (verse 16). In this case, the name carries a couple of important implications. First, when God identifies Himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, He clearly distinguishes Himself from the gods of Egypt in whose land the Israelites dwelt. Second, the reference to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob implies a reason for the exodus: the promise of land. God had vowed that the children of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob would inherit a certain geographical area. God’s faithfulness and Israel’s blessing were directly tied to Israel’s possession of the Promised Land, and the name God uses for Himself harkens back to the covenant with Abraham.
Jesus alluded to God’s burning-bush appearance to Moses and used God’s name to teach a lesson on the resurrection to the Sadducees: “About the resurrection of the dead—have you not read what God said to you, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not the God of the dead but of the living” (Matthew 22:31–32). As Jesus points out, the verb am is in the present tense; God did not say, “I was the God of your fathers.” He said, “I am their God,” showing that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were still alive (in heaven)
The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob has plan for the ages involving a Savoir who provides forgiveness of sins and reconciliation with God. That plan was set in motion when God called Abram and blessed him, and that plan was brought to fulfilment when Jesus died and rose again. Through the seed of Abraham, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob blessed all the nations of the world.
It is clear that in the Old Testament they couldn’t pray in the name of Jesus as that part of the prophecy had not been fulfilled. Additionally there were many other gods so they had to be able to distinguish. Also note that Elisha also prayed using God of Elijah (Jesus was not in the picture yet), there is also a reference to God of Nahor.With all the books of prophets in the Old Testament and despite the fact Jesus was not yet in the picture, God didn’t refer himself to be worshipped as the God of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, even Elijah and many others. Just Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Once Jesus came into the picture all that is necessary is to pray in the name of Jesus Christ period. Praying through the God of Adeboye for example is a wrong prayer. As soon as Jesus came into the picture, he becomes an intercessor. Jesus became our rabbi meaning our teacher. All these pastors are not the teachers; they are more like the class captains. They haven’t passed the exam and will still write their test when they die. Jesus has passed his test.
Another reason why this poses danger is a pastor can take something else as his God without you knowing. Having a genuine calling from God and maintaining that calling till the end are two different things et la Solomon and Judas. So when you pray and say the GOD of so so pastor, unless GOD reveals himself to you and refers to himself that way same way he revealed himself to Moses, don’t do it. It is just like praying that the God of Matthew, The God of Luke, The God of John the Baptist, God of Peter and so on. As soon as Jesus died and rose for your sins, that is the only name you need in your prayer alongside the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as we are all his descendants and Abrahams Blessings are ours. No pastor or General overseer died or will die for your sins. Don’t short circuit your prayers by praying through mere mortals.
I find it totally disturbing when pastors and general overseers beam with pride when their pastors or church members pray through them saying God of so so so. Let the holy spirit reveal to you if this is the best way to pray or not.
Deuteronomy 29:29New International Version (NIV)
29 The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law.
cc OAM4J
Source: Nairaland
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