CAN YOU PRAY TO JESUS?
by Wendell Winkler-Polishing the Pulpit -- "Lord Teach Us To
Pray," September 27, 2004
"Let me tell you something about
that, brethren: you be very careful about the position you espouse on that, and
I'm going to tell you why. We've got brethren that do nothing but hear a few
speeches on the lecture program, and then they start to go out and mouth it. We
need to be careful about that. Primarily, our prayers are to God in the name of
Christ. But when brethren become so adamant that they say that we cannot pray
to Jesus, we need to be careful. Jesus is deity. If we're not careful, we can
take some absurd position over here and even reflect on his deity. I don't have
much sympathy for that kind of business.
"I'm going to tell you something
that's a little personal, but I think is illustrative. Can't we thank Jesus
during the Lord's Supper? When I get through with my primary Lord's Supper
meditation, I conclude with a prayer, and here's my prayer: "Father, I thank
thee for thine unspeakable gift; and Jesus, I thank thee for being willing to
die for me." Is there anything wrong with that? Tell me something is wrong with
that....
"So I just beg of you good
brethren, I beg of you, before you take a position, you better study it
through—you could get in some difficulty. And I've said it time and time again:
What about Stephen when he said, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit"? Brethren have
tried to explain that every way in the world, saying that wasn't a prayer. If
that wasn't a prayer, I don't understand prayer.
"I'm going to tell you something:
when I die, I hope I'm conscious enough to where I can say something like that.
I'm going to tell you something: I'm going to be in a prayerful mood, I
guarantee you that. I just want you to know that we need to be careful. I'm not
asking you if you agree with me; I'm asking do you understand my point? Be
careful."
[Question from audience: "What
about songs that speak to the Holy Spirit—that maybe even pray to the Holy
Spirit?"]
"I don't know that I would take an
adamant stand on that for this reason: you've got to take the whole picture
into consideration. Romans 8 says the Holy Spirit intercedes for us. I'm going
to tell you frankly: in my periods of illness, I've got to the point that I
don't know what to say. I've been so deeply distressed and deeply disturbed.
But I know the Holy Spirit was pleading in my interest. Would I have sinned
against God if I had said to the Holy Spirit: "Intercede for me, please"? Do
you think I've sinned if I made that statement? But I made the petition to [the
Holy Spirit]. Don't tell me I've sinned. But if we carry this thing so far as
some are carrying it today, we can't even do that."
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I have never prayed to Jesus in a
public prayer and probably never will. Just because you have the right to do
something does not always mean it is right to do so if it might offend your
brother. That is the message Paul is giving us in 1st Corinthians
8:1-13. It was not wrong to eat meat but Paul said he would give up that right
for the sake of his brother who thought it was wrong.
Even if I have the right to pray
directly to Jesus, it is just as acceptable to pray to the Father, so I will
continue to pray to the Father in my public prayers for the sake of those who
may feel it is wrong to pray to Jesus.
With love and concern,
Larry