WHY LEAVE JESUS OUT?
For decades I have been disturbed by a growing trend at worship services, weddings, funerals or big ticket events like Nascar races. Preachers, chaplains and other religionists frequently end their invocations (prayers) by saying, "In your name, Amen." Whenever I hear that I wonder, "Whose name? God's? Jesus Christ's? Mohammed's? Buddha's?”
Jesus told His disciples to ask in HIS name (Jn. 14:13-14), and Paul reminds Christians to do everything in JESUS' name (Col. 3:17). Since Jesus is the Mediator between God and man (1 Tim. 2:5), that is only reasonable. Therefore, we should end our prayers by saying, "in Jesus name" or "in the name of Jesus Christ".
When a Christian has the privilege of praying before others, he has the opportunity to openly confess Jesus Christ. So why squander that opportunity by concluding with a generic "In your name, amen"? Some argue that it is "politically correct" to omit the name of Jesus to avoid offending Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, etc. But if the fear of offending others is our main concern, we may as well as change the name on our sign to read, “Church of whomever”.
Shouldn’t we be more concerned about offending Jesus? Jesus said, "…whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father..." (Mk. 8:38, Lk. 9:26) Therefore intentionally omitting the name of Jesus Christ may cost us more than we imagine.
Although we should never go out of our way to offend others, neither should we omit the opportunity to publicly confess Jesus. As one Christian put it, "It’s time to put Christ back into prayer!"
Jesus, always Jesus!
Dennis
For decades I have been disturbed by a growing trend at worship services, weddings, funerals or big ticket events like Nascar races. Preachers, chaplains and other religionists frequently end their invocations (prayers) by saying, "In your name, Amen." Whenever I hear that I wonder, "Whose name? God's? Jesus Christ's? Mohammed's? Buddha's?”
Jesus told His disciples to ask in HIS name (Jn. 14:13-14), and Paul reminds Christians to do everything in JESUS' name (Col. 3:17). Since Jesus is the Mediator between God and man (1 Tim. 2:5), that is only reasonable. Therefore, we should end our prayers by saying, "in Jesus name" or "in the name of Jesus Christ".
When a Christian has the privilege of praying before others, he has the opportunity to openly confess Jesus Christ. So why squander that opportunity by concluding with a generic "In your name, amen"? Some argue that it is "politically correct" to omit the name of Jesus to avoid offending Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, etc. But if the fear of offending others is our main concern, we may as well as change the name on our sign to read, “Church of whomever”.
Shouldn’t we be more concerned about offending Jesus? Jesus said, "…whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father..." (Mk. 8:38, Lk. 9:26) Therefore intentionally omitting the name of Jesus Christ may cost us more than we imagine.
Although we should never go out of our way to offend others, neither should we omit the opportunity to publicly confess Jesus. As one Christian put it, "It’s time to put Christ back into prayer!"
Jesus, always Jesus!
Dennis
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