In Him Is Where I Want To Be.

In Him is where I want to be

By

Bishop Melvin L. Maughmer, Jr.

OPENING: - Today I want to teach on the phrase “In the name of Jesus” or “In my name” and what it truly means to be IN HIS NAME or IN HIM. It is not based upon the way we dress, talk, or act although those do influence a lot. It is not that we wear a cross or have a bumper sticker on the back of your car saying I am a child of God. It is not superstitiously saying in the name of Jesus like some kind of magical charm, nor is it holding to some strict moral code or attending church every time the doors are open.

PRAYER: -

SCRIPTURE: - John 14:13-14 & John 15:16 “And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask anything in my name, I will do it” 15:16 “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you”.

TEXT: - The older I get, the more I study, the more God reveals His word to me I come to realize that a lot of what we as Christians, Saints of God, the Church does is out of traditions, dogma, and superstitions that have either no purpose at all or the purpose has been misapplied, misinterpreted, and misunderstood through the years and now is literally ineffective because it is not properly understood and carried out in the right way. However, because of tradition and stubbornness prevailing we have splits, differences, and denominations that are based upon misunderstandings, misapplications, misinterpretations, and superstitions. We think we are being Spiritual in doing something a certain way but are in fact being traditionalist and superstitious and, in the process, miss being spiritual altogether.

Understand that following a list of do’s and don’ts, repeating a certain phrase, or refraining from certain activities and holding certain morales does not make you a spiritual person, going to church doesn’t make you a spiritual person. Understand being spiritual is not something that is achieved by doing something a certain way or saying a certain phrase but is being born again and effectively going on a progressive journey in Jesus Christ where we grow from faith to faith and glory to glory, from justification to sanctification and finally glorification in Christ Jesus.

CONFLICT: - Matthew 28:19 says, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and of the Holy Ghost”. Acts 2:38 says, “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost”. WATCH THIS:- Because of misinterpretation, misunderstanding, traditionalism, and superstitions we have one group that says, “I’d rather do what Jesus said then what Peter said” and another group that says, “Well they don’t have it like we do because they don’t have the fulness of the name” and both believe that they are being spiritual because they believe and hold to a certain dogma. Dogma is a point of view or opinion put forth as authoritative without adequate proof and it becomes a superstitious tradition that is upheld and considered spiritual but because of its misapplication is ineffective. So, we hold to the fact that if we add in Jesus name at the end of the baptism or prayer that it establishes proper spirituality when in fact all it does is carry out traditionalism especially if the character has not been changed.

I hear this a lot from people on my job and it just does something on the inside of me. They will say something like that person is really getting on my last nerve Lord give me strength in the name of Jesus and think because they ended with in the name of Jesus that it now is given a certain standard and authority and that they are spiritual. Then continue to carry on in every aspect that is contrary to the Word and Will of God. If the character is not changed it is not spiritual it is superstition.

WATCH THIS: - Nowhere in the Bible will you find a prayer that ends with in the name of Jesus even though the very same scripture teaches you to prayer in Jesus’ name. May I also submit that ending a prayer with - in Jesus’ name - might not do anything at all for the effectiveness of the prayer, because the words that are spoken does not denote the authority of Jesus name. Saying in Jesus name is not a magic formula or spiritual incantation that will automatically cause God to answer a prayer and prove that you are spiritual because as the Bible says in James 4:3-4 “Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God”. The character has not been changed. The prayer is selfish – that ye may consume it upon your own lust and the character is adulterers and adulteresses – someone that married and I a relationship with someone but still messing around with someone else. So the character is not inn alignment and if the character is not in alignment then saying in Jesus name is not effective.