Who do you pray to?

[sjonathan02]

Ok...that makes sense to me now, I get what you both, SJ and Layla, are saying.  Thank you!...I guess I'm straight to the point and if I'm talking to someone, God included, I talk to him like I talk to everyone else in real life in Jesus name!  I don't know, that's just me, but both of your points make sense now.

Ain't nothin' wrong with that.

[cas10a]

Ok...that makes sense to me now, I get what you both, SJ and Layla, are saying.  Thank you!...I guess I'm straight to the point and if I'm talking to someone, God included, I talk to him like I talk to everyone else in real life in Jesus name!  I don't know, that's just me, but both of your points make sense now.

I know some people will get upset about me saying I talk to everyone the same, God included, but God is my friend!...People will sing it every Sunday, "I am a Friend of God", but don't really get it! I talk to him through Jesus name and I guess it's ok if thats how other people feel.

[SirTJ]

I'm gonna have to do some more studying on this topic. I've never seen an instance in the Bible where anyone prays or instructs us to pray to Jesus or the Holy Spirit. If it exists, please someone direct me to it. I do see countless instances where Jesus instructs us to pray TO THE FATHER.

"When you pray, pray like this...OUR FATHER..."  -Matt. 6:9

[cas10a]

I'm gonna have to do some more studying on this topic. I never see an instance in the Bible where anyone prays or instructs us to pray to Jesus or the Holy Spirit. If it exists, please someone direct me to it. I do see countless instances where Jesus instructs us to pray TO THE FATHER.

"When you pray, pray like this...OUR FATHER..."

I got that kind of wrong, but the Bible and Jesus does instruct us to pray in his name to our father, which is God!  I'll re-look up the reference now, but I think Layla gave it and that was my question on the holy spirit, because I've never seen that.

[nessalynn77]

I know some people will get upset about me saying I talk to everyone the same, God included, but God is my friend!...People will sing it every Sunday, "I am a Friend of God", but don't really get it! I talk to him through Jesus name and I guess it's ok if thats how other people feel.

Please, I do the same thing.  I have two-way conversations with God driving in the car, lol.  But I believe God is God is God so he is present and able to manifest in whatever role is needed.  I also believe he honors his order, so as Teej said, if he says pray to the Father in his name, then I'm not gonna ask him why, if I want results, I'm just going to do it his way.  After all, I don't care about the dynamics of how it's heard, just that it's heard.

[SirTJ]

What is Jesus and our Father's name...i.e...God!

God is not their name. That's like saying "human" is my name.

[LaylaMonroe]

Ok...that makes sense to me now, I get what you both, SJ and Layla, are saying.  Thank you!...I guess I'm straight to the point and if I'm talking to someone, God included, I talk to him like I talk to everyone else in real life in Jesus name!  I don't know, that's just me, but both of your points make sense now.   

Ain't nothin' wrong with that.

Indeed.

I'm gonna have to do some more studying on this topic. I've never seen an instance in the Bible where anyone prays or instructs us to pray to Jesus or the Holy Spirit. If it exists, please someone direct me to it. I do see countless instances where Jesus instructs us to pray TO THE FATHER.

"When you pray, pray like this...OUR FATHER..."  -Matt. 6:9

I can tell you right now where the disconnect lies. There is no position that says we should pray to Jesus or to the Holy Spirit. However, like most other Apostolics, I believe that they (Father, Son, and HG) are ALL ONE (not 3 manifestations of 1, etc....) Just ONE. So whatever you call Him, you're still praying to the same ONE the Bible tells you to pray to.

That's my personal conviction. As Fenix implied earlier, it's hard to grasp that when in the back of your mind, you really DO see them as 3 separate and distinct beings.

[LaylaMonroe]

This all circles back to the doctrinal issue of trinity vs. oneness, and I don't think any of us want to get back into that.... lol.

[cas10a]

God is not their name. That's like saying "human" is my name.

You got a point to a certain extent, I had to think about it a minute, that's why I changed my post...lol.  However, they are all one, even if you want to talk the trinity and who is at the top God!  Whether you call him Alla, Wonderful Counselor, Glorious King of Kings, etc., He is still God and it incorporates it all TJ.

[Arkhams Finest]

You got a point to a certain extent, I had to think about it a minute, that's why I changed my post...lol.  However, they are all one, even if you want to talk the trinity and who is at the top God!  Whether you call him Alla, Wonderful Counselor, Glorious King of Kings, etc., He is still God and it incorporates it all TJ.

Do you mean 'Allah'?  And if so...

Wut?

[SirTJ]

You got a point to a certain extent, I had to think about it a minute, that's why I changed my post...lol.  However, they are all one, even if you want to talk the trinity and who is at the top God!  Whether you call him Alla, Wonderful Counselor, Glorious King of Kings, etc., He is still God and it incorporates it all TJ.

That's not what I'm asking. I'm trying to figure out where we're instructed to pray to anyone besides the Father.

Like Rue said, it really boils down to trinity vs oneness. Seems this divide reaches farther than I thought.

[cas10a]

Wut?

Whatever, you know what I meant, even if I spelled it wrong or I wasn't referring to TJ...lol!  God is God in no matter what language or their interpretation of the Bible...

[LaylaMonroe]

*running away from the Allah/God discussion*

[nessalynn77]

You got a point to a certain extent, I had to think about it a minute, that's why I changed my post...lol.  However, they are all one, even if you want to talk the trinity and who is at the top God!  Whether you call him Alla, Wonderful Counselor, Glorious King of Kings, etc., He is still God and it incorporates it all TJ.

I stop short of lumping Allah in the bunch... I believe that they are calling on a false god who they believe is the true God.

[cas10a]

Maybe everyone is missing what I'm saying...there is only "1" God, can we all agree on that, than who should we pray too and who's name?  Why ask something in the Holy Spirit's name if he can't do it?  Only one person can and Jesus in the Bible said to ask in his name, so why beat around the bush?

[Arkhams Finest]

Whatever, you know what I meant, even if I spelled it wrong or I wasn't referring to TJ...lol!  God is God in no matter what language or their interpretation of the Bible...

Allah may simply mean 'God', but the Islamic connotation is so strong that I wouldn't mention that name with the others.

[cas10a]

I stop short of lumping Allah in the bunch... I believe that they are calling on a false god who they believe is the true God.

I've been there, the interpretation is the same God, just some of the teachings we have learned here are different.  The difference is everyone attacks each other to what they say is "right", not listening to each other speak or having a reasonable discussion.  The Bible elludes to the point we should never argue scripture, but we do it all the time without a reasonable talk and assume cause we don't agree someone must be wrong?  I don't know anymore, I try to look at the bigger picture first.  I'll find out when I get to heaven!

[LaylaMonroe]

Okay so I won't get into the discussion, but I do want to point out that the word "allah" (as in the letters that make up the name) mean the same thing as the word "elohim." Allah is the Arabic translation of Elohim.

That's all I'm saying (and in case anyone is wondering, no, I do not believe in the deity of the Islamic god because I believe in the deity of Jesus the Christ). But it is really, really good to study the origins of Islam to understand that the Koran and Islam itself have mostly the same stories and characters as the Bible and Christianity, but they were translated into a different language and with a different "revelation" so they came out differently. And of course, the key is that they do not believe Jesus is Lord.

But as for the word "Allah".... it means Elohim. That sorta means that if you are a non-Western Christian acknowledging the God of the Bible in an Arabic language, you'd probably call him Allah because that's your native tongue.

[nessalynn77]

Maybe everyone is missing what I'm saying...there is only "1" God, can we all agree on that, than who should we pray too and who's name?  Why ask something in the Holy Spirit's name if he can't do it?  Only one person can and Jesus in the Bible said to ask in his name, so why beat around the bush?

So you already know, then?   Cool.  At first it felt like you were trying to understand, but it appears you are already convinced in your beliefs.

Allah may simply mean 'God', but the Islamic connotation is so strong that I wouldn't mention that name with the others.

Indeed.
It's kind of like the Mormons who believe in Jesus Christ, but also believe he's the brother of Satan.  That's not the same Jesus Christ I believe in, even if they do use the same name.

[LaylaMonroe]

Allah may simply mean 'God', but the Islamic connotation is so strong that I wouldn't mention that name with the others.

This.

I stop short of lumping Allah in the bunch... I believe that they are calling on a false god who they believe is the true God.

And this...

I believe the characterization of the Muslim god is a false god; he is NOT Jehovah God.