Christian Mission Outreach

I was listening to the song, “Jesus Be the Name,” by Elevation Worship, and there is a line in it: “Jesus be the name that gets all the glory.” I thought, “That is the key!!!” 

For years, the Charismatic movement has had Lift Jesus Higher rallies and the Charismatic prayer group I was a part of in the Eighties and Nineties was dedicated to proclaiming the name of Jesus. However, the groups did not comprehend that we were also to stop giving the glory to others, including saints, alive or dead.

Nov. 11, 1981, the Lord gave me to prophesy, “The LORD reigns. Make straight your paths,” and “Psalm 96” which includes,

“Give to the LORD, O families of the peoples, give to the Lord glory and strength.

Give to the LORD the glory due His name.” (v. 7-8)

Our God is a jealous God. He deserves all the glory and does not want us to give it to idols or other gods, including holy people in heaven or on earth. Nor is His glory to be given to manmade objects. He makes this clear in the First and Second Commandments:

“You shall have no other gods before Me.

You shall not make for yourselves a carved image [to be bowed to or prayed to] – any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.” (Ex. 20:3=6 NKJV)

The Israelites had the problem of worshiping God without stopping the worship of other idols and God sent word to them over and over to stop it. One of His words through Hosea reminded me that instead of praying to saints, we were to pray to the one who really could answer our prayers,

“What have I to do anymore with idols? [It is I who hear and answers you.] Your fruit is found in Me.” (Hos. 14:8)

In Old Testament times, a person could be stoned to death if he worshiped the host of heaven. God called that an abomination. (Deut. 17:1-6)

Thank God that His mercy is great on those who fear Him. Because of Jesus’ atoning blood, because He became a curse on the cross to take away our curse, our sins can be forgiven if we repent, and our descendants can inherit blessings instead of curses. That is good news!

God hates a mixture. He wants pure worship from His people. He alone is God, not Him plus any other. Years ago, I did not realize that I was treating the saints as if they were God. Our triune God deserves all the glory. He created and equips mankind. He is our Saviour, our Healer, our Provider and Refuge, our Righteousness and Peace, our Comforter and Counselor, and so much more.

St. Peter understood that it is God who deserves all the glory. After the lame man at the Beautiful Gate was healed, Peter told the people, “why do you marvel at this? Or why look so intently at us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made this man well?…. And His [Jesus’] name, through faith in His name, has made this man strong, whom you see and know. Yes, the faith which comes through Him has given Him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.” (Acts 3:12, 16) Peter and John gave the name of Jesus all the glory.

When I was like the woman at the well, and Jesus, by His Spirit, stopped to talk to me years ago, He helped me see that He is like a jealous husband who wants his wife to have no other lovers. By my praying to both God and to the saints in those days, it was like having other lovers. I realized I was also robbing Jesus of the glory He deserved. So I repented and was forgiven, washed clean by His blood. I honor the saints and look forward to seeing them in heaven; but God alone, in Jesus’ name, is the One to whom I go in prayer. He deserves all my worship and praise.

When St. John was taken up to heaven in the Spirit, he saw that only Jesus was “worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals. And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll, or to loose it.” (Rev. 5:2-3) But his tears over this were dried when He was told that Jesus had prevailed and is worthy. He heard them sing a new song in heaven.

“You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals;

For You were slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your blood

Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation,

And have made us kings and priests to our God;

And we shall reign on the earth.” (Rev. 5:9-10)

The 24 elders had declared, “‘You are worthy, O LORD, to receive glory and honor and power;

for You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created.’” (Rev. 4:11)

John had declared, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God, All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.” (John 1:1-3) I was taught as a child that the Father was the Creator. But I now see that all three persons of the Godhead were present at creation, and had their parts in it.

As part of the Godhead, Jesus has the name above all other names, the name that is worthy to receive all the glory. Only Jesus is worthy.

“‘Worthy is the Lamb who was slain

To receive power and riches and wisdom,

and strength and honor and glory and blessing!’  [and all creation joined in saying,]

‘Blessing and honor and glory and power

Be to Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, forever and ever!’” (Rev. 5:12, 13)

Amen!