Confusion About Prayer

By Arthur J Licursi

There is a scarcity of the knowledge of the truth of the Bible for this dispensational age of pure grace of God for “the body of Christ.” Today we live in a new relationship that the Bible clearly distinguishes from the time of the Old Testament on through the time of Jesus of Nazareth , when Israel was the focus of the Lord.

I was myself at one time exposed to the teaching of some of the erroneous practices that have crept into Christianity over the past century, most commonly found among the so-called Charismatics who do not entirely recognize the differences in dispensational times of the Bible. The two false principles and practices I will address herein have no basis in this age of the “dispensation of the grace of God.”

These two prayer practices are undispensational and based upon misapplied Scripture. The prevailing undispensational approach to the Bible has led well meaning believers to the frustration and disappointment of unanswered prayer…which then often leads them to question, “What’s wrong with me?” when God does not answer their prayers as requested. Some then are told they need to tithe or they have sin in their lives. This is awful counsel and not at all applicable in this day of “the dispensation of the grace of God.”

The root of the problem comes from the idea that Christians can usurp the prayer promises of the Lord of the Old Testament and those that Jesus of Nazareth gave in His earthly ministry to the believers of Israel . This error comes from the erroneous idea that the church today, called the “body of Christ” (Eph 1:22b-23a) is now what some call “spiritual Israel .” This is one of the great errors promoted by Augustine of Hippo and passed to the Roman Catholic Church, and that she has passed to many of her daughters of Protestantism. Note below how the Roman Church claims to be spirtual Israel .

Roman Catholic Catechism #877 (first line only) “Likewise, it belongs to the sacramental nature of ecclesial ministry that it have a collegial character. In fact, from the beginning of his ministry, the Lord Jesus instituted the Twelve as “THE SEEDS OF THE NEW ISRAEL and the beginning of the sacred hierarchy.”

Here we learn more of this Catholic view. http://catholicknight.blogspot.com/2011/01/catholic-church-is-israel.html

The Church, particularly THE CATHOLIC CHURCH , IS ISRAEL . There is no other Israel today, in a Biblical sense, than the Church. The Church is also Zion . There is no other Zion , in a spiritual sense, than the Church. The Church is also the New Jerusalem. There is no other “ Jerusalem ,” in a spiritual sense than the Church. This is a fundamental teaching of the New Testament. Without this understanding, everything becomes convoluted. If you read Israel and the Church as being two separate entities than you’ve missed the boat, and one of the most fundamental teachings of the New

Thus many today try to pilfer the blessings the Lord promised to Israel , while being careful to avoid taking the promised curses of living under Israel ’s “Law.”

Now let’s look at two erroneous ideas of prayer that spring from misapplied Scripture.

1) The first concept of note is the matter of “two or more believers agreeing in prayer” toward God in order to obtain the response or answer they seek. This is rooted in this misapplied verse.

“Again I (Jesus) say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. ²⁰ For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” (Matthew 18:19-20)

“And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.” (Matthew 17:20)

“Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.” (Matthew 21:21)

These and other verses are misused as the root of the “name it and claim it” teaching. “Positive confession” is what many Charismatic faith teachers espouse. I see many holes in the positive confession doctrine. In its more extreme forms it is pure witchcraft, plain and simple. If a man believes that he can speak wealth into his life, or blessings that God alone can bestow, then he has put himself in the place of God Almighty.

Is God today obligated to do anything just because someone in his creation wills it and prays it to be?

“Positive confession” teachers are clearly incorporating occult principles within the church. It appears to me that they are taking scriptures that are true when properly applied, and then twisting them out of context so far that they cross over into witchcraft. Those who follow positive confession teachings are putting themselves in the place of God. They are arrogantly professing that they are “just like God” and can create their own realities. This closely resembles Lucifer’s original sin of pride, “I will,…I will, I will, etc.”

When you “speak blessings over your children, family and friends,” I would encourage you to do so in meekness and humility – asking in a mindset of trusting the Lord’s wisdom and will. You may want to word your prayer something like this. “May God’s richest blessings from heaven rest upon you as you sleep tonight.” By wording yourself this way, you are asking God to invoke a blessing upon your child – in whatever form He may desire. We know from Scripture that He blesses us through suffering at times. “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:13)

This is very different than commanding “by agreement of two or more” that God bless your child or someone in some specific way, or believing in your heart that you can create your own desired reality with your tongue. This would be witchcraft and abominable to God.

“Name it and claim it” prayers do not work in this age of grace because they are not meant to. We today live under the new paradigm taught us by Paul’s epistles. Now we see God’s all-sufficient grace given to us in the form of the indwelling Christ as our ongoing life supply, and then also by recognizing He is Sovereign will in using all things for the good.

This is quite different from Israel ’s economy as spoken by Jesus of Nazareth in the “Old Testament of the synoptic gospels.” In them Jesus spoke words while “under the law” (Gal 4:4). He was yet living in His human body, so there was not yet a New Testament.

“For WHERE A TESTAMENT IS, THERE MUST ALSO OF NECESSITY BE THE DEATH OF THE TESTATOR. ¹⁷ For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth. (Hebrews 9:16-17)

“Who also hath made us able ministers of the NEW TESTAMENT; NOT OF THE LETTER, BUT OF THE SPIRIT: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.” (2 Corinthians 3:6)

So Jesus of Nazareth lived in the time of the Old Testament and spoke to Israel accordingly.

2) The second concept that is commonly also fostered by some is the matter of “speak the words of blessing over your house and to take authority of it in the name of Jesus.” It is rooted in these misused verses that accounts Jesus’ blessing of the children.

“And he (Jesus) took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them.” (Mark 10:16)

“But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.” (Matthew 5:44)

Both verses are attributed to Jesus of Nazareth in His earthly ministry to Israel . Both are found in the synoptic gospels that make and account of His sayings and doings while on earth and ministering to “the lost sheep of the house of Israel .”

“Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision ( Israel ) for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers (of Israel ):” (Romans 15:8)

“But he (Jesus) answered and said, I am not sent but (only) unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel .” (Matthew 15:24)

Jesus came NOT for the purpose of ministering to the Gentiles. He emphatically told His disciples the same. “These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go NOT into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: ⁶ But GO RATHER TO THE LOST SHEEP OF THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL. (Matthew 10:5-6)

Having established exactly to whom Jesus of Nazareth came to minister and to whom His words were directed –we can now look at His words and doings with some clarity, knowing Jesus’ words do not apply to the members of the Gentile “body of Christ.” You may note the Apostle Paul never once quotes a single word spoken by Jesus of Nazareth in Paul’s 13 epistles – and Paul is “THE Apostle to the Gentiles.”

So yes, Jesus came to minister and speak to Israel exclusively. But then also, it was the ascended Lord Jesus who saved and sent Paul to be “THE Apostle to the Gentiles.”

Remember it is Paul who writes to the members of “the body of Christ”;

“For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am THE Apostle of the Gentiles…” (Romans 11:13a)

Paul’s words are the Lord’s commandments for us today.

“If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that THE THINGS THAT I WRITE UNTO YOU ARE THE COMMANDMENTS OF THE LORD. (1 Corinthians 14:37)

Men of today will be judged according to Paul’s words of his grace gospel.

“In the day when GOD SHALL JUDGE THE SECRETS OF MEN BY JESUS CHRIST ACCORDING TO MY (PAUL’S) GOSPEL.” (Romans 2:16)

So let’s see if our Apostle, Paul, has anything similar to say in reference to these 2 concepts that come from the gospels. Well, there are no corresponding verses in the thirteen epistles of Paul to say these concepts apply to the members of the “body of Christ” today. Paul says we do pray, but not in such a manner as we see in the Jesus’ message in the gospels for Israel .

“Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7)

Paul makes no assurance that we get what we want. Rather, Paul assures us of the “peace of God” we will enjoy, keeping our hearts and minds…if and when we pray and leave every matter in the Lord’s hands.

Nowhere does Paul say we get what we pray for. If a reader finds one in Paul’s epistles, please let me know. Paul epistles also teach us that we will suffer and that the Lord’s grace is sufficient and that we have the blessed hope of dwelling “eternal in the heavens” (2Cor 5:1).