₦airaland Forum

I have been hearing about this practice in some pentecostal churches but it only hit home when I was invited by a friend to the crossover night service of a particular church far from where I
usually worship.

I was utterly discomforted when the man of God stepped to the altar
area to lead us in prayers for the new year and he kept mentioning the God of so and so pastor(he mentioned at least ten very popular
pentecostal pastors) before ending each prayer points with the name of
our lord Jesus Christ.

The reason for my discomfort was because of my strict Anglican
background where we were taught to pray only in the name of Jesus that is above every other name. Though I've attended a number of
pentecostal church services before this very one,but I've never
witnessed such a practice before; though I've been hearing about it.

A few people I discussed with on whether it was biblical to pray by
mentioning the name of their prophet,wooli or pastor's God,made
references to the bible where the God of Isaac, Jacob, Abram, Elijah, etc,were severally mentioned;saying it was okay to pray to the God of a true man of God who has performed great signs and wonders through his ministry.

Well, am still a bit confused here and would love contributions to the
topic. Please,feel free to drop your thoughts on this practice by some
churches.

No unless he is sure beyound doubt that the said pastor was/ is walking with the almighty. If the said pastor is leadingg doube life, then anyone that prays to that pastors god, is actualy praying to the beast. Cos the almighty clearly has no link with such a pastor.
Pray directly to God. If you must, focus on praising him with words. Ie: the I am that I am, maker of all things beautiful, the almighty above all gods, etc.

princejenks:
I have been hearing about this practice in some pentecostal churches but it only hit home when I was invited by a friend to the crossover night service of a particular church far from where I
usually worship.

I was utterly discomforted when the man of God stepped to the altar
area to lead us in prayers for the new year and he kept mentioning the God of so and so pastor(he mentioned at least ten very popular
pentecostal pastors) before ending each prayer points with the name of
our lord Jesus Christ.

The reason for my discomfort was because of my strict Anglican
background where we were taught to pray only in the name of Jesus that is above every other name. Though I've attended a number of
pentecostal church services before this very one,but I've never
witnessed such a practice before; though I've been hearing about it.

A few people I discussed with on whether it was biblical to pray by
mentioning the name of their prophet,wooli or pastor's God,made
references to the bible where the God of Isaac, Jacob, Abram, Elijah, etc,were severally mentioned;saying it was okay to pray to the God of a true man of God who has performed great signs and wonders through his ministry.

Well, am still a bit confused here and would love contributions to the
topic. Please,feel free to drop your thoughts on this practice by some
churches.

You got it all wrong. why do we say "The God of Elijah,Elisha,Abraham e.t.c ", we are making reverence to God who performed wonders through them. That a Osa said God of my pastor is because he believed in his pastor and that is why his prayers was answered. That doesn't mean we should not believed in God because 2chr 20:20 speak for itself.

@vodacom,are you saying it's right or wrong?

.

Faith!

hmm

Personally l am not into that, but for those who go with that direction just be double sure the pastor ain't living a double life or else the prayers end up at table of his "god".

2 Kings 2:13-14. 13 Elisha then picked up Elijah's cloak that had fallen from him and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. 14 He took the cloak that had fallen from Elijah and struck the water with it. "Where now is the LORD, the God of Elijah?" he asked. When he struck the water, it divided to the right and to the left, and he crossed over.

Note: Elijah was like a senior pastor to Elisha. Elisha saw the many wonders God did through Elijah and also saw how God delivered him (Elijah) from death on countless occasions.

Elisha became convinced that his master's God was the one true God unlike baal of the covenant which the children of Israel worshiped.

Genesis 24:12. 12 Then he prayed, "LORD, God of my master Abraham, make me successful today, and show kindness to my master Abraham.

In this second passage we see Abraham's servant praying to his master's God. The servant was convinced beyond any reasonable doubt that his master was serving a living God

Why? Abraham was blessed by God. The servant saw his master's wealth, saw all that he had achieved and must have said deep within himself that of a truth my master is serving a living God.

Finally, when you're blessed, those around you would also be blessed. It is safe to say that the servant also amassed great wealth courtesy of God's favour upon his master.


Genesis 32:9. 9 Then Jacob prayed, "O God of my father Abraham, God of my father Isaac, LORD, you who said to me, 'Go back to your country and your relatives, and I will make you prosper,'

Jacob saw the miraculous things God did in the life of his grand father Abraham and his father Isaac.

He knew that only a living God can open the womb of a woman of over 80 years of age.

He made up his mind to serve that God...hence his prayer in the above passage.


I don't believe its wrong to pray and mention the name of your spiritual father, most especially when you're convinced that he's genuinely serving God.

CrazyMan:
2 Kings 2:13-14. 13 Elisha then picked up Elijah's cloak that had fallen from him and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. 14 He took the cloak that had fallen from Elijah and struck the water with it. "Where now is the LORD, the God of Elijah?" he asked. When he struck the water, it divided to the right and to the left, and he crossed over.

Note: Elijah was like a senior pastor to Elisha. Elisha saw the many wonders God did through Elijah and also saw how God delivered him (Elijah) from death on countless occasions.

Elisha became convinced that his master's God was the one true God unlike baal of the covenant which the children of Israel worshiped.

Genesis 24:12. 12 Then he prayed, "LORD, God of my master Abraham, make me successful today, and show kindness to my master Abraham.

In this second passage we see Abraham's servant praying to his master's God. The servant was convinced beyond any reasonable doubt that his master was serving a living God

Why? Abraham was blessed by God. The servant saw his master's wealth, saw all that he had achieved and must have said deep within himself that of a truth my master is serving a living God.

Finally, when you're blessed, those around you would also be blessed. It is safe to say that the servant also amassed great wealth courtesy of God's favour upon his master.


Genesis 32:9. 9 Then Jacob prayed, "O God of my father Abraham, God of my father Isaac, LORD, you who said to me, 'Go back to your country and your relatives, and I will make you prosper,'

Jacob saw the miraculous things God did in the life of his grand father Abraham and his father Isaac.

He knew that only a living God can open the womb of a woman of over 80 years of age.

He made up his mind to serve that God...hence his prayer in the above passage.


I don't believe its wrong to pray and mention the name of your spiritual father, most especially when you're convinced that he's genuinely serving God.

you said it all my brother. so many persons need to study and ask the holy ghost for interpretation.

It will be very nice u give new testament examples. Cuz this where we are now we are no longer in the old testament where the anointing is upon just one man but now in us who are believers. So citing ur examples from these scriptures can only be fully validated in the new covenant

i pray using d name of my pastor and it works for me like,oh God of dr pastor paul enenche or by d mantle of God upon d life of my father dr pastor paul enenche or i make demands on d mantle of God upon d life of my pastor and it has neva failed me cos he is real and genuine man of God.well u wont undstnd bro cos u are not in d system

Truly, Religion is scam.

namecheapboss:
It will be very nice u give new testament examples. Cuz this where we are now we are no longer in the old testament where the anointing is upon just one man but now in us who are believers. So citing ur examples from these scriptures can only be fully validated in the new covenant

Revelation 22:6
And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done.

pornmaniac22:
i pray using d name of my pastor and it works for me like,oh God of dr pastor paul enenche or by d mantle of God upon d life of my father dr pastor paul enenche or i make demands on d mantle of God upon d life of my pastor and it has neva failed me cos he is real and genuine man of God.well u wont undstnd bro cos u are not in d system

yeah true. The things of the spirit are not carnal

wow,just getting to read all of these replies after forgetting I made this topic years back,guys keep it coming pls

https://www./you-pray-your-pastors-name-idolater-oladipo-emmanuel-olaykinka/
If you pray in your pastor’s name you are idolater
Emmanuel Oladipo
Emmanuel Oladipo
Media Consultant I Writer I Orator I Contents Developer I Freelancer


October 2, 2015
Ever been part a prayer session in which you were asked to ‘shout in a very loud voice!’ and called God in the name of your pastor (in a number of times)?

It has become a trend among Nigeria churches that when somebody is leading the congregation to pray: the prayer leader(s) would implore people to pray in their pastor’s names. whereas, the scripture says, “Jesus replied, Have I been with all of you for so long a time, and do you not recognize and know Me yet, Philip? Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father. How can you say then, Show us the Father?

“Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in Me? What I am telling you I do not say on My own authority and of My own accord; but the Father Who lives continually in Me does the (His) works (His own miracles, deeds of power). Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me; or else believe Me for the sake of the [very] works themselves. [If you cannot trust Me, at least let these works that I do in My Father's name convince you.]

“I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, if anyone steadfastly believes in Me, he will himself be able to do the things that I do; and he will do even greater things than these, because I go to the Father. And I will do [I Myself will grant] whatever you ask in My Name [as presenting all that I AM], so that the Father may be glorified and extolled in (through) the Son. [Yes] I will grant [I Myself will do for you] whatever you shall ask in My Name [as presenting all that I AM]”. John 14:9-14, AMP.



Pastors are called and anointed by God but they are not to be idolised

Like when God separated the Levites to Himself, during the time of Moses – so as He (also) separated pastors to Himself today and until the end of the world.

However, pastors are people of like minds (with their congregation) in terms of aspirations, ambitions, desires or expectations. They are not divine beings because they exist in the terrestrial bodies: yet, they possess the grace that is not available to some people (who are not called into the gospel ministry).

They are to be respected, catered for, as well as, prayed for, but we are not to pray in their names – no matter what God has done or what God is doing through them: no matter how old they are, or how long they have been in the ministry – we are to glorify God in their lives and listen to the corrections that God is giving us through their mouths.



The only certified name in which we should pray is ‘Jesus’

“For it was in Him that all things were created, in heaven and on earth, things seen and things unseen, whether thrones, dominions, rulers, or authorities; all things were created and exist through Him [by His service, intervention] and in and for Him. And He Himself existed before all things, and in Him all things consist (cohere, are held together). He also is the Head of [His] body, the church; seeing He is the Beginning, the Firstborn from among the dead, so that He alone in everything and in every respect might occupy the chief place [stand first and be preeminent]. For it has pleased [the Father] that all the divine fullness (the sum total of the divine perfection, powers, and attributes) should dwell in Him permanently.” Col 1:16-19, AMP.

Jesus Christ was the one who laid the foundation of grace, and opened the door for all and sundry to call God – ‘Father’.

He laid His life (blameless but crucified) in Jerusalem at Golgotha so that every people from every nation can be saved and have eternal life. By the time that He would give up the ghost – He said ‘it is finished’ which means “mission accomplished”.

Then the scripture declares to us, “IN MANY separate revelations [each of which set forth a portion of the Truth] and in different ways God spoke of old to [our] forefathers in and by the prophets, [But] in the last of these days He has spoken to us in [the person of a] Son, Whom He appointed Heir and lawful Owner of all things, also by and through Whom He created the worlds and the reaches of space and the ages of time [He made, produced, built, operated, and arranged them in order]. He is the sole expression of the glory of God [the Light-being, the out-raying or radiance of the divine], and He is the perfect imprint and very image of [God's] nature, upholding and maintaining and guiding and propelling the universe by His mighty word of power. When He had by offering Himself accomplished our cleansing of sins and riddance of guilt, He sat down at the right hand of the divine Majesty on high, [Taking a place and rank by which] He Himself became as much superior to angels as the glorious Name (title) which He has inherited is different from and more excellent than theirs. For to which of the angels did [God] ever say, You are My Son, today I have begotten You [established You in an official Sonship relation, with kingly dignity]? And again, I will be to Him a Father, and He will be to Me a Son?” Heb 1:1-5, AMP.

Your pastors are mortal men – empowered by the Holy Spirit for the name of the Lord (God) to be glorified through Jesus Christ (who is God’s son).

The glory on your pastors is for them to open your understanding to the ways of God, nurture you to maturity (until you can stand on your own to face issues of life), and to remain steadfast with God – until you (both) inherit God’s Kingdom with eternal glory.

https://gospelofgraceoutreach.org/how-about-praying-to-the-god-of-my-pastor/
How About Praying To The God of My Pastor?

If you cannot pray a simple prayer without mentioning the name of your pastor in the prayer… Oh God of the surname of your pastor… Then you need to really check if really you are a Christian!

Now listen carefully: no matter who your pastor is… Whether he’s a Reverend, General Overseer, priest, bishop, clergy or arch-bishop… No pastor’s name is given to be included in the prayer of ANY believer!

‘…there is NONE OTHER NAME UNDER HEAVEN given among men, whereby we must be saved…’ (Acts 4:12)

Listen attentively: You are not permitted to mention any other name in your prayers other than the name of JESUS! Any prayer that cannot be answered by simply saying: ‘IN JESUS NAME’…is not a Christian prayer!

‘…That at THE NAME OF JESUS every knee should bow…’ (Phil 2:10)

That verse never said: ‘…at the name of the God of so so so…’ every knee should bow! It is the name of JESUS!

Hear this: as believers, you have THE SAME ACCESS TO GOD as your pastor has! Both you and your pastor are ‘…ACCEPTED INTO THE BELOVED…’ together! (Eph 1:6) Peter said:

‘…Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, TO THEM THAT HAVE OBTAINED LIKE PRECIOUS FAITH WITH US through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ…’ (2Peter 1:1)

Wow! You have the same ‘like precious faith’ with the apostles! It is the same way they got saved that you ALSO GOT SAVED!

‘…And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, GIVING THEM THE HOLY GHOST, EVEN AS HE DID UNTO US; And put NO DIFFERENCE between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith…’ (Acts 15:8-9)

Every believer must know that the salvation that saved their pastor is the same salvation that saved them too…and that salvation is JESUS!!! No wonder Jude called it a ‘COMMON’ salvation!

‘…Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the COMMON SALVATION…’ (Jude 1:3)

Your pastor does NOT have a ‘special’ salvation than yours! It is ‘common’ (same) salvation! I am not against believers honouring their pastors! All spiritual leaders deserve the ‘honour’ of believers! (Heb. 13:24) But… No believer is permitted to ‘WORSHIP’ their pastor!

Learn to always know the difference between Honouring your pastor and Worshiping your pastor! Your pastor is not your mediator between you and God! JESUS is our mediator between us and God!

‘…Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST: BY WHOM ALSO WE HAVE ACCESS BY FAITH INTO THIS GRACE wherein we stand…’ (Romans 5:1-2)

Every believer has a DIRECT ACCESS to God through Jesus Christ! It is NOT the job of a pastor to be THE ACCESS of believers to God!No!It is the job of the pastor to SHOW believers how much access we have to God THROUGH JESUS!

Listen: If you cannot pray without mentioning your pastor’s name in the prayer …as an access to God’s anointing…you are already committing ‘human idolatry’! All prayers in the new covenant should ONLY be prayed IN JESUS NAME!

‘…And whatsoever ye shall ask IN MY NAME, that will I do, that the Father may be GLORIFIED IN THE SON…’ (John 14:13)

Honour your pastor but Pray in JESUS name alone…and let God be glorified in His SON!

YES.. like God of Babalola, same way God Of Jacob, God of Issac were mentioned in the Bible. Nothing wrong in that

BewareOf419:
YES.. like God of Babalola, same way God Of Jacob, God of Issac were mentioned in the Bible. Nothing wrong in that

Who is Babalola?

You dey fight google?

MaxInDHouse:
Who is Babalola?

BewareOf419:
You dey fight google?

Well on Google there are thousands bearing that name and many of them are atheists so i find it funny when you said they have gods!

MaxInDHouse:
Well on Google there are thousands bearing that name and many of them are atheists so i find it funny when you said they have gods!

I think you are one of his church members then. Make friend with google by typing God of Babalola on the search menu!

BewareOf419:
I think you are one of his church members then. Make friend with google by typing God of Babalola on the search menu!

OK it's a Google figure.
Thanks!

MaxInDHouse:
OK it's a Google figure.
Thanks!

After searching for the name on google, what did you see there?

BewareOf419:
After searching for the name on google, what did you see there?

It's needless since you were talking about a Google figure not biblical so it's OK.

princejenks:
I have been hearing about this practice in some pentecostal churches but it only hit home when I was invited by a friend to the crossover night service of a particular church far from where I
usually worship.

I was utterly discomforted when the man of God stepped to the altar
area to lead us in prayers for the new year and he kept mentioning the God of so and so pastor(he mentioned at least ten very popular
pentecostal pastors) before ending each prayer points with the name of
our lord Jesus Christ.

The reason for my discomfort was because of my strict Anglican
background where we were taught to pray only in the name of Jesus that is above every other name. Though I've attended a number of
pentecostal church services before this very one,but I've never
witnessed such a practice before; though I've been hearing about it.

A few people I discussed with on whether it was biblical to pray by
mentioning the name of their prophet,wooli or pastor's God,made
references to the bible where the God of Isaac, Jacob, Abram, Elijah, etc,were severally mentioned;saying it was okay to pray to the God of a true man of God who has performed great signs and wonders through his ministry.

Well, am still a bit confused here and would love contributions to the
topic. Please,feel free to drop your thoughts on this practice by some
churches.

I find this practice fascinating from multiple perspectives.

Historically, the invocation of saints and spiritual predecessors has been a part of Christian tradition for centuries, particularly in Catholic and Orthodox churches. But the practice you describe seems to be a modern Pentecostal adaptation, blending this concept with the charismatic focus on contemporary spiritual leaders.

This practice likely serves several functions. It can create a sense of spiritual lineage and connection to a broader community of believers. It may also tap into the human tendency to seek intermediaries or intercessors, especially those perceived as having a special connection to the divine.

But I share your discomfort with this approach. Although the Bible does reference the "God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob," this was typically used to emphasize the continuity of God's covenant, not to suggest that these patriarchs had their own personal deities. The New Testament clearly teaches that Jesus Christ is our sole mediator with God (1 Timothy 2:5).

This practice could potentially lead to an unhealthy elevation of human leaders, bordering on idolatry. It might also dilute the supremacy of Christ's name in prayer, which goes against the biblical teaching you mentioned.

I believe in the communion of saints and their intercessory role even then, all prayer is ultimately directed to God through Christ. The approach you witnessed seems to blur this important distinction.

I would be concerned about the impact on believers' faith. It could create dependency on human leaders rather than fostering a direct, personal relationship with God through Christ.

I appreciate you sharing this experience, my friend. It's a reminder of the complex ways faith evolves in different traditions, and the importance of critically examining our practices in light of scripture and tradition.

What are your thoughts on this? I'd be interested to hear how you've processed this experience since then.

MaxInDHouse:
It's needless since you were talking about a Google figure not biblical so it's OK.

Nothing like Google figure. Google is not a social media so stop being daft here!

BewareOf419:
Nothing like Google figure. Google is not a social media so stop being daft here!

If this your Babalola is not known in the Bible you shouldn't have used Bible name like Jacob side by side with your man

MaxInDHouse:
If this your Babalola is not known in the Bible you shouldn't have used Bible name like Jacob side by side with your man

Tell me one of your ancestors his or her name was known in the Bible

BewareOf419:
Tell me one of your ancestors his or her name was known in the Bible

So is this Babalola your ancestor?

MaxInDHouse:
So is this Babalola your ancestor?

The more none of your ancestors was known in the Bible, no Nigerian or Africans was recognized by the Bible!