Why the Lord’s Prayer Is Not for Christians Today
By Apostle Frederick K.C. Price

     Let me preface what I’m about to share by stating this: My only purpose in teaching the Word of God is to set the captives free, not to put anyone in bondage or to ridicule any individual, church, denomination, or religion.

     Through the years, many things have been done in the name of Jesus. Sometimes, when something is done or said so often for so long, people get the idea that it is true simply because it has been done or said for so many years. But like the song so aptly puts it, "It ain't necessarily so."

      One of these erroneous things has been for Christians to pray "The Lord's Prayer." There are many Christians today who pray that prayer. I have known of churches around the world that have their worship service centered around it. I will not contest the fact that it is a beautiful prayer, or that Jesus gave it for the disciples to pray, but let me suggest to you through the Word of God that "The Lord's Prayer" is not for Christians today.

     In chapters 13 through 17 of the Gospel of John, Jesus talked with His disciples about several important matters, because He was soon going to die, and after that, He was going back to the heavenly Father. In the midst of this discussion, Jesus says in John 16:23-24: 

      "And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you.

     “Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full."

     The reason the disciples did not have to ask God the Father for anything in Jesus' name was that they could ask Jesus. When they needed food, clothing, tax money, or anything else, they could go to Jesus. But the time was approaching when Jesus would no longer be with them in the flesh, and a new dispensation would be ushered in. They had been living under the Law of Moses, and that Law would terminate with Jesus' death, burial, resurrection, and ascension. Once all this happened, the day of the Law would end, and the day of grace would begin.

     How God designed the system

     According to these two verses in John 16, how we ask God for something should basically follow these lines: If we ask the Father for something, we have to ask in Jesus' name. That is a legal transaction, such as signing your name at the bottom of a check. And just as your check will not be cashed if it does not have your signature on it, your prayer will not be answered unless you "sign" it, so to speak, in Jesus' name. It is not because God is being mean or inconsiderate, but simply because that is how He designed the system.

    As a contrast to John 16:23-24, let us look at Matthew 6:9-13, which is generally referred to as "The Lord's Prayer.”
 
     “In this manner, therefore, pray:
     Our Father in heaven,
     Hallowed be Your name.
     Your kingdom come.
     Your will be done
     On earth as it is in heaven.
     Give us this day our daily bread.
     And forgive us our debts,
     As we forgive our debtors.
     And do not lead us into temptation,
     But deliver us from the evil one.
     For yours is the kingdom and the power
     and the glory forever. Amen.”

     Remember what we read in John 16:23: " . . . Whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you."

     If you turn it around, you can take this verse as saying, "Whatever you do not ask the Father in My name He will not give you."

     Look at how "The Lord's Prayer" ends:

     "And do not lead us into temptation,
     But deliver us from the evil one.
     For Yours is the kingdom and the power
     and the glory forever. Amen."

     Those verses do not say a thing about Jesus' name.

      The reason "In Jesus' name" is not included in this prayer is that Jesus gave it to the disciples to finish out the Old Covenant dispensation. It was never meant to be used in the New       Covenant dispensation, and it does not meet New Testament standards. Let us look at this prayer in detail, and I will prove my point.

     The prayer begins, in Matthew 6:9:
     “Our Father in heaven,
     Hallowed be Your name.”

     This much is all right. The next part says, in verse 10:

     "Your kingdom come…."

     The fact that Jesus said, "Your kingdom come," meant that the kingdom of God had not yet come. Dear friend, I want you to know that the kingdom of God is here already. There is such a thing as the kingdom of heaven, which is the theocratic reign of Almighty God in the earth realm that will be administered through Jesus Christ once He physically returns to the earth realm.

     It’s place of origin is heaven

     It is called the kingdom of heaven because its place of origin will be heaven. However, the kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of God are separate entities. The kingdom of God is a spiritual realm otherwise known as the family of God. Once you are born again and become a child of God, you are a part of the kingdom of God, as well.

     The rest of verse 10 contains the next part of "The Lord's Prayer":

     "Your will be done
     On earth as it is in heaven."

     In other words, God's will is done in heaven, and we should desire that whatever goes on in heaven be the way things go on in earth, as well. Some of us have been taught through the years that we are supposed to suffer with disease, sickness, poverty, and fear, and just hold on and "keep a stiff upper lip" because once we reach the pearly gates, it will all be better.

     If it is the perfect will of God for His children to be sick, poor, beaten down, then that must be what is going on in heaven, because Jesus said, "Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." If you go by that rationale, that means there must be sick people and poor people in heaven. But how could there be poor people in heaven when the streets there are said to be made of gold? No one is poor in heaven if there are gold streets there. There is no poverty in heaven, and no sickness there. There is no darkness in heaven, because the lamb – Jesus – is the light thereof.

     "The Lord's Prayer" continues, in Matthew 6:11-13:

     ”Give us this day our daily bread.
     And forgive us our debts,
     As we forgive our debtors.
     And do not lead us into temptation,
     But deliver us from the evil one."

     The fact that Jesus said, "Deliver us from the evil one," means that we are not already delivered. After all, we would not have to ask Him to deliver us from what we have already been set free from.

     I mentioned earlier that while Jesus walked the earth, the disciples were still living under the Old Testament dispensation. Satan was still in control. He was and is still the god of this world, because Adam deeded control of the earth to him by disobeying God, and Satan has been over the people of the earth ever since. At the time Jesus walked the earth, the people of God were a subjugated people, under the rulership and dominion of another nation. Satan had them in bondage and tried to destroy them to keep Jesus from coming into the world.

     Set people free from Satan

     If you very carefully examine the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ in the earth realm, you will notice that everywhere He went, He set people free from the power of Satan. He cast out demons. He set people free from sickness, disease, poverty, and fear. To free mankind from Satan’s control was the reason Jesus came to earth, died on the cross, spent three days and nights in hell, then rose and ascended to the Father in heaven. He did all this to set us free – to deliver us from the legal authority of the evil one.

     However, at the time Jesus gave the disciples "The Lord's Prayer," Jesus had not yet gone to Calvary. He had not yet died or risen from the dead. The disciples had to say, "Deliver us from the evil one," because they were not yet delivered. There was a day coming when they could say, "Praise God, I'm redeemed from the curse of the law. I'm redeemed from the power of darkness, and from the authority of Satan." But at the time this prayer was given, that time had not yet come.

     We have been redeemed from the curse of the law. We were delivered when we accepted Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior. Colossians 1:12-13 tells us:

     Giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light.

     He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love.

     The word has indicates that the redeeming has already happened. We are not being delivered. We are not going to be delivered. We are free now.

      If I say, "Deliver me from the evil one," I am saying I am not already delivered. I am calling God a liar, because He very clearly tells us in Colossians that we are delivered from the evil one. If I pray, "Your kingdom come," I am calling God a liar again, because He tells us in verse in verse 13:

      . . .  and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love.

     Personally, I cannot pray that prayer in good conscience, because if I did it, I would be in violation of the Word. That is why I no longer pray "The Lord's Prayer" myself. I am not telling you not to pray it. You may go ahead if you want to. I am simply pointing out some scriptural facts.

     Jesus said that the truth, known and acted upon, will make you free. Part of that freedom is learning how to pray in line with the Word of God. Philippians 4:6 informs us to Be anxious [to the point of distraction] for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.

     God does not play games. All you have to do is follow the instructions in His Word for asking, apply your faith, and God will honor your requests.

 
     
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