Author's Preface
1. Accepting Or Uniting
   
2. Who Is A Christian?
   
3. "Why Don't You Leave The Church of Christ?"
   
4. The Iniquity Of The Fathers
   
5. Our Judicial System
   
6. "You Are My People Now"
   
7. Serving "Otherwise Than As Prescribed"
   
8. Does Baptize Really Mean To Immerse
   
9. Our Relationship Through Baptism
   
10. Those Gospel Meetings
    
11. A Prelude To Worship
    
12. Worshipping In Spirit And Truth
    
13. The Forbidden Prayer
    
14. "I Didn't Hear Nobody Pray"
    
15. Communion Prayers
    
16. Communion With Bread, Wine, And Money
    
17. Thursday Is The Lord's Day Too!
    
18. Not Forsaking The Assembly
    
19. Acts 20:7 One More Time
    
20. Our Father Who Art Where?
    
21. Does Nature Reveal God's Love
    
22. Copyrighted: All Rights Reserved
    
23. Don't Pour Water On Them
    
24. The Remaining Restriction For Women
    
25. Some Questions About Revelation
    
26. Must One Fully Repent Before Baptism?
    
27. Nicodemus In Context
    
28. Our Respected Myths Of Religion
    
29. Hook's Points: A Potpourri
    

When his disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray, he recited to them a brief prayer which is used universally by Christians and is called The Lord's Prayer. In the Church of Christ generally, however, we have been turned away from using that prayer. Because of our aversion to that petition, I suspect that most of us would have difficulty in repeating it from memory.

Two objections have been put forth in our effort to prohibit the use of Jesus' prescribed model: (1) we cannot rightly pray "Thy kingdom come" because the kingdom came on Pentecost and we are in it, and (2) it is not prayed "in Jesus' name" as Jesus later taught us to pray. Let us question the validity of each of those objections.

From reading the gospels, we learn that the disciples looked for an earthly restoration of the national kingdom of Israel throughout his ministry and also after the resurrection of Jesus. Even though the misunderstanding disciples evidently prayed for a national kingdom, God did not reject their prayers. He established his spiritual kingdom anyway. In view of their willingness to let God's will be done in their lives, God accepted their petitions. We can gain confidence that he will also hear our prayers even when we do not fully understand that for which we ask.

Because we have been inclined to limit the identity of the kingdom to the church on earth, we have failed to appreciate the broader concept of the kingdom. The kingdom of God will come in its completeness only in the next world. Evidently, Jesus was teaching his disciples to pray that the kingdom would be established and also attain its fullness or maturity which will be accomplished only when it is delivered up to the Father.

In poetic fashion the Jews used many parallelisms where a thought is repeated in slightly different words. Jesus used this literary device when he said, "Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done." Those statements mean the same thing essentially. And both clauses are modified by "on earth as it is in heaven."

The kingdom of God is the ruling of God in the hearts of his people. When his will is being done, God is ruling. The purpose of God is never done fully on earth, but in heaven his reign is perfected. On earth we still have sin, sorrow, pain, and death because the will of God is not accomplished in its fullness here, but those things do not prevail in heaven. It should be our constant prayer that we grow toward that mature state on earth. In our individual efforts to let him rule, we ask for our daily sustenance, forgiveness of sins, and God's help in withstanding temptation.

In consideration of this desire to allow God to reign, should we not pray, "Thy kingdom come"? This, by the way, in no way supports the concept of a premillennial reign of Christ on earth for which many sincere disciples pray.

Now let us consider the matter of praying "in Jesus' name."

"Whatever you ask in my name, I will do it, that the Father may be glorified in the Son; if you ask anything in my name, I will do it" (John 14:13f). Other passages also emphasize that promise of Jesus. What does that mean? Is this some sort of password without which our prayers never reach the Father? Is it a part of a formula for a ritual of prayer?

In the name of someone means by the authority of or in behalf of the person whose name is used. Jesus has mediated the way back to the Father so that when we are in him, there is no longer an alienation. Coming by the authorization of Jesus we have direct access to the Father. In Christ we are also in the Father and his Spirit is in us in a reconciled state. Our whole life is given to the Father in his name!

In his name-by his authorization and in his behalf-we baptize (Acts 2:38), we sing (Eph. 5:18f), we gather (Matt. 18:20), and "Whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God through him" (Col. 3:17). That is allinclusive (!) and has nothing to do with saying in Jesus' name at the end of a petition. It means that our whole lives are dedicated to God through him in whom we are now reconciled to the Father. Jesus does not relay our requests to the Father; we now have direct access to him.

If the Lord's Prayer had been given to us for a rote prayer in a ritual, the wording recorded by Matthew and Luke would necessarily have been identical (Matt. 6:9f; Luke 11:1f). But the prayer can still be offered, even in unison, by thoughtful disciples in a manner far more expressive than a ritual. If we wish to expand our prayer, we can still see in Jesus' prayer an outline to follow; however, it seems strange to me that he did not include thanksgiving in the prayer.

Simplistic answers most always overlook deeper meanings. Our marking The Lord's Prayer as a prohibited petition has deprived us of some richer spiritual insights.