John 14:13 And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
In the Name of Jesus
In ascension Christ is the God-exalted One, the One who has received the name which is above every name. Philippians 2:9 says, “Wherefore also God highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name.” How marvelous Christ is! He humbled Himself to the uttermost, but God exalted Him to the highest peak.
The name referred to in Philippians 2:9 is the name of Jesus, as indicated in the following verse. From the time of Christ’s ascension, there has never been a name on earth above the name of Jesus. God has exalted Jesus to be the Lord of all. Therefore, it is altogether right for us to call “O Lord Jesus.” We need to confess the Lord’s name openly. In the New Testament there is the clear word that we are to call on the Lord’s name (Acts 2:21; Rom. 10:13). By His exaltation the Lord has been given a name which is above every name. There has never been a name in history higher than the name of the Lord Jesus. The highest name in the universe, the greatest name, is the name of Jesus.
In Philippians 2:10 and 11 Paul goes on to say, “That in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those who are in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth, and every tongue should openly confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.” The name is the expression of the sum total of what the Lord Jesus is in His person and work. The words “in the name” mean in the sphere and element of all the Lord is. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 31)
Praying in the Name of the Lord Jesus
Matthew 18:20 says, “Where there are two or three gathered into My name, there am I in their midst.” We need to consider carefully what it means to gather into the Lord’s name. We also need to ask how it is possible to gather into the name of the Lord. Many Christians understand that we need to pray in the Lord’s name (John 14:13-14; 15:16; 16:23).At the end of their prayer they may conclude by saying, “We pray in the name of the Lord Jesus.” However, I would ask, What does it mean to pray in the name of the Lord Jesus?
The Spirit Being the Reality of the Lord’s Name
The reality of meeting in the Lord’s name is to meet in the Spirit. This is because the Spirit is the reality of the Lord’s name. The reality of the Lord’s name is the Spirit because the Lord Himself is the Spirit (2 Cor. 3:17).The reality of any name is the person who bears that name. If there is no person associated with a particular name, that name is vain. The person is the reality of the name.
The person of the Lord Jesus is the Spirit. First Corinthians 15:45 says, “The last Adam became a life-giving Spirit,” and 2 Corinthians 3:17 says, “The Lord is the Spirit.” Both the last Adam and the Lord in these two verses refer to the Lord Jesus Christ. Since the person of the Lord is the Spirit, the reality of the Lord’s name also must be the Spirit. Therefore, to meet in the name of the Lord is to meet in the Spirit, and to pray in the name of the Lord is to pray in the Spirit. When we meet in the Spirit, we meet in the Lord’s name, and He is in our midst, and when we pray in the Spirit, we pray in the Lord’s name, and He is praying in our praying. (CWWL, 1970, vol. 1, “Fulfilling God’s Purpose by Growing in Life and Functioning in Life to Build up the Church”, ch. 4)
Abiding in the Lord and Letting His Words Abide in Us
In John 15:7 the Lord said, “If you abide in Me and My words abide in you, ask whatever you will, and it shall come to pass to you.” When we abide in the Lord and let His words abide in us, we are actually one with Him, and He is working within us. Then, whatever we ask, it is not only we who are praying but also He who is praying in our praying.
We cannot have this kind of prayer on our own. This prayer in the spirit comes from the indwelling Christ, through the Spirit, and by His word. If we abide in the Lord, keep ourselves always in contact and in fellowship with the Lord, and let the Lord with His word live, move, motivate, and energize within us, we will be unable to keep our mouths shut. We will have to utter something. What we speak will be a real prayer in the spirit. This is the expression of the indwelling Christ speaking as the Spirit with His words. (Life-study of John, msg. 34)
