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Q2. Prayer to the Father


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  • 1 month later...

Q2. (John 16:23-28) What does it mean to pray to the Father “in Jesus’ name”? Is it okay to pray to Jesus and to the Holy Spirit? Why or why not? Is it scriptural to pray to a saint to intercede for us? Why are we allowed to pray to the Father directly?

To pray in Jesus' name means to pray with his commission, his authority -- and in his will. We no longer need Jesus to bring us into the Father's presence -- that work has been completed on the cross; the veil of the temple separating the holy place from the holy of holies has been rent. The way is open to the Father. So we can now pray directly to the Father but in Jesus' name. This is because the Father knows us and loves us. Nevertheless it is still ok to pray to Jesus and the Holy Spirit. However, I do not see the need to pray to a saint to intercede for us. Jesus Himself is seated at the right hand of the Father interceding for us day and night. What more can we ask for? Thank you Jesus.

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Q2. (John 16:23-28) What does it mean to pray to the Father "in Jesus' name"? Is it okay to pray to Jesus and to the Holy Spirit? Why or why not? Is it scriptural to pray to a saint to intercede for us? Why are we allowed to pray to the Father directly?

In prayer we are able now to go directly to the Father through the finished work of Jesus on the cross and because we have RSVPed to that work.  An RSVP is needed by us not to finish the work on the cross however to have it apply to us personally.  The Father loves us because we have loved the Son and what He has done for us.  It is amazing what Jesus has done for us and I personally want to go directly to the Father because the Father loves me.  No saint  loves me that way, the Father does.  And I believe that is what the Father desires.  He wants to commune with me.

 Maybe it is okay to pray to Jesus and the Holy Spirit however I find it awkward.  It has been made possible for me to go directly to the Father through the work Jesus did on the cross and through the power of the Holy Spirit though whom I receive the truth of the God Head and the words to pray and I personally find this to be natural.  I do talk to Jesus during the day with a thank you Jesus or praise to Him  and the same with the Holy Spirit.

I don't believe it is scriptural to pray to a saint (who was in need of a Redeemer himself).  He did not do the work on the Cross, Jesus did and Jesus Himself is forever at the right hand of God interceding for me.  To pray to a saint  is asking a person to do the work of Christ which makes a sort of idol of the saint.  It is Christ we worship not a saint.  We can read about their works and admire them but to ask them to intercede for us would be a waste of time because to my knowledge of Scripture they cannot.

I agree with SoiKosum, "What more can we ask for?"  Thank you Jesus for leaving your kingly throne and coming to earth for me.

 

God Bless!

Jen 

Romans 15:13

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Q2. (John 16:23-28) What does it mean to pray to the Father “in Jesus’ name”?

 

When we are born again, or are in Christ, we are reconciled to the Father. Jesus' death and resurrection are the "bridge" bringing us into fellowship with the Father. To pray in the Name of Jesus, acknowledges that truth, and is with the authority given to us by Jesus.

 

Is it okay to pray to Jesus and to the Holy Spirit? Why or why not?

 

Yes, I believe it is. I ask Holy Spirit to give me understanding when I'm confused, or to soften the heart of someone I'm praying for, or during worship to fill the room with His Presence, etc. Holy Spirit is Who lives in us, and is Who is ever present.

 

 Is it scriptural to pray to a saint to intercede for us?

 

No, there is only One Mediator between God and Man...the Lord Jesus Christ. We need no other. Saints and Mary are precious, but they are not God and have no authority to intercede for us...they needed Jesus to be their Mediator also.

 

Why are we allowed to pray to the Father directly?

 

Jesus took upon His body all of God's wrath and punishment for my sin at His crucifixion, and opened the way for me to have fellowship with the Father.  When He cried "It is finished" as He give up His Spirit to death, the veil in the temple's Holy of Holies was torn from top to bottom, as the sign that I can now come boldly without fear, into the Father's Holy presence with no barrier between us. How I thank and praise our Lord Jesus for this precious gift!

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Q2. (John 16:23-28) What does it mean to pray to the Father “in Jesus’ name”? Is it okay to pray to Jesus and to the Holy Spirit? Why or why not? Is it scriptural to pray to a saint to intercede for us? Why are we allowed to pray to the Father directly?

 

To pray in Jesus name to the Father is to pray in the authority of Jesus. Believers have the authority to pray in Jesus name because of the cross. We can now come boldly before the throne of grace (Hebrews 4:16). For by grace believers in Christ have been raised up with Christ and have been given access to God (Ephesians 2:6&8). Jesus and the Holy Spirit are one (John 14:15-17).

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(John 16:23-28) What does it mean to pray to the Father “in Jesus’ name”? Is it okay to pray to Jesus and to the Holy Spirit? Why or why not? Is it scriptural to pray to a saint to intercede for us? Why are we allowed to pray to the Father directly?          

  • To pray in Jesus' name means to pray with his commission, his authority -- and in his will.
  • The normal pattern is prayer to the Father in Jesus name however, it is okay to pray to Jesus and to the Holy Spirit because the Father cares and knows us.
  • It is no longer scriptural to pray to a saint to intercede for us because Jesus made us acceptable to God by dying on the cross. 
  • We are allowed to pray directly to the Father because Jesus has made us acceptable to God and the Father himself knows us and loves us.
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Q2. (John 16:23-28) 

What does it mean to pray to the Father "in Jesus' name"? 

Is it okay to pray to Jesus and to the Holy Spirit? 

Why or why not? 

Is it scriptural to pray to a saint to intercede for us? 

Why are we allowed to pray to the Father directly?

Up to now Jesus had provided for all the needs of the disciples. He had been the source of all their learning and understanding, but with Him leaving they were now able to directly approach the Father who would meet their needs. As believers we have this same direct line to the Father. We know He cares for His children. What a wonderful promise and privilege of prayer. Yes, we serve a triune God; Jesus is God, and the Holy Spirit is God – so I’m sure it is okay to pray to either Jesus or to the Holy Spirit or, of course, to our Heavenly Father. Personally I see no reason to pray to a saint to intercede for us when I can pray directly to God, Jesus or the Holy Spirit. We are allowed to pray to the Father directly because, by Jesus’ death and resurrection, He has removed the barrier of sin between us and our Heavenly Father. A new relationship has been established with the Father in which we are able, with complete confidence, to pray directly to Him. It is on this basis of Jesus’ name, that we can now be certain, that our Heavenly Father will give whatever we ask as long as it is line with His glory. 

 

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To me personally, I see it as combining the two persons (Father and Son) in prayer.  It is very common in evangelical churches in South Sudan to pray ‘in the mighty name of Jesus’.  I dislike this because there is too much emphasis on strength which for me makes it hard to pray with gentleness and love.  At various points in my life I have had different relationships with the persons of the Trinity, with one or the other being more intelligible to me and therefore feeling more accessible.  At my current point, I see a balance between the three persons.  It makes complete sense to me to pray as a Catholic, ‘In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit’ so that all three persons of the Trinity are acknowledged in order.  Very neatly, the sign of the cross is made at the same time, to remind us of the importance of the cross for our salvation.  I don’t think it is scriptural to pray to a saint, but it is done with humility by those who don’t feel they are fit to speak to God.  A prayer to a saint goes directly to God in any case.  It would be wrong if it took a person away from God, but I have not seen that happen.  I meditate on the example of saints’ lives and on their writings.  I believe these were often strongly inspired by the Holy Spirit and can be a huge help in our own Christian progress.  I do not think that the Holy Spirit’s inspiration stopped with the apostles and it is a shame to ignore some very valuable teachings which are later in date. It is right to pray to the Father directly, as Jesus himself taught us to do by his own example, particularly when he taught us to say the Our Father. 
 

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Lesson 28 Question 2

To pray in Jesus's name is to acknowledge that we can now approach the throne of the Father because of what Jesus did for us through His death on the cross.

Is it ok to pray to Jesus and the Holy Spirit? Yes, , although the usual way is to pray  to the Father in Jesus name.

 I don't believe we should pray to other Christians - although, I believe we can have inspiring fellow Christians in mind when we pray to the Father.

We can now pray to the Father directly because he also loves us because we have received his love and grace by receiving Jesus as his son and our Savior.

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Q2. (John 16:23-28) What does it mean to pray to the Father “in Jesus’ name”? Is it okay to pray to Jesus and to the Holy Spirit? Why or why not? Is it scriptural to pray to a saint to intercede for us? Why are we allowed to pray to the Father directly?

Jesus taught us to pray to the Father in his name and anything we prayed for, he would do it. Jesus suffering, death and resurrection has atoned for our sins, thus through Christ we go boldly before the throne of God in Jesus name.

It is OK to pray to Jesus and the Holy Spirit they are part of the trinity of God. When praying our Heavenly Father already knows what we need before we ask for it.

it is not by any means scriptural to pray to a saint thinking they would intercede for us before Christ. This would take away from the glory of Jesus and the Holy Spirit. The Lord never mentioned praying to anyone except the Father and that, praying in Jesus name.  

We can pray directly to the Father because we have in faith believed Jesus to be his only Son who has atoned for our sins. Through Jesus we are taken directly to the throne of the Father. For the Father loves us as we love Jesus whom He sent.      

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  • 3 weeks later...

Q2. (John 16:23-28) What does it mean to pray to the Father "in Jesus' name"? Is it okay to pray to Jesus and to the Holy Spirit? Why or why not? Is it scriptural to pray to a saint to intercede for us? Why are we allowed to pray to the Father directly?

 

Praying to the Father in Jesus name means direct approach to the Father through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ sequel to His death and resurrection that reconciled us to the Father. It also means praying according the will of Jesus which is aligned to the will of God.

 

It is okay to pray to Jesus directly too. He and God are one.

 

Similarly, we can pray also to the Holy Spirit our guide, counsellor and friend directly as one of the Trinity. He lives in us and thus we can talk to Him as a Person.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Q2. (John 16:23-28) What does it mean to pray to the Father "in Jesus' name"? Is it okay to pray to Jesus and to the Holy Spirit? Why or why not? Is it scriptural to pray to a saint to intercede for us? Why are we allowed to pray to the Father directly?

Jesus is talking about a new relationship between the believer and God. Previously, people approached God through priests. After Jesus’ resurrection, any believer could approach God directly. A new day has dawned and now all believers are priests, talking with God personally and directly.

We can approach God, not because of our own merit, but because Jesus, our great High Priest, has made us acceptable to God. If we read Hebrews 10: 19 – 23 (“The Most Holy Place in the Temple was sealed from view by a curtain. Only the high priest could enter this holy room, and he did so only once a year on the Day of Atonement when he offered the sacrifice for the nation’s sins. But Jesus’ death removed the curtain, and all believers may walk into God’s presence at any time”)

We have significant privileges associated with our new life in Christ: (1) We have personal access to God through Christ and can draw near to him without an elaborate system (2) we may grow in faith, overcome doubts and questions, and deepen our relationship with God (3) we may enjoy encouragement from one another we may worship together and intercede for others.

 

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Q2. (John 16:23-28) What does it mean to pray to the Father "in Jesus' name"? Is it okay to pray to Jesus and to the Holy Spirit? Why or why not? Is it scriptural to pray to a saint to intercede for us? Why are we allowed to pray to the Father directly?

We can and should pray to the Father, Son & Holy Spirit, as it comes to our mind. It is something to be grateful for, and to seek to know each member of the Triune God as best as we can. It requires time and energy to do this. That process in where we can grow closer to Him/Them.

No being Catholic, I was never trained to pray to Mary or Joseph or any Saint. In the KJV I'm told that this never is expressed, except to not worship anything by the Lord thy God. The rest is idol worship.

 

SO I'm not wise enough to judge people who pray to the saints. After all, Jesus said that that He and the Father are one, and that we are in Him and He is in us. There is no need or mention of any other spirits we should pray to. Being direct is the best method. That is why Jesus taught us how to pray to the Father who is the holy of holies in heaven. Why would we want to water down our message or our need for help. But one can also ask, do we really know what is best for us to pray for our selves? Is not God's will the thing that matters, and seeking it through prayer? We pray "thy will be done, on earth [through us] as it is in heaven. Let's not take much credit for anything good that comes our way. It is good and therefore it is a blessing from God.

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  • 3 weeks later...

When we pray in Jesus’ name, we are approaching the Father in the character and stature and authority of Jesus, and in His manner of humility and submission to the Father’s will.  A prayer offered from this mindset is a prayer the Father will affirmatively answer (vs.23)! 

 

Prayers offered to Christ and to the Spirit are certainly not prohibited because they are our Mediator and our Intercessor, and they are both fully God.  But our prayers ultimately come before the Father, whether through the Mediator and Intercessor or through our own direct approach gained through the merit of Jesus. 

 

The overall point here was that because of our belief in who Jesus is and what He has done, the Father Himself loves us in a new father/child relationship that opens a direct line of communication between us.  Every parent wants his children to come to him, rather than trying to communicate through third party siblings! God the Father now invites/expects us to come straight to Him with our prayers, just as His Son, our supreme example, did.  He loves us as our Father, and our prayers are always answered according to His love, His grace, and His perfect will.

 

The concept of praying to a saint for intercession is very problematic for me, for several reasons.    

  1. Using verse 26 to support that belief is to lift it out of context and disregard what is said directly before and after it.  The entirety of just this chapter alone makes it clear that the Father answers prayers offered in Jesus’ name, out of His love and acceptance of us through our belief in His Son.  No other approach is Scriptural.
  2. Scripture reveals and identifies Jesus Christ as our only Mediator (1Timothy 2:5) and the Holy Spirit as our sole Intercessor (Romans 8:26-27) before the Father.  There isn’t anywhere in Scripture that teaches any additional name through which we are to pray or records any example of asking someone else in heaven to pray for us.  And Deuteronomy 18:11-12 warns that those who seek to inquire of the dead are considered detestable before the LORD
  3. Paul’s use of the word “saints” in the opening greetings of many of his letters makes it clear that all believers who are loved by God the Father, sanctified in Christ, and united as His Body by the Spirit are called to be saints. There’s nothing in the Word that supports the creation of a unique heavenly class with some kind of special prayer access or privilege or influence before God that we do not also already have with our access to the throne of grace (Hebrews 4:16). There may be valuable lessons to learn from the lives of those who are formally titled as “saints”, but they have no greater power to gain God’s ear than we have been given in Christ.
  4. I am struck with sadness by Rebecca Mallinson’s humble statement in her answer that “I don’t think it is scriptural to pray to a saint, but it is done with humility by those who don’t feel they are fit to speak to God.”  Yes, we all probably feel that way at times (I certainly have), but what God honors is our active faith in what He says rather than in what we feel.  God convicts and corrects, but He NEVER condemns His children.  And we must acknowledge and remember that our feelings are almost never completely accurate!  We can be genuinely sincere but yet genuinely wrong if we aren’t operating in the truth.  When we’re crippled and led astray by our feelings, I’m certain it breaks the Father’s heart and dishonors who He’s made us to be in Christ.  So we need to encourage each other that we’re to come to the Father with confidence, full assurance of faith, and unwavering hope in His faithfulness (Hebrews 10:19-23), and that our feelings of unworthiness can only be overcome by our faith in His worthiness at work in us.  Thank You, Jesus, for making this possible!!! 

So without any desire to offend or be judgmental towards anyone, I can only conclude that prayers offered through any saints gone on to heaven before us (or angels or anything else, for that matter) are misdirected, powerless, unproductive, and even offensive to the Father.

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  • 3 months later...

What does it mean to pray to the Father "in Jesus' name"?  Jesus told us on more than one occasion that it’s the Father who’s in charge.  His actions backed up that assertion every time He willfully submitted Himself to His Father’s authority.  In His discourse at the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught us to pray "Our Father in heaven…"  That’s a pretty clear declaration that our prayers should be concentrated on the Father and no one else, if Jesus said to pray to the Father why would we ever consider praying otherwise?  The reality is, of course, that we are all sinners and because we are, we can only approach God in the name of Christ Jesus.  God is perfectly holy and He hates our sin and that’s precisely why He devised a way for us to approach Him.  As a sinner, our only approach to God is through Christ Jesus and I believe He made that abundantly clear when Jesus told us, "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John. 14:6).  Simply put, Jesus is the mediator of our approach to God and… God the Father only hears us when we go through the Son. 

 

Is it okay to pray to Jesus and to the Holy Spirit?  Although I don’t believe its “wrong” to pray to, or thank Jesus for the good things that happen in our lives.  Jesus Himself teaches us that we should go directly to the Father in His name. "…I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name." (John 16:23)  Neither Christ nor the Spirit should be the primary focus of our prayers; (in the name of Jesus Christ) the focus of our prayers should ALWAYS be God!   If you expect either the Spirit or Christ Jesus to carry your prayers to God, Jesus seems to have specifically ruled that out when He told the apostles, "I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf.  Even though Jesus is still our intercessor with the Father, that doesn’t mean that we should be asking Him to carry our prayers to the Father for us.  He again makes that point abundantly clear in (John 16:23-24) when he said; In that day you will no longer ask me anything. I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.  Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete."

 

Is it scriptural to pray to a saint to intercede for us?  In two words, ABSOLUTELY NOT!  I’ll never understand why anyone would waste prayer time praying to a saint?  God only listens to you when you pray to Him through Christ Jesus so if you’re wasting precious prayer time praying to a saint, He doesn’t even hear you!  I know that I’ll be opening myself up to criticism by saying this but I personally believe that praying to a saint is akin to praying to an idol.  So, why would I say something that uncompromising?  Well to start with, the dictionary definition of an idol is “a representation or symbol of an object of worship; broadlya false god.”  In this case, the “object of worship” is God Himself and by praying to a saint, he/she becomes your idol, a false god who's taking up residence in a place that should be reserved only for God, a place (your heart) that God alone should be occupying.  Secondly, I really can’t understand why anyone would EVER consider praying to a saint FOR ANY REASON.  In my mind, that’s totally absurd since Jesus Himself teaches that we should always go to the very highest authority (God the Father).  If you believe in Jesus and believe that what He says is true and right, why would you ever consider praying to a subordinate when, in the name of Christ Jesus, you can go to the very highest authority known to man?

 

Why are we allowed to pray to the Father directly?  Even though Christ Jesus is still our intercessor with the Father, He brought us all to His holy presence when He went to the cross.  It was there that Christ paid our sin debt so that (through Him) we can now access the Father directly.

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  • 1 month later...

Q2. (John 16:23-28) What does it mean to pray to the Father “in Jesus’ name”?

Except for a few chosen people; the door into heaven had been slammed shut for 100s of years.  We can only come to our Heavenly Father because our Lord Jesus has opened the door into the presence of Almighty God.  It is in HIS name we may come knowing 'we are accepted in the beloved' Son of God.  No other name is sufficient or has the power to bring us into Father's presence knowing He hears and answers .... and Jesus our Lord ever lives to intercede for us.  Halelujah.

 

Is it okay to pray to Jesus and to the Holy Spirit?  YES.

 

Why or why not?  Both are co-equal in the Trinity of the God head.

 

Is it scriptural to pray to a saint to intercede for us? NO -- a saint, that's all believers - are NOT God. Also because of Christ's sacrife on the cross for us, we have direct access into the throne of God we no longer need an interceder.

 

Why are we allowed to pray to the Father directly?  At the death of Jesus's ... God tore the veil of the curtain separating Him from his people to give us direct access to His throne in the inner sanctuary ... no more need of Priests as interceders. PRAISE THE LORD for all He has done ;;; and is doing ... for us.

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  • 2 years later...

The meaning of praying to the Father “in Jesus’ name” is saying that we can go directly to the Father and say that Jesus has sent us. Yes, it is ok to pray to the Jesus and the Holy Spirit. After all they are all part of God some way. The Bible doesn’t address that we should or should not pray to a saint to intercede for us. But it does say that we should pray to God because Jesus is interceding for us. Jesus died on the cross making it possible to go directly to the Father and we are to go to the Father in Jesus name.

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  • 7 months later...

Q2. (John 16:23-28) What does it mean to pray to the Father “in Jesus’ name”? Is it okay to pray to Jesus and to the Holy Spirit? Why or why not? Is it scriptural to pray to a saint to intercede for us? Why are we allowed to pray to the Father directly?

It means that when we pray we are recognizing our dependence on Christ because He alone is our righteousness and is able to fulfill the deep hole inside of our soul. Yes they are all part of the Trinity and you are recognizing their abilities. No it is not Scriptural. Because the Lord Jesus died for us. 

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  • 1 year later...

Q2. (John 16:23-28)

1.    What does it mean to pray to the Father "in Jesus' name"? Praying to the Father “in Jesus’ name” means that the way is now open for us to approach the Father directly with confidence without demanding the mediation of Christ while being conscious that it is by His grace that we have this honor.

2.     Is it okay to pray to Jesus and to the Holy Spirit? Yes, it is okay to pray to Jesus and to the Holy Spirit. However, Jesus’ pattern that we must follow is to pray to the Father

3.     Why or why not? It is okay because both Jesus and the Spirit continue to intercede for us before God's throne.

4.     Is it scriptural to pray to a saint to intercede for us? No, it is just customary by some sects.

5.    Why are we allowed to pray to the Father directly? We were qualified to pray to the Father directly by Jesus’ atonement of our sins, by accepting Jesus Christ and consequently being brought directly to the Father who knows and loves us.

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  • 1 year later...

I take the position of St Augustine on the Communion of saints question.   Augustine's position was in line with the early Church fathers.  So was Martin Luther's doctrinal stance in regards to the Virgin Mary.   Christ alone is our sole Mediator and is the central pivot in the Communion of saints;   superstitious practices are not condoned.

We can pray to Christ or the Holy Spirit directly due to our belief in the Holy Trinity.   Our regular prayers normally are addressed directly to God the Father.  That has been the practice of orthodox Christianity for centuries.  

Christ is our heavenly intecessor in the Holy of Holies...this continues constantly.   He is our High Priest in the order of Melchizedek; an eternal priest who knows our infirmities throughly.  The Holy Spirit intercede for us here on earth;  the Holy Spirit assists us in ways we cannot fathom--unutterable groaning well up within us.  

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  • 8 months later...

Q2. (John 16:23-28)

What does it mean to pray to the Father "in Jesus' name"?  Almost like power of attorney.

Is it okay to pray to Jesus and to the Holy Spirit? Why or why not? Yes.

Is it scriptural to pray to a saint to intercede for us? No.

Why are we allowed to pray to the Father directly?  Jesus took the punishment for our sins upon His body on the cross. The veil to the Holy of Holies was then rent. Now the way to the Father is open.

Jesus is still our Mediator but we can approach the Father direct, in Jesus Name.  By HIS authority.

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