In the Name—The Harry Potter Christianity

There are so many misuses of the Lord's name in Christianity. Let us look at a reality television show called I Love New York (VH1 Television) to illustrate this point. On a recent episode of the show there was a man who claimed to be a Christian. He even claimed that God sent him on the show to be with Tiffany Pollard (better known as "New York"), a seemingly vulgar and promiscuous woman. He believed that he, a Christian, a man who was to be living a holy life before God, was to be with a woman who had no such aspirations. But this is not the most disturbing point of this story. When receiving a token from her for him to remain on the show, he responded, "I receive this in the name of Jesus." What are the "people of God" coming to?

Christianity is not exempt from superstition. There are many Christians who believe in magic: Magicians like Harry Potter¹¹¹ shout, Abracadabra!, and we Christians know that this is sorcery. But then we tell ourselves that no matter what comes out of our mouths as long as we say (the magic phrase) "IN THE NAME OF JESUS" that what we want will come to pass. The name of Jesus, as many skeptics and historians have pointed out, has been used as a cloak for many of the atrocities we have seen throughout the ages. Likewise, it is equally wicked when the people of God themselves begin to use the name of Jesus for Antichrist purposes. You ask, "Antichrist?" Yes! Jesus told us that we could only be his disciples if we were willing to deny ourselves. By our use of the name of Jesus in manners where WE want control for the purpose of self-gratification, we adopt Antichrist principles and then go against Jesus' cause. Thus, positioning ourselves in opposition to the very kingdom Jesus said he was here to proclaim. Carnal people want what they want. They will say almost anything to attain the things they desire. We have addressed many of these false messages ending in self-gratification. Here, we address another that is gaining widespread support within the body of Christ: God came in the flesh to give us our heart's desires; saying the name of Jesus will allow us to get access to "what God wants for us" (code for what we want from God). God, however, will not give us the desires of a wicked heart: "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked" (Jeremiah 17:9). "Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded" (James 4:8). We are amazed at what people say "In the name of Jesus" to produce. People have stolen, killed, done drugs, all in the name of Jesus because they want what they want, and they will say whatever it takes to justify their receiving what they desire. There is a young woman on a reality television show called The Bad Girls Club (Oxygen Television) who is an adult entertainer. She prays every night and believes that God will allow her to be on the cover of pornographic magazines. She tags on, "In the name of Jesus" at the end of her prayer; supposing that God will cause her to be used by Satan to promote lust and promiscuity. This example bespeaks the glaring, problematic issues we have in the Body. Folks really believe that God supports them in their sins:

There is a long-standing belief in the power of "true names;" this often descends from the magical belief that knowing a being's true name grants you power over it. This is often seen as a requirement in spiritualism; knowing the identity of a spirit greatly aids in soliciting information from it.

If names have power, then knowing the name of God grants the greatest power of all. This belief is reflected in ancient Judaism, which used the Tetragrammaton (YHWH, usually translated as "LORD" in small caps) to refer to God "safely" in the Tanakh. Saying the name of God ("taking the Lord's name in vain," one of the Ten Commandments) without good reason could result in stoning. (Rabbi Joseph Telushkin has claimed that the commandment is simply to not use God's name to deceive or to bully.) The same belief is seen in Hinduism, but with different conclusions; rather, attaining transcendence and the power of God is seen as a good thing. Thus, some Hindus chant the name of their favorite deities as often as possible, the most common being Krishna.¹¹²

It happens, however, that Jesus' name is supposed to be the key that unlocks many of the doors that bring deliverance to us. We are told that no other name under heaven gives men salvation. In order for us to use the name of Jesus, in this manner, we have to be making a request dealing with an issue that ends in salvation. This is how this equation looks spiritually:

I [Jesus] am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. (John 10:10)

To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. (2 Corinthians 5:19)

Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. (Galatians 3:13-14)

The blessing of Abraham is all that is described above: life, reconciliation, and redemption. All of this is summed up in the re-explanation of what that blessing is in Galatians 3:14, the promise of the Spirit. As is discussed in "The Sign of the New Covenant" section, God has given us his Spirit as the proof that we belong to him. All of these things have nothing to do with what we desire; rather, it has to do with our relationship with God. The salvation confession as is given in Romans 10:9-10 says that we receive salvation upon confession and belief in the Lord Jesus, his death, and his resurrection. These terms have nothing, at their core, to do with the individual. It has more to do with bringing us into fellowship with God. So, anytime we call on the Lord, who defines salvation as the things mentioned above (life, redemption, reconciliation, etc.) we should expect these results. To call on his name for anything else is manipulation and control. It is the use of magic in our lives. Saying in the name of Jesus becomes a validating incantation: a means to enact a spell upon another. There are many preachers who have used Jesus' name to curse, rebuke, and harm others. This is devilish and Antichrist in nature.

Jesus' name is not a buzzword. It is not a catch phrase. It is not a tool. Jesus is the Word of God made flesh. He is the way to the Father. He is God himself. When we think of him contrary to these principles, we show that we have no knowledge of his name and we lend ourselves to the path toward of blasphemy. We have the name of Jesus not to get what we want but to live as the people of God. Allow us to set this paradigm so that you may understand what God is up to with the name of Jesus and our use of it: "Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. (John 15:16). We see here that it was by the Father's choosing that we are who we are, and all that we are to receive will come from this foundation: he wants us because he chose us to bear fruit and have it to remain. "I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing" (John 15:5). If we are in him, after being chosen, then we can bring forth this fruit by way of hearing (believing) and obeying his word. "Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit"; because fruit is the evidence that we are in right standing with God through his Word: "him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God" (Romans 7:4). "But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty" (Matthew 13:23).

Of course, the fruit is not intended for the fruit bearer but for those who will be drawn to the fruit bearer. "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law" (Galatians 5:22-23). We are told that bearing fruit is absolutely necessary; else we will be destroyed. "If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned" (John 15:6). "For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness. What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death" (Romans 6:20-21). Therefore, when we call upon the name of Jesus, we declare our exclusive allegiance to God and his Word in order to be fruitful—produce the outward evidence of God in us—and bring others back into a right relationship with the Lord. In essence, we are fulfilling the first commandment uttered at the creation of man: "Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth" (Genesis 1:28). So, whatsoever we shall ask the Father in the name of Jesus (according to his Word—according to his will) he will give it to us that we may fulfill the work he has called us to do. "That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son" (Colossians 1:10-13). Thus, the name of Jesus is the essence or the centerpiece of the Gospel or Word of God in the scriptures. So our saying, "In the Name of Jesus" should not be for evil: to hurt someone else, to get money, to have a relationship, or fulfill any other selfish desire. "In the Name of Jesus" is the means by which we aid in fulfilling the purpose of the Word made flesh: "For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil" (1 John 3:8).

In summary, God sent Jesus to choose us and be connected to us, so that the evidence or the fruit of God's connection to us through his Son may be seen in us. It is not for us to get the things we want. It is not even for us to have what we think we need: what we need is Jesus (Philippians 4:19). These things are temporary and God grants them as he sees fit. God wants us to bear his image on the earth and our prayers to him in the name of Jesus will allow this to happen.

Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. (Ephesians 1:9-12)

God allows us to come to him in the name of his Son Jesus (according to his will) so that others may know him and HE may be glorified. The focus is about Jesus and not about us. As long as we desire to be connected to him, we must acknowledge this truth because any other doctrine (like "Become a Better You") is self-centered and antichrist.

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