The Process Of Inspiration
Concerning the verbal inspiration of the Bible, Paul Enns writes:
Peter . . . acknowledges his belief in verbal inspiration inasmuch as it was the Holy Spirit who guided the writers of Scripture in their selection of words. This truth could be illustrated by a man who goes to the department store in a shopping center. Because he is in a hurry to get to the second floor he walks up the escalator. Although he is walking, the escalator is carrying him along, bringing him to the second floor.
Mr. Enns concludes:
Similarly, although the writers of Scripture penned the words according to their educational abilities and their own distinctive styles, the Holy Spirit was carrying them along, ensuring the accuracy of all they were writing.
"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work" (2 Timothy 3:16-17, NKJV).
"And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit" (2 Peter 1:19-21, NKJV).
Ascend the Mountain with Jesus
Denver, Colorado is 5,276 feet above sea level, hence the nickname “Mile High City.”
The altitude there has been credited and blamed for the effects it has on unaware or unprepared visitors from lower elevations. People feel the effects of lower air pressure and decreased oxygen when they arrive; the same goes for visiting athletes.
Sure, they’re better conditioned than Joe or Jane Average, but they’re drawing more on the thin air in their competitive exertions. Many, if they’re honest, have stories to tell about needing rather quickly to find their second wind and taking a few days to acclimate enough that their performances don’t suffer.
Such teams as the Nuggets, Avalanche, Broncos, and Rockies actually employ marketing schemes to plant seeds doubt in visiting teams, amplifying the disadvantages posed to those athletes who are not properly altitude trained. For example, at Ball Arena, there is signage where visiting teams enter and exit noting the city’s altitude. The numbers 5,280 are printed right on the court, near each free-throw line. The video board during introductions welcomes the road team with an ominous warning about the difficulty in catching one’s breath. Then, there are large, hazard-orange-and-black placards on display (“Attention: Altitude Warning/Low Oxygen”).
In fact, the intimidating marketing is right there in the name ... "Empower Field" at "Mile High Stadium"!
In response, we often see oxygen tanks used on the visiting teams’ sidelines to help them try to catch their breath.
There is a whole school of athletic training based on high-altitude workouts. Olympic athletes routinely seek out facilities in Denver and Colorado Springs to boost their oxygen efficiency, and countless trainers and gyms simulate the effects with dedicated breathing equipment.
In Matthew 5, we see the Lord ascend up the mountainside to preach his most famous, and frankly, one of his most challenging sermons — aptly named the Sermon on the Mount. He wasn't bringing a milquetoast message of "peace, love, and hippy beads." No, he was bringing a challenging message of radical transformation which was not for the faint of heart and would require spiritual training and preparedness.
The disciples went up the mountain with Jesus. To go up the mountain is to risk one’s balance: our ears might pop; we might get dizzy; we might trip. We might hear something we cannot handle. Making the climb is the first step, and it is already a commitment. Staying on the summit and realizing we could do even more requires more courage, and letting that experience transform us, transfigure us, can be scarier still. But the effort is worthwhile. The vista is gorgeous.
To receive this kind of message we must spiritually train to make the best use of the "air" up there — Jesus' words of truth and life. Afterall, "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work" (2 Timothy 3:16-17, NIV).
Pray in the Name and Power of Christ
"A person cannot always speak in the name of another; cannot do it at all unless he has received an authorization so to do. Then he stands as that person’s deputy; stands in his place; speaks in his name. I am sure that nine out of ten of the prayers of Christians are not offered in the name of Christ, and could not be. It would be a sin against Christ for such prayers to be supposed to be the prayers of Christ. ... But when we talk of the Spirit of God, and we dare ask in the name and use the seal of Christ, to set his signature at the bottom of our petition, then, brethren, depend upon it. Christ will do it." - Charles Haddon Spurgeon
Several times a week, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt steps to the podium to relay to an awaiting press pool the mind and intentions of the president, Donald J. Trump. She does so as all of her predecessors have done. For example: Jen Psaki and Karine Jean-Pierre, on behalf of President Joe Biden; Dana Perino and Ari Fleisher on behalf of President George W. Bush; George Stephanopoulos on behalf of President Bill Clinton; Jim Brady on behalf of Ronald Reagan; Jody Powell on behalf of Presdient Jimmy Carter; and so on.
When they speak from that podium, they dare not speak their own mind. They are conveying policy, they are conveying presidential action, they are conveying administrative intent. To speak their own mind, heart, or opinion would be to misprepresent the office of the presidency, and would be a gross violation of their calling and position.
Likewise, when we pray in the name of Jesus, we are proclaiming that we are praying on His behalf of His authority.
But are we?!
- - Authorization Requirement: Speaking or acting for another requires authorization. This authorization allows one to represent the other person. As believers, we are "authorized" to speak in Jesus' name, in so much as we do not speak amiss. "If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it" (John 14:14, ESV).
- - Praying "In the Name of Christ": Many Christian prayers are not offered "in the name of Christ". Praying in Jesus' name signifies approaching God based on Christ's merit, not one's own, and seeking to please Him and glorify the Father. "Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son" (John 14:13, ESV).
- - Misunderstanding "In Jesus' Name": Adding "in Jesus' name" at the end of a prayer does not guarantee praying with Christ's authority. It signifies aligning prayers with Christ's character and intentions.
- - Authentic Prayer: To pray in Jesus' name requires understanding Him, His actions, and His promises. It means acknowledging reliance on Him for access to God and praying according to God's will. "And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us" (1 John 5:14, ESV).
- - Caution: Prayers not aligned with Christ's will or character are considered a sin against Him and should expect no response or fulfillment. "You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures" (James 4:3, NKJV).
Prayers in Jesus' name should be shaped as Christ might offer them and submitted to God's will.
Just as the presidential press secretaries are bound by duty and postion to speak soley in line with the mind and intentions of the president, so must we be quite certain to not overstep the bounds of our own position.
To pray in Jesus' name, we must know the mind of God AND the heart of God, and aptly allign ourselves to it! Only then, when we speak in alignment "with the Spirit of God, and we dare ask in the name and use the seal of Christ, to set his signature at the bottom of our petition, can we depend upon it. Christ will do it."
"If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you" (John 15:7, NIV).