Prayer Directly to Jesus Christ

[YourWordIsTruth]

Prayer Directly to Jesus Christ
The 1913 edition of Webster’s English Dictionary defines prayer as:
“The act of addressing supplication to a divinity, especially to the true God; the offering of adoration, confession, supplication, and thanksgiving to the Supreme Being”
We can see this from many passages in the Old Testament, which are addressed to Yahweh:
“Hear my prayer, Yahweh, and give ear to my cry; hold not your peace at my tears! For I am a sojourner with you, a guest, like all my fathers.” (Psalm 39:12)
“But as for me, my prayer is to you, O Lord. At an acceptable time, O God, in the abundance of your steadfast love answer me in your saving faithfulness.” (Psalm 69:13)
“You will make your prayer to him, and he will hear you, and you will pay your vows.” (Job 22:27)
“The Lord is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayer of the righteous.” (Proverbs 15:29)
“Now therefore, O our God, listen to the prayer of your servant and to his pleas for mercy, and for your own sake, O Lord, make your face to shine upon your sanctuary, which is desolate.” (Daniel 9:17)
In the New Testament, we have Jesus Himself say in John’s Gospel:
“And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you” (John 16:23)
This has become the most common way for Christians to pray, to God the Father, through Jesus Christ, and in His Name.
So, the Apostle Paul tells us in his Letter to the Philippians:
“Don't worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses every thought, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (4:6-7)
However, we also have in the Gospel of John, a very clear reference by Jesus Christ, in the Original text, that prayer can also be directed to Jesus Himself:
“Whatever you ask in My name, I will do it so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My Name, I will do it.” (John 14:13-14)
In English Versions like the King James, verse 14 reads:
“If ye shall ask any thing in My Name, I will do it”
The word, “Me”, which is the same in the Greek (με/me), is found in the oldest textual evidence.
One of the oldest Greek manuscript for the Gospel of John, is the Papyri Bodmer II, also known as P66, has been dated between 100-150 AD. It reads;
“εαν τι αιτηση ται μαι εν τω ονοματι μου τουτοh εγω ποιησω”, literally, “If anything you ask Me in the Name of Me I will do it”
This reading is also found in other very early texts, like The Diatessaron of Tatian, which is a harmony of the Gospels, by the Syrian Tatian, who was a heretic, and a pupil of the apologist, Justin Martyr. This work was composed in about 150 AD, and very probably originally in Greek, or, from the Greek New Testament.
“And if ye ask Me in My Name, I will do it” (Hope W Hogg, The Diatessaron of Tatian; sec XLV, p.250. The Borg. ms. has me clearly (cf. Peshitta). The Vat. ms. is ambiguous)
By the beginning of the 5th century, or slightly earlier, the Syrian Church's version of the Bible, the Peshitta ('simple' translation) was formed. The text for this Version is much earlier. The two English Versions read:
“If you will ask Me in My Name I will do this” (Rev. Glenn David Bauscher, The Peshitta Aramaic-English New Testament An Interlinear Translation)
“If you ask Me in My own Name, I will do it” (George M. Lamsa, Holy Bible From The Ancient Eastern Texts: Aramaic Of The Peshitta. 1933)
We also have the heretic, heretic Ulfilas (311-383 AD), who was a follower of Arius, in his Gothic Version, which was made from the Greek:
“If ye shall ask Me any thing in My Name, I will do it”
The Old Latin, of the 2nd century, and Jerome’s Revision in the 4th, both from the Greek, reads:
“If you shall ask Me any thing in My Name, that I will do”
The two main Greek Codice Manuscripts, the Sinaticus and Vatacanius, of the 4th century, also read:
“If you ask Me anything in My Name, I will do it.”
Also of interest here, is the editions of the Kingdom Interlinear of the Jehovah’s Witnesses 1969 and 1985:
“ἐάν τι αἰτήσητέ με ἐν τῷ ὀνόματί μου τοῦτο ποιήσω” = if ever anything you should ask Me in the Name of Me this I will do” (Greek text and literal English translation)
The evidence is very clear, the Original Autograph by the Apostle John, has the word ME in the Greek, which no doubt has been removed, by those who are offended at prayer being offered to Jesus Christ, and His Deity, and equality with the Father, which is what this reading Teaches.
The fact that even the heretics at a very early time, were aware of ME in their editions of the Gospel, is further strong evidence for it being the Original, as they would not have included this in their translations, if not in the Gospel that they had.
Another very interesting fact, of praying to Jesus Christ directly, is at the time when Stephen, the first Martyr of the Church, was being stoned to death, as in the Book of Acts. We read in chapter 7, “Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!” (verse 56), where Stephen sees God the Father, and Jesus Christ, Who are clearly distinct Persons. In verse 59 we read, “They were stoning Stephen as he called out: "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!””
Even though Stephen sees God the Father, he calls upon Jesus Christ! If, as some falsely teach, that the Father, as God, is “greater” than Jesus Christ, Who is a created being, and “inferior” to the Father, it is impossible that Stephen would have invoked a created Person, when God was also present! No one would ever do this, as they would naturally have invoked the Almighty, the Father. The fact that it is Jesus Christ, that Stephen invokes, is beyond any doubt, to the honest mind, that to Stephen, Jesus Christ is EQUAL with the Father!
In the Book of Hebrews, we read of God the Father Commanding Jesus Christ is WORSHIPPED.
“When He again brings His firstborn into the world, He says, And all God's angels must worship Him”
“proskunēsatōsan”, literally, “let Worship”, is in the imperative mood in the Greek, which is a command.
The Dead Sea Scrolls (DSS) in Deuteronomy 32:43 reads:
“Rejoice, O heavens, together with him; and bow down to him all you gods, for he will avenge the blood of his sons, and will render vengeance to his enemies, and will recompense those who hate him, and will atone for the land of his people.”
And the Greek Old Testament, the Septuagint (LXX):
“Rejoice, heavens, with him, And let all the angels of God worship him: Rejoice, nations, with his people, And let all the children of God rely on him: For he avengeth the blood of his children, And will judge, and execute vengeance on his enemies, To them who hate him he will render retribution, And the Lord will purify the land of his people”
And, again in the LXX of Psalm 96:7, we read, “Let all that worship graven images be ashamed, who boast of their idols; worship Him, all ye His angels”. The DSS is incomplete here.
How can we read of God the Father, Commanding that Jesus Christ is WORSHIPPED, if He is “inferior” to the Father? True Worship as in the Bible, is only for Almighty God, as is seen in both the Old and New Testaments. The fact that God the Father Commands this, and uses passages from the Old Testament, that refer to Yahweh, for Jesus Christ, is beyond any doubt very clear Testimony that Jesus Christ is Almighty God, and coequal with the Father.
In Revelation chapter 5, in verses 13-14, we read:
"And ALL of the Creation, which is in the heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and on the sea, and all things that are in them, heard I saying, to Him Who sits on the throne, and unto the Lamb, be ALL the blessing, and ALL the honour, and ALL the glory, and ALL the might, for ever and ever. And the four living creatures said, Amen. And the elders fell down and worshipped." (so emphasized in the Greek)

Note the words, “τω καθημενω επι του θρονου και τω αρνιω”, “to Him Who sits on the throne AND to the Lamb”, where the Greek conjunction, “και”, is used for “sameness”, with absolute equality.
Verse 13 speaks of "every created thing which is in the heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and on the sea, and all things that are in them", which is nothing less than the entirety of the human race, "every created thing", with no exceptions. Here the entire universe ascribes "THE blessing, and THE honour, and THE glory, and THE Might", where in the Greek text, the "article [the]" is repeated with each word, signifying, "whatever blessing, and honour, and glory, and might", there is in the entire universe, as in ALL blessings, honour, glory, might, is here said to belong "to Him that sits on the throne", which is God the Father, AND EQUALLY to Jesus Christ! ALL THE MIGHT is the same as ALMIGHTY, which is used for the Father and Jesus Christ EQUALLY!
In verse 14 BOTH the Father are Jesus Christ are WORSHIPPED EQUALLY! There is no distinction made here, as some try to do, it is BOTH Who are WORSHIPPED as EQUALS!
It is very evident from the Infallible Word of God, that Jesus Christ can be Prayed to directly in His own Name, and He is to be Worshipped as Almighty God, as Commanded by God the Father!
It is only because of a persons theological bias, that they cannot accept the Bible FACT, that Jesus Christ is Almighty God, Yahweh, the Eternal One.

[Conversator]

Stephen prayed to Jesus: " Lord Jesus receive my spirit", Acts 7:59. I'm not even a Christian, but it seems the New Testament allows for this. Your treatise was very thorough, but I'd recommend using verses such as the one I mentioned. Christians are plagued with Biblical illiteracy, yet extremely argumentative. If you write anything longer than a couple sentences, they will skip and go straight to debate ( especially on this site). You'll have to go line by line, a little here, a little there; but still it will be in vain.