IS PRAYING TO THE DEAD OR PRAYING TO "SAINTS" RIGHT OR WRONG?

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Do you know St Steven was martyred before St Paul? And James was murdered before John?
But is it written anywhere in the bible that the Apostles prayed to James or Steven, asking them to intercede for them who are still on earth?

Did the Apostles ever ask the intervention of dead people?
Did they had different devotional groups to different saints holding novenas seeking thier intercession?
The answer is No!
So since they didn't, why didn't they do it?

Let's see the answer from the scriptures.

Amidst many other reasons, lets see two very important reasons they didn't do it.

1. They have The Greatest Helper in the Person of the Holy Spirit.

The Apostles lived in an unbroken fellowship with The Holy Spirit, and He helped them in all things! They had such a sweet fellowship (Acts 13, Acts 15, Acts 16)
Such a sweet fellowship.

Do you realize the Holy Spirit is not an Angel or an "influence"?
Do you realize He's God?

Speaking of Him Jesus said 

John 14:16,26
"And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—"

John 14:26
"But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you."

Oh wow!

Do you realize He is the one who helps believers live the Christ life and witness Christ throughout the world?

Acts 1:8
"But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Do you know He is the one who helps us live above the flesh?

Galatians 5:16
"I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh."

Do you know He is the seal of our salvation?

Ephesians 1:13-14
"In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise,

[14] who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory."

He is the one who leads us in accordance with the Will of God?

Romans 8:14
"For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God."

Do you know he is the one who prays in us and prays for us in accordance with the perfect will of The Father?

Romans 8:26
"Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered."

Do you agree that the Holy Spirit is all of these to you?
If Yes, so since you have such great Help in the Holy Spirit, why do you cry to a "saint" to pray for you?

The Apostles knew this, so it was pointless for Paul while he was on earth to seek help from Steven who was martyred before him.

No wonder St John says
"....He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world." (1 John 4:4)

You see he didn't say "what" but he says "He who is in you"
He was speaking of the Holy Spirit
Awesome!

Paul almost in all his epistles directs the believer to turn to the Holy Spirit and live a Spirit filled and Spirit led life. He never asked them to pray to any saint!

Come to think of it... Saints aren't just someone who was killed for the faith, saint aren't some "canonised holy people" no!

According to The Word of God, a saint is anyone who is sanctified by the blood of Jesus Christ. This is why St Paul in His writing addresses the church as saints!
See:
Ephesians 1:1
"Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus, and faithful in Christ Jesus:"

1 Corinthians 1:2
"To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints,...."

So the question is are you sanctified in Christ Jesus?
If yes, then you're a Saint!
Hallelujah!

2. The Apostles didn't Pray to any dead person because it is against God's will.

Praying to the dead whether he was a holy man on earth before he died or not is wrong!
Let's see the book of Isaiah 

Isaiah 8:19 (AMPC)
"And when the people [instead of putting their trust in God] shall say to you, Consult for direction mediums and wizards who chirp and mutter, should not a people seek and consult their God? Should they consult the dead on behalf of the living?

20: [Direct such people] to the teaching and to the testimony! If their teachings are not in accord with this word, it is surely because there is no dawn and no morning for them"

See God instructing you to turn to His Word!
So if He is not happy with them in the old testament who have not the Holy Spirit, if He would not permit them to pray to the dead how much more you who are a New creation in Christ, to whom He has given His Holy Spirit.

Yes asking a fellow believer in Christ to intercede for you is biblical, it is good to ask a believer in Christ (who is alive) to join you in praying to God for something.
Saint Paul did it.
But asking the dead to intercede for you is a branch of necromancy. It doesn't matter if you add "through Christ our Lord' at the end of the prayer.
IT IS WRONG AND EVIL

The bible says those who support this evil act don't have light in them 
Isaiah 8:20
"....If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them"

When you don't know who you are in Christ, you can be tossed arround by any wind of false doctrine...

Christ came to make you a Son of God

John 1:12
"But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:"

He came to die so it can be possible for God to indwell in you and work in you!

Philippians 2:13
"for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure."

He came so you can be one with Him and He be one with you!

1 John 4:17b
"....because as He is, so are we in this world."

He didn't say "as he was"
He said "as He is" meaning as He is in Heaven right now, with His might, authority and majesty, so has He made us be in this world!

Hallelujah!
When the reality of this revelation dawns on you, there are some utterances you won't be making while praying..
you will just know that some particular prayers (even though they appear good) isn't from God.

Shalom.

Sebastian Ukwa 
#ChristIsComing
#PrepareToMeetGod

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