Study Guide

Whatsoever You Shall Ask

1,739 words, about 9 min read

I really want to look a little closer at the concept of asking and receiving from the Father.

St. John 15:16

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.

According to the above, we were chosen and ordained by the Master to bring forth fruit. And this is possible by asking the Father. I want us to be sober here. We must see the gospel of Jesus Christ the way the apostles of old saw it if we are to be able to accomplish the things they did.

First of all, they did not compromise or lessen the integrity of God’s Word in their hearts. They believed everything the Master instructed to be true and forth coming. They did not entertain severity of situations or the possibility of failure in doing the will of God.

St. Matthew 10:7-8

7 And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.

8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.

We, as they were, are commanded to preach the presence of the Kingdom of Heaven. To prove its existence we are to heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead and cast out devils. In that we have been given power over all the power of the enemy (St. Luke 10:19-20), these things are more than possible, they are commanded.

St. Mark 16:17-18

17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;

18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

These are the signs that will follow those of us who believe this Word. Needless to say, belief is married to obedience. It is a necessity that we obey to the letter those things that were handed to us by the apostles. This can only be manifest by walking after the Spirit.

However, this walk in the Spirit cannot be accomplished by simply adhering to a list of do’s and don’ts. The very life of Christ must be manifested in your vessel. You must walk in total agreement with God in order to achieve the oneness necessary to please the Father. Remember, ALL MINISTRY BEGINS AND ENDS WITH GOD.

The disciples believed Jesus. And many who followed after them believed as well.

Acts 6:8

And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people.

Acts 8:6-8

6 And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did.

7 For unclean spirits, crying with loud voice, came out of many that were possessed with them: and many taken with palsies, and that were lame, were healed.

8 And there was great joy in that city.

These men walked the earth, full of the Holy Ghost.
They were given over to His will and they believed the Word without hesitation.
But most of all they loved the people to whom they were sent and they did not love their own lives unto death.

These are the criteria for walking in the Jesus ministry. It is time for the saints of God to stop whining and proclaiming supernatural powers that are never manifested. God is giving it to us straight up. Leaders in the Body must stop making excuses for failure. We will not escape the truth and receive the manifestation of the Holy Ghost in the working of miracles and healings without meeting these criteria.

It is His life that was from the beginning and has the power over all the power of the enemy. It is His life that loves the lost and gave Himself for them. It is His life that must be manifest in each of us before the Father will grant our petitions. Our prayers and ministry must be according to the love of Christ and our lives must be according to His obedience. We must walk after the Spirit in order to have the complete assurance that the Father does hear us and will surely answer.

We are citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven, but unless we can prove the existence of the Kingdom through signs, wonders and the giving of the Holy Ghost, the best we can render is the similitude of moral goodness.

The scripture says we will cast out devils, lay hands on the sick and they shall recover. There is no deep theology to be discerned here. The Word is clear. Healing, miracles and spiritual wonders are a part of who we are. Let us not linger any longer. But let us hasten to put away all things that offend the Father so that we will glorify Him in this world.

NO FRUIT NO CROWN

I sincerely hope the lessons in this series will cause us to revisit our mindsets regarding the precious gift of salvation. All of us can admit that the Father has been so good to us until it is hard to find words to describe His goodness. However, have we in turn committed ourselves to those things our very salvation has dictated? Perhaps it is true that we have become so pre-occupied with getting it right, until we have neglected to do the things that were first laid before us.

St. John 15:16

Once again we are faced with the responsibility of destroying false doctrines that have served to carry the Body of Christ into the unfruitful works of darkness. The highlighted phrase above has been grossly taken out of context in many ministerial renderings. The entire intent of this passage is nestled within the subject matter of “fruit bearing.” It has nothing to do with the asking for the material things of this world.

It has already, in the previous verses of the same chapter, been stipulated that Jesus is the vine and those of us who are in Him are the branches. It is also clear that each branch has been commanded to go and bring forth fruit. Go. Go where?

St. Mark 16:15

Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

According to the above, we are commanded to go into the world and preach the gospel to everyone. Your part of the world may be your neighborhood, city or state. You may not be the one to travel to the ends of the earth. Nevertheless, you are summoned to the world. You must carry the good news of the gospel to those who are without the Kingdom of God.

But there is indeed a spirit of apathy in the Body of Christ regarding this matter. Some think this call to service was only for the apostles or those of the five-fold ministry gifts. This is simply not true. Everyone who has received the gift of the Holy Ghost is to be a witness for Jesus. We are to proclaim His salvation and His return.

St. John 17:18-21

18 As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.

19 And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.

20 Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;

21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.

We are the ones who have believed on Christ according to the word of the apostles. We have been given the same charge. Oftentimes the parables of the script are treated as mere stories. But the truth is, they are the mind of God simplified.

St. Matthew 25:24-30

24 Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed:

25 And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine.

26 His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed:

27 Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury.

28 Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents.

29 For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath.

30 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

We are called to serve. The Holy Ghost is a precious gift of life. He is to be shared with as many as will receive Him. But if we are complacent and walk in the spirit of apathy, many will die and enter into damnation due to our slothfulness and indifference. The bottom line is . . . if we do not produce fruit with the gift of grace given to us, then we too will have our part with the unbelievers. No fruit, no crown.

And that your fruit should remain . . . it is a fact that the apostles Paul and Peter prayed for the spiritual disposition of the saints. But there were also times when some would not walk according to the boundaries of the faith. It was at those times that the prayers of the apostles were also most effective. Those who meet God without the purity of heart shall surely die and perish in the fires of hell.