Jesus taught his followers to pray unto the Father. Did he know that there would come a time when his followers would be confused and misled to pray unto Mary, Apostles, supposed saints, and even himself! Is there anything in the following words that can be misunderstood?

9 After this manner therefore pray ye:

Our Father who art in heaven (Matthew 6:9)

Who authorized man to pray unto Jesus? There is no hint in the Holy Bible that Jesus taught his followers to pray to him. Neither is there anything to indicate that the Apostles prayed to Jesus, nor taught the early Christians to do so.

Christianity rests upon the words of the Holy Scriptures. Any church which professes Christianity, which is practicing religious performances that are contradicting the religious practices set forth by Jesus Christ himself, and were faithfully upheld by the Apostles and the Church as long as the Apostles were alive to lead it, must overlook its religious practices. Praying to Jesus is one such practice.

There are many good, Christian people who have been taught to pray to Jesus. This is not an attack on these people. They have turned unto God the only way they knew how, and they will be blessed for it, and their prayers will have been answered. This is what Paul's letter to the Romans explains, that he who has not been given a law cannot be judged for breaking it.

15 … for where no law is, there is no transgression. (Romans 4:15)

But now, listen, all good, Christian people everywhere:

9 After this manner therefore pray ye:

Our Father who art in heaven (Matthew 6:9)

Now the law has been given to you! Now, if you want your prayers to be heard, and answered, you must pray unto the Father!

But there is one thing that differ us from Jesus when he was on earth. He was perfectly free from sin. Since he was that, he was not spiritually dead, or in other words, he was not cut of from the presence of the Father, so he could talk directly to the Father.

We pray in the name of Jesus. Since we are cut of from the presence of the Father, we cannot reach the Father directly with our prayers. We need someone who has access to the Father to convey our prayers unto him. By ending our prayers "In the name of Jesus Christ" we do something which causes Jesus to open up the gates to the Father. Jesus' name is the access name, since there is no other name given under the heavens whereby man can be saved.

Jesus is more than willing to convey respectful prayers unto the Father respecting they are offered in Jesus' name.