`Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner' (2 Tim. 1:8).

There are no less than seventeen references to the `Lord' in this short epistle.

They who hold fast to the testimony of the Lord's prisoner will never be led away into denying or neglecting the

Lordship and the Deity of the Lord Jesus Christ, but will ever bear their testimony that:

`Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father'.

The revelation of the Father is the peculiar feature of the New Testament, and any belittling of this most gracious

title of God must be looked upon with the gravest concern. The epistle to the Ephesians contains eight references to

the Father as follows:

(Eight occurrences - Resurrection)

The character of the Church of the Mystery opens with praise to the Father:

`Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in

heavenly places in Christ: according as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world' (Eph.

It is evident from these words that the blessedness and choice of this church results from the sovereign will and

love of the Father, and places the doctrine of the Fatherhood of God first in the fundamentals of the faith as taught

by the epistle to the Ephesians. It is the God of our Lord Jesus Christ and the Father of glory to Whom prayer for

enlightenment in the truth of the mystery is addressed (Eph. 1:17), and it was His mighty power that raised the Lord

Jesus Christ from the dead and set Him at His Own right hand (Eph. 1:19,20).

The goal of our salvation, the expression of our acceptance, the hall mark of the new man is revealed in the

privilege of access:

`For through Him we (the) both have access by one Spirit unto the Father' (Eph. 2:18).

We are fully aware that in this verse, as in others that we quote, the Father is not alone in the transaction of

grace. Here for example is a verse which must be referred to under the three headings (1) The Father _ to Whom

access is granted; (2) The Son _ through Whose sacrifice this access is alone possible, and (3) The Spirit _ in Whom

`the both' now made one, draw nigh. There is no intention to ignore such wondrous revelation, we are simply

pursuing one theme at a time, which at the moment is the testimony of the prison epistles to the doctrine of the

The Apostle's own example in the matter of prayer is one that should be followed by all the people of God.

`I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ' (Eph. 3:14).

Direct prayer to the Lord Jesus Christ Himself is rare in the Scriptures. When one is being stoned to death, as

was Stephen, and to whom a vision of Christ has been made (Acts 7), rules that govern the church in normal

circumstances may not apply. Prayer direct to the Lord Jesus instead of honouring Him, really sets aside the