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Acts 2:21; Rom. 10:12-13; Acts 9:14; 22:16; 2 Tim. 2:22; 1 Cor. 1:2; Psa. 116:2, 4, 13, 17; Isa. 12:2-4, 6; 1 Thes. 5:17; 1 John 1:7-9; Matt. 18:18-19; John 15:16
I. The need to have a strong spirit
II. Calling on the name of the Lord
А. Calling in the Old Testament
B. Practiced by New Testament believers
C. The purpose of calling
D. The way to call
E. The need of practice
III. Praying to contact, to enjoy, and to fellowship with God
IV. Praying to exercise God’s authority for God’s eternal purpose
In these remaining five lessons we will address the matters concerning the maintenance of life in our daily life and the church life. It is not enough just to know about life and know about how to experience life, we also need to know how to maintain the life that is in us.
The first thing needed to maintain the life that is in us is to have a strong spirit. When we were saved, our spirit was regenerated by the Holy Spirit of God. We have received God into us to be our life. Our dead spirit became alive. Hallelujah! From that point on, we need to maintain a strong spirit in order to maintain a healthy life level. Many Christians do not take care of their spirits. Their spirits have become like “flat tires,’’ having no sense of life nor direction from the anointing. They sin and do things of the world without any shame because their spirits are too weak. Right after we are saved, we must exercise our spirit every day to keep it strong.
Calling on the name of the Lord is the easiest, the fastest, and the best way to exercise our spirit, to touch our spirit, and to maintain a strong spirit. We began our Christian life by calling, “And it shall be that everyone, whoever calls on the name of the Lord, shall be saved’’ (Acts 2:21). “And now, why do you delay? Rise up and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on His name’’ (Acts 22:16). May we continually call upon His name every day to be saved (Rom. 10:13).
[Calling on the Lord began in the third generation of the human race with Enosh, the son of Seth (Gen. 4:26). The history of calling on the Lord’s name continued throughout the Bible with Abraham (Gen. 12:8), Isaac (Gen. 26:25), Moses (Deut. 4:7), Job (Job 12:4), Jabez (1 Chron. 4:10), Samson (Judg. 16:28), Samuel (1 Sam. 12:18), David (2 Sam. 22:4), Jonah (Jonah 1:6), Elijah (1 Kings 18:24), and Jeremiah (Lam. 3:55). Not only did the Old Testament saints call on the Lord, they even prophesied that others would call on His name (Joel 2:32; Zeph. 3:9; Zech. 13:9). Although many are familiar with Joel’s prophecy regarding the Holy Spirit, not many have paid attention to the fact that receiving the outpoured Holy Spirit requires our calling on the name of the Lord. On the one hand, Joel prophesied that God would pour out His Spirit; on the other hand, he prophesied that people would call on the name of the Lord. This prophecy was fulfilled on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:17a, 21). God’s outpouring needs the cooperation of our calling on Him.]
[Calling on the name of the Lord was practiced by the New Testament believers beginning on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:21). While Stephen was being stoned to death, he was calling on the name of the Lord (Acts 7:59). The New Testament believers practiced calling on the Lord (Acts 9:14; 22:16; 1 Cor. 1:2; 2 Tim. 2:22). Saul of Tarsus received authority from the chief priests to bind all that called on the name of the Lord (Acts 9:14). This indicated that all the early saints were Jesus-callers. Their calling on the name of the Lord was a sign, a mark, that they were Christians. If we become those who call on the name of the Lord, our calling will mark us out as Christians.
Paul the apostle stressed the matter of calling when he wrote the book of Romans. He said, “For there is no difference between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord of all is rich to all who call upon Him. For, Whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved’’ (Rom 10:12-13). Paul also spoke of calling on the Lord in 1 Corinthians when he wrote the words, “with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours’’ (1 Cor. 1:2). Furthermore, in 2 Timothy he told Timothy to pursue spiritual things with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart (2 Tim. 2:22). By all of these verses we can see that in the first century the Christians practiced calling on the name of the Lord very much. Therefore, throughout the Old Testament as well as in the early days of the Christian age, the saints called on the Lord’s name. How regrettable that it has been neglected by most Christians for so long a time. We believe that today the Lord wants to recover calling on His name and to have us practice it so that we may enjoy the riches of His life.]
[Why do we need to call on the name of the Lord? Men need to call on the name of the Lord in order to be saved (Rom. 10:13). The way of praying quietly does help people to be saved, but not so richly. The way of calling loudly helps people to be saved in a richer and more thorough way. Thus, we need to encourage people to open themselves and to call on the name of the Lord Jesus. Psalm 116 tells us that we may partake of the Lord’s salvation by calling on Him: “I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord’’ (v. 13). In this one Psalm, calling on the Lord is mentioned four times (vv. 2,4,13,17). As we have seen earlier, the way to draw water out of the wells of salvation is to call upon the name of the Lord (Isa. 12:2-4). Many Christians have never called upon the Lord. If you have never called, even shouted before the Lord, it is doubtful that you have enjoyed the Lord in a rich way. “Call upon His name…Cry out and shout…’’ (Isa. 12:4, 6). Try shouting before Him. If you have never shouted about what the Lord is to you, try it. The more you shout, “O Lord Jesus, You are so good to me!’’ the more you will be released from your self and filled with the Lord. Thousands of saints have been released and enriched through calling on the name of the Lord.]
At this time, it may be good for you to stop reading and call on the name of the Lord out loud for at least five minutes to experience that the Lord is rich to those who call. You will strengthen your spirit this way.
[How should we call on the Lord? We must call on Him out of a pure heart (2 Tim. 2:22). Our heart, which is the source of our calling, must be pure, seeking nothing except the Lord Himself. Also, we must call with a pure lip (Zeph. 3:9). We need to watch our speech, for nothing contaminates our lips more than loose talk. If our lips are impure due to loose talk, it will be difficult for us to call on the Lord. Along with a pure heart and pure lips, we need to have an open mouth (Psa. 81:10). We need to open our mouth wide to call on the Lord. Furthermore, we need to call on the Lord corporately. Second Timothy 2:22 says, “Flee also youthful lusts: but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.’’ We need to come together for the purpose of calling on the name of the Lord. Psalm 88:9 says, “Lord, I have called daily upon thee.’’ Hence, we should call daily upon His name. Furthermore, Psalm 116:2 says,’’… therefore will I call upon Him as long as I live.’’ As long as we live, we should call on the name of the Lord.]
[Calling on the name of the Lord is not merely a doctrine. It is very practical. We need to practice it daily and hourly. We should never stop our spiritual breathing. We hope that many more of the Lord’s people, especially new believers, will begin the practice of calling on the Lord. Today, many Christians have found that they can know Him, that they can be brought into the power of His resurrection, that they can experience His spontaneous salvation, and that they can walk in oneness with Him by calling on His name. In any situation, at any time, call “Lord Jesus, O Lord Jesus!’’ If you practice calling on His name, you will see that it is a wonderful way to enjoy the Lord’s riches.] By this enjoyable practice our spirit will be strengthened for us to experience life every day. Thus, growth in life will be the result.
Praying will make our spirit strong because through prayer we contact God, we enjoy God, and we have fellowship with God. [The real significance of prayer is to contact God in our spirit and to absorb God Himself. Prayer is the contact of the human spirit with the Spirit of God, during which man inhales God into himself. Therefore, the emphasis of prayer lies not in asking God for things but in contacting and absorbing God.] First Thessalonians 5:17 says, “Unceasingly pray.’’ Prayer is like breathing heavenly air. When a man stops breathing, he dies physically. Likewise, when we stop breathing the spiritual air, our spirit becomes deadened. We need to breathe the Spirit to keep our spirit alive and healthy. Calling is a form of short prayer. We should always mingle our prayer with calling.
Most of the time we prefer to talk or do something else rather than pray; therefore, our spirit is usually not so strong. We need to pray to contact our living God. Because He is living and He is the life-giving Spirit, whenever we pray we receive life and our spirit is strengthened from within. This will dispel any feeling of death in us. If we feel dark, depressed, oppressed, and confused, we need to pray. Prayer will cause us to enjoy life. The sense of life will lift us out of our horrible pit. This type of prayer will keep us in the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. Sometimes, while we are praying to enjoy the Lord, He may expose our past sins. We must confess these sins to maintain our fellowship with Him (1 John 1:7-9). Therefore, we must pray all the time to live the proper Christian life, to experience the divine, eternal, and indestructible life in our spirit. Now is a good time to pray for five minutes to enjoy the Lord and to absorb God into our being.
Our prayer to contact God, to enjoy God, and to fellowship with God will issue in prayers for God’s eternal purpose. As you are enjoying God in prayer, the Lord may remind you that a friend of yours is still not saved and his eternal destiny is the lake of fire. You should pray for his salvation by asking the Lord to prepare his heart to hear the gospel. You also may pray that the Lord will bind the enemy so that your friend may be freed to receive God’s salvation. After your prayer, you need to go and preach the gospel to him. You need to continue to pray for him on the way to visit him and while you are preaching to him. If he is not open, then pray for him again and go visit him again. This is to exercise the authority the Lord gave the church to bind and to loose (Matt. 18:18-19). Sometimes it is better to pray with your partners in this way. The Lord likes to answer this type of prayer (John 15:16). Many of us may have experience concerning this type of prayer. We still need more practice. By praying this way, our spirit will be strengthened and God’s economy will be carried out by us. Calling on the name of the Lord and prayer are excellent ways to grow in life.
