Calling on the Lord


Calling on the Lord



Kokomo had just raised his rather muscular arm to strike John in the face. Fights were not uncommon on the prison yard�a place where physical strength generally carried the day. But at that very moment, John cried out loudly, �Jesus!� Instantly, Kokomo was unable to move his arm. It was frozen in place as if being held by an arm stronger than his own. Kokomo�s rage suddenly turned to fear�for he realized something supernatural was happening. That was the last time John had any trouble with Kokomo.

John was a Christian who had been convicted of a crime he hadn�t committed and spent over four years in the Arizona prison system. The story just cited was not uncommon for him as he very quickly discovered that prison was not a very safe place. But John had also learned the effectiveness of prayer and the simple power of calling on the Lord's name.

I have often thought that we have made the Christian life much too complicated. It occurs to me that unless God is only after the intelligent and educated then the Christian life must, at its most basic level, be simple. It must be straightforward enough for a child to understand and enter into. And as it turns out, that is exactly what the Bible teaches.

The church in Corinth was caught up in sophistication and human wisdom as we learn from Paul�s first letter to them. In his second letter to the Corinthians, he said this: But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ (2 Corinthians 11:3). Christ certainly is not a simple or simplistic person. But Paul is not speaking about Christ himself but our relationship to him. Our relationship shouldn�t be that complicated; rather it should be quite simple. If you have a close friend, you don�t need formal introductions, or complicated protocols for meeting with one another. You can just be yourselves, open up your hearts, and start sharing with one another. I believe this is the kind of relationship that Jesus wants with us.

A Kingdom Made for Children
One day Jesus� disciples asked him who was the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. I suspect that the answer Jesus gave them was a bit unexpected.

At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, �Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?� Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, and said, �Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.� (Matthew 18:1-4).

Jesus tells us that to enter the Kingdom of God we must become like a little child. That is the starting point. And then if you want to be someone great in the Kingdom, you need the humility of a child. We think greatness would be related to tremendous accomplishments, leading thousands of people to Christ, or being a great theologian. But that is not what Jesus tells us. Again we see the aspect of simplicity. A child is not complicated but lives a very simple life based upon very simple relationships. And as it turns out, this is really one of the great secrets of the Christian life. One of the reasons many Christians struggle with the Christian life is because they have missed its simplicity.

The subject of this paper is not simplicity in the Christian life per se, but rather a very simple way God has established for us to come in direct and intimate contact with him. The Bible refers to this way as, �calling on the name of the Lord.� Although not the case in the early church, most Christian�s today have been led to believe that calling on the Lord in the Bible is just a synonym for prayer. But it is simultaneously much more than that and much simpler than that. Calling on the Lord is one of the most simple, the most basic, the most foundational of spiritual truths�yet most people think it is something other than what it really is. It is one of those things we have made complicated but that is really so simple. And while making it complicated, we have lost the essence of it. Calling on the Lord is to cry out to him simply using his name.

As we will see, calling upon the Lord results in a great number of things. By calling we are saved, we are delivered from our enemies, we bring the Lord near to us, it�s how we repay him for all his benefits to us, it�s the way we are delivered from youthful lusts�and many other benefits.

Simplicity of Calling
As most of us know, the Bible was not written in English but primarily in Greek and Hebrew. Obviously, there are times when it is difficult to translate a word from either of those languages into English without loosing some of the meaning. And because of that, we may at times assume that a word like �call� must be one of those difficult words to translate and that it probably means more than just calling out the Lord's name. But that is really all it means. Here are some definitions of the words used in the New and Old Testaments for calling on the Lord.

In the New Testament, there are many different words used for the English word, call or called. But there is only one Greek word used in reference to calling on the Lord or calling upon the Lord's name and that is epikaleo. Here is what the word means: To call to someone, to cry out to someone, to summon someone, to invoke, to appeal to someone. It often has the sense of crying out with a loud voice (based upon Thayer�s Lexicon for the Greek New Testament).

In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word that is commonly used in reference to calling upon the Lord is qara' and it has the meaning: To call out, to cry out, to call unto someone, to cry for help, to utter a sound, to summon, to invite (based upon Brown, Driver, and Brigg�s Lexicon for the Hebrew Old Testament).

So we see that these words are actually referring to a simple crying out using the Lord's name. And although calling can be tied with prayer and often is in the Bible, it is none-the-less referring to a simple crying out to the Lord using His very name.

Let me give a simple example. If I want you, or what to get your attention, then I just mention your name out loud. If you are nearby, I only need say it quietly. If you are far away, I will have to speak more loudly. But all that is needed to get your attention is to call out your name. And when I call your name, presumably you will answer or come in response to that call. And this is exactly what is behind our calling upon the Lord's name. We call out his name and he responds to us. And when he comes, we get his presence, his attention, and his focus on our need.

Abba Father
Probably the best example of this is in regard to parents and children. Children very quickly learn the words, �Mommy� and �Daddy.� When they need help, they may not be able to articulate what they need but they know how to cry out��Mommy!� And the wise mother can usually figure out what is needed and meet the child�s need quite quickly. Sometimes children are in a real serious situation and they need instant help. Again, the spontaneous response is to call out the name the closest parent. Parents, in turn, know the voice of their children and will respond immediately to their cry. The Lord is just the same. In fact, in Romans 8:15, Paul says; �For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, �Abba, Father.� � Abba was a term used in Jesus� day that meant �Daddy.� This verse shows us that we have been given the Holy Spirit who has made us sons of God and as his sons we can cry out �Abba, Father.� This is how simple it is to call on the Lord�whether it is Jesus or the Father. We just call his name.

Jesus himself did this while he was in the Garden of Gethsemane. Mark 14:36 says, �And He said, "Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will.� The Greek word for �said� (which is also translated �call�) is in the imperfect tense, which implies continual or repeated action. That means Jesus was saying �Abba Father� repeatedly as he prayed. Many Christians have discovered this principal. There are times, just like Jesus� experience, when just crying out to the Father once or twice is not sufficient�we need to call repeatedly. And when we do so, it helps transfer us out of our fears, concerns, or problems into a greater sense of the Lord's nearness and experience of his saving power.

Experiential Calling
I have met many Christians over the years that have discovered the power of calling on the Lord's name completely by accident. Often when they were in a dangerous or difficult situation, they found themselves crying out upon the Lord's name. One young man recounted to me how a car struck him while riding a motorcycle and he was thrown a long distance in the air. Spontaneously he cried out very loudly, �Jesus,� as he was mid-flight�and landed without any harm. Many solders, while in battle, have called on the Lord's name and been delivered from impossible situations�much like the words we find in many of the Old Testament Psalms. I have heard of several cases of Christian�s confronted at gun point who spontaneously called on the name of Jesus out loud and the men confronting them got wide eyed and ran away. These are all examples of the Lord coming to the aid of those who cry out to him. No long complicated prayer is needed.

But mostly, I have heard the testimonies of people who have brought the Lord into the situations of their daily lives and discovered, as Paul says: �He is rich to all who call upon him� (Romans 10:12). For when we call on the Lord's name from the depths of our heart, he comes into our situation. His presence comes, his love and light and mercy come. We experience the richness of him in every area of our life.

I once went to work for a company that designed water treatment plants. The owner of the firm, who was a Christian, told me the story of an incident that had happened a few months earlier. He had designed a multi-million dollar treatment plant but had shown on the construction plans a sluice gate to be installed on the wrong side of a concrete wall. Because of the error, the plant was inoperable. He didn�t know how to solve the problem without incurring a very significant cost. He called all his friends in his engineering profession but no one had an inexpensive why of solving the problem. This went on for a number of days. Eventually, he came to his end. He just started calling on the Lord's name, repeating the Lord's name loudly. He told me at that point he was no longer trying to find a solution to his problem. He had learned that calling upon the Lord's name was a sure way to ease his worries and anxieties and to quickly bring him into the Lord's presence. And as he called on the Lord's name, his anxiety did disappear. But simultaneously, the Lord revealed to him a very simple solution to the problem. So not only was he saved emotionally, the Lord also saved him financially.

In Romans 8:26, Paul says; �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.� Just as we don�t always know how to pray, and just as the Spirit must at times pray for us with simple groaning, sometimes all that is needed on our part is to call upon the Lord's name. For when we simply call on his name, he comes to us and ministers to us exactly want we need�and not what we think we need.



Lets look at a number of verses that refer to calling upon the Lord and see how truly great the Lord's name is to those who call upon him.

In the Beginning
Calling upon the Lord is actually a very ancient practice, having begun in the opening chapters of the Bible. And since this is the first time calling on the Lord is mentioned in the scriptures, we should pay special attention to its context and what precipitated the practice. For the first mention of anything in the Bible tends to set the stage for the significance of that item. So let is consider this first mention of calling upon the Lord's name.

And as for Seth, to him also a son was born; and he named him Enosh. Then men began to call on the name of the LORD. (Genesis 4:26)

Enosh was the grandson of Adam and Eve. His name means �mortal man.� But the root of his name means incurable, woeful, and sick. After man�s fall, God promised that one of Eve�s offspring would crush the head of Satan�which was referring to the coming of Christ. Eve mistakenly thought that Cain, her first born, would be that seed. How wrong she was. He ended up murdering his brother Able. Then Cain went out on his own and began having children and the direction of Adam and Eve�s offspring didn�t look all too promising. I�m sure it must have been depressing to Adam and Eve. Seth was Adam and Eve�s third son, and Seth�s first son was Enosh. It was at that time that we find that some of Adam and Eve�s offspring had come to realize how hopeless their situation had become. They realized how frail, how weak, how incurable they were. This was the reason Seth called his first son Enosh. But we see something else. Somehow along with the awareness of man�s depravity there also came the wonderful realization that men can call on the name of the Lord. For this is the answer to any man who discovers his real condition and recognizes his need for a savior. We get saved from what we are naturally by calling upon the Lord.

A Calling People
"And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Your name." (Acts 9:14)

To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours: (1 Corinthians 1:2)

When Ananias was recalling to the Lord about Saul�s (Paul�s) persecution of the church, instead of using the term church, he simply referred to it as those who �call on Your name.� This was actually an easy way to identify Christians in those days. They were those who called on the Lord's name�out loud and sometimes quite loudly.

Paul also used calling upon the Lord as a way of identifying Christians. When writing to the church in Corinth, he includes them along with all the other believers who, �in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.� Thus, we can conclude that calling on the Lord's name must have been a common practice among the early Christians and an easy way to identify a believer.

Saved by Calling
He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him, and show him My salvation." (Psalm 91:15-16)

I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised; so shall I be saved from my enemies. (Psalm 18:3)

And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved. (Joel 2:32a)

I called on the LORD in distress; The LORD answered me and set me in a broad place. (Psalm 118:5)

This poor man cried out, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles. (Psalm 34:6)

Offer to God thanksgiving, and pay your vows to the Most High. Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me." (Psalm 50:14-15)

In my distress I cried to the LORD, and He heard me. (Psalm 120:1)

Then I called upon the name of the LORD: "O LORD, I implore You, deliver my soul!" Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; yes, our God is merciful. (Psalm 116:4-5)

These verses from Psalms and the book of Joel speak of our being saved as we call upon the Lord. I believe this salvation includes our initial experience of Christ as our redeemer and savior. Just by calling upon his name we can experience his salvation. But we must also realize that in the Bible, the word salvation doesn�t just refer to that initial experience of being born again. We need to be saved daily from our natural life, temptations, the cares of this life, self-centeredness, pride, temper, etc. And calling upon the name of the Lord becomes the simplest way to do just that.

When Peter spoke to the crowd on the day of Pentecost, he referred to this verse from Joel 2: �And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. This was spoken to Jews who did not yet believe in Jesus. Therefore, we see how calling upon the name of the Lord can result in our initial experience of salvation. Yet the other verses suggest more the experience of a man or woman who is already a Christian but needs to be saved from the various troubles of life. It should be noted that this does not mean that the problems will go away when we call on the Lord, only that we will be saved from our reaction to them and our inability to cope with them. But, as we saw in some of the stories mentioned above, sometimes the Lord also saves us out of our problem as well.

Mercy and Forgiveness
For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, and abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You. (Psalm 86:5)

�And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.� (Acts 22:16 )

These verses demonstrate that by calling upon the Lord, he meets us with mercy and forgiveness. That is because, our calling out to him is calling out to our savior and redeemer and He is ready to respond to that call with mercy and grace. Even Paul, when recounting his Damascus rode encounter with Jesus, speaks of his calling upon the name of the Lord. For the Lord sent Ananias to speak specific words to Paul at that very time. And on behalf of the Lord, Ananias instructed Paul to be baptized and to wash his sins away by calling upon the name of the Lord (Acts 22:16). There is real cleansing power that is communicated to us when we call upon the Lord's name.

Delivered from Our Enemies
When I cry out to You, then my enemies will turn back; this I know, because God is for me. (Psalm 56:9)

From the end of the earth I will cry to You, when my heart is overwhelmed; lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For You have been a shelter for me, a strong tower from the enemy. (Psalm 61:2-3)

David especially speaks of being saved from all his enemies by calling upon the Lord. He had enemies all his life. From his rejection by King Saul and having to run for his life, from the nations around him after he became King, to rebellion within his own house�David learned that by calling upon the Lord, he was delivered from his enemies. These verses from Psalms speak of just such a salvation.

Overcoming Youthful Lusts
Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. (2 Timothy 2:22)

In this verse, Paul tells Timothy that he, and all those he was ministering to, needed to run away from youthful lusts. Not only so, but they were to run after righteousness, faith, love, and peace and that the way to do that was along with the rest of the Lord's people who were calling on the Lord. It seems pretty clear that Paul was implying that a practical way to leave behind those youthful lusts and the way to run after the positive things he listed was by calling upon the Lord's name. This is because when we call, we are saved from our enemies�even our natural lusts�and the Lord comes in their place with all His wonderful virtues.

Worship and Calling
I will offer to You the sacrifice of thanksgiving, And will call upon the name of the LORD. (Psalm 116:17)

I cried to Him with my mouth, And He was extolled with my tongue. (Psalm 66:17)

I love the LORD, because He has heard My voice and my supplications. Because He has inclined His ear to me, therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live. (Psalm 116:1-2)

What shall I render to the LORD for all His benefits toward me? I will take up the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the LORD. (Psalm 116:12-13)

Oh, give thanks to the LORD! Call upon His name; make known His deeds among the peoples! (Psalm 105:1)

Calling upon the Lord's name is not just for the purpose of delivering us from problems and saving us. This is also one of the ways the Lord's people worshiped him. Of particular note are the words from Psalm 116:12-13. Here, the psalmist asks what appears to be a rhetorical question regarding what he can do in return for all the Lord has done for him. He answers his own question by saying that the best that he can do for the Lord is to take the cup of salvation that the Lord has given him and call upon the name of the Lord. In this case, to call upon the Lord is to honor him. Thus, it is not just for us but it also satisfies the Lord when we call upon him. It may well be comparable to the joy a parent has when a child calls out �Mommy� or �Daddy.�

Bringing the Lord Near
Seek the LORD while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near. (Isaiah 55:6)

The LORD is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth. (Psalm 145:18)

Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; you shall cry, and He will say, �Here I am�� (Isaiah 58:9)

Isaiah tells us that we are to call upon the Lord when we sense he his near. Thus, we should seek the Lord and call upon him when he is near to us. For when he is near, we are able to secure his presence and blessing when calling upon his name. This is like the blind man who heard that Jesus was near by and began crying out with a loud voice, asking him to have mercy upon him. Those standing near the blind man told him to stop making such a scene and to be quiet. But he kept crying out all the more, calling upon the Lord. And Jesus heard him and called for him and healed him. This is what is needed when we realize that the Lord is not far from us.

But the psalmist also tells us that by calling upon the Lord, he becomes near. Thus, calling upon the Lord will ensure that he will come near to us even as we call. Even if the Lord seems to be very far away�we may not sense his presence at all�we can bring him near by calling upon his name. And if we still don�t sense his presence even after we have called upon his name, the promise is so solid, we have the full assurance that he is now in fact near�to help us, to minister to us, to deliver us, to protect us. Yes, we can rest in the fact that the Lord is near to all who call upon him.

Discovering the Lord's Richness
For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. (Romans 10:12)

�Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.� (Jeremiah 33:3)

Paul tells us that we experience the Lord's richness when we call upon him. Paul uses the same Greek word for rich in 2 Corinthians 8:9 where he says, �For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.� Certainly the Lord's riches that he gave up to make us rich were not merely financial worth. As a man, he didn�t have wealth or possessions, but he was the greatest treasure of all. People didn�t flock to him to admire his expensive clothing or his vast herds and possessions. He had something much more valuable than that to give people. The cripple who asked Peter for alms was given something worth much more than money�his ability to walk, and live, and make a proper living (Acts 3:6). Peter also told the believers he was writing to, that even though they couldn�t see Jesus they were able to rejoice with �joy unspeakable and full of glory.� There are so many aspects of richness that we can attribute to our relationship with the Lord. And we are ushered into his riches by simply calling upon his name.

The Lord told Jeremiah that if we would call upon Him, He would show us great and mighty things�things that we don�t even know. This is similar to the Lord's promise made through the Apostle Paul: �But as it is written: �Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.� � (1 Corinthians 2:9). One way we begin to enter into and experience these wonderful things is simply by calling upon the Lord's name.

Hi you Blessed and Chosen of God,
Here is the first draft of one of the messages we will be sharing in our Freedom in Christ seminars . Dave McCarthy has done the writing on this on e and Aleta (daughter-in-law) is working on some illustrations, which will be inserted. These truths may be a blessing to you in these days. We are praying for you . We love, cherish, appreciate and are so very thankful for you. May you be encouraged and strengthened in spirit and body, each day. May Christ's great love for you become even more your experience.

Love in Christ,
John & Sharon
j.lynch@cox.net


D.J. McCarthy 6/14/05



The Combination Punch in Spiritual Warfare
John Lynch

We often quote only a portion of James 4:7. "Resist the devil and he will flee." Let's consider the whole Scripture: "So be subject to God. Resist the devil [stand firm against him], and he will flee from you" (The Amplified Bible).

The first part about submitting to God is essential to the second part about resisting the devil. It is a relief to find that our obedience to God combined with resisting the devil will cause him to flee.

This does not mean that we can never make a mistake or be harmed or that we will never come under attack.. It does mean that we must be serious about our lifestyle of obedience. We actually give the enemy of our lives permission to cause havoc and destruction in our lives, families and fellowships when we say yes to him, by saying no to God. Remember the lusts and independence of our flesh are rooted in darkness and death. We cannot fight the destroyer from that source.

Consider again Eph.2: 2 You used to live just like the rest of the world, full of sin, obeying Satan, the mighty prince of the power of the air. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. 3 All of us used to live that way, following the passions and desires of our evil nature. We were born with an evil nature, and we were under God's anger just like everyone else. 4 But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so very much, 5 that even while we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God's special favor that you have been saved!) 6 For he raised us from the dead along with Christ, and we are seated with him in the heavenly realms — all because we are one with Christ Jesus. 7 And so God can always point to us as examples of the incredible wealth of his favor and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us through Christ Jesus. 8 God saved you by his special favor when you believed. And you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. 10 For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. NLT


The Holy Spirit reveals that we have been transferred, from one realm and existence to another. The Deceiver could not and cannot control Jesus because He walked in union with our Father in obedience and love. Jesus was always loving people, expressed grace and served them. He is still living and expressing this same life in his union with us (in us), if we will allow him. The Word of God instructs us to "keep ourselves in the love of God" (Jude 21).

The Scriptures tell us that in the last days "the love of many [the church] will grow cold" (Matt. 24:12). This verse tells us that "cold love" (self centered, indulging-life) will be one of the signs of the last days. Yet the apostle Peter admonishes us: "Above all things have intense and unfailing love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins [forgives and disregards the offenses of others]" (1 Peter 4:8).

The devil brings deception, offense, disharmony and strife among people, but the antidote for the whole poisonous activity is obedience in love! Christians, calling on the name of the Lord, singing to him, giving thanks in all things, being filled and led of the Spirit.. That is the love of God. Satan knows that Christians who "talk the talk" but do not "walk the walk" are powerless against him. His end-time warfare strategy is to build strongholds of cold love, (Fleshly, Self Centered, Self Serving) existence. In this way he can keep the church of Jesus Christ and individual believers powerless. However, as we remain in union, obedient, love we can do spiritual warfare and defeat his tactics. We can close up our ranks and SHUT HIM DOWN!

I remember when the Saints on the prison yards where I served (most of whom were new Christians) began to learn and heed this reality, the climate of the whole prison yard would change. Demoniacs went quiet, Christ was exalted, the Church was alive and radiated with power and growth; the gospel went forth and there was peace.

If you're tired of allowing the enemy to wreak havoc, confusion and destruction in your life, set him running today. Begin to hit him with the combination punch of spiritual warfare: Call on the name of the Lord, obey God (while resisting the devil) and walk in your union-life of obedience and love!