The book of Acts reveals a group of people who live in the divine history within human history by calling on the name of the Lord, suffering on behalf on the name of the Lord, and speaking in the name of the Lord – the name of Jesus! Hallelujah!
In the Gospels we see the Lord Jesus who came as God incarnated to be a man; He lived a perfect human life, died an all-inclusive and all-terminating death on the cross, and then resurrected and ascended to the heavens.
In the book of Acts, the very next book after the Gospels, we see the continuation of Christ, for He is reproduced and continued in His disciples.
His disciples were gathered together on the day of His resurrection, and the Lord came and breathed into them the Holy Spirit, saying, Receive the holy breath.
Then, on the day of Pentecost, the one hundred twenty were praying in one accord, and the Lord poured Himself out as the Spirit upon them as power.
Now they were both inwardly filled with the Spirit and outwardly clothed with the Spirit to be the duplication of Christ, the continuation of Christ.
They lived as human beings, but they lived in the divine history within human history to be the acting God.
They were so one with the Lord in spirit that they have become God in life, nature, expression, and function, but not in the Godhead.
The result of their living and work was the spreading of the church as the corporate manifestation of Christ.
Our God is a God that moves, spreads, and goes forth. His goings forth are from ancient times, and He is still going forth in man today.
We are the continuation of the book of Acts, for we believers in Christ are the continuation of Christ on the earth today. We also need to live in the divine history within human history today.
And we do this by calling on the name of the Lord! Oh Lord Jesus! The disciples were those who called on the Lord’s name and we also are those who call!
We call on the name of the Lord to be saved (Acts 2:21), we call on the name of the Lord to enjoy His riches (Rom. 10:13), and we call on the name of the Lord to breathe Him in and enjoy all that He is.
We are those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart together with those who call on Him. The name of Jesus is the highest name on earth and in heaven.
He is our Leader and our Saviour. When we call on His name, we are saved.
When we read the book of Acts we see how much the disciples called on the name of the Lord; this was not an outward practice to them, but their way of being saved much more in the Lord’s life.
God Poured out His Spirit and we Call on the Name of the Lord to Enjoy His Riches
Joel’s prophecy and its fulfilment concerning God’s New Testament jubilee has two aspects.
First, on God’s side, He poured out His Spirit in the ascension of the resurrected Christ; then, on our side, we call on the name of our ascended Lord Jesus, who has accomplished all, attained unto all, and obtained all (Acts 2:16-18, 21; Joel 2:28-29, 32a).
This matter of calling on the name of the Lord was not a new practice that began with the New Testament; rather, many seeking ones in the Old Testament called on the name of the Lord, for it began with Enosh and it was continued by Job, Abraham, Isaac, Moses, the children of Israel, Samson, Samue, David, and others.
It is God’s commandment and His desire that His people call on Him.
Calling on the Lord is the joyful way for us to drink from the fountain of God’s salvation and the enjoyable way to delight ourselves in God, that is, to enjoy Him. May we call on Him daily (Psa. 88:9; Acts 2:21).
In 1 Corinthians we are told that no man can say Lord Jesus, except in the Holy Spirit; this means that, when we call on the name of the Lord, we are in the Holy Spirit. Here we enjoy all that God is to us as the Spirit.
We have access to the Spirit by calling on the name of the Lord. We were baptised in one Body and we were given to drink one Spirit (1 Cor. 12:13); we drink the Spirit by calling on the name of the Lord.
Every day, no matter whether we are up or down, whether we are sad or happy, or whether we’re feeling good or not so good, we can and should call on the name of the Lord Jesus.
The Lord needs to recover the matter of our calling on the name of the Lord among us.
Peter mentioned calling on the name of the Lord on the day of Pentecost as the fulfilment of Joel’s prophecy.
We can participate in the New Testament jubilee by calling on the Lord. For us to enjoy and participate in the all-inclusive Christ with all that He has accomplished, attained, and obtained, we need to call on the name of the Lord.
The early believers practiced calling on the Lord everywhere (1 Cor. 1:2), and the unbelievers and especially the persecutors identified the Lord’s followers by their calling on the Lord (Acts 9:14, 21).
When Stephen, the first martyr, was being persecuted to death, he called on the Lord, and this must have surely impressed Saul, one of his persecutors (7:58-60; 22:20).
Later Saul persecuted the callers, taking their calling as a sign, and after he was caught and converted by the Lord, he was baptised by calling on the name of the Lord. Hallelujah!
We all are exhorted by Paul to practice calling on the Lord out of a pure heart and to be with such people today (2 Tim. 2:22).
Our divine history in the midst of human history is a history of calling on the name of the Lord to enjoy the riches of Christ for the building up of the Body of Christ as the fullness of Christ (Rom. 10:12-13; Eph. 3:8, 19; 1:22-23).
We began in the divine history by repentance and calling on the Lord, and we live in the divine history by calling on the name of the Lord.
Everything we do, every decision we make, and everything we speak, we do it by calling on the name of the Lord.
We do not want to be detached from Him; we want to remain in oneness with the Lord by calling on His name. This is not a chanting or a vain repetition; we call on the name that gives us life!
By calling on the name of the Lord, we keep ourselves in God’s golden history, the divine history, a history that begins with Enosh (Gen. 4:26), continues through the Old and New Testaments (Job 12:4; Gen. 12:8; 26:25; Deut. 4:7; Judg. 15:18; 1 Sam. 12:18; Psa. 116:4, 13, 17; 80:18; 88:9; 1 Kings 18:24; Isa. 12:4; Lam. 3:55, 57; Psa. 99:6; Isa. 55:6; Jonah 1:6; 2 Kings 5:11; Isa. 41:25; Acts 2:21; 7:59; 9:14, 21; 22:16; Rom. 10:12-13; 1 Cor. 1:2; 2 Tim. 2:22), and concludes with the last prayer in the Bible (Rev. 22:20). Amen!
We have a golden history, the divine history, by calling on the name of the Lord. The Lord’s name is glorious and mighty, and we flee into His name by calling on His name.
His name is balm in pain, joy in grief, and comfort in suffering. When we go through suffering, we can call on His name.
When we are in pain, even when we’re in the lowest pit, we can call on the name of the Lord, and He does not hide his ear from our breathing, our cry.
What a privilege it is for us that our God is so near and dear, for whenever we call on His name, He is there with us!
Our calling on His name is our breathing, our cry. He is near to us, and we call on Him. We call not only when we need Him but all the time, for we want to enjoy His riches!
Lord Jesus, we want to be the people who live in the divine history today by calling on the name of the Lord! Oh Lord Jesus! Thank You for pouring out the Spirit abundantly; we open to receive the Spirit by calling on the name of the Lord! Praise the Lord, when we call on the name of the ascended Lord, we are saved and we enjoy all His riches! Amen, Lord, we want to remain in the divine history today by calling on the Lord continually. We want to call on Your name to enjoy the riches of Christ for the building up of the Body of Christ as the fullness of Christ! Oh, the Lord is so near and dear to us when we call on His name! He is the Lord of all and rich to all who call on Him! Amen, Lord Jesus, we call on Your name! We want to keep ourselves in God’s golden divine history by calling on Your name today and every day! We want to fellowship and remain with those who call on the name of the Lord out of a pure heart!
Being Honoured to Suffer on Behalf of the Lord’s Name and Speak Boldly in the Name of Jesus
As we are living in the divine history today, we suffer on behalf of the Lord’s name within the human history, even as the early disciples did (Acts 4:18-20, 29-31; 5:41-42; 9:13-16; 2 Cor. 6:4; 11:23; Col. 1:24-25).
When we suffer on behalf of the Lord’s name, we need to realise it is a real honour to be dishonoured on behalf of His name!
He is the man dishonoured but God-honored Jesus, and we honour Him, love Him, and count it as honour to be dishonoured on behalf of His name!
To other people, it is a shame to be dishonoured on behalf of the Lord’s name, but to us, the believers in Christ who call on the name of the Lord, it is a great honour.
We love the Lord. We love to call on His name, we love to live one spirit with Him. And throughout the day, we call on His name to enjoy His riches.
We dethrone ourselves and enthrone Him, the Lord Jesus. The day will come when the whole universe will bow down at the name of Jesus and proclaim Him as Lord; until then, we call on His name day by day!
The early disciples were persecuted on behalf of the name of Jesus, and they were threatened not to speak based on this name.
However, they considered it an honour to be dishonoured on behalf of the Lord’s name, and they continued to hold on to this name, call on the name of the Lord, and proclaim Him!
The name of the Lord is everything to us, for His name is His very person. We enjoy Him, we love Him, we call on Him, and we enjoy all that He is by calling on His name!
Lord Jesus, we want to call on Your name today! Praise the Lord, we can live in the divine history by calling on the name of the Lord! Oh, it is a real honour for us to be dishonoured on behalf of the name of the Lord. Amen, Lord, You are the God-honored Christ but the man-dishonoured Jesus, and we love to call on Your name. We are not ashamed of Your name. Oh Lord Jesus, keep us calling on Your name today! We love the glorious name, the name of Jesus! We uplift You, we enthrone You, and we give You all the glory and honour! Jesus is Lord!
We carry out the divine history within the human history by speaking boldly in the name of Jesus (Acts 9:27; Phil. 2:9-11; 1 Thes. 2:2; 2 Cor. 4:5).
The early disciples didn’t just consider it an honour to be dishonoured on behalf of the name of Jesus; they also spoke boldly in the name of Jesus. Wow!
Instead of being weakened in their faith so that they take it easy for a while, they exercised their spirit and enjoyed the Lord even more, speaking boldly in the name of Jesus! Amen!
May we be those who carry out the divine history within the human history by speaking boldly in the name of Jesus. We can speak in the Lord’s name because His name is the sum total of all that the Lord is to us in His person and work.
As we come to the Lord in His word and we gather with the saints in the meetings of the church, we are richly nourished and supplied with what the Lord is, and together we call on the name of the Lord.
When we call on His name, we call on a living person, one who has done everything and who is everything! He is rich to all who call on Him, and we call on Him daily!
Not only are we saved by calling on the name of the Lord, but we are also enriched and emboldened to speak in His name!
Today we live in an age where people are not afraid to speak when they accumulate some riches, even though their riches will diminish and fail.
We need to not be ashamed or afraid to speak boldly in the name of Jesus, bringing so many to know this name, call on His name, and enjoy the riches of Christ by calling on the name of the Lord!
Lord Jesus, we love to call on Your name! You are so rich to us when we call! Oh Lord Jesus! We call and we get the person of that name! We love You and we love all that You do for us and in us. We want to carry out the divine history within the human history by speaking boldly in the name of Jesus! Amen, the name of Jesus is our stand – it is our victory! We stand in Your name, we speak boldly in Your name, and we call on Your name! Oh, how rich the Lord is unto all who call on Him! How rich is the Lord to all who open their mouth and say, Oh Lord Jesus! Amen, Lord, may we be those who call Your name and help many enter into the enjoyment of Your riches by calling on Your name!
References and Hymns on this Topic
- Inspiration for this article/sharing comes from the Word of God, the enjoyment in the ministry, a sharing by the brothers, and portions from, Acts 2:21 and the footnotes on this verse in the Recovery Version Bible, as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, One Accord and Crucial Aspects of the Book of Acts (2025 April ITERO), week 7, Continuing to Live in the Divine History within Human History in the Continuation of the Book of Acts for the Spreading and Building Up of the Church as the Corporate Manifestation of Christ – day 2.
- Similar articles on this topic:
– Calling on the name of the Lord, a portion from, Lesson Book, Level 4: Life—Knowing and Experiencing Life, Chapter 20, by Witness Lee.
– Calling on the Lord || Week 8 – Solid Ground Spr25 || CSOC UT Austin.
– Calling on the name of the Lord – booklet by W. Lee.
– My Experience of being Cared for by the Believers in the Local Churches, via, Living to Him.
– Enjoying the outpoured Spirit by calling on the name of the Lord, a portion from, The Fulfillment of God’s Purpose by the Growth of Christ in Us, Chapter 4, by Witness Lee.
– Romans (Program #55) – Romans 10:12 says, “The same Lord is Lord of all, and rich to all who call upon Him.” Whenever we call upon the dear, sweet name of our Lord Jesus, He is the life-giving Spirit, applies all of His unsearchable riches to us. More via, Bible study radio.
– What is Calling on the Lord? — Part 1, via, The Hearing of Faith.
– Discovering the Indwelling Christ as the Spirit by Calling on Him, via, Holding to Truth in Love.
– Calling on the name of the Lord, a portion from, Calling on the Name of the Lord, Chapter 1.
– “Lord Jesus!” – via, Having this ministry.
– Calling on the Name of the Lord by Witness Lee, video by Sam O.
– What Is Calling on the Name of the Lord? More via, Bibles for America YouTube channel.
– A Life Full of Meaning, testimony via, The Church in Anaheim.
– Call on the Lord to Receive the Water of Life, via, New Jerusalem blog. - Hymns on this topic:
– Call upon the name of Jesus, and you will be saved, / O Lord Jesus, hallelujah, nevermore enslaved! / We may take salvation’s cup by calling on the Lord; / Salvation from a host of things does His dear name afford. (Hymns #1083 stanza 2)
– Jesus is the living Spirit, / Our reality; / We enjoy Him just by calling / In simplicity. / Jesus is the living Spirit, / We must now proclaim; / He is rich unto all men / That call upon His name. (Hymns #1142 stanza 1 and chorus)
– Glorious, mighty Name of Jesus, / Into Thy dear Name I flee; / “Set aloft,” I praise and worship, / For Thy Name is victory! / Blessed Jesus! Mighty Savior! / In Thy Name is all I need; / Just to breathe the Name of Jesus, / Is to drink of Life indeed. (Hymns #73 stanzas 1-2)
About aGodMan
Acts 2:21, footnote 1, Recovery Version Bible
Lesson Book, Level 4: Life—Knowing and Experiencing Life, Chapter 20, by Witness Lee
https://www.ministrysamples.org/excerpts/CALLING-ON-THE-NAME-OF-THE-LORD.HTML
How rich the Lord is unto all who call on Him!
We can live in the divine history today by calling on the name of the Lord to enjoy all His riches.
We can speak boldly in His name, and we count it an honour to be dishonoured on behalf of His name.
Calling on the Lord is our breathing and our drinking.
We are not only saved by calling on Him but can enjoy Him and all his riches.
May we live in the divine history by calling on the Lord and turning to our spirit daily.
Yes brother, it’s an honour to be thought of as simple because we call on the name of the One who is our breath & our living water.
On the very day that marked the official beginning of the New Testament age, the outpoured Spirit caused Peter to say that “everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
Indeed, it is God’s commandment & desire that His people call on Him, and the early believers practiced this faithfully.
Are we more sophisticated than the early believers? Are we ashamed to call upon the name of the One who is our breath and our living water?
We should not only call upon the name of Jesus, breathe Him in, drink Him and enjoy His riches, we must charge the younger generation to do likewise.
Amen, we call to be saved, to live and to enjoy..
Really touched by the msg: It is indeed an honour to be dishonoured on behalf of the Name that man rejects but God honours.
Today we can speak boldly in His name, not by ourselves but as members of His one Body.
As a first-generation Christian in my family, my parents cannot understand why I spend so much time in the church life; my classmates despise me because I do not have a prestigious job; and my colleagues laugh at me as a strange person.
Yet in all these things, the Lord sustains me in every aspect of my living. Even though the world despised Christ on the Cross and scorned His follower, Paul.
God Himself vindicates.
Today we can still speak boldly in His name—not by ourselves, but as members of His one Body. Praise the Lord that by calling on His dear name, we are freshly saved and supplied to live in the divine history within human history.
We live in the divine history in the human history by calling on the name of the Lord!
When we call on the Lord who is the Spirit, we enjoy Him as our real breath and the living water, His unsearchable riches, to give real worship to God.
In this way we enjoy the processed Triune God as our full salvation.
Amen, what name!
God has fulfilled the Old Testament prophecy to pour out His Spirit upon all flesh that the believers in Christ may now participate in His New Testament jubilee.
Our participation, which enables us to enjoy the processed Triune God for our full salvation, is by way of the Old Testament & New Testament practice of calling on His name.
This Spirit is the Lord Himself as our breath, our living water, our drink, our testimony and declaration – wherever we are, our worship to God, even enabling us to suffer on behalf of His name!
Amen. We are those who love calling on the name of jesus.
The name we breathe and drink, the all-inclusive name, name so glorious, name we call everywhere
Oh Lord, thank You for we can call Your name – the One we love!
Ameeen!!!!
What a way for us to be saved; what a joyful way to drink from the fountain of salvation; an enjoyable way to delight ourself in God;
The way for us to participate in and enjoy the all-inclusive Christ with all that He has accomplished, attained, and obtained; and the way for us to worship God in reality.
All these is by calling on His name. O LORD JESUS!!!
Oh what a NAME!!!