A GREAT SECRET
In Acts chapter two there is a great secret, a secret which has been overlooked by most Christians. Acts 2:17 says, "And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh." Verse 21 says, "And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved." In Acts chapter two, to be saved is to receive the Spirit. To be saved is not simply to be forgiven of our sins or to be rescued out of hell, but also to have the Holy Spirit. What must take place for us to have the Holy Spirit and be saved? Two things: first, God must pour out His Spirit; second, we need to call on the name of the Lord. The Spirit has already been poured out. Now you need to call on the name of the Lord Jesus. When you call on the name of the Lord, the outpoured Spirit will get into you and will be upon you. This is the reason Romans 10:13 says, "Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved."
OUR NEED TO CALL
ON THE NAME OF THE LORD
Today we need to learn to call upon the name of the Lord. I am heavily burdened to impress you with the need of calling. Throughout the centuries, Satan has shut the mouths of so many Christians. If you call on the name of the Lord Jesus all day long, you will be saturated, permeated, and soaked with the Spirit, and the power poured out from on high will be your portion. There is no need for me to convince you of this. Check your past experience. Often when you found yourself in trouble, you called on the name of the Lord. We all have some amount of experience. Usually we did not call on the Lord. We simply did not like calling on His name. Therefore, the Lord sent us some difficulty to help us or even to force us to call on Him. When the troubles came, we spontaneously called out, "O Lord Jesus." Perhaps we did not call in a very pleasant way. Nevertheless, we called and we received breath, strengthening, and refreshment. I want to impress you that the secret of experiencing the inward aspect and the outward aspect of this wonderful Spirit is simply to call again and again. After you call, you will pray. Then you will call more and pray more. Eventually, it will be difficult to tell whether you are experiencing the inward aspect or the outward aspect. Then you will be filled with refreshment, and outwardly you will be released. You will have the power, the boldness, the assurance, and the faith to speak strongly. You will not have any doubts whatever. The way to experience this wonderful Spirit is by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus. Be simple and call on the name of the Lord.
We all need to be de-drugged and simplified. When I am at home, I experience the Lord in a simple way, like a simple child. The simplest way for me to experience my Lord is to say, "O Lord Jesus, O Lord Jesus." Many times I call on the name of the Lord while I am cleaning. When the work tires me, I am strengthened by calling, "O Lord Jesus, O Lord Jesus." There are times when I have nothing to speak. However, after calling on the name of the Lord for a few minutes, I have a great deal to say. Try it. If you call on the name of the Lord for five minutes, you will be set on fire. Oh, we must be the calling people!
(The Spirit and the Body, Chapter 4, by Witness Lee)
