Although we may have the riches of Christ, it is possible to have them merely in an objective way. The riches may simply be the riches and yet not have anything to do with us. To know the riches of Christ objectively is one thing; to enjoy them subjectively is another. Buying groceries is very different from eating prepared food. We must learn how to eat all the aspects of Christ revealed in the Gospel of John, 1 Corinthians, and the other books of the Bible. Christ is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, the all in all. How profound He is! How all-inclusive! Nevertheless, as profound as He is, Christ is for our enjoyment. The way to enjoy the riches of Christ is by eating, and the way to eat is by calling on the name of the Lord.
First Corinthians, a book that unfolds many aspects of the riches of Christ, reveals that the way to eat these riches is by calling on the name of the Lord. This epistle even opens with the matter of calling. The second verse of chapter one says, “Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both theirs and ours” (Gk.). This book was not written to those who study, but to those who eat, that is, to those who call on the name of the Lord. We all must learn to call upon His name, for the riches of Christ are made available for our enjoyment through our calling on Him. As Romans 10:12 says, “The same Lord of all is rich to all who call upon Him.”
Many Christians know how to pray, but not how to call. I used to think that praying and calling were the same. Later I learned that they were different. When I call, I pray; but when I pray, I do not necessarily call. Although I may receive answers to my prayers, I do not receive nourishment by praying. But whenever I call on the Lord, I receive both the answer and the nourishment.
Children are experts at calling on their parents. A little girl does not say, “Mother, I need some water”; instead, she says, “Mama, give me a drink!” Whenever she calls like this, she gets something to drink. Likewise, there is no need for us to say, “Lord, thank You for being so good to me. Lord, I need You very much. Every day and every hour I need You.” This is praying, not calling. When we call on the Lord, we may say, “O Lord Jesus! I need You, Lord! O Lord, how good You are! Lord, You are my health day by day!” Receiving an answer is secondary; being nourished is primary. Whenever I exercise my spirit to call on the Lord, I am richly nourished.
All Christians have called upon the name of the Lord at some time. However, most of them call only when they are in trouble. They do not call during times of peace. Why should we wait until trouble comes to call on the Lord? We need to form the habit of calling on Him at all times. Every morning when I rise up, I take several deep breaths. This is very refreshing and invigorating. Likewise, we need to breathe in the Lord by calling on His name. If we do this, we shall enjoy fresh air and nourishment. The Bible does not say that the Lord is rich to all who study about Him or meditate on Him. No, the Bible says that the Lord is rich to all who call on His name. When we call on His name, we touch Him and receive His riches.
In this message we come to the matter of the church. We have seen who Christ is and what Christ is. Now we must see that all the riches of Christ are for the church. In the foregoing messages we have seen seven aspects of Christ in His divinity: God, the Creator, the Lord, Jehovah, the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. We have also seen various aspects of Christ in His humanity, such as the Prophet, the Priest, the King, the Apostle, and the Bridegroom. All that Christ is in His divinity and in His humanity is for the producing of the church. If we would know the church, we need to know how the church comes into being.
The first mention of the church in the Bible is in Matthew 16:18. In this chapter the church that is revealed is a prevailing church. Prior to speaking about the church, the Lord had asked the disciples who He was, and Peter had said, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matt. 16:13-16). It is wonderful to know that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. But as soon as Peter had received this revelation, the Lord said, “And I say also unto thee, That thou art a stone, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it” (Matt. 16:18, Gk.). This word indicates that after we see who Christ is, we must also see the church, because Christ is for the church. Christ is the source, and the church is the product. If you know the source, then you must also know the product.
The Lord told Peter that he was a stone, and that He would build His church upon Himself as the rock. The Lord seemed to be saying, “Peter, you are a stone, and I am the rock. I shall build My church with stones upon this rock. The church I build will defeat Satan, for the gates of Hades will not be able to stand against it.” The “gates of Hades” is a biblical term denoting the power of Satan. The power of Satan cannot prevail against the builded church.