Do not think that calling on the Lord was invented by us. It is not a new invention. At most, it may be called a new discovery or a part of the Lord's recovery. Calling on the Lord began, as we have seen, with the third generation of the human race. Enosh, the son of Seth, was the third generation. Eve named her second son Abel, which means vanity. Then Seth, Abel's brother, called his son Enosh, which indicates that Seth realized that human life was weak, frail, and mortal. By calling his son Enosh, Seth might have told his son that he was weak and fragile. Since Enosh realized the fragility of human life, he began to call on the name of the everlasting Lord. Therefore, when we realize that we are nothing, that we are weak and frail, what should we do? We should simply call, "O Lord Jesus."
The history of calling on the Lord's name continues throughout the Bible, and we may list the names of many of those who called on His name: 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. 12:10), David (2 Sam. 22:4), Jonah (Jonah 1:6), Elijah (1 Kings 18:24), Elisha (2 Kings 5:11), Jeremiah (Lam. 3:55). Not only did the Old Testament saints call on the Lord; they even prophesied that people 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. God's outpouring needs the cooperation of our calling on Him. Joel's prophecy was fulfilled on the day of Pentecost.
Calling on the name of the Lord was also practiced by the New Testament saints. It began on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:21). On the day of Pentecost God poured out His Spirit, and the early saints received the Spirit by calling on the name of the Lord. Their calling was a response to God's pouring out of His Spirit. Stephen also called on the Lord's name. While he was being stoned to death, he was calling on the name of the Lord (Acts 7:59). He died calling on the Lord's name. If the Lord delays His coming and we die, I hope that we die calling on His name.
All the New Testament believers practiced the matter of calling on the Lord (Acts 9:14; 22:16; 1 Cor. 1:2; 2 Tim. 2:22). When Paul was Saul of Tarsus he received authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on the name of the Lord (Acts 9:14). This indicates 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. Thus, Saul of Tarsus felt that it would be easy to identify the Christians in Damascus by the fact that they called on the Lord's name. They not only prayed to the Lord, but called on Him. There are many true Christians who pray to the Lord daily, yet their neighbors, friends, and classmates do not know that they are Christians. We may describe them as silent Christians. However, if they become Christians who call on the name of the Lord, their calling will mark them out as Christians. It was this way with the early Christians.
Do you know what happened to Saul when he was on the way to Damascus with the intention of binding all that call on the Lord's name? He was captured by the Lord and was blinded. The Lord sent a little disciple named Ananias to visit Saul and to speak a word from the Lord to him. Listen to what Ananias said: "And now, why do you delay? Rise up and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on His name" (Acts 22:16). According to the grammar of the English language, the word "calling" modifies the verb "wash." What sin did Saul need to wash away? The sin of binding those who called on the name of Jesus. He did this at Jerusalem and intended to do it at Damascus. All the Christians knew that he was such an evil one. In their eyes, Saul sinned by persecuting the saints and by binding the callers of Jesus. Thus, the best way for him to wash away his sins was to call on the name of Jesus. By doing this it would be made clear to all the believers that he was truly converted. He who once bound those who called on the name now called on the Lord's name.
Some Christians misinterpret Acts 22:16, thinking that "wash away your sins" modifies "be baptized." According to grammar, that cannot be the meaning. There are two things mentioned in this verse—"be baptized" and "wash away your sins"—and the Greek word kai, translated "and" in English, connects them. Thus, to be baptized is one thing and to wash away your sins is another. Saul was baptized and washed away his sins, calling on the name of the Lord. Saul of Tarsus, who had persecuted so many who called on the name of the Lord, was captured by the Lord. Then Ananias, who had been sent by the Lord, told Saul to be baptized and to wash away his sins by calling on the name of the Lord. If Saul had only been baptized, many of the believers would have doubted that he had actually been converted. They might have said, "Ananias, you should not have baptized such a silent believer." However, when Ananias was about to baptize Saul, he seemed to tell him, "Brother, wash away your sins by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus. Brother Saul, you have bound many Christians. You are evil in the eyes of the saints. You have tried to bind all the Jesus callers. Now the best way in their eyes for you to wash away your sins is to call, `O Lord Jesus.'" Once Saul called on the name of the Lord, all the Christians could see that the persecutor had become one of their brothers. His calling on the Lord was the proof that he had been converted.
Paul himself 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). In Romans 10:12 Paul said that the Lord is rich unto all who call on Him, and in verse 13 he quoted the prophecy of Joel which says that whoever calls on the Lord's name will be saved. Paul also spoke of calling on the Lord in 1 Corinthians when he wrote the words, "with all those who call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ in every place, 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 the matter of 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 a long time. I believe that today the Lord wants to recover this matter and to have us practice it that we also may enjoy the riches of His life.