EXCERPTS FROM THE MINISTRY

III. COMING TO THE LORD

We also need to come to the Lord. In John 7:37 the Lord Jesus invites the thirsty ones to come to Him and drink. In like manner, the Spirit and the bride send forth the call to come and drink of the living water (Rev. 22:17). Even though we have been positioned to drink and are thirsty, we still need to come to the Lord again and again. We need to come to the Lord continually, even twenty-four hours a day. If we tell the Lord that we want to come to Him all day long, He surely will answer our prayer. Tell the Lord, “Lord, I don’t want to stop coming to You. I want to come to You twenty-four hours a day, even when I am asleep.” No matter what we are doing, we may come to the Lord by calling on Him. Whenever we call on the name of the Lord Jesus, we come to Him.

IV. ASKING OF THE LORD

To drink the living water we need to ask the Lord for this water. In John 4:10 the Lord said to the Samaritan woman, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that says to you, Give Me a drink, you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”

V. CALLING ON THE LORD

Although we have been positioned to drink and we may be thirsty and although we may come to the Lord and ask of Him, we do not actually drink until we call on the name of the Lord (Acts 2:21). In 1 Corinthians 12 we find the secret of drinking. Verse 13 says that we all have been made to drink of one Spirit, and verse 3 tells us that no one can say Lord Jesus except in the Holy Spirit. To drink the Spirit is to call “Lord Jesus.” Whenever we call on the name of the Lord in this way, we spontaneously drink the living water.

In 1 Corinthians 12 we see that the water is the Spirit, for verse 13 speaks of drinking of the one Spirit. The way to drink of the Spirit is to call on the name of the Lord. If we are thirsty and call “Lord Jesus,” we immediately drink of the Spirit. Our calling is our drinking. According to 1 Corinthians 12:3, when we call “Lord Jesus,” we are in the Spirit. I can testify that whenever I call on the Lord from deep within my spirit, I have the conviction and the consciousness that I am in the Spirit touching the Lord.

For many years I was troubled by Paul’s word in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 about praying without ceasing. I wondered how it was possible to pray unceasingly. Now I see that we can pray unceasingly simply by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus continually. The secret of drinking the Spirit in 1 Corinthians 12 is also the secret of praying without ceasing. Since we can call on the Lord unceasingly, it is possible for us to pray without ceasing. Except when we are asleep, we can continually call on the Lord’s name. Perhaps calling on the Lord will eventually become such a part of our living that we shall call on Him even when we are asleep. As those who seek the Lord and thirst for Him, we should continually call on His name. Whenever we call “Lord Jesus,” we have the sense deep within that the Lord is truly one with us in spirit.

We can call on the Lord at any time and in any place. When you are tempted to lose your temper, call “Lord Jesus.” Instead of trying to suppress your anger, call on the name of the Lord Jesus. If you call on the Lord at such a time, the living water will cause your anger to be subdued. To call on the Lord truly is to drink of the living water.

Some Christians do not agree with calling on the name of the Lord, preferring instead to contact Him quietly. I do not say that we must call on the name of the Lord in a loud way. However, I wish to point out that calling on the Lord’s name does occupy an important place in the Scriptures. The Hebrew word for call means to call out to, cry unto, that is, to cry out. The Greek word for call means to invoke a person, to call a person by name. Hence, to call according to the Bible is to call a person by naming him audibly. Although prayer may be silent, calling is audible. The Lord Jesus is a living Person, near and available. Whenever we call on His name, He responds.

For many years I was a quiet Christian. The meetings I attended were so quiet that you could almost hear a pin drop. Eventually, however, I began to practice calling on the name of the Lord according to the Bible. When we call His name, we drink of the living water.

We have pointed out that the word call means to cry out or to invoke a person by name. The preposition “on” implies prayer. It indicates that as we call “Lord Jesus,” we look to Him in prayer. Thus, we not only call the Lord’s name, but we also call on Him. As we call His name, we pray to Him. Suppose you call “Lord Jesus” as you are driving your car. This is not merely a calling on the name of the Lord, but also a way of looking to Him and praying to Him. To drink the living water in a proper way is to call on the name of the Lord.

I wish to emphasize the fact that at any time and in any place we can drink the living water by calling on the Lord. For years I had the concept that I had to be formal in my contact with the Lord. I thought that before I could contact Him in prayer, I had to be properly dressed and then go to a place where I could either stand before Him or kneel down. Now I enjoy calling on the Lord everywhere and at any time. As I drink of the living water, I do not care for formality of any kind. I only know that whenever I call “Lord Jesus,” no matter where I am, I truly enjoy the Lord.

Sometimes I may become conscious of a heavy burden within me. Spontaneously I begin to call on the name of the Lord, perhaps as I am dressing early in the morning. What an enjoyment! What a quenching of my thirst! By calling on the Lord in this way, I am inwardly strengthened to bear my heavy burden.

Some may still think that in praying to the Lord and calling on Him we need to be polite and reverent, praying at a proper time and in a proper place. This is a religious concept and is not at all practical. The Lord is our living water. If we care more for politeness or reverence than for drinking, the Lord would say, “I don’t want your reverence. I want you to drink of the living water. I don’t want you to reverence Me—I want you to drink Me. The way to honor Me is to drink Me.” How different this is from the religious concept of reverence and formality! Those who solemnly sing “Holy, holy, holy” do not drink much of the Lord. Instead of caring for religious formality, let us say, “Lord Jesus, here I am. I am not in a sanctuary worshipping You in a religious way. I am here to drink You by calling on Your name.”

In the past I encouraged the saints to spend time alone with the Lord every morning. Although I do not call back this word, I now can say that if you know how to drink the Lord, you can forget about trying to set aside a certain amount of time to contact Him. Let us call on the Lord no matter where we are or what we are doing. When we first wake up in the morning, we should drink the living water by calling on the Lord’s name. As we are washing and getting dressed, we can drink the water of life. We need to forget all formality and care for drinking the living water. Forms do nothing but kill. What we need is to take in the Lord Jesus in a pure way by calling on Him. Then we shall have the supply of the living water.

To call on the Lord spontaneously and informally is much better than approaching Him in a religious way with reverence, formality, and solemnity. I would rather hear the young people calling on the Lord on their way to the meeting hall than hear a choir singing anthems in a religious way. How good it is to hear the saints calling out to the Lord, “Lord Jesus, I love You! Lord, I am here to drink of You and to enjoy You.” How much better this is than a formal, religious service! I realize that this may shock the religious people. But I know what I am talking about. By drinking of the living water I am often beside myself with joy in the Lord. I encourage you all to practice calling on the Lord’s name continually. The more you call on Him, the more you drink of the living water.

Recently we have been having fellowship about opinions and the damage they cause in both the Christian life and the church life. The way to deal thoroughly with our opinions is to call on the Lord Jesus. Usually when we are strong in our opinion, we stop calling on the Lord. Those who are argumentative seldom call on Him. The same may be true of a sister who is unhappy with her husband. Due to this unhappiness, she may not be willing to pray or call on the Lord. Sometimes I remind such a sister that although her husband may have offended her, the Lord Jesus surely has not. Then I may ask her why she will not speak to the Lord. But often the sister will still refuse to call on the Lord. Because there is no calling, there is no drinking of the living water. Thus, instead of the supply of life, there is death and dryness. Let us stand against all such deadness. When you are tempted to quarrel with your husband or wife, drink of the living water by calling on the name of the Lord.