JOEL AND CALLING ON THE LORD'S NAME

"But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: And I will show wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke: The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come: And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved." (Acts 2:16-21; Joel 2:28-31)

In a nutshell, Joel's prophecy affirmed that salvation would be brought to humanity before an end was brought to time. The collapse of the natural order is vividly pictured as "blood, and fire, and vapor (pillars) of smoke." This is the language of destruction and Divine retribution. It is intended to uproot men from this present evil world, and to warn them of the uncertainty of life in the world. It is not wise to take this language and attempt a methodical interpretation of it. It is simply the Lord's way of saying there is no hope to those anchored to this world.

In Joel's prophecy, the Lord promises the world would not end without His promised salvation being fulfilled. The Seed that would bruise the serpent's head would come, as promised (Gen 3:15). All nations would be blessed as promised (Gen 18:18; 22:18). An end would be made of sins, and everlasting righteousness brought in, as promised (Dan 9:24). Everything was NOT hopeless!

On Pentecost Peter announced the era of salvation was beginning. What was occurring did not fulfill everything Joel prophesied (like the sun being darkened and the moon turning into blood--parabolic language denoting the end of the world). The promised blessing--salvation--had finally arrived. It was not discriminating, but for "all flesh." It was not confined to men or women, but was for "young men and maidens." It was not restricted to age, but was for "young men and old men."

Now the glorious promise, "Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved!" Calling upon the name of the Lord is what initiates the process of being saved--a process only God can make effective. It is asking God to do what He promised He would do. It is relying upon the Lord. It is abandoning self-efforts, recognizing only the Lord can save. It is like a man sinking in the ocean crying out to the captain of an ocean liner, "Help! Save me!" Calling upon the name of the Lord is an acknowledgment, or confession, that we have no other hope.

When the people cried out "Men and brethren, what shall we do?" (Acts 2:37), they were calling upon the name of the Lord. When the Ethiopian eunuch said, "See, here is water, what doth hinder me from being baptized?" (Acts 8:36), he was calling upon the name of the Lord. When the Philippian jailor cried out, "What must I do to be saved?" (Acts 16:30), he was calling upon the name of the Lord.

Further, abiding in the Lord, obeying His commands, keeping the testimony of Jesus, etc., are all part of calling on the name of the Lord. They all evidence a relinquishing of self, and dependence upon the Lord. Calling upon the name of the Lord is like the door that opens to all of those things, enabling the person to do them. It is a cry for Divine help and illumination.

There is no place--absolutely no place--in the Kingdom of God for not abiding in Christ, disobeying Him, or failing to keep His testimonies. However, none of those things can be done independently of Divine involvement. If the Lord does not come along side of us and help us, we simply will not get it done. Believing leads us to that conclusion.

So, in faith, we continue to "call upon the name of the Lord." That is not a one time occurrence. Believers are described as "all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours" (1 Cor 1:2). It is not something they once did, but something they continue to do. They approach living in Christ the same way they did coming out of sin and condemnation–calling upon His name.

David well described the life of the believer when he wrote, "I will take up the cup of salvation, And call upon the name of the LORD" (Psa 116:13). It is a strong believer, indeed, who continues to "call."

PRAYER POINT: Father, In Jesus' name, I thank You for opening the door of salvation.

-- Monday: WE KNOW --A CONFESSION OF FRIENDSHIP --