Teaching on Calling on the Name of the Lord

[countmeworthy]

One good meaningful teaching and memory I have from my days in the LC..from my church in San Diego was a weekend series of messages on 'Calling on the Name of the Lord'.
We former and current LCrs know all too well that was our 'mantra' if you will.
Truth be told...it IS biblical and sound.
The scriptures we 'pray-read' are still grafted in me.,,and they are more living to me..that is they truly speak to me more today than back in the day.

With this intro.. I have a Praise Report to the Glory of God I'd like to share.

For years and years, I have been troubled by how disrespectful the Name of our LORD and SAVIOUR ---JESUS is tossed around....mainly non-believers and carnal Christians (some of whom are probably not believers..but think they are)..

Everytime I hear someone disrespect His SACRED Name, my spirit grieves..for it is the Holy Spirit grieving in me. When I hear His Name trashed around, I quietly call on Him with a grieving heart "Lord Jesus." Nothing LOUD..nothing emotional...but with reverence and a grieving heart.

Around my carnal friends who I am ministering to..I scold them if they slip and disrespect the Name of Jesus. I tell them "HEY!! Pay ATTENTION how you use His Name! BE respectful of Him...He is GOD!" The Name of JESUS is HOLY..and SACRED!!! Sometimes I 'lecture' them...and other times..just a stern reminder.
It gets their undivided attention and I think they are much more mindful next time around.
So...this past week, a childhood friend of mine asked me to come over and hold a 'bible study' for her, and her parents who are in their 80s. I've known the entire family since I was 6 yrs old...My friend and I are in our YOUNG 50's.. and I was told yesterday I looked like I was in my 40's. (Praise You Lord Jesus! )

I knew it was the perfect opportunity to 'teach' them on Power and Holiness of the Name of Jesus...oh..and not because I was told I looked good and in my 40's. LOL!

For 85 yr old Mr. A... I wrote out the scriptures on BIG index cards. We all had bibles and we opened up with prayer for the Lord to anoint our time together and enlighten us all. Including me, there were 5 present..they were all saved already but are not delivered.

This is the family who some of you might remember..that lost a son, a brother to suicide earlier this year. He was only 38.

The scriptures I used were many of the scriptures we/I learned in the LC..
John 10:10
John 14:6
Acts 4:12
Romans 10:9-11 and 13
John 6:35

I began by telling them how HOLY and Sacred His Name is and people need to call on Him out of Respect for He is our Saviour..and our very present Help in time of need.

We turned to the scriptures..and most of the time together, out loud, we read the scriptures from the Bible. Sometimes individually, I would have them re-read them. I'd expound on each scripture one by one and then turned that scripture into prayer and had them pray that scripture.
For example John 10:10b.. I (Jesus) came that you would have Life and have it more abundantly..until it overflows.I explained how Jesus came that we would have LIFE..and not only ETERNAL LIFE..but Life in our every day living....I had them pray something like:

"Thank YOU LORD JESUS..You came that I would have Life and have it more abundantly. Praise You Lord Jesus."

I went through each scripture, giving a short teaching and prayer with it.
The bible study probably lasted 20-25 minutes and they all said it was AWESOME. To GOD be the GLORY!
Mr A asked if he could keep the index cards. I chuckled and hugged him and told him I wrote them specifically just for him.
......I share this praise report because giving credit where credit is due, I, personally, learned to call on the Name of the Lord...learned all the scriptures on the Lord Jesus..and 'Life' in the LC.

Sooo...that is one reason I am grateful to the LORD for my time there. I'm just as grateful I am no longer there too.
.....................................Thanks everone for reading my postl! I pray it blessed you , encouraged you & lifted your spirit

[Hope]

Dear Countmeworthy,

Your post has been read. I am very encouraged and refreshed. Thank you for sharing and for having the love of God for these dear ones to help them to know more of the living Christ.

It is so wonderful that you are able to help some who perhaps know little of Christ.

This morning in our meeting here in Durham we had four gospel friends with us. We read together the story of the woman at the well. Several of us shared the joy of the living water and of knowing the Savior. One of the four confessed faith in Jesus a few weeks ago. Her sister in law is very open and asked if we would get her a bible. The other two said they were very interested in learning more about Jesus.

One of the later two had his 33rd birthday today. Unbeknowst to him one of the sisters made him a birthday cake and gave it to him this morning at the meeting. He was smiling from ear to ear. He spoke of how he has been touched to consider Christ due to the kindnesses that have been shown to him.

Last night we had a couple who have been married 25 years renew their vows. They have three young adult children. The three children and their sister in law and cousins worked out all the arrangements and along with their dad gave the mom a wonderful surprise. About 20 relatives came in and we had a big celebration of natural family and church family all together.

This family has had some very big challenges and trials. The wife declared it was due to Christ and the care they had received in the church that they had been able to stay together. We all are so thankful to the Lord for His never failing love and mercy.

In Christ Jesus,

Hope, Don Rutledge

[countmeworthy]

Originally Posted by Hope

This morning in our meeting here in Durham we had four gospel friends with us. We read together the story of the woman at the well. Several of us shared the joy of the living water and of knowing the Savior. One of the four confessed faith in Jesus a few weeks ago. Her sister in law is very open and asked if we would get her a bible. The other two said they were very interested in learning more about Jesus.

Praise the Lord for how He is using us all Brother Hope!

I was going to use that parable last night too. But I was being sensitive to the Holy Spirit and not overload them.

I did explain the emptiness in us causes us to desire things we ought not to.. if we do nothing more than give Praise and Honor with Thanksgiving to the Lord Jesus, He will change our tastebuds.

So we/you/I were on the same page it seems!

Your meeting was very anointed. There is so much HOPE !

The LORD is really speeding things up isn't He?

"Give the LORD a SHOUT of Praise!"

[Hope]

Originally Posted by countmeworthy

Praise the Lord for how He is using us all Brother Hope!

I was going to use that parable last night too. But I was being sensitive to the Holy Spirit and not overload them.

I did explain the emptiness in us causes us to desire things we ought not to.. if we do nothing more than give Praise and Honor with Thanksgiving to the Lord Jesus, He will change our tastebuds.
So we/you/I were on the same page it seems!

Your meeting was very anointed. There is so much HOPE !

The LORD is really speeding things up isn't He?

"Give the LORD a SHOUT of Praise!"

Countmeworthy,

I really like your explanation which I have high lighted. Is it okay with you if I use and adapt it to our fellowship?

In Christ Jesus,

Hope, Don Rutledge

[countmeworthy]

Of course Don! We, true believers don't mind 'spreading the wealth' around with our beloved brethren in Christ.

[Evangelical]

Originally Posted by Ohio

How about addressing all the peculiar teachings of the LC?

Calling on the name of the Lord would be one of the least peculiar, or not peculiar at all. Whoever wrote the article is an idiot if he thinks calling on the name of the Lord is somehow peculiar.

[Freedom]

Originally Posted by Evangelical

Calling on the name of the Lord would be one of the least peculiar, or not peculiar at all. Whoever wrote the article is an idiot if he thinks calling on the name of the Lord is somehow peculiar.

The LC practice of "calling on the Lord" is peculiar because there is no indication that what is practiced in the LC has any relation to the phrase found in the Bible. Actually even if "calling on the name of the Lord" as it is found in the Bible was a formal devotional practice, we don't know what that practice entailed because we weren't there. It was presumptuous on Lee's part to claim that a loud repetitious shouting of the phrase "O Lord Jesus" was a lost Biblical practice that he had uncovered. I am confident that if there were any loud shouting that happened in the Bible, it was joyful praise, not a repetitious and rhythmic chanting. What happens in the LC is an classic example of group-think. Ever notice how awkward it was when a newcomer would enter a LC meeting and not participate fully in what the rest of the group was doing? It would make everyone so uneasy that one person wasn't going along with the 'flow' of the meeting. That's what it's really about.

Back on the subject of the RcV, when the footnotes serve to introduce or promote a practice unique to the LC such as calling on the Lord, it is a subtle form of propaganda being utilized. People reference study Bibles for help with difficult text or to get a better overview. When the commentary instead is used as a platform to introduce ear-tickling teachings or practices, the average reader might not catch on to what is being done. Don't forget, the RcV is being distributed all across the US as a free "study Bible." Do people who receive one realize what they're really being given?

If the LC thinks they have a practice that is beneficial to Christians at large, that's great, they can go write a book about it or discuss it in a way that allows other Christians to accept or reject it. By putting it in study Bible commentary, they are presenting it as fact or as something intimately associated with scripture. Unless the reader is aware of what is going on, it is not hard to give study notes more precedence than material written in a book on a certain subject. And that is exactly what the LSM is hoping accomplish with the RcV. They want LC teachings to be accepted as fact bypassing normal discourse, because LC teachings can't stand up to that test.

I went to plenty of LC meetings where we exhaustively read the footnotes for whatever verses we were reading, and of course the idea behind doing this was that everyone presumed that thorough the footnotes (and only through the footnotes) could you obtain the 'correct' interpretation. And if that is the thought process that exists, people will swallow it all without a second thought.

[Evangelical]

It is calling on the name of the Lord though, isn't it? Does it have to be done in the original Aramaic or Hebrew language to be "biblical" ?

[aron]

Originally Posted by Evangelical

It is calling on the name of the Lord though, isn't it? Does it have to be done in the original Aramaic or Hebrew language to be "biblical" ?

Does it have to be done the way Lee prescribed to be biblical? And if it's not done the way Lee said, then how can you say that your local church is "absolutely identical" to the rest, with no differences whatever? Because that's what Lee prescribed in the footnotes. And Lee can't be wrong, ever, because then the whole thing would crumble like a house of cards. If people ever began to think critically, or act differently, the whole thing would come apart.

Originally Posted by Freedom

My biggest problem with the RcV is that the LC mandates it. To mandate any teachings, no matter whose they are is going too far. I have various study Bibles. I take all of the commentary with a grain of salt. And there's really nothing wrong with commentary as long as it's used as an aid and not a lens by which everything is interpreted.

[aron]

Originally Posted by Evangelical

So instead of being hypocrites about it, if you don't like bible versions with footnotes by someone, why don't you all go back to using the Latin Vulgate?

Actually I increasingly go back to the Greek and Hebrew texts. And even there, they don't always agree. Some of the variants are striking.

But I still keep my English versions, and use them. Even, occasionally, the RecV. But I keep my salt-shaker handy. Never know when you'll need a grain or two.

But really, objectively, the RecV is an abysmal translation. The footnotes are ruinous. Maudlin. "So subjective, is my Christ, to me!" Yes all we get is Witness Lee's subjective Christ. And very little objective reality. It's like reading a 6th-grader's essay. Not really completely wrong in and of itself, but so horribly personal, self-focused. And the person isn't Jesus Christ. It's the expositor. The focus isn't Christ, but Witness Lee's understanding.

[Freedom]

Originally Posted by aron

Does it have to be done the way Lee prescribed to be biblical? And if it's not done the way Lee said, then how can you say that your local church is "absolutely identical" to the rest, with no differences whatever? Because that's what Lee prescribed in the footnotes. And Lee can't be wrong, ever, because then the whole thing would crumble like a house of cards. If people ever began to think critically, or act differently, the whole thing would come apart.

I noticed that Evangelical has yet to back up his assertion that what the LC labels as "calling on the name of the Lord" is something more than just a practice peculiar/unique to the LC. The main problem, of course, is that WL wanted everyone to think that his version of practices represented the true Biblical form (if there were such to begin with). I'm not out to detract from things that LCers appreciate, but I take issue with with the promotion of certain LC practices as if those not practicing such things are deficient or lacking. Take example for the the practice of LC "love feasts." What many groups would simply call a lunch, is what the LC would give a name found in the Bible, as if to validate it as something 'better' than what other groups are doing.

While all groups have unique practices, and might have some amount of disagreement on the specifics, the LC is the only group that I know of that claims to practice things that they alone have 'recovered'. It's kind of convenient for them to be able to do this, because when they speak of a practice that no one else does, they don't have to engage in discussion of the 'correct' way to do it. They just have to provide sufficient justification for the practice to those willing to listen.