Gospel in a Minute

Peter quoted the prophet Joel (Joel 2:32) in the following part of his gospel proclamation on Pentecost.

But everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved. Acts 2:21 (NLT)

What exactly does it mean to “call on the name of the Lord”?

Principle: God is a Person who can and will respond to us.

The Star Wars movie series presents God as an impersonal “force” that can be tapped into by those who have inside knowledge. This is a age old false teaching. The God of the Bible, the true God, is a real Person. Not a human, but a person. Humans are created in his image. We have personality because that is an important aspect of God’s life and person. Personalities can communicate.

God has no problem at all in getting through to us when we seek him.

Calling upon the Lord means we pray to him, speaking to him as a real person who is listening to us.

Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. 13  You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:12-13 (ESV) 

When we share the gospel, we should encourage our hearers to engage Jesus on a personal level by “calling out” to him in prayer, having the sure promise that he will allow us to find him when we seek him with all our hearts.