Author: Bryan Gibson

Weekly Bulletin
August 5, 2018

Calling On The Lord
by Robert Turner
As a young man in central Kentucky, I attended many “brush-arbor” meetings where shouting and rolling in the aisle were common. When someone shouted “Jesus, Jesus!!” or, “Oh, Jesus, save me!” this was said to be “calling on the name of the Lord.”
Well, it does sound like it—but it isn’t. There’s a lot more to calling on the name of the Lord than vocal exercise. Romans 10:13 says, “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved”. In the very next verse we read, “How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed?” In following verses the necessity for messengers from God, our “hearing” (learning, heeding) and even obedience (v. 16) are all shown to be a part of this “calling.”
Calling on the Lord means depending upon Him; trusting Him to the extent that we do His bidding and leave the results to Him. One may even define “calling upon the Lord” as hearing and obeying His “calling”. Notice the prophecy that Peter quotes, i.e., “whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved” has its fulfillment among “as many as the Lord our God shall call” (Acts 2:21, 37-41). In order to “call on the Lord” they had to believe the truth concerning Christ, repent of their sins, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins.
In 1 Corinthians 1:2 those “called to be saints” were such as “call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord”. We call upon the Lord when we respond to His call. Such “called out” people make up the church of God.
In Acts 9:14 we see that Saul of Tarsus had authority to persecute all who called on the Lord’s name. This meant the “saints” (Acts 26:10). Later, when Saul had become a Christian, he spoke with sorrow of his having “persecuted the church of God” (1 Corinthians 15:9). It doesn’t take a Philadelphia lawyer to put these passages together and see that “calling on the name of the Lord” involved becoming a follower of Christ, a member of His church. This accords perfectly with all we have seen in previous passages concerning our subject.
And finally, in the very conversion of Saul of Tarsus, there is further light shed on the matter. When Ananias told Saul what he “must do” (Acts 9:6) he said, “And now why are you waiting? Arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord” (Acts 22:16). Saul “called on the Lord” by putting complete trust in Him—doing exactly what he was told to do to be saved.
Little wonder then that Jesus said, “Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 7:21). Have you called on Him?
The Right Kind of Love
by Bryan Gibson
Those whose love I appreciate the most are those who have the utmost concern for doctrinal purity. There's nothing blind about their love; in fact, because they love and know the truth, their love is accompanied by knowledge and discernment (Philippians 1:9), and that's the kind I need the most. That’s the kind that can help keep me in the path of righteousness.

Contact Information
	P.O. Box 680872 / Prattville, AL 36067
	(334) 365-5887 / (334) 868-0801
	prattmont@gmail.com / prattmontchurchofchrist.org

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The Prattmont Church of Christ is just what the name suggests, a church that belongs to Christ. We are not a denomination; we are simply a group of Christians trying very hard to practice the teachings of our Head, Jesus Christ. The New Testament offers a complete pattern for what each local church should be like—its organization, its worship, its work, etc. We are committed to following that pattern. We cordially invite you to attend our services. We would also welcome any comments or questions about this bulletin.

TIMES OF SERVICES:
Sunday
Bible Study 9:00 A.M.
Worship 10:00 A.M.
Training Class 5:00 P.M.
Worship 6:00 P.M.
Wednesday:
Bible Study 7:00 P.M.