Altar Calls

In Paul's sermon to the philosophers on Mars Hill (Acts 17), there was no invitation. The exhortation to repent was during the message, not an appendage to the message.

I think it's interesting that Paul's exhortation was to repent. One response was "some believed." (17:34).

 

The "altar call" is the message of the cross, and what it did. The confession is the water baptism.

 

What? You mean you didn't didn't read in the fine print where he was saying, "come, come, come, to the altar and get saved!"? :laugh: :wavey:


The invitation is the drawing of the Spirit during the preacher's message, not in the begging and pleading at the end of it. :thumbs:

 

Sounds a lot like my sisters church.

 

..................

 

Well, I tried to find it. Didn't find it in Peter's sermon on Pentecost Day; didn't find it in Paul's sermon on Mars Hill; didn't find it in Stephen's sermon in Acts 8. (They killed him for that message). I know it's in there somewhere.

Reminds me of a story. A missionary was preaching to some natives in an African village. Suddenly, one of the men stood up, right in the middle of the message and said, "Stop! I've heard enough. I believe."

And, as one of the preachers I met in Romania said, "when the Spirit of God stirs someone's heart, we don't have to beg. We can't keep them away."

 

It's just seems so foreign to me & very manipulating. The times Ive observed it are the times Ive walked in the other direction. I could never be comfortable in those churches....but thats me & I know my wife has expressed the same verbatim.

Its not a knock, rather an observation. Thats why we go to the church we go to .....and you go to the church you go to.

 

AMEN!! :thumbs::thumbs::thumbs::thumbs:

 

Well, around here it seems like I hear that Brother So-and-So backslid. Apparently they were "saved" during an altar call. You can come to the front to receive salvation, but w/o a smidgen of faith AND repentence, it is a waste of time. If God doesn't draw, any and all altar calls are futile. The invitation is by the drawing of the Spirit, not the pleading to come to the altar to pray.


True story

My mother-in-law knew a man who was "saved" at several different revivals. People got to being pessimistic when he came forth to be saved(he was baptized like five times). The last time he was "baptized", he lost his glass eye in the water(running creek and he couldn't find it either). He didn't last long, because he took another woman and left.

 

I want to make sure that we don't impugn the motives of those who practice invitations and altar calls. The vast majority of preachers I have known have a real burden for souls. The way they conduct invitations is the way they have seen it done and been taught over the years. They are truly sincere. They are convinced that, having preached the gospel, they should provide an immediate opportunity to publicly respond to Christ's call on their lives.

Because of their zeal, some, not all, will sometimes resort to methods to extract a response which some of us would see as manipulative. The problem is not the use of an altar call or invitation, it is the mis-use.

 

Mk,
My original quote came from here;
http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/lectures-on-calvinism-and-arminianism/1210407

I was able to download it for free. The second site is very good,although they see things from a presbyterian outlook.

 

:applause::thumbsup:

 

Hello Zenas,
If we are used of God to bring someone under the preaching of the word,what should take place ideally is that you would have presented the facts of the fall {rom 5} our guilt before God's Holy law , and God's remedy.
If the pastor is faithful to the preaching of the word of the cross,the Holy Spirit will work in the sinner, to do what he pleases.
A believing person through the process of discipleship will be instructed that the proper form of response is believers baptism.
Zenas.....it is not like catching a fish, where you get a person emotionally vulnerable....then "set the hook" when their will is manipulated.
Trust God to do the work......not beg the sinner to "do something"..ie, raise a hand, sign a card, walk the aisle,come to the front etc...

Jesus is in Heaven on the Throne. The sinner once quickened by the Spirit will obey as they are instructed. Believers baptism ,church membership,discipleship ,and service, are the normal means of grace.
The scripture does speak of our confessing Christ before men. This confession is a daily walking as children of light, not shrinking back from obeying God at all times,before the watching unsaved world:thumbsup:

 

I have never been a member at a church that did not conduct altar calls. I knew that there were churches who did not conduct them, but I've never heard anyone say that they shouldn't be conducted.

IMHO, there are ways to conduct them, and there are ways to not conduct them. It seems on this thread that anyone that conducts an altar call is thrown into a group and assumed to use manipulative, emotional songs/words/etc to get numbers. While I have seen this, I have also seen where people make decisions at an altar while the musicians are playing a somewhat "upbeat" song, and the pastor only says something to the effect of, "The altar's open. If you need to do business with God, do it", and then let's people pray at the altar.

I see nothing wrong with an altar call. Personally, I see it as an opportunity for people to get things right with God while the message is still on their mind, and in an atmosphere that does not make one feel out of place if they were to ask to talk to the pastor or need to make another decision. As long as you are not being manipulative, or "pulling on the heart strings", this is fine in my book. However, I will agree that we should not be seeking emotional decisions.

Now, I grew up with the altar call, so the atmosphere to me is a safe, non-judgmental atmosphere. To those who didn't grow up with it, it might feel completely different. What to me might feel just like the pastor is giving opportunity to pray/get right with God might feel to others as if he is begging for numbers. It's all about what you are used to. Ultimately, we aren't to judge motives.

 

From Lectures to My Students, Charles Spurgeon:

"they maintain their churches by converts from other systems. I have even heard them say, "Oh, yes, the Methodists and Revivalists are beating the hedges, but we shall catch many of the birds." If I harbored such a mean thought I should be ashamed to express it. A system which cannot touch the outside world, but must leave arousing and converting work to others, whom it judges to be unsound, writes its own condemnation."


"Do not close a single sermon without addressing the ungodly, but at the same time set yourself seasons for a determined and continuous assault upon them, and proceed with all your soul to the conflict. On such occasions aim distinctly at immediate conversions; labor to remove prejudices, to resolve doubts, to conquer objections, and to drive the sinner out of his hiding-places at once. Summon the church-members to special prayer, beseech them to speak personally both with the concerned and the unconcerned, and be yourself doubly upon the watch to address individuals. We have found that our February meetings at the Tabernacle have yielded remarkable results: the whole month being dedicated to special effort."


"Mean conversions, expect them, and prepare for them. Resolve that your hearers shall either yield to your Lord or be without excuse, and that this shall be the immediate result of the sermon now in hand. Do not let the Christians around you wonder when souls are saved, but urge them to believe in the undiminished power of the glad tidings, and teach them to marvel if no saving result follows the delivery of the testimony of Jesus."

 

Martyn Lloyd Jones commentary on Alter Calls

A. Well, it is difficult to answer this in a brief compass without being misunderstood. Let me answer it like this: The history of this invitation system is one with which you people ought to be more familiar than anyone else, because it began in America. It began in the 1820s; the real originator of it was Charles G. Finney. It led to a great controversy. Asahel Nettleton, a great Calvinist and successful evangelist, never issued an “altar call” nor asked people to come to the “anxious seat.” These new methods in the 182Os and were condemned for many reasons by all who took the Reformed position.

One reason is that there is no evidence that this was done in New Testament times, because then they trusted to the power of the Spirit. Peter preaching on the Day of Pentecost under the power of the Spirit, for instance, had no need to call people forward in decision because, as you remember, the people were so moved and affected by the power of the Word and Spirit that they actually interrupted the preacher, crying out, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” That has been the traditional Reformed attitude towards this particular matter. The moment you begin to introduce this other element, you are bringing a psychological element. The invitation should be in the message. We believe the Spirit applies the message, so we trust in the power of the Spirit. I personally agree with what has been said in the question. I have never called people forward at the end for this reason; there is a grave danger of people coming forward before they are ready to come forward. We do believe in the work of the Spirit, that He convicts and converts, and He will do His work. There is a danger in bringing people to a “birth,” as it were, before they are ready for it.

The Puritans in particular were afraid of what they would call “a temporary faith” or “a false profession.” There was a great Puritan, Thomas Shepard, who published a famous series of sermons on The Ten Virgins. The great point of that book was to deal with this problem of a false profession. The foolish virgins thought they were all right. This is a very great danger.

I can sum it up by putting it like this: I feel that this pressure which is put upon people to come forward in decision ultimately is due to a lack of faith in the work and operation of the Holy Spirit. We are to preach the Word, and if we do it properly, there will be a call to a decision that comes in the message, and then we leave it to the Spirit to act upon people. And of course He does. Some may come immediately at the close of the service to see the minister. I think there should always be an indication that the minister will be glad to see anybody who wants to put questions to him or wants further help. But that is a very different thing from putting pressure upon people to come forward. I feel it is wrong to put pressure directly on the will. The order in Scripture seems to be this – the truth is presented to the mind, which moves the heart, and that in turn moves the will.

 

Would you happen to mean the Mouk people and the video ETAOW?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSBLLuzqfBQ

 

I have never seen the video before, and it has been a long time since I first heard the story, maybe 30 years. But there are similarities and I bet Mark Zook's experience is the source of my story.

BTW, the video is in two parts. Watch them both. They are powerful. They'll make shoutin' Baptists out of you.

Incidentally, the videos are re-enactments. The members of the tribe near Papua, New Guinea agreed to do the re-enactment for cameras. Even knowing that, I was strongly moved by them.

 

The altar call can be a wonderful opportunity for those who are under conviction to respond to that conviction. They can also be a time of intellectual bullying. I believe the opportunity must be offered but the Spirit needs to handle the work. We do very upbeat songs as I spent my life watching people crawl out of church beaten down. I want those who are in fellowship with God to be happy and those who aren't to be aware of their situaton.