The Lost Art of Altar Calls
Today I want to talk about something that has been missing from churches not all churches, but many churches today and that is the lost art of altar calls. I think that many times pastors and clergy tend to negate the power and the importance of having an altar call during their church worship services. One reason for this is that many have fallen into the erroneous belief that they do not want to single people out embarrass them or cause them to feel as if they're being put on the spot. This cannot be further from the truth. If we were to use biblical times, as the example of how to hold church we would see that Jesus did not seem to be too worried ever about whether or not he put someone on the spot or embarrassment. Likewise, many if not all of the occurrences where Jesus was approached in the New Testament. Those who were unashamed to meet with Jesus, confess their sins and express their needs were those who were most likely to walk away changed by the power of God.
Jesus shares with us that those who are ashamed of him and deny him before their fellow man will also be denied before the father who is in heaven. As well Jesus said those who are not ashamed of him and confess Him before fellow man. Their Heavenly Father will accept them in heaven.
Today it seems as though many church services are lacking what I believe to be the most important element the church service can contain. Yes, I agree that there are other reasons for coming to church and joining with the congregation then just meeting with God. However, meeting with God is the most important aspect of any church gathering our fellowship of believers. I believe that more sermons would come to life and that God could resurrect the power of his Spirit through the anointed preaching of the gospel if preachers were preparing their messages prayerfully considering what God wants to do in the heart of the congregation and how to connect the congregation with the heart of God!
I believe that more participants in church services and church members would leave blessed and encouraged by the Holy Spirit even closer to God than how the come into the church service if they were led to a meaningful connection with God and with other congregants by the power of the Holy Spirit. Scripture says in Romans 12:1 –2 that we should be transformed by the renewing of our minds. Also in Hebrews 4:12 the Scripture says that the word of God is living, powerful and sharper than any two edged sword… It is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of our hearts.
Throughout the Old Testament Scripture says in many places that man-made alters to signify points or places in which they met with God. The original intention for having alters put into our church buildings upon their construction was with the intention that man would meet with God. We desperately need to meet with God! The difference between church and any other form of clubhouse activity is that we meet with God, and that God has direct access to our hearts as his people!
Is there really any shame in responding to the conviction of the Holy Spirit as he deals with our hearts in a church service? Are we really more concerned with what other people in church will think of us if we answer an altar call and go forward in front of our brothers and sisters in Christ and pour our hearts out to God and allow the Holy Spirit to mold and shape us into the person that he created us to be?
In the book of Jeremiah 18 we see that the Lord wants to mold and shape us as Clay in his hands even like the Potter mold it, the vessel that he was so carefully crafted. Amazingly, the Scripture says that God spoke to Jeremiah, and said to him, go to the Potter's House and there I will cause you to hear my words. This tells me that God has chosen the hearing of his word. To be one of the instruments that God uses to change us and to transform us into the people he has called us to be! We can no longer afford, as the people of God to discount the truth concerning God, wanting to change us into the people he created us to be. The relationship God intended for us to have with him is far greater and bestows far more meaning and purpose than any other relationship that this world could provide. Therefore, we must go back to our grassroots and realize that we are created for divine purpose and for special relationship with God our father and Creator. It's time for us as the church to realize that nothing else in this world is more important than becoming who God would want us to be.
By implementing altar calls back into our church services. Two things will happen one is that the pastor's sermons will become more directed and God focused. Two, the church members will begin to come with more expectancy and fervor to receive from God, and to allow him to speak to their hearts. But there's one other thing that will happen as we begin to learn how to preach the gospel and respond to the preaching of the gospel in such a manner that God can work in and through our hearts and change us into the people he's called us to be. That third thing, being sinners will begin to get saved as God knows that he can lead sinners by the Holy Spirit to a church that will invite them to a born-again experience and a newfound salvation through a relationship with Jesus Christ and forgiveness of sins, God will draw sinners by the Holy Spirit to our churches and begin to do the work that God came to do to begin with and that work is to save sinners to change lives to heal hearts to raise up disciples to send forth preachers and to change this world back what God created us to be all originally.
Today I want to talk about something that has been missing from churches not all churches, but many churches today and that is the lost art of altar calls. I think that many times pastors and clergy tend to negate the power and the importance of having an altar call during their church worship services. One reason for this is that many have fallen into the erroneous belief that they do not want to single people out embarrass them or cause them to feel as if they're being put on the spot. This cannot be further from the truth. If we were to use biblical times, as the example of how to hold church we would see that Jesus did not seem to be too worried ever about whether or not he put someone on the spot or embarrassment. Likewise, many if not all of the occurrences where Jesus was approached in the New Testament. Those who were unashamed to meet with Jesus, confess their sins and express their needs were those who were most likely to walk away changed by the power of God.
Jesus shares with us that those who are ashamed of him and deny him before their fellow man will also be denied before the father who is in heaven. As well Jesus said those who are not ashamed of him and confess Him before fellow man. Their Heavenly Father will accept them in heaven.
Today it seems as though many church services are lacking what I believe to be the most important element the church service can contain. Yes, I agree that there are other reasons for coming to church and joining with the congregation then just meeting with God. However, meeting with God is the most important aspect of any church gathering our fellowship of believers. I believe that more sermons would come to life and that God could resurrect the power of his Spirit through the anointed preaching of the gospel if preachers were preparing their messages prayerfully considering what God wants to do in the heart of the congregation and how to connect the congregation with the heart of God!
I believe that more participants in church services and church members would leave blessed and encouraged by the Holy Spirit even closer to God than how the come into the church service if they were led to a meaningful connection with God and with other congregants by the power of the Holy Spirit. Scripture says in Romans 12:1 –2 that we should be transformed by the renewing of our minds. Also in Hebrews 4:12 the Scripture says that the word of God is living, powerful and sharper than any two edged sword… It is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of our hearts.
Throughout the Old Testament Scripture says in many places that man-made alters to signify points or places in which they met with God. The original intention for having alters put into our church buildings upon their construction was with the intention that man would meet with God. We desperately need to meet with God! The difference between church and any other form of clubhouse activity is that we meet with God, and that God has direct access to our hearts as his people!
Is there really any shame in responding to the conviction of the Holy Spirit as he deals with our hearts in a church service? Are we really more concerned with what other people in church will think of us if we answer an altar call and go forward in front of our brothers and sisters in Christ and pour our hearts out to God and allow the Holy Spirit to mold and shape us into the person that he created us to be?
In the book of Jeremiah 18 we see that the Lord wants to mold and shape us as Clay in his hands even like the Potter mold it, the vessel that he was so carefully crafted. Amazingly, the Scripture says that God spoke to Jeremiah, and said to him, go to the Potter's House and there I will cause you to hear my words. This tells me that God has chosen the hearing of his word. To be one of the instruments that God uses to change us and to transform us into the people he has called us to be! We can no longer afford, as the people of God to discount the truth concerning God, wanting to change us into the people he created us to be. The relationship God intended for us to have with him is far greater and bestows far more meaning and purpose than any other relationship that this world could provide. Therefore, we must go back to our grassroots and realize that we are created for divine purpose and for special relationship with God our father and Creator. It's time for us as the church to realize that nothing else in this world is more important than becoming who God would want us to be.
By implementing altar calls back into our church services. Two things will happen one is that the pastor's sermons will become more directed and God focused. Two, the church members will begin to come with more expectancy and fervor to receive from God, and to allow him to speak to their hearts. But there's one other thing that will happen as we begin to learn how to preach the gospel and respond to the preaching of the gospel in such a manner that God can work in and through our hearts and change us into the people he's called us to be. That third thing, being sinners will begin to get saved as God knows that he can lead sinners by the Holy Spirit to a church that will invite them to a born-again experience and a newfound salvation through a relationship with Jesus Christ and forgiveness of sins, God will draw sinners by the Holy Spirit to our churches and begin to do the work that God came to do to begin with and that work is to save sinners to change lives to heal hearts to raise up disciples to send forth preachers and to change this world back what God created us to be all originally.
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