Is the Altar Call Scriptural

[luke1616]

I'll take back my blanket statement and say alot of churches and preachers are like that.

 

[pinoybaptist]

Many preachers really do take the altar call seriously. I've seen preachers agonize and actually retch (in private) when they have new faces in church and not one walked up to respond to the altar call. Many preachers take the "you must accept Jesus Christ as your personal savior in order to be saved" doctrine as seriously as they do the altar call. Like Paul said of the Jews: they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.

They take these things so seriously that I know of many who walked away from a bountiful secular life feeling they have been called into the ministry of saving souls, and I do not for one moment doubt they are children of God. I knew many who have met their demise in the "mission field", and despite our soteriological differences now, I feel honored to have met them.

One was beheaded by muslim rebels, another was shot dead by a communist hit squad, and one, a diminutive, short, hunchback with a booming voice, started his mission church right in the middle of a Muslim area, a block or two from a mosque, and did not have a convert for three years. In fairness, however, to Muslims (well, Philippine Muslims, at least), they never harassed him, and treated him kindly up until his church, which grew, had to move to larger accomodations.

 

[calvin]

"Is the Altar Call Scriptural?"
No. It says nowhere to say a prayer to get a ticket to heaven. The sinners prayer is not very old, and is not found in the bible.Heaven is the final destination, but the call is to bring us back to the Father, to know Him. Being "saved" is somewhat misleading. From the Greek, sozo sode'-zo:to save, i.e. deliver or protect (literally or figuratively):--heal, preserve, save (self), do well, be (make) whole. The translators had to choose one word, and they chose "save" or "saved", which was a logical choice, but there is more to it. Churches and preachers who use the sinners prayer and altar calls are clearly misguided and are trying to increase membership to fill the coffers and brag numbers.

THANK YOU! :thumbsup::love2:

 

[Jerome]

Thomas Spurgeon, The Sword and the Trowel, January 1882:

"if we were to leave untouched everything that is capable of abuse, and to disallow practices which rightly conducted tend to good, simply because some have gone in for too much of that good thing, we should unnecessarily deprive ourselves of much that is lawful and should curtail our efforts in the prosecution of the King's business. Many a time it has been my joy to see the nail which was driven home by the sermon clinched by the after talk"


Charles Spurgeon, Lectures to My Students:

"I fear that some of our orthodox brethren have been prejudiced against the free invitations of the gospel by hearing the raw, undigested harangues of revivalist speakers whose heads are loosely put together."

"In our Master's name we must give the invitation, crying, "Whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely." Do not be deterred from this, my brethren, by those ultra-Calvinistic theologians who say, ''You may instruct and warn the ungodly, but you must not invite or entreat them."

"those who never exhort sinners are seldom winners of souls to any great extent, but 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."

"In addition to earnest preaching it will be wise to use other means. If you wish to see results from your sermons you must be accessible to inquirers. A meeting after every service may not be desirable, but frequent opportunities for coming into direct contact with your people should be sought after, and by some means created. It is shocking to think that there are ministers who have no method whatever for meeting the anxious, and if they do see here and there one, it is because of the courage of the seeker, and not because of the earnestness of the pastor."

 

[Tom Butler]

In reading Spurgeon, I think I detect a difference between what he's describing as an invitation and what we call an invitation in today's culture. Tell me if you see what I see.

First, Spurgeon divorced himself from the "revivalists."

"I fear that some of our orthodox brethren have been prejudiced against the free invitations of the gospel by hearing the raw, undigested harangues of revivalist speakers whose heads are loosely put together."

Second, it seems to me that Spurgeon incorporated that invitation into his sermons, as opposed to making it an appendage to whatever he was preaching. To preach the gospel without calling men to repentance and faith is leaving out part of the gospel.

Third, the form of the invitation does not appear to be the same as we have today among many evangelicals. The language and terminology he uses are entirely different in his exhortations.

If I'm right, then we should not cite Spurgeon as an argument for the "invitation." I see a difference between Spurgeon's exhortations, inviting people to Christ, and the "invitation" of today as a concept.

 

[David Lamb]

Thomas Spurgeon, The Sword and the Trowel, January 1882:

"Many a time it has been my joy to see the nail which was driven home by the sermon clinched by the after talk"


Charles Spurgeon, Lectures to My Students:

".... prejudiced against the free invitations of the gospel ....."

".... Do not be deterred from this, my brethren, by those ultra-Calvinistic theologians who say, ''You may instruct and warn the ungodly, but you must not invite or entreat them."

"....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."

".... 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;"
(etc)

But where in any of your quotes does either Spurgeon (Thomas or Charles) talk about "Altar Calls"?

 

[HankD]

The extreme DoG view:''You may instruct and warn the ungodly, but you must not invite or entreat them." is one of the several reasons I am reluctant to be identified with those who hold it and even to those who may not hold it but are so preceived.​

And that is not to say one way or another what I feel about the underlying motive concerning the statement. That is secondary IMO.​

The NT models:​

Luke 14:23 And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.​

In context, the "compelling" is to the "Great Supper".​

Yes, it's a parable but what is the essential truth of its teaching?​

Paul spent (days,weeks,months) trying to persuade men like Felix and King Agrippa to believe.​

He "reasoned" with Felix, he had a two way discussion with him.
He tried to "persuade" Agrippa.​

True, as far as we know nothing came of it but that is in line with the telling and persuasion of the gospel, some come, most don't.​

NKJ Acts 17:30 "Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent.​

2 Corinthians 5:11 Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences.​

Isaiah 1:18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.​

True, there is the majority class of folk like Felix and Agrippa who will not/cannot be persuaded or reasoned with but the discerning of such is not our problem.​

HankD​

 

[Jerome]

More wise words for those who find appeals for immediate decision appalling:

Charles Spurgeon, "A People Prepared for the Lord" (1887):

John did more than this, for he cried, "Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand," that is to say, he put a pressure of presentness upon the people. A brother, who is an eminent preacher, but who uses rather long words, was explaining to me the benefit of the preaching of Mr. Fullerton and Mr. Smith in his place of worship. He said, "I do not know exactly why these brethren were the means of the conversion of many in my place whom I had never reached, but I perceived that they had the power to precipitate decision." It sounded rather strange, but when I thought it over a little while, I rather liked the expression, "the power to precipitate decision." That is the power that leads men to make up their minds, and say "Yes," or "No," to feel that the decision has to be made at once, and that the putting of it off is impossible because it would be a kind of insanity. Now that is the meaning of what John said, "The kingdom of heaven is at hand! Repent ye! He is coming who wields the axe of divine Justice; bear fruit, or else be cut down. He is coming who uses the great winnowing fan; be the true wheat, or else be blown away." He put the truth so pointedly, and so earnestly, that he did by that means make ready "a people prepared for the Lord."

 

[David Lamb]

More wise words for those who find appeals for immediate decision appalling:

Charles Spurgeon, "A People Prepared for the Lord" (1887):

But again, your quote does not imply that Spurgeon would have supported the modern idea of an "altar call" - the preacher pleading with people to get up out of their seats, come to the fron of the church building, and "accept Christ".

Yes, he's encouraging people in the strongest terms to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, as all preachers should, but you cannot use Spurgeon to support a "come to the front" altar call.

 

[Jerome]

Please compare and contrast:

http://www.mountainretreatorg.net/articles/altarcall.html

This anti-invitation screed castigates the altar call as:

every effort on the part of an evangelist or minister to get an overt and immediate reaction to the gospel in some humanly appointed way. It can be an appeal to 'come forward' to some arbitrarily designated place in front of the pulpit. It can be an invitation to stand, raise the hand, sign a card, or something similar.

The author (an OPC elder) claims Spurgeon "abhorred" such.

OK now read The Sword and Trowel of January 1889 p. 43:

The hopes that we expressed last month respecting MESSRS. FULLERTON AND SMITH'S SERVICES AT THE TABERNACLE were more than realized before the mission closed. The numbers in attendance increased nightly, until, at the closing service, not only was the Tabernacle densely packed, but overflow meetings were held in three rooms in the College, and some thousands of persons were unable to gain admission. All who had professed to find the Saviour were asked to meet the workers in the lecture-hall, at the close of the public services, and very soon the hall was quite full. Those who were present will not soon forget the scene when, in response to Mr. Fullerton's request, some hundreds of hands were held up in token of blessing received during the mission.
In order to deepen the impressions that had been made, and to strengthen the new life that had been implanted, a meeting was held on Wednesday evening, November 28. Nearly five hundred invitations were sentout to those whose names had been taken by the workers, and the greater part of them met for tea, while afterwards, notwithstanding an almost tropical downpour of rain, the lecture-hall was well filled with workers, converts, and enquirers. Messrs. Fullerton and Smith came over from Bloomsbury for the first half -hour, and gave wise and weighty counsels to those who had been brought to decision. When they left, Mr. William Olney took the chair, and delivered a soul-searching and spiritstirring address upon the evidences of the work of regeneration; Mr. Harrald expounded and applied Acts xi. 26—28 to the various classes present; Mr. Chamberlain sang and spoke, and then asked any who had been brought to decision during the mission just to rise, and declare that fact. In less than half-an-hour, no less than fifty- one persons bore oral testimony to what the Lord had done for them at the special services, and many more would have spoken if there had been time. The converts were of all ages, and of both sexes ; there were "young men and maidens, old men and children," praising the name of the Lord for the great things he had done for them.
The whole proceedings of the evening were of such an interesting and profitable character, that it was decided that a similar meeting should be held every Tuesday evening, for the present, for further instruction and confirmation of the converts, and for the guidance of those who are not yet fully decided. The success of the mission has been a great joy to the officers and members of the church, the students of the College, and other workers who helped in the sowing and the reaping ; and they join in prayer that the work of revival may continue to spread until thousands more are won for the Saviour.
An effort was made to get Messrs. Fullerton and Smith to hold a few more special services at the beginning of the year, but their engagement at Exeter Hall prevented them from taking more than the Watchnight service, on Monday, December 31. Let us all pray for a great outpouring of the Holy Spirit on those who will be gathered at the Tabernacle at that meeting.

 

[Tom Butler]

Let's take a closer look at a part of what Jerome quoted from The Swprd and the Trowel, January 1889

Mr. Harrald expounded and applied Acts xi. 26—28 to the various classes present; Mr. Chamberlain sang and spoke, and then asked any who had been brought to decision during the mission just to rise, and declare that fact. In less than half-an-hour, no less than fifty- one persons bore oral testimony to what the Lord had done for them at the special services, and many more would have spoken if there had been time. The converts were of all ages, and of both sexes ; there were "young men and maidens, old men and children," praising the name of the Lord for the great things he had done for them.

I note that the exhortation was for those whom the Lord had saved to stand up and declare it.

In this instance, there was no call to come to the front to be saved. It was a call to publicly declare what had happened to them.

 

[John Toppass]

"I do not come into this pulpit hoping that perhaps somebody will of his own free will return to Christ. My hope lies in another quarter. I hope that my Master will lay hold of some of them and say, 'You are mine, and you shall be mine. I claim you for myself.' My hope arises from the freeness of grace, and not from the freedom of the will."---Charles Spurgeon

“I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. " ----- Jesus Christ

 

[gb93433]

Just as the prophets were called by God, Jesus called His disciples to "Come follow Me." That was a departure from the typical custom of men choosing which rabbi to train under. Jesus chose his own followers and called them to follow Him. Discipleship is a life of obedience, not a suggestion but an absolute demand in following the example of Jesus.

As Jesus was different so must we be different and not follow the ways of the worldly religious idolaters. Jesus called His disciples to Himself. What are we suppose to do? Stand by and build a kingdom of complacency? No! We must call people to a life of true discipleship where lives are changed by following Jesus.

 

[kyredneck]

I was raised in a dispensational, [very] evangelical SB Church. Called invitations, not 'altar calls', these were usually the typical long, drawn out, play on the emotions. I am now PB, and their 'invitations, given ONLY when visitors are present, consist only of a short invitation to those that feel to be of kindred spirit, and that feel a desire to join the group, to come forward and express that desire [99.9999% of the time those that join have been attending for quite some time].

For the modern day evangelical Church, with it's 'Great Commission' to populate heaven, THE ALTER CALL (or invitation), along with the PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL, has become a tool to use for populating heaven.

The gospel proffered. The gospel proclaimed. Different as night and day.

 

[Old Union Brother]

'invitations, given ONLY when visitors are present, consist only of a short invitation to those that feel to be of kindred spirit, and that feel a desire to join the group, to come forward and express that desire [99.9999% of the time those that join have been attending for quite some time].

For the modern day evangelical Church, with it's 'Great Commission' to populate heaven, THE ALTER CALL (or invitation), along with the PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL, has become a tool to use for populating heaven.

The gospel proffered. The gospel proclaimed. Different as night and day.

:thumbs::thumbs::thumbs:
This too is the way that ORB practice. We ask those that come forward to tell the church what they feel God has done for them.

 

[Earth Wind and Fire]

The gospel proffered. The gospel proclaimed. Different as night and day.

Then why even do it?

 

[Tom Bryant]

I think the key is making certain that the message is clear and what God is asking people to do is clear. I seldom have a come forward invitation. We use a person's baptism as the means by which a person publically professes salvation. When we do have one, it is usually for people who want to join the church.

Most guys who have an invitation do so with the best of intentions. They want to call people now before they get out from under the conviction they are feeling. If the Spirit is truly working in a person's life, it won't end when the service does.

 

[kyredneck]

Then why even do it?

I don't understand the question. But I'll ask you a question:

Have you ever seen a truly 'called of God' preacher ever stop preaching? I've a couple of PB preacher friends, and they NEVER stop preaching.

 

[Earth Wind and Fire]

I don't understand the question. But I'll ask you a question:

Have you ever seen a truly 'called of God' preacher ever stop preaching? I've a couple of PB preacher friends, and they NEVER stop preaching.

Yes my brother.....we only allow him on the back steps from 10AM-2PM.

now I will ask you a question....What dogs do you use in hunting ferral pigs?

 

[kyredneck]

Yes my brother.....we only allow him on the back steps from 10AM-2PM.

now I will ask you a question....What dogs do you use in hunting ferral pigs?

I've heard that down south (like in N FL) they use an American breed of bull dog and plott hounds a lot.


We preach because it's God's good pleasure to save those that believe through the foolishness of the preaching of the gospel (and you can't get a real preacher to ever stop preaching).