Sheriff Taylor Trains Opie to FishA friend recently sent me a blog entry about altar calls. It seems that the write was the Interim Pastor at a church with an old tradition of giving an altar call after each and every service. This man did not do that and some of the congregation were upset with him. They wondered if:
1. The Preacher did not believe in calling people to come to Christ
2. Was not able to give a good altar call
3. Was not interested in salvation
4. Etc
The man who answered these questions aid he believed in calling people to Christ but that altar calls were too often a substitute for discipleship. He thought far too often a person came to the altar, prayed and went off to live exactly as he had been living. That the respondent made an emotional decision but had no follow up or teaching on how to live for Christ.
I agree that most people who come to the altar and ask Jesus to save them are rarely trained to live for Jesus. But, I doubt that it is because of the initial call to repent. It is because the Preachers, Pastors and Evangelists do not know how to train new Christians to live for Christ.
They do not know this because they were not trained themselves. Seminary does not usually train Pastors to disciple others. they were not discipled themselves so they have almost never seen ti done.
My wife and I went to the altar 50 years ago today on November 21, 1961. We were married and have lived together since. However, we needed someone to train us how to live together not just how to say, "I do!" We were as green as a married couple as any newly born again Christian. We were babes in marriage and we desperately needed help.
New Christians desperately need help living with Jesus after marrying him but I know of almost NO Pastor who knows how to make disciples. They are clueless. Thus, they can give an altar call so that is what they do. They Talk! And, since they are like everyone else they think it is enough. And, since the Seminary teaches nothing but talk they think they are doing the right thing, even if it is not what Jesus orders us to do.
2 comments:
These days there aren't many that give a call to repentance either, and evangelism is considered politically incorrect. My wife, who is a nurse, just received the current issue of Christian Nursing, and it had an article on "evangelism". Their stance was evangelize through your actions but not your words. I told her, "if you get fired for telling someone about Jesus, who is on the verge of entering eternity, I will never be more proud of you." Likewise, I teach in a secular university and take every opportunity to tell my students about Jesus.
That said, I do agree that discipleship is key, and that is the arena that we should lead by example as we teach others what it means to follow Christ.
Manifest Blog
Stephen, I agree that words are usually crucial. It is words that places my actions in a context of sharing the good news. Discipleship must always include telling the good news. A major part of my beef with many churches is that no one models or teaches what living practically and evangelistic-ally really means. Discipleship must include Didactic, Reflection, Experience, Accountability, Modeling and Supernatural interventions.
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