I have had the privilege of giving some “altar calls” in my life. You know what I’m talking about, don’t you? You are talking to a group of people, some who are not professed Christians, and at the end of your message you invite those who are not followers of Jesus to “accept Christ as their personal savior.”
I admit I did most of these invitations before I found out from my enlightened brothers that “decisions are not disciples.” Still I always felt pretty good when there was a response to the invitation I had made.
It’s been a while since I gave my last invitation, and over the years I have had plenty of time to reflect on the consequences and results of those “decisions” that were made by those who responded to the invitation.
The truth is, I have no way to measure the results. I ran across this quote from Greg Laurie on his blog:
I will be the first to admit that not all of the people who come forward are becoming Christians. Some come and never take the next steps in following Christ.
But I must tell you, many come and go forward spiritually and have their lives transformed by Jesus Christ. We have seen so many lives turned around, families saved, destructive lifestyles turned from, and the list goes on. Many are in ministry today as well, serving in the mission field or becoming pastors of churches.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I don’t want to start a fight about predestination or “once saved, always saved.” Those issues are “above my pay grade.” I now think that much of the activity we engage in to encourage people to follow Jesus is counter-productive, whether it be small group fellowships, discipleship classes, church services, 6-part messages, or for that matter, “evangelistic crusades.”
However, I will never forget the Friday night several years ago when I walked forward with my son at a Promise Keeper’s event in Los Angeles, and kneeled along with him as he prayed a prayer of commitment.
Like every journey in life, it seems that that there must be some first steps. I don’t think it is necessary to pray a prayer. And hopefully, like some of the friends of Bill, we don’t have to hit rock bottom before we acknowledge that there is a higher power. In my life, I wish there had been someone who had said, “I am following Jesus, here is what I have learned, why don’t you join me?” There are many who assisted and tangentially guided me on my journey, but in many ways it has seemed like a kind of solitary journey.
I cannot say that the “church” did much more than attempt to make me a good “member.” While a follower of Jesus could be a good church member, it is not really necessary for a good church member to be a follower of Jesus. I hope I will be a better mentor to my six-year old than I was to my older children. I mean there is always hope that we will get better as we age, right?
