Altar Calls: Emotional Manipulation or True Conversion? | Steve Lawson
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- Опубликовано: 5 окт 2023
- Many preachers dumb down the gospel, lead a parroting prayer, and then give an altar call. In this video, Dr. Steven J. Lawson shares with Costi Hinn how a preacher can faithfully lead people to true salvation in Christ Jesus.
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So here is my personal experience with altar calls. I didn't even attend church until 2001, and that was only because I was in rehab for drug and alcohol addiction. Three weeks in on a Wednesday night, the pastor has everyone bow their heads and close their eyes. Whatever he said sounded good to me and I raised my hand. Those of us who did walked forward, were met by a pastor, and prayed the prayer. I went home that night and told my friends I "got saved". But as Dr. Lawson said, had no idea what I was doing. I didn't stay long at that church and years later, would learn it is a Word of Faith church. Fast forward 6 years... I've been attending church regularly and attending 12 step programs. My friend invited me to his church. It was a Pentecostal church, but I didn't know what that meant either. But as the pastor spoke, my heart lit up. By this point I had seen enough altar calls to know what I was doing. That was January 7, 2007 and I walked out of church that day a new creation. The point is when the real conversion time came around, there was no emotional manipulation, I was ready to surrender to Christ. I would stay in that church for another 6 years and now knowing what I know, saw PLENTY of what I believe to be false conversions sparked by hyped up music and theatrics. I agree with Pastors Costi and Steve that altar calls are not necessary (and even intimidating)...I believe when the Spirit is drawing someone to Christ, they will respond no matter the context. But it has to be a decision based on the gospel, repentance, and belief that Jesus is who He says He is.
The hardest person in the world to reach with the Gospel, is someone who thinks they're save, but they're not saved. -Steve Lawson
I was truly born again at an alter call. I became a Calvinist and I'm opposed to them now. Down through the years I've seen damage done creating religionists and spiritual abortions. I was the exception to the rule. Thank God. Ex Arminian Calvinist.
Instead of "raise your hand and walk forward," it should be "repent and be baptized, every one of you for the forgiveness of your sins." Acts 2:38
False converts only want to be saved from Hell. True converts want to be saved from their sins.. It’s that simple. Go read “pilgrims Progress” by John Bunyan.
It’s about the heart. God sees our true motives. For some the altar call is what that individual may need to others it is the 1 on 1 interactions. What’s important is the heart. If the individual is truly responding to an invitation and he proclaims with his mouth Jesus is Lord and believes God raises him from the dead he will be saved. The invitation however isn’t limited to the altar. God can meet that person wherever they are at.
I responded to an alter call and got saved. I've been saved for almost 50 years. Here is my opinion on alter calls. I believe we should continue making them, inviting people to come forward and give their lives to Jesus. Whether or not there is a true conversion is between the person making the confession and God. Sure, many walk away and like the parable of the Sower the seed is snatched away by the enemy etc, but many also walk away, and the seed has fallen on fertile ground and takes root. I got saved in a full gospel church and I also got baptized in the Holy Spirit while attending that church. I am feeling very sorry that there is so much criticism surrounding the practice of an alter call for salvation. Who are you to decide that making an alter call is ineffective and the results of the people responding is not real. At the alter call I responded to I was given a book and an invitation to attend a new believers class and they reached out to me to offer opportunities for discipleship. I been to many churches, and I find in the last 10 years or so there are no alter calls for salvation. The emphasis in always on healing and prayer for whatever is going on in their lives, which is great, but a healed body is useless without a redeemed soul.
My Dad was a drunkard that roamed the streets shirtless and was hopeless. He walked into a church on thanksgiving day, heard the gospel preached, went up during the altar call and God transformed his life. Because of Gods love and grace I was born in a Christian home and had a loving Dad that was now a pastor. Can God use altar calls? Absolutely. Do people abuse altar calls? Absolutely! Just like we abuse and distort everything we touch. Gods grace and mercy uses whatever means necessary to redeem those he wishes to save.
With a true repentance, an altar call is one way to acknowledge one’s admission to needing a Saviour.
An altar is where the patriarchs met with God. It was a place of sacrifice, death, forgiveness. Approaching an altar is approaching God and encountering Him. Reformed ideas here over the top intellectualism. Steve admits this.
The Lord saved me at the age of 4 back in '79. The pastor preached it so simple, so that I was able to understand it. That night I woke my Dad up three times under conviction. The third time my Dad realized what was happening and, just as he was about to lead me through the plan of salvation, I just started talking to the Lord. I didn't need an alter call cause, God had a place where He intended to save me. PRAISE THE LORD! ✝️❤️✝️❤️✝️
I know too many people who think they're saved who made some "decision" like this and then walked away convinced that they had made their peace with God and that was that.
"The hardest person in the world to reach with the Gospel is someone who thinks they're saved but they're not saved." Wow. What a solid point to end on!
I have no difficulty proclaiming the gospel with clarity and conviction. It's the Holy Spirit's job to do the converting, and I have full trust and faith in God's ability to use His gospel, as laid out in scripture, to turn the hearts of His children if the gospel is rightly proclaimed.
Praise God that he draws us to Himself. Wherever that may be.
For years, I’ve believed this; the alter call has given birth to many false believers. Most have recited ‘a prayer’ without conviction or faith. I’m happy to hear this be a conversation on such a huge platform. Thank you 🙏🏾❤️
This is excellent. I was born again sitting in my bed reading a Bible my friend gave to me. The Gospel of John really did it for me. I repented with tears and gave my life to the Lord right then and there. After a while I began attending a church where they had altar calls and I always felt uncomfortable about it. I would see people raise their hands and walk forward and say the prayer etc. but over the years I saw no fruit in their lives that they had been born again. It’s so sad that many people are false converts. The Lord led me out of that church and to a Biblical church.
The story that this whole conversation reminded me of is the woman at the well. Just Jesus and her - no one else around. A beautiful example of how God is personally interested in each of us and how when He touches our life, our response is to tell others about it. ❤
Wow wow wow, I could listen to him speak all day everyday. I’ll have the blessing of sitting under his teaching the end of this month in Dallas. 2 sessions of teaching on the reformers- so excited. Thank you Costi for your commitment to bringing the truth to the world.
The wisdom in this is amazing. You can see the 50 years of ministry coming out in everything he says