Altar Calls?

The reason I wrote The Parable of Joe is that I believe churches are failing in their altar calls to clearly communicate the true meaning of repentance and to explain the cost of discipleship. Typically, at the end of a service, the pastor will ask everyone to bow their heads and close their eyes. They might even invite some musicians to come up and play softly. The pastor will then emphasize the importance of accepting the Lord as Savior, and if someone raises their hand, they’ll thank them.

Once the pastor feels that everyone who is going to raise their hand has done so, they will ask the congregation to stand. The pastor will then lead those who raised their hands, and sometimes even the whole congregation, in what is often a made-up "sinner’s prayer" or simply the Lord’s Prayer. After that, the service ends.

I have asked why they don’t invite people to come forward, either before or after the prayer. The response I’ve received is that they want to make becoming a Christian as easy as possible. In my opinion, this approach is fundamentally wrong. Repentance and discipleship involve commitment and understanding.

 Matthew 7:13-14 (ESV)
“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.

Are We afraid to tell them what true repentance is and are we afraid to tell them what true discipleship means?

Strong's 3340.
metanoeó: Repent
Part of Speech: Verb
Definition: Repent
Meaning: I repent, change my mind, change the inner man (particularly with reference to acceptance of the will of God), repent.

The Cost of Discipleship 
Luke 14:25-33 (ESV)
Now great crowds accompanied him, and he turned and said to them, “If anyone comes to me and does not *hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.

I will probably be posting more on this subject in the near future, not that anybody really cares about what I post.

 

The Parable of Joe

 

Joe had always considered himself a decent man. He worked a steady job, treated his neighbors with respect, and occasionally helped out at the community food bank. But deep down, Joe always felt a sense of emptiness—a nagging feeling that something essential was missing in his life.

One Sunday, while driving past a small church, Joe noticed a sign that read, "Come as you are: God loves you." Something about the message stirred his heart, and he decided to attend the service that morning. The sermon was fiery and passionate, delivered by a preacher who spoke about the importance of salvation and the love of Jesus. As the preacher concluded, he invited anyone who wanted to receive Christ to raise their hand and repeat the sinner’s prayer.

Joe felt a lump in his throat and a strange pull on his heart. With trembling hands, he raised his arm and repeated the words after the preacher, asking Jesus into his life. The congregation erupted into applause, and the preacher congratulated those who had made the decision, assuring them of their place in heaven.

From that day on, Joe considered himself a Christian. He stopped cussing as much, made it a point to attend church every Sunday, and even joined the men’s breakfast group. On the outside, Joe looked like a man who had it all together. But inwardly, not much had changed. Joe still pursued his own desires above all else. He rarely prayed or read his Bible, and his faith remained a Sunday ritual rather than a daily relationship. He told himself that he was doing enough by going to church and trying to be a good person.

Years passed, and Joe grew older. His life was comfortable but shallow. He avoided the deeper calls to discipleship—the kind that required surrendering his will to God. He didn’t see the need to change much about his lifestyle, reasoning that God was merciful and would overlook the areas he hadn’t surrendered.

One day, Joe’s life came to an end. He stood before the throne of God, awe-struck and trembling. The scene was more glorious and overwhelming than he could have ever imagined. As he stood there, the Lord looked upon him with eyes that pierced his soul.

“Lord,” Joe began, his voice shaky but hopeful, “I’m so glad to be here. I’ve been waiting for this day. I went to church; I said the prayer… I’m ready to enter heaven.”

The Lord’s gaze did not waver. His voice was firm yet sorrowful as He said, “Joe, you said the words, but your heart was far from Me. You never truly died to yourself. You never surrendered your life or followed Me. You called Me Lord, but you didn’t do the will of My Father.”

Joe’s heart sank. He tried to protest. “But, Lord, I quit cussing! I go to church every Sunday! I even joined the men’s group! Doesn’t that count for something?”

The Lord shook His head. “You performed outward actions, but you never truly knew Me. You never sought My presence or allowed Me to transform your heart. Your faith was empty, a checklist of rituals rather than a living relationship. Depart from Me, for I never knew you.”

Tears streamed down Joe’s face as the weight of those words sank in. He had spent his life believing he was saved, yet he had missed the essence of what it meant to follow Christ: dying to self, serving God with all his heart, and living a life transformed by grace.

As the gates of heaven faded from view, Joe realized the tragic truth. He had been so close, yet so far. He had heard the call but had not answered it with his whole heart. And now, it was too late.

This story serves as a solemn reminder that faith is not just about words or rituals. True faith requires a surrendered heart, a transformed life, and an abiding relationship with the Savior. Let those who have ears to hear take heed and seek the Lord while He may be found.

 

Women Pastors and Preachers

I’ve have heard 2 Timothy 1:5 used to defend women as pastors and preachers. The problem is that this verse has nothing to do with being a pastor or a preacher; it is entirely about parenting and raising your child in the ways of the Lord.

 2 Timothy 1:5 (ESV) I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well.

Proverbs 22:6 (ESV)
Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.

In contrast, we do have these scriptures that make it quite clear regarding women teaching or preaching.

1 Corinthians 14:33-35 (ESV)  
 For God is not a God of confusion but of peace. As in all the churches of the saints, the women should keep silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be in submission, as the Law also says. If there is anything they desire to learn, let them ask their husbands at home. For it is shameful for a woman to speak in church.

I’ve heard some argue that this was simply an issue within this church, where women were causing problems. However, it states, “As in all the churches of the saints,” so this wasn’t limited to one church—it applied to all the churches. Additionally, we see this addressed in 1 Timothy 2:12-15.

1 Timothy 2:12-15 (ESV)

 I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. For Adam was formed first, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. Yet she will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith and love and holiness, with self-control.

Again, I’ve heard people argue that this was specific to the time and culture they lived in. However, Paul stated that it was because Adam was formed first, then Eve. Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. I don’t see how the message could be any clearer. Yet, we still try everything possible to justify women as preachers and teachers.

Now, I will add that there is nothing in the Scriptures that says a woman cannot teach a child or other women. 2 Timothy 1:5 shows us how a grandmother and mother should raise their child in the ways of the Lord. If you’re a woman with a youth ministry or a women’s ministry, I see nothing wrong with that, nor can I find anything in the Bible that speaks against it. In fact, I believe the Bible supports that role for women.I have heard this scripture used several times in defense of women pastors and preachers.

Acts 2:17 (ESV)
 “‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares,
that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh,
and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
and your young men shall see visions,
and your old men shall dream dreams;

But then again, this verse does not say women can be pastors or preachers. It says, “and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,”

I like this from Bible.org. Prophecy is not identical to preaching but involves both forthtelling and foretelling. The reason women may prophesy but not teach or preach to men is that the message that the prophet gets from God is not filtered through the interpretive process—that is, it is directly mediated by the Spirit. Hence, in effect, prophecies are ‘tamper-proof,’ whereas teaching is not.

I have heard it said they believe the Bible is God's inspired word but then go on and to say they think John got it wrong in 1 John 2:1 (ESV) My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin.
They think it should say “you will sin”. To me it looks like they think Paul and John just got it wrong.

So why do we struggle so much with what Paul teaches? Why do we try to find reasons to go against his teachings? If Paul was wrong about this, what else might he have been wrong about? Do we truly believe the Bible is the inspired Word of God?

Posting what I believe on Facebook has gotten me into trouble recently—lol. You don’t have to agree with me on everything, and that’s okay. You’re welcome to tell me why you think I’m wrong, but please make it biblical and include your scriptures. Simply saying, “So-and-so is doing great work for the Lord,” and using that as proof doesn’t cut it.

Voddie Bachman has said it would be easier to make a biblical argument for polygamy than for women preachers.

 

Becoming Radicalized for Christ
People will be lovers of self

Godlessness in the Last Days

2 Timothy 3:1-5 (ESV)
But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.

 

This is truly sad this is not talking about the people of the world this is talking about people in the church people putting on the appearance of being godly. Unfortunately, we have these people in the church today. We can see this with all the high-profile preachers that have been caught in their sin. It's not just the preachers, it is the people in the congregation, even deacons or board members. We have become afraid of calling out these people because we don't want to judge, or is it because of sin in our life? We have become so in love with ourselves that we do not want to die to self and keep on living for self and praying that God will give us our desires. Are we so worried about our standard of living that we do not care about others? Why do we need a big fancy church when we could have a warehouse stocked with food and set on bags of beans or rice when we have church and then we give the food to the needy? Would this not be a better use of Gods money?

Matthew 7:5 (ESV)
You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.

We must become willing to die to self and purge that log out of our eye so that we can help others.

 

Becoming Radicalized for Christ

Does God revolve around you?

 2 Timothy 2:20-21 (ESV)
Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for honorable use, some for dishonorable. Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work.

Does God revolve around you, or do you revolve around God? Think about that.
Are we so caught up with ourselves, we think everything revolves around us?
We think that God is just about us, and we forget His righteousness, His holiness.
We are here to praise Him and to give Him glory. We are to throw ourselves down at His feet.
We must cleanse ourselves in His righteousness, giving up our dishonorable self and be a vessel for His Holy use, ready for every good work.

 

Becoming Radicalized for Christ
The Advance of the Gospel

Philippians 1:12-14 (ESV)
I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.

Wow what a testimony this is. This is what I want my faith to be like. Right now, here in America we don't have to worry about going to jail or prison because we worship the Lord. Right now, our biggest persecution is being mocked and ridiculed and in extreme cases maybe losing our job. I do foresee a time we might be rounded up and put into a reeducation camp. Right now, in Britain in Ireland they are threatened with jail time for just standing and saying a silent prayer or even charged with hate speech for reading the bible. I do fear this is coming to the United States in the not too distance future. If this does happen, will you be ready to stand like Paul for your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and still bring glory to His name.

Becoming Radicalized for Christ
Do Not Be Anxious

If you really want to be Radicalized for Christ here’s a start. It is a hard start but one we must do and understand. This is hard for me even though I know how God has looked out for the Pickens homestead it’s still gets hard not to worry. Sometimes I must sit back and remember what God has brought us through and has done for us. I must be ready to give it all up if God ask me too.

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