Along the Shore

There have been lots of readers, but very few talkers on this series. Oh, well … let’s just keep going…

False Assurance

4. This confusion encourages people to base their assurance on a one-time event. The aisle walked or prayer prayed becomes a false stone of remembrance they look back on to assure themselves despite their lack of growth or blatantly sinful lifestyle. Yet the Bible tells us to base our assurance not on a prayer prayed or an aisle walked in the increasingly distant past. It tells us to look at our present and increasing love for others (1John 4:8, 20), the present and increasing holiness of our lifestyles (Matt 7:15-27; Heb 12:14; 1John 3:7-8), and the present and increasing orthodoxy of our doctrine (Gal 1:6-9; 2Tim 4:3; 1John 4:2-3; 15). (Paul Alexander- IX Marks)

The is, perhaps, the most compelling argument of all. My community is absolutely full of people who have some sort of religious experience … they “walked an aisle,” or raised their hand to say, “yes,” to Jesus in Vacation Bible School. Then, shortly after their baptism, they blended back into a church-free culture, and into a sinful, dishonorable lifestyle. I see this phenomenon every day, especially among the children of “churched” families.

But we must remember that a recurring theme throughout the New Testament is that the mark of a true believer is perseverance … not the fact that an individual answered an altar call.

I fear that many among the multitudes of “salvation prayers” and “strolls down the altar call aisles” have been inoculated against the true Gospel, rather than saved through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. They have substituted works (a walk and/or a “formula” prayer) for true faith in Christ.

I am completely serious.

Sorry, by the way, for straying from my “altar call” posts, but this was too good to pass by.

According to Fox News,  Lynne Spears (you got it – Britney’s mama) has signed on to write a self-help parenting book to be released next Mother’s Day.Christian publisher Thomas Nelson has confirmed the done deal for “Pop Culture Mom: Real Story of Fame and Family in a Tabloid World.” The book reportedly will have a religious element.

I’ll be nice.  I’m not going to say what I’m thinking …

My recent vacation and life events led me to take a short hiatus from my series on altar calls and evangelism. I’m planning to pick up where I left off and continue the series over the coming week.

Here is reason #3 to avoid altar calls, according Paul Alexander of IX Marks:

3. This confusion often obscures the requirements of repentance and belief. This is often how people are deceived into thinking they are Christians when in fact they are not. Thousands of sermons have been preached that have failed to present repentance and belief (Mark 1:15) as the non-negotiable way of responding to the gospel savingly. Then people are told to come forward to “accept Jesus” (language found nowhere in the Bible), and are encouraged on that basis to feel assured of their salvation and even encouraged to join the membership of the local church, never being told that they must repent of their sins and believe in the gospel if they would be forgiven. And even if repentance and belief were preached in the sermon, often people coming forward are not notified that they – individually – must repent of their sins and put their trust in Jesus Christ – and must bear good and lasting fruit that confirms the genuineness of their initial profession (Matt 7:15-27; John 15:8, 16). They are simply encouraged to come forward and “make a decision for Christ” or “accept Jesus into your heart”. These people are thus kindly but damningly deceived into thinking that they are saved because they came forward, prayed a prayer, and were received into the membership of a local church on the spot. No repentance, no belief, no confirming godliness – which adds up to no salvation. (Paul Alexander- IX Marks)

I believe this is a valid concern. How many times have we all heard the appeal to “come forward” and “accept Jesus?” I have heard many people describe this act of “coming forward” as they shared their personal testimonies. Indeed, for many it seems that the very act of letting go of the back of the pew and physically stepping into the aisle is the event that changed everything. They “walked” to their salvation and church membership.

But how many have not heard the true Gospel of repentance (an “about face”) from sin and turning in faith to Jesus? How many have bet their eternal state upon the cultural practice of the altar call rather than the actual gospel of Jesus Christ?

*Point of Disagreement – Alexander states that, “… they – individually – must repent of their sins and put their trust in Jesus Christ …” This is a common view in our individualistic western culture.  But missiologically speaking, I do not believe this is absolutely true.  Entire households and villages in more familial and communal societies can be saved through genuine repentance from sin and faith in Christ.  But, then again, that is another issue for another post.

I need to write this. I mean, I really need to write this.

I’ve been debating with myself over whether or not I should. I don’t want to sound stupid. I don’t want to sound trite. And I certainly don’t want anyone to think that I’m goofing off or messing around … because I’m not.

I lost one of the dearest friends in my life Sunday night. I’ve known her for eight years. She has been one of my closest confidants. She has been by my side through thick and thin. She has loved and accepted me despite all of my shortcomings … even when I was unkind to her. On some (many) days she was my closest companion. She was God’s antidote for the loneliness that I sometimes experience in everyday life.

Her name was Gracie. She was, in every possible way, this man’s best friend. She was my little 8-pound ball of bark, love, and joy … she was my dog.

Let me tell you a little bit about Gracie. She was a miniature Schnauzer. Very miniature. She tried to make up for her size with attitude. She barked at (basically) everything that moved. She barked at doorbells on television (no kidding). She barked at the mailman. She went absolutely ballistic when someone came to the front door of our home. She knew that when I was putting shoes on that it meant I was going outside. So she barked. She would play fetch forever with this little ball that was designed for cats. She would pull on a string and growl. She was a great wrestler.

I work out of an office in my home. Every day, right after I had some lunch, she would come and get me and lead me to our guest bedroom. She wanted me to take a nap with her. Most days I would give in. When I was in my office, she lay on the sofa there and watched me. When I worked upstairs, she lay in the chair there and watched me. When I watched TV she would lay in the seat beside me. I especially loved the winter months when she would ball up in my lap under a fleece blanket.

She started getting sick and losing weight a couple of months ago. For some unknown genetic reason, Gracie’s kidneys ceased to function properly. She deteriorated pretty rapidly these last couple of weeks. So Sunday night Kim and I made the excruciating decision to let her suffering stop. Stan, a vet and member of my church, came over to our house. Kim and I held her and comforted her as he kindly and gently put her to sleep. We placed her in her beloved back yard.

I miss her terribly. So much so that it aches. It seems like our house is so empty now. And in a lot of ways I’m a bit empty right now. I never imagined that I could ever be so attached to a dog. I almost feel kind of silly. And I know some people will probably read this and think that I’m being stupid. They may even make fun. But I say get over it … and get a heart transplant …

I only hope that you may have the joy, some time in your life, of having a little four-legged friend as loyal, faithful, and special as my little Gracie was. I will miss her for a very, very long time.

I’ve uploaded a picture of her here, in case anyone’s interested.

While on our recent Fall Break vacation in Florida I observed the shrimp boats netting closer to shore than I ever had before. October was the beginning of daylight shrimping season, so they were really going at it … about eight boats working together. Amazingly, they were shrimping just beyond the beach sandbar … within long casting distance.

Here are a few pics …

This is my favorite … silhouetted in the morning sun …

My Penn Captiva heavy-duty rod … just for perspective …

Tag-teaming the shrimp. (That’s my daughter lounging on the beach.)

In 1971, Mike Flynt lost his place on his college football team. He was “kicked off” for an undisclosed behavior. It was a heartbreaking loss for him … he was his team’s captain.

Fast forward 36 years. Flynt was attending a reunion with some old football buddies when one of them joked that he was probably NCAA eligible for one more year. They checked. He was.

So Flynt, a fitness expert who previously worked as strength coach for the football programs at Nebraska, Oregon, and Texas A&M, enrolled in Sul Ross State University in Alpine, Texas. It’s n NCAA Division III school. He tried out for the football team. And he made it.

Despite being an AARP member and only six years from Medicare, he’s still in good enough shape to butt heads with kids one-third his age — about as old as his youngest daughter — because he’s spent his life in the fitness business. In recent years he’s sold a piece of workout equipment he invented, even training the military.

This 59-year-old senior (and grandfather, to boot) is not the oldest NCAA football player ever. There was a 60-year-old in Ohio in 1997 who was in a late-game blowout for one snap. But he is the oldest player (most believe) who ever actually played and took a meaningful part in a game. And did I forget to mention that he’s eight years older than his own coach?

He played this past weekend … left end on kicking plays. And this 59-year-old grandfather held his own all night, most importantly during the field goal that gave Sul Ross State a 45-42 victory over Texas Lutheran in three overtimes Saturday night. Flynt got in for nine snaps, including one waived off by penalty. He stood up his rusher several times and got in a nice chip block once. With his wife, three kids, grandson and a legion of new fans watching, Flynt kept his defender from getting into the backfield when it mattered most (on the final play), then turned, jumped and pumped his fist. He wound up lost in a teamwide pile celebrating their second straight win in extra periods.

Flynt was quite a player back in the day, helping Odessa Permian (of “Friday Night Lights” fame) win its first state title in 1965. He wound up at Sul Ross in 1969 and in ‘70 he led the team in tackles. That is … before he lost his spot on the team.

Getting one of those tackles is the next step on his comeback trail. With four games left in his college football career, he intends to play linebacker once more before he’s done.

What an incredible, awesome story.

Indeed, it’s never too late to accomplish that which you set your heart and mind to do.

Wouldn’t it be great if all of God’s people were filled with such drive and passion for the Gospel?

Most of my regular readers know that I write and do some editing for sbc IMPACT!, a collaborative blog that focuses upon life and ministry in the churches of our Southern Baptist Cnvention.

Part of my editorial responsibilities include recruiting guest writers, studying their submitted articles, and approving them for publication.

I just wanted to write a brief post today to get the word out about this writing opportunity.  I want to include men and women from various areas of Southern Baptist life.  Differing viewpoints are welcome.  We just want to host a thoughtful, civil, yet engaging discussion within our collaborative forum.

If you’re interested in writing a post, just send me an e-mail.

I’m going to take a break from blogging for a while.  I am overwhelmed.  I have to think.  I have to pray.

And I have to fish. Yeah, baby!  Sand between my toes …

Oh, yeah!  Believe ‘dat!

Don’t even try to find me …

(more…)

2. This confusion deceives people about their spiritual state. It encourages people to think that they have responded savingly to the gospel in their hearts just because they’ve come forward externally and prayed a prayer at an altar. But this isn’t necessarily true. It simply isn’t the case that just because someone is coming forward after the sermon, they are responding to the gospel in repentance and belief. Hebrews 6 warns that there are those who have not just come forward, but who have “once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come” who, notwithstanding these seemingly convincing proofs, do not enjoy “things that accompany salvation” (Heb 6:4-5, 9; for a historical treatment, see Iain Murray’s Evangelicalism Divided [Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 2000]). In other words, there is a type of true spiritual experience of the Holy Spirit, a real hearing of the word, and even an observation of the power of God, that is nevertheless not saving. Is this not also the point of the parable of the Sower (Mark 4:1-20)? External, emotional, and even temporary spiritual movement do not necessarily imply internal conversion. (Paul Alexander- IX Marks)

This observation builds upon the first reason given for avoiding the use of an “altar call.” It speaks to the spiritual issue that is exacerbated by the practice of the “altar call,” the problem of unregerate church members.Alexander’s application of the parable of the Sower is simple, yet insightful. Indeed, this parable does demonstrate that there are external, emotional signs that may indicate salvation, yet which do not stand the test of time, difficulty, and persecution. How many of us know of people who walked in the front door of our church, walked an aisle during an invitation, walked through the baptistery, and within a matter of weeks or months, disappeared from church life? All of us, most likely.

And then there are the ones who remain in church life. Yet he Bible warns us that there are even unsaved people within the organization of the church. In Matthew 7 we read:

²¹“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. ²²Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ ²³Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

There is a comprehensive theme found within the New Testament regarding those who are truly saved. We see over and over again that the evidence is found in their fruit. Those who are truly redeemed in Christ will persevere to the end.

I fear that there are far too many people touched by Southern Baptist churches who have been confused by this tradition known as the “altar call.” They sincerely believe that they “walked the aisle” those many years ago, were “prayed over” by the preacher, got baptized, and got their “avoid Hell” insurance policy by getting their name on the church roll. Then, slowly but surely, they melted back into the culture of the community and melted away from church life … never to darken the doors again. I know this is true. I have a community full of people who have had such “experiences.”

Instead of bringing clarity and assurance, I fear that this practice fosters confusion and false assurance. It actually makes true evangelism more difficult because, in so many ways, it “inoculates” the multitudes who have done nothing more that “walk the aisle” toward altar and preacher against the true Gospel message.

1.  The altar call too easily confuses the physical act of “coming forward” (walking an aisle) with the spiritual act of “coming to Christ” (repentance and belief). People are urged to come forward as if that coming forward is the critical element in being converted. But what’s required for salvation isn’t walking an aisle. It’s repentance from sin and belief in Jesus Christ (Mark 1:15). Initial repentance and belief – conversion – can happen anywhere, in the pew or in the pub. (Paul Alexander – IX Marks)

I quite agree with Alexander’s statement. I have often heard people refer to their reluctance to “walk the aisle,” as if the level of reluctance was directly proportional to the spiritual depth of the decision to “take the walk.” In so many testimonies I have heard people describe how they held onto the back of the pew in front of them … and how it was the gentle nudging of a friend of the sight of a friend walking the aisle that compelled them to “walk the aisle” to Jesus. How many of us have heard people actually refer to their salvation experience with the phrase, “…I walked the aisle?”But how many of our people, especially our young people, have “walked an aisle” as a group exercise?

And what’s more, could this time-honored tradition in Baptist life be confusing works with salvation? Might we be confusing the human work (walking the aisle) with God’s act of salvation? Could the practice of the “altar call” or “invitation” actually be an invitation to some faulty salvation theology?

When I present the Gospel in one of our worship gatherings, I am most careful to explain a biblical understanding of repentance. Often times I will have one of our military men come up and demonstrate an “about face.” And I will explain that God is looking for us to make a turn in our lives from a self-focused life of sin to a Jesus-focused life of obedience … and it’s called repentance. Then I clearly explain the Gospel and faith in Christ. People let me know about their faith decisions on a response card and I follow up with each one personally.

So, what do you think? Could the classic “altar call” actually be confusing the issues of works and grace in salvation? Could it be a symbol of a faulty doctrine of salvation?