Keller on the effect of quick programs on new converts

I am compelled to reflect on my own christian walk as to whether it is a desire to submit to the Lordship of Christ, or if it stems from a desire of seeking my own will be done and demanding that my prayers be answered. Without a weekly exposition of Scripture, and a platform to faithfully apply the principles of the text as a community, we are but a sorry lot - bending the meaning of the original biblical author to try and bring about temporary moralistic behaviour change. Church membership, while it is a new concept to me, seems to be something that I think would be good for me to embark on a journey toward a formation of my heart condition to be more like my Creator's.

From Page 57 of Center Church  

Our truth-allergic, experience-addicted populace wants transformation but doesn't want the loss of freedom and control associated with submitting to authority within a committed community. Many "converts" seem to make decisions for Christ but soon lose their enthusiasm because they are offered quick programs for follow-up and small group fellowship rather than a lifelong, embodied experience of community. Many churches do not even have a process for becoming a member. As a result, converts' lives are often not visibly different from those in the culture around them. The older, more communal processes of traditional churches are better at bringing about a more thorough transformation of life.

Wilkinson and Keller on the unconverted "Christian"

I was reading two different authors (Bruce Wilkinson and Timothy Keller) write about the topic of "revival." I came on this fascinating notion of the unconverted "Christian." The realisation that we are living so far off the marks calls us to humble repentance for wanting our wills done in our spiritual journey. Perhaps we have yet to be converted?


From Page 438 of The Seven Laws of the Learner

"Many teachers assume that their students already are Christians and become 'children of God, to those who believe in his name' (John 1:12). Many teachers assume that their students already are Christians because they come from a good family, or appear to be Christians, or attend Christian institutions.

Would it not be wise, therefore to present the plan of salvation at appropriate moments during our teaching? Some teachers take this responsibility so seriously that they visit their students individually to determine their spiritual condition and present the gospel."


And from Page 60 of Center Church

"it is possible (even common) for a person to be baptised, to be an active member of the church, to subscribe to all biblical doctrines, and to live according to biblical ethics, but nonetheless to be wholly unconverted... conversion and spiritual renewal, not only for those outside the church, but also for those inside the church. Some need to be converted from clear unbelief; other needs to see, to their surprise, that they've never been converted; still others need to sense their spiritual stagnation.

The altar call

I last reflected about "the sinner's prayer" and then this article came up on its related sibling "the altar call," another 19th century innovation that most of us thought came from Jesus' time. I am hesitant to say that we should abolish "this vile and manipulative" practice, but rather am inclined to suggest that pastors and leaders be more mindful of how they want to invite a person to the point of unconditional surrender to God's Lordship of their lives. Because if this is a compulsory tool in the handyman's box, the discipleship process is going to be alot more challenging trying to persuade unconverted "christians" of God's ways.

Source: You Asked: Should Churches Perform Altar Calls?

"The altar call relies on the powers of emotion, rhetorical persuasion, and social pressure to induce people to make a hasty and premature decision. And producing professions is not the same thing as making disciples. Surely a number of factors are responsible for the many nominal Christians that typify Christianity in the West, but I believe that the altar call is one of them."

Reservations of "the Sinner's Prayer"

At first I was horrified to discover that some churches did not encourage using "the sinner's prayer" and that it was a very modern invention. As I reflect further, I begin to better understand why. When a person comes down to the altar, he may not necessarily want "God's will and not my will be done;" rather, it may be just an addition of another spiritual force that can be manipulate according to one's will.


From Pages 36-38 of Radical

Radical Revelation to be Radically Received

So how do we respond to this gospel? Suddenly contemporary Christianity sales pitches don’t seem adequate anymore. Ask Jesus to come into your heart. Invite Jesus to come into your life. Pray this prayer, sign this card, walk down this aisle, and accept Jesus as your personal Saviour. Our attempt to reduce this gospel to a shrink-wrapped presentation that persuades someone to say or pray the right things back to us no longer seems appropriate.

That is why none of these man-made catch phrases are in the Bible. You will not find a place where a superstitious sinner’s prayer is even mentioned. And you will not find an emphasis on accepting Jesus. We have taken the infinitely glorious Son of God, who endured the infinitely terrible wrath of God and who now reigns as the infinitely worthy Lord of all, and we have reduced him to a poor, puny Saviour who is just begging for us to accept him.

Accept him? Do we think Jesus needs our acceptance? Don't we need him?

I invite you to consider with me a proper response to this gospel. Surely more than praying a prayer is involved. Surely ore than religious attendance is warranted. Surely this gospel evokes unconditional surrender of all that we are all that we have to all that he is.

You and I desperately need to consider whether we have ever truly, authentically trusted in Christ for our salvation. In this light Jesus’ words at the end of the Sermon on the Mount [Matt. 7:21-23] are some of the most humbling in all Scripture.

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

Jesus was not speaking here to irreligious people, atheists, or agnostics. He was not speaking to pagans or heretics. He was speaking to devoutly religious people who were deluded into thinking they were on the narrow road that leads to heaven when they were actually on the broad road that leads to hell. According to Jesus, one day not just a few but many will be shocked-eternally shocked-to find that they were not in the kingdom of God after all.

The danger of spiritual deception is real. As a pastor, I shudder at the thought and lie awake at night when I consider the possibility that scores of people who sit before me on a Sunday morning might think they are saved when they are not. Scores of people who have positioned their lives on a religious road that makes grandiose promises at minimal cost. We have been told all that is required is a one-time decision, maybe even mere intellectual assesnt to Jesus, but after that we need not worry about his commands, his standards, or his glory. We have a ticket to heaven, and we can live however we want on earth. Our sin will be tolerated along the way. Much of modern evangelism today is built on leading people down this road, and crowds flock to it, but in the end it is a road built on sinking sand, and it risks disillusioning millions of souls.