Why NO Altar Call? In Reformed Churches

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[ActualTruth]

I enjoy your channel Matthew. I'm preparing to plant a Reformed Baptist church in my area. Being a former pentecostal for 40 years, it's amazing how many seemingly nuance differences there are in Reformed theology, such as the altar calls.

I remember in pentecostalism how the altar call was such an emotionally manipulated "event" that produced or reinforced much false theology.

Thanks for your explanation on why we don't do emotional decision-ism on the Lord's Day.

Please pray for us as we plant a Reformed baptist church in a strong pentecostal and southern baptist community.

[skibbydogg]

I am really enjoying your videos. You offer a lot of good things to think about for the health of the Church. Keep it up!

[darrenschrader]

GREAT EXPLANATION!! I WAS WONDERING ABOUT ALTAR CALLS.

[Contramundum]

The alter call has done much harm to the modern church. It's deceived many

[davidhiramreyes]

I feel the actual modern “Alter Call” is not a coming forward to do the “sinners prayer”. It’s a call to prayer in the alter for what they’ve just heard.

“Lord, help me apply what I’ve just heard” or “Lord, forgive me of what I’ve just heard” or “Lord, help me know you better” etc

It’s a call for corporate prayer.

[ChrisGSTL]

This was a good video Pastor Matt. I’ve recently read the autobiography of Charles Finney. I know that he taught perfectionism which I’m sure you’re aware means that Christians can attain perfect holiness in this life by the grace of God and the work of Holy Spirit. I disagree with this doctrine, however I don’t see it as a salvation issue. 

I was really intrigued about Finney’s presentation of the Gospel. In nearly all his sermons, he pressed people with God views sin and was intentional about preaching from passages that discussed Gods righteous judgement against sin. He then concluded every message with the Gospel using and citing various passages to properly present the mercy and grace of God.

In my understanding, Finney believed that we must preach the conviction of sin and the mercy and grace of God available to sinners. In doing this, He believed the Holy Spirit would convict and he would urge his hearers to accept Christ right then and there and receive forgiveness from sin. This method of preaching would still fall in line with pre-destination in theory. However, Finney also urged people that pre-destination aside, it had to be them who made the choice to accept Christ. Christ would never force Himself into a relationship with us. He offers it to us, and we choose to receive Him or deny Him.

I believe pre-destination is more so the idea that God, in His sovereignty, knew who would accept Him and who would deny Him and He then pre-destined those who would accept Him to be sons and daughters of adoption.

While Finney had some questionable theology on certain topics, it appears through his autobiography and other documentation that many people who heard him preach did truly commit their lives to Christ and there was lasting fruit in their life as evidence of true salvations.

[johnuhl]

If reformed churches would serve the Lord’s Supper every Sunday, they would all have an altar call every time! 😊

[jrhatcher]

Matthew, thank you for doing this video in response to my question. Yes, my did come from a good place. As a person who has grown up in churches where the “altar call” or invitation at the end of service was the norm. I’ve often wondered how an unbeliever who has repented and come to faith make it known.

[artistocracy]

Good clear honest preaching, Pastor Matthew. I wish there was a decent Reformed church here in the Australian country area I live in. Tried three over a couple of years and now prefer studying my bible and books at home.

[truthseeker]

Matthew, the Spirit is strong in you!

[dfpolitowski]

God wanted to save me through an alter call. Its real and used by the Lord but its only one way. God can save in any manner he chooses. Ten minutes after resisting the call to the alter, I went down to that alter and prayed with another two Christians and was born again at that moment. And yes it was the "sinners prayer" he answered.

[samsdad]

It’s important to also mention that Charles Finney was a heretic since he was a Pelagian which means he believed that the fall of Adam did not affect his progeny throughout the ages.

Even the Roman church didn’t go that far, but still held to and still does something called “semi-Pelagianism, ” which is still grievous error and disqualifies them from being considered a Christian institution, especially since the “Council of Trent.”

[stephenryan]

Exactly what he said. Very well elaborated.

[MrPCApps]

If I would come to the church, you are a very good word teacher, and thank you.

[bc]

Thank you, brother.
I have a friend who admits that during those moments when “every head is bowed, all eyes are closed” he will look up discreetly, to see how God is moving.
5:54 “Now in our theology and our practice you need to be baptized and in communion with a Bible-believing church in order to receive the Lord’s supper” Requiring baptism and affiliation with a body of believers in order to receive the Lord’s supper are perspectives I’ve never heard before. Whether in Reformed or Armenian settings (and I am Reformed) the requirement I’ve heard expressed most frequently is a profession of faith, and that was a matter of one’s own confidence of salvation, not an expression of it to others in the service. In some denominations I’ve seen “close communion” practiced, in which the officiant knew the participants or had an opportunity to speak with visitors or new attendees before serving communion to them.

[WalkinTruth]

The Cross is the Altar. We don't have to go to a physical location. When Peter preached the first message in Acts, after Pentecost, the men were cut to the heart and asked, "what must we do to be saved?" And Peter replied, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized for the remission of your sins and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. And on that day over 3000 were added to the church. It wasn't just a physical baptism but a spiritual baptism, a regeneration of the heart

[LoriJMarshall]

Thank you for clarifying this for me. I found this a very confusing topic.

[RUdigitized]

No one enjoys discipline while it’s happening but afterwards you will enjoy a quiet harvest of right living

[skyscraperphilosopher]

@Matthew Everhard, thank you for all your great content. Could you consider doing an episode discussing Paedocommunion? In my country in Europe there seems to be an increasing division on this topic among Presbyterian churches.

[davidleonard]

Well presented.

It is unfortunate that many congregations believe that saving faith precedes regeneration and that that faith is the product of the hearer's will. Because of this belief the members on both sides of the pulpit believe that it is biblical and morally imperative that they be salesmen for Christ. Since this belief is often accompanied by a simplistic understanding of eternal security it is believed that any means to coerce a person to make a profession of faith will guarantee their salvation. It's as if salvation is like a tattoo, easy to get, hard to remove.

That is not to say that some do not experience the gift of saving faith responding to an alter call, I did some 41-years ago but that is because God in His infinite wisdom chose to bring me from spiritual death to life some time before that. I had heard the gospel presented innumerable time prior to that but being then spiritually dead I could not understand what the gospel actually was.

While I am convinced that the gospel should be briefly but explicitly presented in each church service no good at all is accomplished by treating it as a sales, let alone a high pressure, sales pitch. It is a dangerously corrupted understanding of soteriology.