Decisions: “We had [insert number] receive Jesus today”
Jan 29th, 2008 by Nathan White
My thoughts of late have been centered on the topic of conversion. That is, salvation; the momentous event when a soul is justified. Of course, faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ, but specifically, I have been contemplating just how hard -or how easy- this ‘process’ of conversion is.
I am continually amazed at a few churches in my area who regularly announce those who have ‘accepted Christ’ that week; how many came forward to be saved. These announcements are given all the time, and the numbers are sometimes small, sometimes large, but seem to always been something in number.
There are many of reasons why these announcements shock me:
1) The first reason is that these announcements come from a theological position that assumes salvation is a simple decision or act of the will. Of course, I would argue that this is patently unbiblical, but I do try and understand and account for this underlying presupposition, without judging them on this one fact alone.
2) Announcing these decisions, by necessity, undermines the fact that many humans make rash, emotional, and ignorant decisions every single day. ‘Why did I eat that last night?’ ‘That blind date was a mistake.’ Etc. In other words, they seems to ignore the fact that false conversions are real and very common, especially considering that scripture speaks to this issue time and again.
3) If the number is small, by comparison to the size of the church of course, it usually isn’t met with much enthusiasm. This is astounding to me because I would assume that one true salvation is worthy of years and years of thankfulness and worship. A soul has been saved from hell! That is worthy of angels rejoicing! But it’s almost like their saying, ‘we didn’t meet our quota, but we’ll get ‘em next time.’, instead of falling on their faces in worshiping God for such an astounding miracle. (This, to me, is their actions speaking louder than words, in that they testify with their lack of enthusiasm that these decisions are likely not genuine.)
4) On the same note as the point above, when announcing these decisions, the implication is that the congregation and/or pastor is responsible for the decisions. Sometimes you’ll even hear the ‘give yourselves a hand’ comment. But even still, announcing decisions in this manner seems to me as a clear attempt to take credit for the work that God says only He can do. The pride in such announcements is astounding to me.
5) I have only been a believer for 5 years, but I can say without hesitation that I have personally witnessed very few real conversions. That is, in the churches I have been a part of in the last 5 years, and the Christian circles/ministries I have worked in, I have personally seen about half a dozen (or less) true conversions during this time –and Atlanta is a big city. Sure, I’ve seen a lot of people come and go, but if there is one thing I’m certain of it’s this: when the gospel is proclaimed with the demands that Jesus and the Apostles put on it, and not with a plea for a simple decision or walk forward, then those who respond are very few. But oh, what a miracle, and what a beautiful, astounding, amazing thing it is when they do respond (by God’s grace). Their entire makeup is radically changed and all can see, –and it lasts!
John Bunyan, the great Puritan and author of the Pilgrim’s Progress, had many things to say about conversion. I’ll close with a few thoughts from him –and note the ‘horse’ story below, as it is a good one.
“The righteous shall scarcely be saved. That is, they shall, but yet with great difficulty, that it may be the sweeter.”
And,
“Conversion is not the smooth, easy-going process some seem to think…It is wounding work, of course, this breaking of hearts, but without wounding there is no saving.”
And,
“He that comes to Christ cannot, it is true, always get on as fast as he would. Poor coming soul, thou art like the man that would ride full gallop whose horse will hardly trot. Now the desire of his mind is not to be judged by the slow pace of the dull jade he rides on, but by the hitching and kicking and spurring as he sits on his back. Thy flesh is like this dull jade, it will not gallop after Christ, it will be backward though they soul and heaven lie at stake.”
Bunyan’s point is more along the lines of sanctification after conversion, but I think it is relevant to this topic as well. We humans, in our flesh, may freely admit that we would like to escape the wrath of God, but all the kicking and screaming in the world amounts to nothing of God does not wrought a change deep within, and light a fire of unquenchable love for Christ in the soul. Heaven and hell could lie at stake, and we could and do care less –despite what affirmations we make in our minds.
Nathan,
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Scott Morgan
You know Nathan, I volunteer for a nationally known children’s ministry. I get annoyed when the local director calls me and wants to know how many salvations I had from the children. Just last week one teacher decided she was going to do the Bible story and invitation first because if she waits till the end, then the children are in too much of a hurry to leave and get their candy that is passed out at the end. The first time she did this she had 8 salvations! Is it just me or is something wrong with this picture? Personally I think they went back for counsel time because they thought it would get them out of the other parts of the lesson hr.
American evangelism has really hit a low point when we even help cause false conversions in children, who will grow up believing they made the choice because the teacher told them they did.
Fred,
I’ve seen and read of that and more. When the children are preyed upon, that’s when my heart hurts the most. Children are so easily manipulated, and adults are so quick to do so in order to boast of a statistic, or even approve themselves to God.
Nathan,
My personal observation as a new pastor of two years is that conversion is extremely hard (well, not for God of course!). One of the biggest shockers I’ve experienced is my wife and me coming to a place of often wondering among ourselves if certain leaders are even saved. In my two years here, I can honestly point to one person (and it is so refreshing when it does happen), whom it seems God has truly done a work of grace in. The pressure I get from parents to baptize kids is constant, yet when I sit down with kids, it’s usually so obvious there is no real understanding of their sin, it’s eternal condemnation, the substitutionary atonement of Christ - it’s just clear that God really hasn’t done anything in their hearts yet. I love the privilege of preaching God’s Word, but it’s extremely baffling at times, to watch and see the things people say and believe (and don’t believe).
Ben
Ben,
I know of at least one situation where a pastor sat down with a child (10yrs or so) and asked him very simple questions about faith and repentance, got no clear answers, so he set another appointment for several months later, and again got no clear answers from the child, and the parents were outraged and left the church b/c he wouldn’t baptize them. Amazing, huh? Decisionism has taken such a deep root…
The teacher I spoke about in my first post did the same thing yesterday. Three children that “gave their lives to Christ” last week, came back to do it again. This time she reassured them that since they did it once that they did not need to do it again. I am not judging her motives at all, but I know these children too, and I do not believe they have grasped what all this means. They couldn’t even tell their parents what they did this evening.
I am so glad that salvation does not depend on he who wills or runs. Hopefully these children will truly come to understand and the Holy Spirit will convert them.
I have no problem believing children can come to know Christ. I did at 7 yrs of age. But I do not think that this is always the norm. It depends on the child. But I truly believe that this is the age where we need impress the stories of the Bible, the name of Christ, the morals and ethics, the reverence for God. We need to express the love of God , but also the wrath of God. Then we need to let the Spirit do His work, not force decisions for statictical proof and validation of a ministry. The validation of a ministry is the faithfulness to the Word, not decisions.
I am sick of this Jesus is for you, devil is against, and you must vote for which one you want to win. What child in his/her right mind will choose satan? They only desire to please the “teacher”. They understand what answer you want.
I fear that the condition of the those forced into such “conversions” is akin to the man in the Lord’s parable,
Luke 11:26 “26 “Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first.””
JP