Altar calls

[Joe King]

I keep getting caught up in the prayer during every church service, no matter what church I go to.

I have been baptized and I do accept Christ but this has made me feel insecure like I haven't done it correctly yet. Any help on this?

[Dani H]

What do you mean by "accept Christ?"

[karenoka27]

If you know you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior...I believe you are saved.
When my children were young they gave their lives to the Lord. I was so concerned that maybe they were too young to get it, I would go over the Gospel with them over and over. One day two of them came to me and said they kept finding themselves praying and asking the Lord to be their Savior over and over. My son said to me, "Mom, Christ died once for sin, was buried and rose again. I believe that and He is my Lord and Savior. I can't ask Him anymore."
Well that settled that in my heart.
Praying for you!

[Joe King]

What do you mean by "accept Christ?"

I know that Jesus Christ is God and that through him I may be saved and I wholeheartedly accept that.

[Dani H]

Okay, and have you repented of your sin and surrendered to Jesus as your Lord and Master, at the exclusion of all others, and are you following His teachings, and is somebody discipling you?

[-SEEKING-]

I keep getting caught up in the prayer during every church service, no matter what church I go to.

I have been baptized and I do accept Christ but this has made me feel insecure like I haven't done it correctly yet. Any help on this?

There are no "magic words" that we need to say. It's all about the condition of our hearts. It's realizing our condition as sinners and calling out to the only One who can save us from our sins.

[Joe King]

Okay, and have you repented of your sin and surrendered to Jesus as your Lord and Master, at the exclusion of all others, and are you following His teachings, and is somebody discipling you?

Yes, but I could be doing a better job of it.

[Dani H]

Yes, but I could be doing a better job of it.

Well, then if you know that ... go do so. What's stopping you?

[Joe King]

Well, then if you know that ... go do so. What's stopping you?

The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.

[BrianW]

That's a cop out my friend. Jesus said:

John 14:

15“If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.

16“I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; 17that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.

18“I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19“After a little while the world will no longer see Me, but you will see Me; because I live, you will live also. 20“In that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. 21“He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him.” 22Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, “Lord, what then has happened that You are going to disclose Yourself to us and not to the world?” 23Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him. 24“He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father’s who sent Me.

25“These things I have spoken to you while abiding with you. 26“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you. 27“Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful. 28“You heard that I said to you, ‘I go away, and I will come to you.’ If you loved Me, you would have rejoiced because I go to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. 29“Now I have told you before it happens, so that when it happens, you may believe.

------------------------

Do you love him? Do you really believe?


Then just do it man.

[Dani H]

The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.

Then let your old self go the way of the cross and live in the new life Jesus gave you. Daily. Hourly if necessary. You have Jesus there to help you, so don't go at it alone.

[teddyv]

Since the thread title is "Altar Calls" is it just that you are nervous of getting up at an altar call? Mind you, our church doesn't have altar calls so maybe I don't know what I am talking about. Are these sort of like what we would call a "public profession of faith"?

[Joe King]

Since the thread title is "Altar Calls" is it just that you are nervous of getting up at an altar call? Mind you, our church doesn't have altar calls so maybe I don't know what I am talking about. Are these sort of like what we would call a "public profession of faith"?

No, it's just that they do that at nearly every church service and I find myself responding each time, even though I have been baptized and believe in Jesus.

[watchinginawe]

No, it's just that they do that at nearly every church service and I find myself responding each time, even though I have been baptized and believe in Jesus.

Joe, perhaps you are desiring a deeper experience. Think about this for a moment though. If this is an "altar call", then there is an invitation. Think about what you desire of God before you respond and then focus your prayer toward that. If it is assurance, then pray for that. If for forgiveness, then be specific. If for boldness, strength, encouragement, health, welfare, etc.; bring it to the Lord. Also, if someone offers to pray with you or they open up the service to pray specifically with people, then you can clearly communicate your prayer need to them.

[Servant89]

I keep getting caught up in the prayer during every church service, no matter what church I go to. I have been baptized and I do accept Christ but this has made me feel insecure like I haven't done it correctly yet. Any help on this?

If we judge our walk with Christ by how well we keep the law, we should all be going to altar calls every Sunday. For we all sin.

1 Jn 1:10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

Rom 3:10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:

Stop measuring your progress with Christ by your flesh and measure it relative to your spirit, your faith.

A key question would be, have you been baptized in the Holy Spirit? Because if you have not experienced that, then that is what is missing in your walk with Christ.

1 Jn 4:13 Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.

If you are not sure if you have been baptized in the Holy Spirit, keep going to the altar, bug him, pull the hem of God's garment, get his attention... until he fills you with his Spirit.

His Spirit is the solution...

Rom 8:13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.

Jer 13:23 Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil.

That means, we can't do it ourselves, it has to be through the power of the Spirit of the Living God.

Shalom