Come on Down!

Many evangelists use a technique called the altar-call.  This technique is used to get sinners to come to the front of the church to confess their sins and repent.  It also is used to show the preachers how their sermon turned out and how the crowd received it. The more people to the front, the better the sermon. This method has not always been around.  Many great evangelists, such as George Whitefield and Jonathan Edwards did not believe in this method. They didn't even know what it was. They believed that private inner change was how it should be done. The question is, which method works?  I think that both methods can work. God can work through anything. I also think that it depends on the person and how they feel lead. Some people are turned off by getting in front of people. Many people have definitely been saved by the altar-call method.  I think some people view going to the front as getting saved, instead of believing in Jesus and confessing their sins.  Of course there are people who are actually saved during altar-calls as well.  We also have to think about how people think by getting baptized they are saved, and in the old times people thought by sacrificing, and getting circumcised saved them.  Any method in evangelizing can be taken in a wrong way. I don't think this method is bad. I just think the pastor should make sure the people understand how they are really saved. God can use any situation to bring people to Him. We just need to listen to Him and determine what way He wants us to do things.