Last Opportunity?
I once heard a story about the great evangelist, D. L. Moody, and the Chicago fire of 1871. Here is how the story goes, on the night of the fire, Moody preached a revival service and wrestled with whether or not to give an altar call. He decided not to and it was just a few hours later that the city was up in smoke. Following the great fire and the loss of many lives, Moody, made a decision to never end a message without giving an opportunity for the people to respond to God’s Word. He knew that this might be their last opportunity.
This story has stuck with me throughout the years and I have tried to follow Moody’s advice and example. There are times now that I speak at service and think, these are all church kids, Christian kids. I am tempted to say, “They don’t need an altar call.” One such time was a few months ago, when I was speaking at a youth service in Southern Oregon. It was a very normal church youth service, full of church kids. I came to the end of the message and gave the altar call; to my surprise and the surprise of the local youth pastors, the response was overwhelming. That night the youth leadership team spent another 30 to 60 minutes praying with the kids who came forward.
Nothing is impossible with God. His Word will not return void and God’s Spirit is already drawing the listener to a response before I actually give one. I have learned the importance of casting a wide net during the response time. Every response I give includes three challenges, three areas to respond to regarding the message. Those three calls are:
1. A call to salvation.
2. A call to repentance.
3. A call to commitment.
I have found that when I plan for the response, just as I plan the message; people respond to the Lord and began to take sets to apply the message to their daily life.
Let’s not make the response an after thought. Let’s give the people a chance to respond to God’s Word and Spirit, knowing this could be their last opportunity.
Post new comment