Weekly Thoughts

11/18/06 – Prayer of Salvation

Hi all,

I've been thinking about why some people's lives are completely changed when they pray a prayer of salvation and how others seem totally unchanged. Have you ever thought about why some people have it 'stick' and others don't?

I've been wondering why it is that the oft quoted (only) 5% of those responding to Billy Graham's altar calls remain true to the Lord a year later. (It seems the percentages I see are pretty much the same from evangelist to evangelist)

What did those other 95% experience when they prayed the prayer of salvation with a spiritual counselor and why didn't it stick?

When Barb and I were teens we went to various prayer and praise/Bible studies, with several kids our age apparently coming to know the Lord...yet immediately it was clear that what we experienced as life-changing, some only took as a sort of experimenting with spiritual things with no lasting impact. I think some adults do that 'experimenting' with God as well.

Teen weekend retreats were common in the 70's in the midst of the Charismatic renewal, and 3 of my family members attended in successive years. Today one is angry at God and has had a rough life, one is just a good guy...honest, trustworthy, good husband and dad, vaguely aware of his own mortality, and believes in God in a general way...but has no intention of living for God. The 3rd is now a believer, and hungry for more.

Then there are the multitudes of men and women we've ministered to in various settings over the years who seem to want to be seen with Christians, and/or be a part of a good born-again preaching church, or perhaps just want to be known as a Christian, but don't want to partake...they keep on the fringe of activities while knowing all the right things to say and do. They are church-wise in the same way some kid might be street-wise.

I've come to the conclusion from scripture that it is possible to have an experience with God yet come away with him not 'on the inside'. It is possible for people to respond to an altar call, spiritual retreat, partake of a small group Bible study, or even a prayer of salvation, have a wonderful experience with the Holy Spirit, yet come away unchanged. It is possible to "go through the motions" without meaning it in the heart and mind, thus the Holy Spirit stays on the 'outside'.

In John 14:17 Jesus said this to the disciples:

"...the Spirit of Truth...whom the world cannot receive...neither knows Him; but you know Him for He lives with you, and shall be in you."

The Amplified Bible says it this way: "...But you know and recognize Him, for He lives with you (constantly) and will be in you."

The disciples were not born again at this point as Jesus had not yet gone to the cross and been resurrected...but they had been sent out in groups of 2 before the Lord and saw by their own hands people healed and demons cast out...yet at this point in their lives the Holy Spirit was with them, not in them.

In modern terms this can happen when one spouse walks with the Lord and the other who doesn't...that 2nd spouse may know the Holy Spirit, see evidence of Him being in and around the family, but that spouse may not know Him...he sees the evidence and experiences His blessing on the family, but remains a by-stander.

The same could be said of 2 best friends, maybe college roommates...even employees in a business...one employee may be a Christian and the business experiences God's blessings, miracles, and the like, yet other coworkers remain on the sidelines as observers...He is with them, but not in them. Like Laban learned that he was blessed because Jacob was his employee - they sit to the side watching God work, but remain observers only.

(I'm convinced there are more than a few church elders and deacons for which this is true as well)

I'm convinced that many people responding to altar calls, retreats, and the like have a genuine experience with the Holy Spirit...He is with them in that experience much like the disciples had the Holy Spirit with them in their experiences...yet in their heart of hearts, they've kept him outside rather than let him inside.

I believe that is one reason 2 people can go down front for the same altar call, have a moving experience with God, yet only 1 comes away truly changed. 1 person kept the Holy Spirit on the outside, the other let God into their heart and affect their mind.

I've observed and even given many altar calls...I've seen the tears, had the respondents tell me they felt the Lord on them, yet have watched the lives of some of these people and there is no lasting impact...they genuinely felt the Lord...but he was on the outside giving them a warmth, maybe even goose bumps...but he never got 'inside'.

"For you know Him and recognize Him..."

One young man reported that at a retreat he felt a warmth all over him and an unconditional love saturate his being...he cried buckets of tears as he sat in that Presence...yet today he is just a 'good ole boy' who goes to church (maybe) at Christmas only. He wanted to know what that Presence was, was told it was God...and then backed away unwilling to live for the Lord. The Holy Spirit was with him, but not in him.

However...if some eager church member gave an account about how many people got saved, how many lives changed, how many breakthroughs were won for God...that young man would have been included in the statistics.

I'm also reminded of Balaam in the Old Testament. (Numbers 23 & 24)

He was a Moabite soothsayer who was offered money to curse Israel, yet every time he opened his mouth to do so only blessing came out. Numbers 24:2 says "the Spirit of God came UPON him, and he said..." Notice...the Spirit of God came UPON him. In chapter 22: 9, 20 it says "God came to him". (at 2 different times)

In fact it was from Balaam's prophecies that we have the often quoted statement: "God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man that he should repent." We also have this well known prophecy: "...There shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Scepter shall rise out of Israel."

Consider that Balaam had God twice come to him and talk to him about not receiving money from Balak for cursing Israel, and later the Spirit of God came on him so that he prophesied blessings upon them.

He knew the Holy Spirit...had genuine experiences with him...yet died as an unbeliever, mentioned in II Peter 2:15 as "have forsaken the right way and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness." (also mentioned in the same general context in Jude, vs 11)

Also consider Caiaphas the high priest and chief in charge of crucifying Jesus prophesied as recorded in John 11:49-51:

"...Caiaphas, being the high priest said...it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people...and this he spoke not of himself; but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for the nation."

This is yet another instance of a person prophesying by the Holy Spirit...this he spoke not of himself...Caiaphas wasn't a follower of God in his heart, though he had title and office, but he prophesied by the Holy Spirit.

Judas Iscariot also comes to mind as one who had the Holy Spirit on the outside and remained unchanged and unwilling to go the next step with God. After all, all 12 disciples saw the sick healed and demons cast out by their own hands, yet Judas backed away.

You may ask about experiences after Pentecost in the New Testament for examples of people being around the Holy Spirit, around miracles, around key leaders, yet aren't born again.

In Galatians 2:1-10 Paul looks back at his experience of going to Jerusalem in Acts 15 to discuss whether Gentile believers needed to obey the Laws of Moses or not. His practice of not making them follow the Old Testament laws was called into question and he went to the leaders to make sure he was not doing wrong, or as he said in Galatians 2:2 as he looked back on that conference, that he was not "running in vain".

In Galatians 4:4 he says of those who thought he was doing wrong:

"...the question wouldn't have come up except for some so-called "Christians" there - false ones really- who came to spy on us and see what freedom we enjoyed in Christ Jesus." (Living)

If we go back to Acts 15 and see what the text says about the actual event we get an idea where these false Christians came from. Acts 15:1:

"And certain men which came down from Judea taught the brethren, and said, Except you are circumcised after the manner of Moses, you cannot be saved."

These are the ones Paul called 'false brethren' in Galatians 4:4. Yet Acts 15:2-5 shows these men were apparently Christians and right in there with the apostles as it says they were teaching the brethren. Also note this:

"When therefore Paul and Barnabas had no small argument and debate with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas, and certain other of them, should go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and elders about this question...

These men had no problem being around the apostles and other leaders, for they were teachers, yet they were false Christians. These were false believers and leaders...they were teaching genuinely born again people to obey the laws of Moses...and they were teaching that in Judea, where the apostles were located!

They taught their pet doctrines, had seen miracles among the church in Jerusalem no doubt, and were well aware of the mighty things God was doing through Paul...yet they weren't believers.

They knew the Holy Spirit on the outside, but didn't have him inside.

For some, the idea of people being able to experience the Holy Spirit or in general terms "God" and not have him inside to make a life long change may be a new thought. We've been trained by preaching and repetition that if a person goes down front for an altar call, or perhaps just stays where they are and lifts their hand in the air when the preacher asks if anyone wants to pray a prayer of salvation, that they get saved.

But we can see from scripture that isn't always the case. Certainly even the sons of Sceva were aware of the Holy Spirit for they tried casting out demons "by the Jesus whom Paul preaches", yet he wasn't with them...but still they had observed his workings and perhaps felt his presence. Also consider that Simon the sorcerer in Acts 8 saw and heard the miracles Philip did and wanted to buy the Holy Spirit...

I've been ministering to folks since I was about 17...and I'm 48 now. I've rubbed more than a few heads in altar calls, and I realize that very often God does meet with a person at that time...but it's almost like a handoff...I lay hands on a person and God makes a deposit...now it's up to them to take that deposit and walk it out. And if they don't...they've had a wonderful time with the Holy Spirit in prayer, but to no lasting effect.

So now that we've studied it out from the Word and seen that there are people who have a genuine experience with the Holy Spirit, or at least are around Him and His blessings yet remain unchanged in their hearts, what do I do if I know someone like that?

The first step in a person's heart before a decision for Christ is made is something the Bible refers to as 'illumination'. It means a person perceives down inside themselves God is dealing with them.

Remember that before Peter proclaimed "You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God" in Matthew 16:16, Jesus told him "Flesh and blood didn't reveal this to you, but my Father in heaven (did)".

Peter had the revelation from the Holy Spirit first, then he spoke what he knew by revelation.

Hebrews 6:4, in laying out the maturity levels and experiences of a person mentions this order of events:

"For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened and have tasted the heavenly gift..."

Jesus said it yet another way in John 6:40:

"And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which sees the Son and believes on him, may have everlasting life..."

It's a two step process...first you have to see the Son, then you can believe. It should be noted that in verse 36 he says: "But I said to you, that you also have seen me, and believe not."

(Showing you can have that illumination and then refuse to act on it).

I pray for people along the lines of Colossians 1:9 and Ephesians 1:17-18: That they be filled with spiritual wisdom and knowledge, and that the "eyes of their understanding would be opened".

Once the eyes of their understanding are opened, it's up to them to do the right thing and give their lives over to God...he can bring them right to the brink of the decision, but in the end it is their decision.

And that brings me round to my original question, why does it seems some respond to an altar call or retreat and have a genuine experience with God, yet nothing sticks?

I've shown here it is possible to have an experience with the Holy Spirit yet keep him on the outside of a person's heart and mind. Some want God just enough to solve that immediate need, or perhaps status in church, some want to hang around what appears to be right and good, and some perhaps want to respond because others are doing it...whether by experimentation with spiritual things or just wanting to be a part of what is happening...but they won't let him 'in'.

I hope this week's thoughts help the reader understand the ways of the Spirit, and the heart of man.

As mentioned above, I had relatives who've had experiences with God yet aren't serving him today...you may have relatives like that as well. As I've prayed Colossians 1:9 and Ephesians 1:17-18 for them, one of them has given their life to the Lord...I trust your relatives and friends will, upon seeing Jesus, will make the decision to believe on him as well.

 

Food for thought. Praying!

Blessings,
John Fenn
cwowi.org