One question I often hear as we travel and minister in our Holy Spirit Rallies concerns the altar calls and the people’s response to them. Pastors frequently ask, “How did you do what you did today at the altar?” They usually follow with, “You made it look so easy.” I always reply that I make it look easy because it is!
I’m finding that many pastors today are reluctant to minister on the subject of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit because they are fearful that people won’t respond to the altar call, and those that do might not receive the infilling of the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in other tongues as recorded throughout the book of Acts.
Let me briefly share why this message is so easy to preach and why most people who respond to the altar call are gloriously baptized.
1. Our heavenly Father anxiously awaits the opportunity to give this gift to all of His children. (Joel 2:28-29; Luke 11:13) In other words, heaven is revved and ready to go!
2. God made this so simple when Jesus said that our Father would give this gift to those who ask. (Luke 11:13) Can it get any simpler? The askers become the receivers.
3. As the person giving the altar call, I have the privilege of saying aloud what is in the Father’s heart. That’s not complicated!
4. Just as I’m not the Savior at the salvation altar call or the Healer at a healing altar call, I am not the Baptizer in this type of altar call. I refuse to take God’s place. This takes all of the pressure off of me.
5. I cannot and will not make anything happen. I’ve prepared the way through preaching and teaching. I’ve built people’s expectancy (faith) from the Word before we ask the Father for this gift. I’ve given a clear example of what the Bible says will happen once they receive this gift. Now, it’s time to ask and receive.
6. What if someone leaves the altar without any physical evidence? Do I feel any pressure? N-O-P-E! I can give many examples of those who asked in faith at the altar and yet seemingly didn’t see anything at that given moment, only to receive their physical evidence later while driving home or lying in their bed. As the minister, I feel no pressure, nor should the asker. Ask in faith, yield in faith, and keep the switch of faith turned on! After all, God NEVER lies. He has promised to give the gift to those who ask (Luke 11:13), and they are included in this promise (Acts 2:38-39).
Let’s laugh off the what-ifs. Let’s push this fear aside and boldly dare to believe that our Father is waiting for you to provide an opportunity for heaven to fulfill this promise in the life of every believer.
