The Altar-call Mentality...

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I am borrowing the term, "the altar-call mentality," from my friend in New Mexico, Steve Yrene. Now what could I possibly mean by that expression! I am not against altar calls. I have them frequently after I preach. So what am I driving at?

(6/19/2011). I am using the above term to refer to what some call, "the ticket doctrine." That is, we "accept Christ" and view this action as a pass out of Hell and a ticket to eternal residence in a mansion in Heaven.

If you are a believer in the "ticket doctrine" you have been misled. Search the Bible from Genesis to Revelation and you will not find the expression "accept Christ." Why are you placing your hope of eternal salvation in a concept that is not scriptural?

If the Bible does not teach "accept Christ," what then does it teach? The Bible teaches us that we are to "abide in Christ" and bear the fruit of His image.

Can you see any difference between accepting Christ and abiding in Christ? I can. Abiding in Christ means accepting Christ every moment of every day and night.

I think the problem is, many of us Christians do not seem to understand that salvation, or redemption, is a program, a process that moves us from Satan to God. It is not a one-time act.

Perhaps you may not view this as a trivial issue. It is far from trivial. It has destroyed the churches in America with the result that our government has been reduced to pragmatic decision-making rather than principled actions. You see, the government no longer can look to the churches for moral guidance.

Oh, we may become exercised over abortion and sexual perversion. And well we may. But the churches themselves (and the world can see this) are filled with pride, arrogance, haughtiness, self-centeredness, jealousy, hatred, unforgiveness, seeking pre-eminence, greed, sometimes child molestation, unforgiveness, strife, causing division, worshiping people, gossip, suspicion, and every other satanic behaviour.

Do you believe the Lamb wants this kind of bride? Oh Brother Thompson, He does not see our sins because we believe in Christ. God sees us through Christ (find that in the Bible!). If we try to live righteously we are insulting God's gift of grace.

All of this corruption because of the idea that salvation is a ticket rather than a program of redemption. Following are selections from a letter I received yesterday. See if it fits your Christian experience and the thinking of your advisers:

"Dearest Dr. Thompson;

Thus far every church that my wife and I have come across with have been nothing but grace, grace, rapture, and more grace! I had several conversations with different people at churches and even at the college that I attend who believe that even trying to live a righteous life will be an insult to Christ; that His death on the cross then would be worthless.

They ALL believe that Christ completed EVERYTHING, so if we even try to do any good works it is like trying to earn our salvation to heaven.

So I asked them, "shall we live according to what is right to own eyes or follow the Lord's example?" The answers that I get from the pastors are out of this world and outrageous.

One day I asked a pastor of a charismatic church, ' What is the Lord looking for before He returns to earth?' He said, 'to see as many souls saved by receiving the Lord in their hearts. The only way to get to Heaven and avoid Hell we must save as many as we can. The Lord will ask, 'How many souls have you saved from Hell? So then, what are you going to tell Him?'

So then I said to the pastor (I had this conversation with other pastors as well and they all more or less say the same thing) 'Don't you think that what the Lord is looking for is to see Himself totally formed in us?'

I even tried to start my own Bible study here, but thus far due to the fact of grace, rapture, etc., I haven't been successful; but I will continue with the Lord's blessing and guidance to see how things will pan out. Virtually every Christian that I meet here is loaded with tattoos, they smoke and drink, use vulgarity, etc."

The above is typical of letters I get. Maybe you have not noticed it as yet, but numerous Fundamentalists are not fundamental in their beliefs; not scriptural in their doctrines. Can you imagine? If we make the effort to live righteously we are insulting Christ? How blind can we get?

Some years ago in an Eastern state a pastor said, "When the Jews of the Old Testament responded to God's commandments by saying they would obey Him, they said the wrong thing. They should have declared that they could not keep His commandments and must be saved by His grace."

Can you even believe that a Christian leader could be so deceived?

Do you know, in the Book of Acts the Apostles never once asked people to let Jesus into their heart? This is just more of the unscriptural "ticket doctrine." The Apostles preached repentance, for the most part: "Men and brothers, what shall we do? "Repent! Change your behaviour!"

We Christians in America are way off the track in our thinking.

There are four great types found in the Old Testament, to which we are to pay attention. The four types show the steps of redemption, the way we move from Satan to God. There are seven such platforms. They do not proceed in a straight line—more like ascending a spiral staircase in Christ. They do not take place all at once, although they all are in Christ.

The four great types of the plan of salvation are: the journey of Israel from Egypt to Canaan; the seven days of creation; the seven furnishings of the Tabernacle of the Congregation; the seven feasts of the Lord. I use the feasts of the Lord most often as I teach the plan of salvation:

Passover–our protection from judgment when God judges the works of Satan in the earth.

Unleavened Bread–putting away the leaven of the world, as dramatized by water baptism.

Firstfruits–the giving of righteousness and life to our inner nature; the raising of our inner nature in Christ to the right hand of God; all of this in preparation for the resurrection of our outer nature in the Day of Christ. Pentecost–the giving of God's Spirit to us to prepare us for the crowning works of redemption that are yet to come. The Holy Spirit is the Divine Law that controls our conduct in place of the Law of Moses.

The Blowing of Trumpets–This is happening now. It is the coming of Christ to His saints in the Spirit to wage war against His enemies who are in them. The resurrection of the mortal bodies of the victorious saints will occur when Jesus next appears from Heaven. The resurrection of the bodies of the remainder of the royal priesthood, and all members of the nations of the earth, will take place at the end of the thousand-year Kingdom Age.

The Day of Atonement–This also has begun now. It is the reconciling of God's saved creatures to Himself, beginning with those who are closest to Him of His Church. We must be perfected in iron righteousness, fiery holiness, and stern obedience to the Father. The Day of Atonement will last from now until the conclusion of the Kingdom Age (the Millennium).

Tabernacles–the coming of the Father and the Son to make us Their eternal dwelling place. Then the Tabernacle of God, His eternal dwelling place, will come down through the new sky to govern for eternity those who have been saved of the nations.

Such is the plan of redemption that God proclaimed in the beginning. Then God rested. Our task is to enter that Divine rest as the Spirit and Word of God move toward the perfecting and completing of the Kingdom of God. If you are one of the Lord's lambs or sheep, the rod and staff of affliction will be on you throughout your lifetime on the earth. They will comfort you as you realize the Lord is bringing you into the way of righteousness, into green pastures.

A lady on one occasion received a strong electric shock from her washing machine. She said, "Praise God, He is still with me." Evidently she had been getting cold in her faith.

The rod of affliction certainly was on King David, as we see in the eighteenth Psalm. According to the Bible, our Lord Jesus is referred to as the Son of David.

How about King Solomon? He possessed everything a man could desire. There was no rod of affliction on him. But our Lord Jesus would never be referred to as the son of Solomon. Why not? The rod of King Jesus did not keep goading Solomon in the way he should go. Solomon had too easy a life! When you are afflicted, let it be a comfort to you, knowing that your Lord is pointing you into the way of righteousness.

He has a table spread before you in the presence of your enemies, in the shadow that is cast as Satan endeavours to keep the Light of Christ from you.

Everything you need, healing, deliverance, joy, peace, righteousness, love, is on your table. It remains only for you to partake continually of Christ's grace that is in front of you on your table

Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. (Psalms 23:4—NIV)

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