For years I have been under the umbrella of Arminian Theology which offers salvation to the masses by way of invitation.  This theology invites people to accept this awesome God who is pleading with them to make a personal decision to follow Christ.  I now see that much of what is being preached is simply an emotional appeal to come to Christ.  I have seen this done through huge Hollywood style productions that cost thousands upon thousands of dollars,  yet give evidence of little fruit in the end.  These productions usually end with a 5 minute invitation to come to the altar and accept Christ as your personal savior.  The atmosphere is perfect for this type of appeal.  The excitement of the drama, followed by an emotionally articulate orator who pleads with men and women who are lonely, empty, and tired to come to Christ, who is waiting to change their lives into something beautiful.  The dim lights and the soft music along with the cracking of the voice and the desperate plea pluck at the emotional string of the heart and many are drawn to the altar.  They are led in a simple prayer.  The preacher tells them that they are now Christians and gives them instructions on what to do next.  1. Study – Read your Bible everyday.  2. Pray – talk to God like you’re talking to your friend.  3. Go to church; you need to be in God’s  House.  4. Witness – Tell somebody about Jesus.   Then they are given a card to fill out so that someone can contact them.  The reality is that approximately 90% of those that filled out the card and came to the altar call never come back to church or live out their confession in Christ. Why?  What happened?

I believe that part of the reason is that they were “caught up in the moment”.  The drama along with the Gospel invitation is so “over the top” that it almost has a Las Vegas feel to it.  If you have ever been to Vegas you know exactly what I am talking about.  Stepping into Vegas is like stepping into an exciting new world that never sleeps.  The lights, the sounds, the people, the excitement, etc.  It is a fantasy world that is created  to appeal to your senses so that you will be drawn in for one purpose, and that purpose is to spend money.  The lie is that you can have it all.  Many lives have been ruined by the entrapments of Las Vegas.  Whole households have been devastated by men who were caught up in the moment of the excitement and ended up losing everything.  Others have testified that upon leaving Las Vegas they felt somewhat melancholy because they realized that their life was really not that exciting. So what do they do?  They go keep going back to Vegas to capture that feeling again.  Others realize that what they experienced in Vegas was simply a response to the environment and see it for what it truly is, a tourist trap to get your money.   Amusement parks have the same effect on people.  We human beings are thrill seekers.  We pursue those things that bring excitement and enhance our boring and uneventful lives.  So, it is no surprise that the modern day church has caught on to this fact and has incorporated the same techniques to draw in the masses and “get them saved.”  The sad part is that at the end of all the drama the message that is usually preached is not even the Gospel.  It is simply an invitation for those who feel they might want to try this Jesus so that they to can have an exciting new life.

What happens to many after leaving these dramatic services is that they come to realize that their lives are anything but exciting.  They remember the energy and excitement of the drama and they are drawn back to the church for a period of time, until the excitement wears off and they simply fall away, and are never seen again.  Others realize that they were caught up in the moment, and simply go back to their lives chalking it up to an emotional experience, which is exactly what it was.

Why is there so little long-term fruit in this type of emotional appeal?  I believe it is due to the fact that we are not presenting the Gospel which Paul described as “the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.” Romans 1:16.  If the Gospel is the display of God’s power, then where was that power  to save for those who responded to the altar call?  It seems we have a problem here?  So then, we must ask ourselves where does the problem lie? I believe the answer lies in our presentation of the Gospel.  We are inviting people to come to Christ and asking them to make a decision as to whether or not they will let Him in their hearts.  We portray Jesus as this sad lonely God knocking on the door of wicked hearts just pleading to come in.  But, most do not let him in so he continually stands there helplessly knocking.  Something is wrong with this picture.  We are ascribing sovereignty to unregenerate sinners and taking it away from Almighty God.  We are leaving the whole issue of salvation in the hands of sinful man who is by nature hostile towards God. No wonder why nobody is getting saved!  Who can be saved when man is sovereign over God?

The problem is that we are not preaching the Gospel we are suggesting the Gospel.  We are suggesting that people try Jesus instead of commanding them to repent and believe in the Gospel.  The Gospel is not an invitation, the Gospel is a command! “The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent”.” Acts 17:30.  The Gospel message is a message of repentance from sin and faith in Christ.  Christ paid the penalty for man’s sin by his life, death, and resurrection.  This Gospel of repentance and faith in Christ is not an invitation you can simply turn down without any ramifications, but a command that has dire consequences for those who reject it.  God commands all men to believe in the Gospel, he will judge all of those who do not obey this command.   That judgment is hell.  A word that has been largely lost in American Evangelical preaching.  We love to preach John 3:16-17 but we forget to follow through to John 3:18 “Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believe in the name of the only Son of God.” Or John 3:36 “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life , but the wrath of God remains on him”.  Are we being good stewards of God’s Gospel?  Are we telling the people the truth about this Great Gospel?  Are we telling them that the wrath of Almighty God is upon you right now and the only way of escape is to flee to Christ through repentance and faith for salvation?  Are we sugar coating the message to make it more palatable for the people?  I have heard ministers say that they do not want to focus on the negative aspects, but simply want to give the people hope, therefore they do not talk about the wrath or judgment of God.  It seems dangerous to me when men think that they are smarter than Jesus.  If Jesus preached judgment and wrath should we not also?  For the Gospel only becomes “Good News” when we see the bad news, which is a dark eternity in a fiery hell for all who reject the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

I am not against drama’s, soft music, or the dimming of lights.  That is not the issue here. I am against a pansy feel good gospel that promise’s peace, joy, and happiness, yet has lost its guts and power because we do not want to offend people. The truth of the matter is simple.  If the Gospel does not offend, it is not the Gospel of God.  It is another gospel that has not power to convert the soul.  If Jesus was not worried about offending people when he cried out “Repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand” then we should not worry about calling people to repentance from sin and faith in Christ.  We must display both side of the coin otherwise we are not being forthright about the Gospel.  The Gospel reveals the righteousness of God and the judgement of God.  It is a two-sided coin and it is the message that we are not only called to preach but  commanded to preach.

“Woe unto me if I do not preach the gospel” 1 Corinthians 9:16.