Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction. — Isaiah 48:10

One night after preaching in a “revival” meeting, a young man asked me, “How do I become an evangelist like you?” He was obviously enamored with the prospect of being in front of a crowd and commanding people’s attention.

I responded that he had to be called and equipped by God for that duty. He wanted me to give him a step-by-step process but I had nothing more to offer. Miffed that I didn’t share my “secrets of success” with him, he walked away. 

In this article, I will share the reasons anyone is successful serving God, but there are no secrets. But before I do that, I need to state that I am not writing this post for everyone. First, some people will not understand what I am presenting. Second, other ones will believe that it is a strange and unnecessary doctrine. I am writing it for people that believe God bought them, that they belong to Him, they are His property to do with as He pleases, and that they are only entitled to the liberties that He gives them.

“Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.” — 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Clearly, we owe God every second of life. Our problem is that we sing, “I Surrender All,” but we think, “I will do that when I have the time.” You will have the time when you’re about to run out of time. Yesterday I was thinking about the ministry projects that were not progressing rapidly enough. I realized that I would have to give up something to free more time.  Continue reading

Do pastors still call people to the “altar” to repent and/or publicly confess Christ Jesus as Lord and Savior? In church buildings where I attended meetings as a young Believer, there were two long benches at the front of the church called altars. Each Sunday morning and night, after the pastor preached, he would make the plea for sinners to come forward and give their hearts to God. If no sinners came, he invited the people to gather around those altar benches and pray.

Some people came and remained at the altar for a period. They recognized that some individuals had serious needs, and would gather around, pray with, and intercede for them. Some of the ones that came remained less than a few minutes. Other ones did not go to the altars. Instead, they milled around fellowshipping.

People can say what they wish about “altar calls,” but in the days when many people were strongly committed to God, those altar benches received a lot of tears. Many a soul convicted of his or her sins wept on those benches in repentance. Many mothers prayed and wept over lost children. Men, big strong men, accomplished men, wept in humble submission. Their souls longed for a more dedicated and powerful relationship with God. Many people were set free from bondage, received solutions to problems and answers to serious questions. Many people were healed. Continue reading