In the previous study, I started talking about the phrase “come to Christ. ” What does a preacher have in mind when he says, “Come to Christ?”
I insisted on four things: “Come unto Christ? It does not mean:
- This is not a physical act.
- This is not a purely mental act.
- It is not a mystical act that is not based on biblical truth.
- It’s not just a voluntary act.
- Like voting for someone.
- Jesus needs no vows.
- He is already on the throne.
So what does it mean to “come unto Christ”? The best way to answer this question is to say what it means to “come unto Christ”.
The first thing that involves is the recognition of spiritual necessity, which is evident in some of the kind invitations contained in the Bible:
Matthew 11. 28-29: “Come unto me all ye that are weary and overwhelmed, and I will make you rest; carry with my yoke and learn from me, that I am meek and humble in heart, and you will find rest. “for your soul?
Warning: the invitation is addressed to those who are tired and overwhelmed, indicating that they have a need. Jesus does not offer a yoke in the literal sense; offer rest for the soul And will you find rest for your soul?A spiritual necessity.
Isaiah 55. 1: Ah! All who thirst, come to the waters; and you who don’t have money, come, buy and eat, come buy, no money and no price, wine and milk?
In this passage, do you offer an invitation to thirsty souls?This indicates the recognition of a spiritual need.
Revelation 22:17 😕 The Spirit and the wife say, Come! The one who hears, say: Come, comes the thirsty one, and the one who wants to receive brandy for free?
Is the Last Invitation of the Bible given to those who desire water, that is, to thirsty people?People who recognize their spiritual need.
A second thing present in the?Come unto Christ? It is the revelation of Christ in the heart, as the right one to meet the need; needs to be revealed to the heart by the Holy Ghost.
I have been asked many times, “What is the biggest problem of Sunday Christianity?”My answer is: “A multitude of people gathered in the church trying to worship an undisclosed Christ. “Christ needs to be revealed in the heart, through the Word and the Spirit.
Let me emphasize this truth with some biblical texts
Matthew 16: 13-17 😕 When Jesus went to Caesarea of Philips, He asked his disciples, Who said that the people are the Son of Man?And they said, Some say, John the Baptist; others: Elias; and others: Jeremiah or one of the prophets. But you, he went on, who do you say I am? Responding to Simon Peter, he said unto him, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. Then Jesus said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjonas, for he hath not revealed unto thee the flesh or blood, but my Father, who is in heaven?Christ was to be revealed supernaturally to Peter.
Galatians 1: 15-16: However, when he separated me before I was born and called me by his grace, he wanted to reveal his Son in me, that I might preach it among the Gentiles, without restrictions, Do I not consult the flesh and blood?Christ was revealed to Paul.
Matthew 2:11: “When they entered the house, they saw the child with Mary, his mother. When they fell, did you love this baby, with human eyes, looked like God, to be worshipped?Christ needed to be worshipped”. revealed in the hearts of the wise by the Spirit.
So, a second thing present in the?Come to Christ?It is: it must be revealed by the Holy Spirit. A supernatural revelation: Christianity is a supernatural religion.
A third thing involved? Coming unto Christ is a commitment to Him, unreservedly, as the One who can satisfy this need of the soul. Nothing less makes the person alien to Christ and the true saving religion.
Oh! When someone recognizes his spiritual need, and Christ reveals himself to the heart as he who can satisfy that need, resulting in an unrestricted commitment to him, that person will have (1) something to confess, (2) the desire to confess it. and (3) the joy of confessing it. Should this truth explain why we don’t equate?in a Sunday night service with “coming unto Christ. “
The call system is full of errors and dangers. The accent of this expression is in the word “system”. I didn’t say Invitation. If preachers do not invite sinners to come unto Christ, they must abandon ministry. There is a big difference between the biblical invitation and the “call system”.
1. Because the preachers did not clarify the invitation, they inadvertently instituted a system or condition of salvation that, in addition to not being found in the Bible, was never practiced or approved by Christ and his apostles. Public confession is not a condition for salvation; on the contrary, it is the result of salvation.
2. La call to? (Or?Raise your hand?) It is not a divine commandment, but a commandment created by man. Often, those who move forward are induced to believe that they have done something commendable before God. Moving forward is not something God has commanded. I have heard people be grateful to come to the front, while imagining disobeying God those who have not introduced the the the most. However, He never ordered such a thing; No record of this in the entire Bible?or in church, in its early days.
The system produces false security. ” Now that I’m gone, I’m saved. How many times have I heard this! But this is not the biblical basis for security. This system often also produces false guilt in those who do not act. “
3. Is there a third danger to assimilate: to come unto Christ?Anticipate? This tends to confuse people. It’s common to hear phrases like “Did you go ahead to be saved?”Or “If they had sung another verse, would he have answered the call?Or? Registered. ” I’ve heard it countless times. It’s a commentary on what people learn.
On one occasion, a deacon told me that sinners would come unto Christ if he chose another hymn at the time of the call.
Does the Holy Ghost leave service when the last verse of the hymn is sung?I hope not! If so, I abandon preaching and Christianity itself.
1 John 2:23 declares, “He that denyth the Son does not have the Father; does he who confesses to the Son also have the Father?This is not a physical act. You can do it for yourself, without even moving your eyes. “.
4. The fourth danger of the calling system is the inevitable confusion in the conscience of those who have not advanced when invited by the preacher. They generally feel that they rebelled against God, when the truth is that they did not rebel at all. This mistake of assimilating? with? come to Christ? produced the largest statistical record ever recorded in church or in business. The system is responsible for misleading statistics. It distorts the role of the preacher or evangelist. “Did you make a decision? “How many decisions were made at this meeting?
Another error caused by this system is a misrepresentation of faith. Faith is represented as something that must be done to obtain salvation. I’m jealous of the phrase “just by grace,” not by a physical act. I want to sing “Wonderful Grace” and not “Wonderful Decision?” (forward)!
What is the faith? Explaining this is not the preacher’s doing. The goal of the preacher is to clarify the object of faith, Jesus Christ. The preacher is not called by God to explain the act of faith.
Consider the first invitation made by our Lord (I ask God for all evangelical preachers to follow suit).
Matthew 11. 28-30 – Come to me all who are tired and overwhelmed, and I will make you rest. Carry my yoke upon you and learn from me, that I am meek and humble in heart; and you will find rest for your soul. Why is my yoke easy and light my load?
I must emphasize the context of this particular invitation: Did Jesus address these words to the people of Capernaum, where He had often preached and performed great works?Where did he say the sad? Of the law, as in Matthew 11:23: “Will you, Capernaum, go up to heaven?You will go to hell; because if the miracles that were done in you had been fulfilled in Sodom, would it have remained to this day?Jesus spoke clearly of a place where He and His preaching had rejected (Mt 11:22 and following). What did you do in this place, under these circumstances? Notice three things:
1. Prayed (c. 25): “At that moment Jesus exclaimed, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, why did you hide these things from the wise and wise and reveal them to the little ones?Look again, at the emphasis on the Revealed Word. Luke’s account reads, “At that moment Jesus rejoices in the Holy Spirit. “
2. I made a great claim about God’s sovereignty (v. 27): “Everything was given to me by my Father, no one knows the Son but the Father; and no one knows the Father but the Son and the one to whom the Son wants to reveal him?
3. I made an invitation (vv. 28-30): “Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will relieve you. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble. ” in the heart; and you will find rest for your soul. Why is my yoke soft and my burden light? He was not looking for a physical decision. Please note the words “Learn from me”.
The gospel is often described as something to learn. Therefore, sinners must be taught. In his invitation, Jesus Christ (Mt 11:28-29), our great Lord-Master, said, “Learn from me. “
Our Lord has made this very clear in the Grand Commission. Do we learn the same from your example, found in the gospel and in its instructions?”Go and make disciples of all nations? (Mt 28. 19); And, again:?Teach?? (Mt 28. 20). He didn’t say “help them make decisions” but “show them. “Did Jesus walk through the surrounding villages, teaching?(Mk 6:6). As he disembarked, Jesus saw a great multitude and took pity on them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd. (Mk 6:34). What did you do?Appeal to a decision?No way! He started teaching them. “Did Jesus travel all over Galilee, teaching in synagogues, ?(Mt 4:23).
Think of our Lord, after the Resurrection, the way of Emmaus (Lk 24) What did He do?He opened the scriptures (Lk 24:25-27) and the intelligence of the disciples (Lr 24:16,31,45). Since the first verse of the book of Acts, have we learned our Lord’s method of evangelization?”All the things Jesus began to do and teach?(AT 1. 1).
He never made a direct call to emotions or the will of people without first instructing their minds.
It is a lesson that many preachers and evangelists must learn. First, a direct appeal must be made to the mind and understanding. Then, through these, we appeal to affections and will. The gospel is a message that contains information; therefore, it must communicate in definable words. The gospel contains information and must be explained and applied by the Word, with power. “Why has our gospel come to you not only in words, but above all in power, in the Holy Spirit, and with full conviction?(1 Ts 1. 5).
Let us now consider the Book of Acts, the sacred manual of evangelization, where we find the apostles using the same method.
“At dawn, did you enter the temple and teach? (5,21)
We found them in the temple evangelizing, what was their method?Teach people? (5,25).
How did you fill Jerusalem with your doctrine?(5,28).
Paul and Barnabas had been evangelizing in Antioch for an entire year. What method did you use?” And, for a whole year, they gathered in this church and taught a great crowd?(11,26). Note: There is not even a mention of people who decide here or elsewhere in the book of Acts.
In Derbe, did they use the same method? Preach and teach (14. 21)? To make disciples. We make disciples by teaching them.
In 15. 35, they used the same method again: teaching and preaching
Paul worked in Corinth for a year and six months, evangelizing. And he stayed there for a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them?(18. 11).
In Acts 8, we have an example of personal evangelism: Philip evangelized the Ethiopian treasurer. Consider Philip’s method and the total absence of “decision-making”. Yes, there was a decision, but not “decisionism”. Philip explained the scriptures!Was this the method used by our Lord, Peter, and Paul?Teach, teach the mind. Then came the decision to confess by baptism what had happened in the heart. The spirit of the Ethiopian treasurer had been learned, his affection moved towards Christ, and his will responded to the truth that came to his mind and heart.
The great Apostle said to young Timothy, “Do the work of evangelist?(2 Timothy 4. 5). How did Paul ask him to do so? Don’t go and make people decide something they don’t understand well. “Yes, there is a decision involved in the process of forming disciples, but did Paul teach Timothy to use the God-centered method?And what have you heard of me through many witnesses?Does this mean for faithful men who are also able to educate?Other? (2 Tim 2. 2).
Timothy knew how he himself came to salvation: “And that, as a child, do you know the sacred letters, which can make you wise for salvation by faith in Christ Jesus?(2 Timothy 3. 15). He was taught in the Holy Scriptures.
We learned our methods from the Great Commission. (Mt 28. 19) . The expression making disciples refers more to the product than to the method of production; However, the method of producing disciples is to teach.
I constantly appeal to the method of the Lord and the Apostles, as we find in the Gospels and the Book of Acts. It would be wonderful if all those engaged in evangelization opened their Bible in the Book of Acts and studied it. with some important questions in mind regarding its content.
1. What was the apostles’ message? (Study the sermons and conversations you had with unconversed people to get the answer. )
2. What method did you use to treat inconvertis?
A sincere man, with his Bible open, will discover some things about how the Apostles presented Jesus Christ to sinful men. They proclaimed Christ in such a way that, by the power of the Holy Spirit, sinners reconciled with God through Christ. Did the Apostles teach the gospel so that sinners would receive Christ as their Savior?free them from sin and its consequences? and serve him in the communion of the Church.
Evangelical invitations, although addressed to all, are varied:
1. Se invites God’s enemy men: “Are we beseeching you to reconcile with God?”(2 Co 5. 20).
2. Are hard-hearted men invited?(Ez 36:26)
3. Are men who live happily or run to madness on the path of death rejoice?God calls you to become: Become, become your evil ways; Why are you going to die?(Ez 33. 11)
4. Se invites those who sleep the dream of death. God calls them, “Wake up, you who sleep, rise from the dead, and Christ will enlighten you?”
5. Se invites men who are hungry. God speaks to you of the bread of heaven. Did Viens. et eat it? (Is 55. 1).
Thirsty men are also invited. God calls them to the water of life, so that they may never be thirsty. Come to me? Where is he? Not somewhere geographical. Where is he? Closer to you than the pulpit in front of a church, closer than your fingers. Is it at your heart’s door? Your innermost being. There is a tear of sorrow, a som of sadness produced by God. There he is.
Wherever there is a sincere prayer, there is, where is there a sincere desire to pray?Is he where you are? Ready, capable and willing to say, “Your sins are forgiven you. “
Come on, like poor sirofenicia, in humility. All I wanted was the crumbs falling off the table, an image of humility. There he is.
Did you scream like poor blind Bartimae?” Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me!”The crowd said to him, “Good humour; You get up, he calls you?The Baroness threw her cape, so that nothing could stop. all I wanted was to get the vision. And he heard Jesus say, “Go, did your faith save you?”
I want to invite everyone who hears these words to come. Yes, if you’re out? I invite you to come, come to Christ.
I really like the word “come. ” I find it full of grace, mercy and encouragement. “Come now, ” said the Lord through the prophet, “and we will reason?Even if your sins are like scarlet, will they turn snow-white?(It’s worth 1. 18). .
Is the last word of the Bible addressed to sinners?”The Spirit and the Wife say, Come!? See is the word of the merciful invitation. She seems to say, “I want you to escape from the coming wrath. willing to help, so that no one perishes. I’m not pleased with the death of the bad guys. Then come to Me.
Is he coming? It’s an elegant word of expectation. He seems to say, “I’m waiting for you. I sit in the trial period, waiting for you to come. I hope I’m nice. So come and see me?”
Are you coming? It’s a word of encouragement. She seems to say, “I have treasures to give you, if you just want to receive them. Then come and see me. “
My dear friend, I ask you to listen to these words and keep them in your heart, I pray in the name of the Master, I beg you to come and be reconciled with God, I ask you to come with all your sins, no matter how much. If you come to Jesus, he will take you. If you wait, the opportunity will pass, the door of mercy will close and you will die in your sins. Come now. Come to Jesus Christ now.
You can go to church, participate in the Lord’s food, turn to the pastor, and not be saved. Is it really necessary to come to the Savior? Come to the Fountain and wash yourself in the blood of Atonement. And, as Joseph Hart rightly said in his hymn:
Come, poor and unhappy sinner, weak and bruised, sick and saddened; To save you, Jesus waits, with love, full of mercy, kindness, and forgiveness; To save you, he’s all-powerful.
Come, needy, and be welcome. With true faith and repentance, he glorifies God’s free gift; Without money, come to Jesus and buy his graces to get close to yours.
Come, tired and overwhelmed, by the wounded and ruined Fall. If you delay, until you recover, Jesus will never come. Neither the righteous, not the righteous, and sinners, Jesus came to call.
Don’t delay your conscience or your unfounded dreams, you need to realize it: you need it so much, and for that he gives you the means: the illuminating glow of the Holy Spirit.
Oh! The incarnate God, who ascended to heaven, claims the merits of his blood. Give yourself totally to Him and no other Lord because only Jesus and only He can do good to evil and to the poor sinner.