433. Altering the Religious Altar Call

Modern day Christianity is well known for something often referred to as the altar call: The attempt to get people to come forward and respond to whatever ministry message was given. It's not unusual to see methods of motivation used that lead to guilt and condemnation in getting the response. We have another idea. Let's throw out the performance-based legalistic stuff and reconsider the motivation that will allow people to respond to God in a different light.

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432. Repenting About Repentance

Repent! Think you know what it means? Think again. Jesus began His ministry by telling the Jewish people to "repent and believe the good news." Who were these folks? They were people under the Old Covenant who constantly worked, struggled and strived to follow hundreds of religious rules and commands on a daily basis. This "old-time religion" where people worked to establish their own righteousness was not good news. Repentance is not an attempt to avoid sin and behave properly, but rather it's a call to think and have a change of mind. A renewing of the mind about God and how He would deal with sin through a new covenant and the blood of His son, Jesus Christ.

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431. Devoting Yourself to God?

Sometimes in the effort to demonstrate a love for God, people will feel the need to exercise some sort of outward devotion or dedication. It can involve time and neglect of the body, and lead to false humility. Often the purpose for this is to reassure themselves that they really do have a love for the Lord. It's an effort to show God and others that the "proof is in the pudding."

But like so many other things about the Christian life, we can easily get it backwards. Realizing first that it was God who did the demonstrating of His love for us and has declared devotion to us. Real devotion to God will occur not from our desire to show it but from discovering blessing has been given to us while we were unworthy and void of any devotion. It's simply a willing response to a love without condition.

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430. Right-Standing Before God (He Did It All)

Under the Old Covenant the Jewish people worked tirelessly every single day in their attempt to establish their own righteousness before God. They didn't understand the righteousness of God that has now been revealed to us under the New Covenant since the death and resurrection of Christ. Believers today can also find themselves ignorant of God's righteousness which can lead to discouragement, unbelief or (when self-righteousness arises) even pride. Let's be reminded we have no standing before God in ourselves. Not through any one single act. Ever. Avoid the blindness of pride and the guilt-ridden road of disappointment from believing in "yourself" by trusting in His designed purpose and plan of blessing for you.

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