'"'What a mistake!' he said, in relating the story to a large audience in Chicago on the twenty-second anniversary of the great fire in that city in 1871; 'I have never dared to give an audience a week to think of their salvation since. If they were lost they might rise up in judgment against me. ... I have never seen that congregation since. I have hard work to keep back the tears today.'
'"I have asked God many times to forgive me for telling people that night to take a week to think it over, and if He spares my life, I will never do it again.'" William R. Moody, The Life of Dwight L. Moody, pp. 145, 146.
Perhaps you will not experience a major disaster in your ministry, such as the Chicago fire, but death and tragedy come just as certainly to individuals. People who are struggling with the decision whether to serve Christ or not may be attending any service where you are speaking. Heart attacks, accidents, or even just a change of situation may prevent those to whom you speak from ever deciding for Christ.
The introductions in Paul's Epistles reveal his strong sense of his call to the ministry. "Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus" (1 Cor. 1:1, R.S.V.),* "Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God" (2 Cor. 1:1), "Paul, an apostle—not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father" (Gal. 1:1). And Paul saw a very definite purpose to his calling. "So we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We beseech you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God" (2 Cor. 5:20). Our calling as ministers also centers on the eternal destiny of those whose lives we touch. We also must present the claims of Jesus Christ.
Of course, we are totally dependent upon the Holy Spirit to lead people to a decision for Christ. While we are preaching the Word, the Holy Spirit uses us in His own way to appeal to people's hearts. If we make ourselves available, God will work through us in a mighty way for the lost. We are to be representatives of the King of kings, to establish the kingdom of God in the lives of the unsaved. This means we must be in constant contact with Heaven; we must be men who are Spirit-filled preachers. Before the Holy Spirit can work through us, He must be allowed to work in us so that we may be instruments He can use.
Naturally, the way we make our appeals will vary. We are individuals, and what I may use effectively may not work very well for you. Then, too, we will want to vary our appeals as our audiences' needs vary. As we study the appeals of Jesus, we note that His approach to each person was different. His appeal to the woman at the well was entirely different from His appeal to Nicodemus; His invitation to Zacchaeus was different from that given to Mary Magdalene. Their problems were all different. He sought in each case to meet some felt need.
The Holy Spirit knows your personality, and He knows the needs of those listening to you. He knows how to speak through you and what appeals to the souls of people. Trust the Holy Spirit to lead you and the people. This is His work.
With this in mind, let me share with you what I do. I usually use four texts in making an invitation. John 1:12 emphasizes that it is God who accomplishes the new birth in the life of the individual. A person may experience God's power in his life through surrender to the ministry of the Holy Spirit. The next text I use, 1 John 2:1, deals with the fear of making mistakes, of making a commitment and then slipping back into the old patterns of living. The promise is "If any one does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous." The third text extends the invitation in a simple, easily understood metaphor. And it offers Jesus' promise. "Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any one hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me" (Rev. 3:20). I emphasize that Jesus will do exactly what He says He will do. The moment a sinner believes that Christ will fulfill His promise to come in, the kingdom of God begins in his life. At this point I walk to the front of the pulpit and make a comment or two using Matthew 10:32, "So every one who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven." This leads quite naturally to a call for a public decision, I generally ask those desiring to make this commitment to Christ to come to the front of the church, where we will have prayer with them and answer any questions they may have.To use the same appeal or even the same texts when you are preaching to the same congregation week after week may not only lose its effectiveness in bringing people to a decision but may also become difficult for your congregation to bear! Variety is important. With some sermons a full and elaborate appeal is appropriate. On other occasions you may want to use only one Biblical verse or just a sentence or two. You can also make your appeals broad enough that people who have served the Lord for years can respond, indicating their desire for growth in some aspect of their Christian life without calling into question their previous experience. Those who respond, then, should be dealt with carefully and sensitively to determine what they are seeking. Do they want aid in coming to Christ? Or are they making some other kind of commitment?
Several years after I started making appeals at the end of my sermons, I began telling my audience during my opening remarks that there would be an invitation to become a Christian at the conclusion of the message. Knowing that there will be this kind of an opportunity for response allows people more time to be considering what their response will be. I have found this statement at the beginning of the message to be helpful.
It seems to me that extending a call for commitment to Christ is appropriate almost any time when the Word of God is being explained. Give the call even if there are only a few in attendance. And if there is no one to whom we can extend the invitation, let this motivate our members and ourselves to visit and invite people to our churches until there are people attending to whom we can appeal.
We also can make appeals when we are ministering as guest speakers. In fact, it may be an advantage to be without any preconceptions about the people in attendance. In some churches no appeal has been made for years—and we may have the opportunity to reach someone who otherwise might never make a commitment to Christ.
We may expect a number of different responses when we have made an appeal for people to receive Christ. Many times people respond immediately and come forward. Then we must be prepared to assist them in becoming disciples of Christ.
Sometimes individuals will wait to talk to the speaker after the close of the service. One couple indicated to me their desire to become Christians as they were leaving the church. We went back into the sanctuary. After I answered some of their questions, we knelt in prayer. They tearfully invited Christ to come into their lives, believing fully that Christ was doing what He said He would do.
On other occasions, no one will respond. This happened when I made a call at my last service as pastor of a church. That evening at a farewell party a church member remarked that he had felt sorry for me standing by myself in front of the congregation during the call. I replied that I had fulfilled my duty by giving the invitation for people to receive Christ. When we have made the invitation, the Holy Spirit takes the responsibility for the results. This leaves us without embarrassment and releases us from a feeling of failure if no one responds. (I might add that at that same church an invitation was given nine times in a period of thirteen weeks—with a response every week. And on several occasions as many as three or four came forward.)Ellen G. White wrote, "In every discourse fervent appeals should be made to the people to forsake their sins and turn to Christ."—Testimonies, vol. 4, p. 396. "Some may be listening to the last sermon they will ever hear, and some will never again be so situated that they can have the chain of truth brought before them and a practical application made of it to their hearts. That golden opportunity lost is lost forever." —Ibid., p. 394- There are multitudes in the valley of decision. God will richly bless your ministry as you invite people of all walks of life to receive, to know, and to share the person of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour.
