The Altar Call

THE SERMON & THE PREACHER

The anointing is the only thing powerful enough to destroy Satan’s yoke of bondage. Therefore let your sermons be Spirit-led and pointed. The Word of God is its own anointing. Preach the Word. Stick with the teachings of Christ and the apostles. Refer to the Old Testament only to show a New Testament principle. Allow yourself to be led to minister to the spiritual needs of the people before you.

If you follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, the Lord will let you know when to stop preaching and make the altar call. If you are at this point, the Lord would have been ministering to the hearts of the hearers. He would have convicted them and His ministry would have compelled them to repent. Learn how to sense when the anointing is ripe, and avoid prolonging the sermon unnecessarily, because this can cause the conviction in the hearts of the people to fade, as they try to follow the things you are saying. It will also cause them to be distracted from what God was confronting them about.

If the Lord encourages an altar call, then He is saying that someone in the congregation needs to repent, or bring an issue to the Lord. Facilitate an altar call by encouraging those who heard the message to come to the altar, but do it in the spirit of meekness. The Lord may show you specific people or have you point the altar call toward a specific sin. If this happens, you must be sure to allow the love of God to shine through you. If people think they are being judged, they will not feel encouraged to come forward. They will think that flesh is making the altar call rather than God.

Be sensitive. You may not be the one God wants to use to pray at the altar. Remember to use the assets you have. If you have musicians, encourage them to play; psalmists, encourage them to sing; intercessors, encourage them to pray. You may have other ministers, call them to assist.

USHERS & DEACONS

It is important that all ushers and deacons be focused and ready. Many things can happen at the altar, so the ushers should always be prepared to facilitate the Holy Spirit in whatever He desires to do. Watch the leader. The Lord might be using the leader in such a way that his/her movements become unpredictable. Follow him/her, and watch with focus and prayerfulness. Keep a keen ear to whatever request is made. Keep close at hand, altar items such as napkins, lap cloths, face cloths, olive oil etc.

Ushers and Deacons need to also be apt to teach. There are cases where an usher may need to pray for someone at the altar. Be ready and holy. Be mindful also of the congregation. There are times when people may have made their seat an altar, or are repenting in their hearts. Be ready to supply the individual with whatever need they have.

Also, be mindful that the devil is not sleeping during an altar call. He may be quite active. Watch for distractions to the altar call, and the service. Keep an eye out for demonic manifestation, and be ready to cover the individual if necessary.

PSALMISTS AND MUSICIANS

Music is powerful. It was anointed music that delivered King Saul from the spirit that had bothered him. Therefore it is imperative for both the singers and the musicians to be holy and anointed. Those with the psalmist ministry (this includes musicians) need to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit. Your sensitivity will allow you to know when to start your sound, and even which song to choose. However, always be subject to the leader of the service (God leads them too. He is a God of order).

Even as the sound of music drove Saul’s evil spirit away, your music can also drive away the evil spirits that bother the people that are hearing it. Let us not forget that God inhabits the praises of His people. Music invites the presence of the Holy Spirit in, and the Holy Spirit is a drawing agent. He can convince any soul of their need for Him. Therefore, sing songs that invite Him in. Sing songs and hymns that are either prayers of what you would have God do at that given moment, or are expressions of what a person’s heart could be feeling at that given moment.

Here is a song that is both a prayer, asking God to do something, and also an expression of the heart of a person that has heard the sermon.

“Pass me not Oh gentle savior.

Hear my humble cry.

While on others thou art calling,

do not pass me by.”

Note that the music does not need to be so loud that the ministers at the altar cannot communicate with the people that have approached it for prayer. Remember, even as your music can have an impact on their soul, so can the words of prayer.