05.04. Work Around the Altar
4. WORK AROUND THE ALTAR During the Invitation
It is not often wise, to start the work around the altar until the invitation is over unless the evangelist requests it. In that case, we should kneel on the opposite side of the altar from the seeker and deal quietly with him until the invitation is finished. Your going early may cause other workers to come also, and often the call for seekers is hindered.
Room for Others A worker kneeling at an altar to deal with seekers, especially if it is during the invitation,should be careful to leave room for others. Kneel in front of the one with whom you deal, as some seeker may need the place beside him. It is also well to remember there are other workers. Be sure you leave room for them to kneel on either side of you.
Prayer At the beginning of an altar service there should be a time of prayer with someone leading. This will prove very helpful. A seeker needs time to think, to face facts, to be alone with God, and there is no better time or place than during an earnest season of prayer.
Why is The Seeker at the Altar?
After the season of prayer, I would suggest that the worker find out from the seeker why he is at the altar. The best way is to ask him, "Why are you here? Do you want to be saved? Are you seeking to be reclaimed?" Or, "Are you a Christian seeking to be filled with the Holy Ghost?"
Only when you know why he is there can you give definite instructions and pray most effectively. If he knows what he wants and you know what he wants, he can pray more definitely, you can pray more definitely, and God can give a definite answer. Do Not Assume
Never assume a seeker’s need. You cannot always take the word of a friend or loved one. I have known folks to say, regarding a seeker, "He wants to be sanctified." Inquiry proved they were mistaken; the seeker was backslidden and needed to be saved.
Ask the seeker. He should know better than anyone else. His admission of his need also will help him.
I have known a worker to pray earnestly for a seeker to be saved when he had come to the altar to be sanctified. God could bless the worker for his earnestness, but how much better it would be to inquire and know for what he should pray!
If He Does Not Know
Sometimes a seeker will claim that he does not know where he stands. I question this, for I believe the Spirit testifies to the condition of the soul.
However, I have found this to be a good way to deal with a seeker who claims ignorance as to where he stands with God. Say: "If you are not sure where you stand, let us get our feet on solid ground where we will know we are right. Just consider you are not anywhere; begin at thebottom and ask God to save you right now." In this way God has helped me to get many on solid ground.
Illustration
I remember hearing and seeing a young woman praying earnestly for another for fully ten minutes. I finally knelt by her and said, "What is the young lady seeking?" She replied, "I don’t know." Surely God could bless this lady for her earnestness, but her work and prayer would have been far more effective if she had known specifically what the seeker was praying for.
Urge Prayer
After ascertaining the need of the seeker, the wise worker will urge him to pray. Tell him that prayer is like talking to a friend and God is man’s best Friend. Urge him to tell God right from his heart just what he wants.
If his need is salvation, remind him that to be saved he must forsake every known sin. Jesus said, "... Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish" (Luke 13:3).
If he is seeking sanctification, tell him that to "sanctify the people with his own blood, [Jesus] suffered without the gate" (Hebrews 13:12). To obtain this experience we must die out to the world of self. We must consecrate our all to God.
Instruction
After these few brief words to get the seeker on the right road, do not be too hasty to begin any extended instruction. If he is praying, wait awhile; let him pray and talk to God. Nothing helps the seeker more than praying for himself. When you feel he is ready for instruction, begin by urging him to believe,* but be sure you tell him what to believe. Believe in God? No. It is that, but more than that. Believe His Word, believe His promises. Believe He will do exactly what He has said He would do.
[*There are seekers who need instruction, but who are not yet on "believing ground."
Therefore, when a seeker is "ready for instruction," it is not always proper to "begin by urging him to believe." He may need to repent, to confess, to make a restitution, or to die to self, or to meet some other demand that God is at that point requiring of him before he can truly "believe". -- DVM] Have Faith In urging a seeker to believe or have faith, be careful lest you confuse him. When as a youth I knelt at an altar of prayer, a worker said to me over and over, "Just believe, believe, believe." I did not really know what he meant and left the altar unsaved and confused.So few seekers know anything about the plan of salvation. Even from Christian homes they know very little. If you will deal with all as though they did not know the way, you will hit it more often than you will miss it. When you urge them to believe, to have faith, give them some promise to which they may pin their faith.
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