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Re: Forgiveness or Remission?
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Originally Posted by Esaias
How familiar is this scenario?
Sinners come to the meeting, hear about sin and salvation, they are exhorted to "get right with God" etc, they come to the front at the altar call, Sister Pianoplayer plays the plaintive music, the sinners pray and are crying, maybe some "pray through to the Holy Ghost". Then after the meeting MAYBE they are told to make an appointment to get baptized next week or later that month.
So the preacher and the saints conclude "God is saving people and giving them the Holy Ghost in our Baptist-style evangelistic altar call meetings more often than at the baptism ceremonies."
But what's really happening here?
Maybe God is working around the unbiblical traditions of religious practice. God probably saves more people in spite of religious customs than because of them. Maybe things would go differently if instead people were told to "answer the altar call" by coming forward to the baptistry instead of a platform rail? Maybe things would go differently if we just did Bible things in the Bible way, instead of doing what is popular and common...
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I may be wrong here, yet, I'll say this. You're correct, we may not have a blueprint how everything was ran inside a church "service" in the times of Acts. And therefore what we do have, you can say church in the modern era is operated in a unbiblical traditional way, and I do believe you. Yet, what you have and what you see is based on what has worked for others. People are guilty of preaching and following what has worked for them individually and as a church body.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Esaias
So the preacher and the saints conclude "God is saving people and giving them the Holy Ghost in our Baptist-style evangelistic altar call meetings more often than at the baptism ceremonies."
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*Just a side note*
I just recently heard, a "big wig" in the baptist organization stated publicly that baptists are going to return to their Holy Ghost speaking in Tongues heritage.... Things looks like it's going to get interesting.
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Jesus, Teach us How to war in the Spirit realm, rather than war in the carnal, physical realm. Teach us to be spiritually minded, rather than to be mindful of the carnal.
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