The Altar Call: Does the means justify the end?

[Maximilian]

Originally Posted by Praxeas

What did the Apostles teach/preach? Did they just get up and say "Jesus died for your sins, come if you want to?"

It depends on the crowd and who is listening. As the way of the Master puts it, grace to the humble and law to the proud. Yes, we are actually told to warn them of the judgment to come

Col 1:28 whom we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, so that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.
Col 1:29 For which I also labor, striving according to the working of Him who works in me in power.

1Co 10:11 And all these things happened to them as examples; and it is written for our warning on whom the ends of the world have come.

Luk 3:7 Then he said to the crowd that came forth to be baptized by him, O generation of vipers! Who has warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

Mat 5:21 You have heard that it was said to the ancients, "You shall not kill" --and, "Whoever shall kill shall be liable to the judgment."

Luk 10:13 Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which have been done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented a long while ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.
Luk 10:14 But it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the Judgment than for you.
Luk 10:15 And you, Capernaum, which has been lifted up to Heaven, you shall be thrust down into hell.

Act 24:24 Then after certain days, when Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was a Jewess, he sent for Paul and heard him concerning the faith in Christ.
Act 24:25 And as he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and the Judgment to come, Felix trembled and answered, Go for this time, but taking time later, I will call for you.

It wasn't all Joel Osteen love talk. They warned. They reasoned

And read the letters to the churches in Revelation.

First, I don't believe in Joel Osteen's self-help back massaging. Nor do I believe in a clenched-fist presentation of the Gospel. I DO believe in "love talk." How did Jesus present the Kingdom?

You threw up so many scriptures that are independent of each other that it would be quite difficult for me to go through each one on this post. I'll address only a few:

Luk 3:7 Then he said to the crowd that came forth to be baptized by him, O generation of vipers! Who has warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

Who is the audience? Who is the "generation of vipers" he is speaking out against?

Mat 5:21 You have heard that it was said to the ancients, "You shall not kill" --and, "Whoever shall kill shall be liable to the judgment."

This is your text to justify scare tactics and emotional manipulation, ends-justify-the-means approaches to sharing the Good News?

Luke 10 -- this wasn't an appeal for them to come to salvation. These were groanings of Jesus. From what I read, it wasn't even a sermon.

We run short on proof-texts because altar calls (altar showdowns) have no biblical precedent -- at all. nada. none.

As far as revelation. This letter from John was HOPE not FEAR to the churches. I would wager that what makes people geek out into decoding the letter, that to most of Christianity in that day, was understood. The encoding of the letter was so that the letter would not bring consequences on them if it were interecepted by authorities. It is Hope. I'd dare say they read it, dragging people by the coat collar to the altars.

Your note about Felix. It began with this in v24 He sent for Paul and listened to him as he spoke about faith in Christ Jesus. I can't help but believe Felix's fear was not stemmed only from the judgement talk, which is implied, but a fear we've seen in people who begin to "see it." The Kingdom is presented to them and they have to make a choice. Felix is a corrupt and evil man, hoping even that these talks would produce a bribe from Paul, and instead he finds himself in conviction. There's nothing here about Paul using fear to control Felix, and of course nothing of an emotional altar call showdown.