[james34]

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...

All of the opinion about the situation really doesn’t matter, just the fact that it happens. (God fills non baptized people with the Holy Ghost. So is God filling people with the Holy Ghost while they are still accountable for past sins?