A QUESTION FOR "CHURCH PEOPLE"

Ashamed

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes..." Romans 1: 16

To be ashamed in some sense means to be embarrassed. Why should anyone be embarrassed about God, Jesus, salvation, etc? The word "ashamed" in Hebrew and Greek has several meanings, one of them is the word embarrassed or "put to the blush".

When I was growing up and even into my adult years, wherever I went to church, an "altar call" was often given at the end of the service. It became my understanding that in order to receive salvation in the "correct manner", one had to go to the front of the church and make a public admission that they were acknowledging their sin and need of a Savior. This was done with the Pastor of the church giving the instructional prayer to salvation or done by Prayer Ministers of that particular church where they would often pray with the person who came forward to make sure they understood why they were down there and "how to get saved" by praying and asking God’s forgiveness and inviting Jesus into their heart.

I personally experienced this in a Presbyterian Church many years ago. It was during an evening service and I was getting ready to leave as my youngest daughter became fussy and crying and as I got up to leave, a lady offered to hold my child, thinking I was going down the aisle instead of leaving the church! I don’t actually recall walking down that aisle, but a man by the name of Paul Jordan, the churches evangelist, prayed for me and with me and made sure I knew I was born-again before I left. Since I told him I didn’t know for sure, he prayed again that I would be certain of my salvation. That night when I took my children home and put them to bed, I sat down in the living room and started to cry. "Jesus, I started, "I don’t know how to live this life so would you please come and save me and teach me how to live your way." I don’t recall exactly what else I said but I will never forget seeing Jesus standing there in front of me and I was enveloped by Him. Needless to say, I’ve never doubted my salvation because someone took the time to pray and make sure I knew what it meant.

Many times, pastors or evangelists would say things like, "Don’t be afraid to come" or "You need to come. Jesus said, "Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven…" (Matthew 10:32a) He also said in Luke 9: 26, "If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels."

Since salvation is based upon repentance and public acknowledgment of belief in Jesus, how could anyone get "saved" any other way? True, there is no other salvation except through Jesus, but Jesus was talking about making a public statement. And not being afraid, ashamed or embarrassed by that statement. I’m not implying that "going forward" is what brings the salvation. But can you imagine being in church and the Pastor says he wants you to be embarrassed or ashamed to come down in front of everyone and "get saved?" How is it then, that by having everyone not looking and having people raise their hand for prayer is actually making a public acknowledgment of receiving Jesus and coming to repentance?

I am not saying that there is only one way of coming into the Kingdom of God. What I am trying to say is that it should not be secret or not public acknowledgment based upon what Jesus said about being ashamed or embarrassed about Him. I only say this after much study of the word ashamed and coming to find it also means embarrassed.

One pastor I know actually has everyone in the congregation close their eyes and have those who want salvation to raise their hand when no one is looking and saying he does not want to call you out or embarrass you. Based on what Jesus said in Matthew and Luke, doesn’t this seem to be the opposite of what Jesus was saying? Jesus said no one should be ashamed or embarrassed at Him. He endured all the shame and embarrassment on the Cross so we shouldn’t be ashamed or embarrassed by what He did for us. I feel it does Him a great injustice by NOT making a public statement by going to the altar and showing openly that one is repentant. People asked the disciples, what then shall we do?

"Repent". It is God’s desire for all of us to come to repentance.

I don’t know that the average person in today’s society has any clue as to how to get saved. I would venture to guess that most think it has to do with being a good person. So how would anyone know how to "get saved" if they had no instruction or anyone to talk to about such an important decision? How would they know unless they were told? And "how, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?…"

People need instruction. Without instruction in typing, I wouldn’t be able to write this with a computer. Without instruction, I wouldn’t have known how to come to Jesus. Most people grow up thinking God is angry with them and doesn’t want them. They need instruction. Most people don’t know how to "get saved." They need instruction. If they are embarrassed to ask, they might need a little "push". But certainly they don’t need any instruction on how to be embarrassed. I can't help thinking about the Billy Graham Crusades and how people "came forward" on public television. Now that's making a statement!

How is salvation and receiving salvation handled in your particular church? Please leave your comments to this question as I am trying to gather as much information as possible.  And please, all you athesists out there, consider.  And for those who only want to be disrespectful, go to someone else's blog.