05.01. Altar Work
1. ALTAR WORK
One of the most important factors in a revival campaign is the work done at the altar. Here the battle is so often won or lost. Here decisions are made, not only for life, but for eternity.
Training
During the years of my revival work I realized more and more the need of sane, careful, and scriptural work at this point. Because of this realization, I began to pick, with the help of the pastor, a spiritual group and in the early part of the campaign talk to them along this line. This message is the result of those talks.
Recently at one of our largest church camp meetings, I spoke on this subject to a number of ministers and laymen and was urged to put the material into print. Hence this book.
Need of Prayer
While this message contains largely suggestions on how to deal with seekers at the altar, I realize and recognize that there should always be a season of sincere, earnest prayer by both the worker and the seeker before instruction, in any major sense, begins. In every suggestion made, there is the supposition that there has been a time of prayer and that the seeker has reached a place where he needs help to grasp the truth of the way of salvation.
Know He Is Saved To deal with souls one should have a personal knowledge of salvation. He should be able to Say, "I know Jesus can save, for He saved me."He should know he is saved according to the Scriptures and be able to give chapter and verse for the scriptures on which he bases his salvation. The Bible says: "Sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear" (1 Peter 3:15). The Only Plan The Bible contains the only divine plan of salvation and any person who does not know, according to the Word, that he is saved is disqualified to deal with a seeker about his soul. If I did not have a scriptural knowledge of salvation, I would not rest this night until I had searched the Scriptures and searched my soul until I could say, "I know because I have met the conditions of the Word."
* * * * * * *