JIM ELLIFF, founder and president of Christian Communicators Worldwide, will address the theme: "ALTAR CALLS: A Command of Christ or The Invention of Man?"According to our guest, "When modern evangelical churches seek to bring the unregenerate to Christ (and they should do so with passion), they often fall prey to a formula which produces disappointing results. The pattern runs something like this:
-Extending a public altar call
-Praying "the sinner's prayer"
-Giving immediate verbal assurance that one is in Christ on the basis of the sinner's sincerity and the accuracy of the wording of the prayer
-Immediate, or near immediate, public announcement that this person is now in Christ
-Public baptism as a symbol of death to sin and life in Christ
This pattern has been passed down and repeated because few are taking the necessary time to examine both its flight from Scriptural precedent and precept and its dismal effect. When asked to give more careful consideration to its content and outcome, however, we are finding that many, thankfully, are rejecting this inept structure in favor of a better, more biblical one. The above list will seem familiar to every soul-loving believer, but the very evangelistic passion we have for our neighbors and unconverted family members should drive us to lay our present methods up against the truth for a well-needed examination. Like the short-of-breath fifty-year-old who has never been to the doctor, it is time for a major check-up. What then is wrong with the above list?..." Listen today, and learn what Jim Elliff believes is the answer.
Since The beginning of CCW in 1985, Jim Elliff has addressed organizations, groups in educational settings, churches, and pastor's fraternals of various denominations in almost every state of the United States and in numerous foreign countries. Jim has been privileged to address groups in all kinds of settings—everything from a witch doctor's hut to a Communist meeting hall!
Jim has a passion to communicate. He is the author of four books that have been published in the US and overseas, Led by the Spirit, Pursuing God—A Seeker's Guide, Going Under: Discussions on Baptism and Wasted Faith. He has written or edited many booklets which have been published by CCW. Jim’s articles also appear in a variety of periodicals and his messages are frequently heard on radio. He was featured in a seven-part interview called How Children Come to Faith in Christ with FamilyLife Today hosted by Dennis Rainey, and in a five-part series on Revive Our Hearts with Nancy DeMoss. Jim has contributed chapters in several other books, as well as writing extensively for the web. Many of his articles may be found at http://www.ccwtoday.org/.
In addition to his writing and travel, Jim began Christ Fellowship of Kansas City in 2003. This unique church is made up of home congregations in the Kansas City metro area.
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