They Came to Christ…or Did They?

Early on in my youth ministry career, I ended my message one night with a compelling call for students to put their faith in Jesus. I asked the students to close their eyes, and I explained that if they wanted to know that God forgave them, they just had to pray the familiar Sinner's Prayer along with me. I then asked them, with all eyes closed, if anyone had prayed that prayer for the first time to signal that to me by raising a hand. Two students raised their hands: a guy who had never been there before, and a girl for whom one of our student leaders had been praying for months.

In the days to come, as word spread that these students had "come to faith," tears of joy were shed. As the weeks wore on and neither of these students returned regularly, it raised questions among our group. Were these students actually saved? What did their Sinner's Prayers mean? Were angels really rejoicing with us that night; and if so, how come they couldn't follow through and make sure they stuck with it? Most of us probably have had similar experiences (and questions) along the way.

I'm not suggesting the answer is to swing to the other extreme and draw a line in the sand every week, daring students to step over it. A call to a lifelong commitment to follow Jesus should happen naturally in the context of the community of your group as students are drawn into fellowship and service with one another.

If all Jesus cared about from His disciples was a "decision for Christ," they could've kept their day jobs. Rather, He asked them to follow Him for three years and learn from Him how to live a life of abundance in the service of the Kingdom of God. We cannot let manipulative stories be a substitute for a call to a lifestyle—one characterized by making a decision for Jesus not in a single, emotional moment, but by making that decision over and over again, every single day.