#22 The lobster that surrendered his life (and other animal stories)

On being a disciple at a men’s event

This past weekend I went with a group of guys to The Gathering which is a Christian men’s event in the UK like no other. Taking place at the notoriously vague address ‘in a field near Swindon’ the Gathering features:

● Live comedy ● cool cars ● 5-a-side tournament ● bar ● live-music ● walking football ● huge inflatables ● bar-games ●volleyball ● axe throwing ● relevant Bible teaching ● great worship ● great speakers ● life-stories ● scalextric ● bonfires and loads more...

What’s so interesting about the format of The Gathering is the way they have built pathways that allow for different levels of engagement depending on where you are on your spiritual journey.

This is not about being ‘seeker sensitive’ as in watering down the message or method. Far from it. It is about being ‘journey sensitive’ and allowing space to include as many men as possible.

I really appreciated how well thought through the structure, programme, and atmosphere of the event was. It has clearly been intentionally developed over many years.

As a first timer myself, I had members of the event (not leaders) reach out to me during the weekend to ensure I was in the loop and felt connected. Now that’s culture! 

I have to say though it was bonkers!

Highlights of my first Gathering included:

• Hearing incredible stories of lives transformed by Jesus.

• Singing a Christian Sea Shanty.

• Being inspired to be bold in my faith (thanks Matt Summerfield).

• Talking deep with my friends.

• Observing my brother-in-law be trained by a wrestler.

• The miscellaneous Bag-Piper. 

• Random Star Wars lightsaber moment.

• Judgements against fruit.

• Winning the Quiz (I brought the Quiz Master with me). 

• Dressing up in Gorilla masks with my father-in-law for the Saturday night Animal themed meeting. (Told you it was bonkers!)

Perhaps the most bizarre / inspiring moment was on the Saturday evening (during Animal Night) when after a series of powerful testimonies, a clear gospel presentation, and an altar call, I saw this…

A man dressed as a lobster came down the front and knelt before the cross!

Never seen that before. I understand that you are supposed to come as you are to Jesus but that was next level. I can only hope he was going to stop being shellfish.

(Thank you).

What’s the deal with Altar Calls?

In the past few hundred years preachers such as Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield utilised passionate sermons and calls to repentance, urging listeners to make a personal commitment to God. Their ‘revival meetings’ emphasised the need for individual conversion and spiritual awakening, often resulting in public responses at the conclusion of the sermons.

This has led to the common practice of what is known today as an altar call. They usually include:

• A proclamation of the gospel.

• A call to come down the front and respond.

Some might assume I am not a fan of altar calls because I write so much about a journey based approach to evangelism and discipleship. The truth is that marking a moment can be a key part of a person’s journey to Jesus.  They are just not meant to be the only cog in the wheel.

A few weeks ago at our church I watched a group of people respond down the front and I was weeping with joy at what I saw. The people around me who I didn’t know thought I was too emotional and scared to respond myself and were putting their hands on my shoulder and handing me tissues for my tears! Afterwards I said thank you to the man who gave me comfort and he said “I’ve only been a Christian since October so I still get really moved by it all too…”

May we never lose that spirit. 

From a scriptural perspective we see that public confession and response goes back to the New Testament, especially the Book of Acts. Jesus himself often extended invitations for people to come to Him and we are encouraged to invite others to Christ too. The style and manner of how this happens will inevitably vary as the Bible does not offer us a “how to manual” except that we must do all things in love.

I have heard countless stories of men and women who have had their lives changed by Jesus after responding to altar calls yet they are not without controversy or tension.

Some feel altar calls can become problematic if based on hype, emotional manipulation, or even a lack of consent or understanding. Even on a basic level, we can be so used to going through the motions, that we often forget that there are gaps and assumptions in our communication about the good news.

Many of us will have seen the enthusiastic preacher stand at the pulpit and at the end of their rousing preach give an altar call that goes something like:

“How many of you want to say yes to Jesus today? I am going to count to three and then I want you to raise your hand ---1----2----3. I see that hand. Praise the Lord! I SEE THAT HAND!”

The problem with this type of well-intended appeal is that it makes a lot of presuppositions including:

• It assumes the person understands the gospel even when it hasn't always explicitly been shared as part of the meeting.

• It assumes the person will make the deduction that saying yes to God means saying no to living life by their own will from then on and will repent.

Unless time has been taken during the meeting or beforehand to offer clear explanations, then what they are in effect doing is skipping the A (Admission) and B (Belief) and starting at C (Confess). 

This is like asking people to sign on the dotted line, without explaining the small print! 

One popular charismatic worship leader said this regarding these kinds of jump the gun altar calls: 

“The parable of the sower has haunted me the last two years, because Jesus warned about shallow hearts that heard the word, and yet the cares and concerns of this life choked out the good seed, because they had no root. That means if you don't teach people repentance and create disciples, your seed does not work. I’ve seen a lot of hands go up. Thousands. But Jesus says that if there is no root, the seed dies.”

This is sobering, yet the truth is that God can even work through our imperfect methods. After all, it is ultimately a work of the holy spirit that brings someone to salvation. Whilst we don't get a prescriptive methodology, we do know what the scriptures say about responding to the call for salvation:

If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. Romans 10:9-10.

According to this verse, for a person to be ready to follow Jesus, they simply need to remember their A-B-Cs:

• Admit that they need Jesus Christ (this is the foundation of repentance).

• Believe what Jesus Christ has done for them through his life, death and resurrection.

• Confess their faith before God and others. 

Whenever and however this happens it is always something to celebrate.

7 Things The Gathering did well regarding Altar Calls

Here are seven things The Gathering did with their altar calls that are well worth learning from:

1. There was a clear presentation of the gospel

The gospel was preached in a full and coherent manner with a focus on Jesus. They used storytelling and testimonies to reinforce the impact of the good news.

2. There was a challenge to count the cost

At one point the leader, Carl Beech, said: “Before we invite people to commit to Christ it is important to understand there is a cost. This is not an emotional sales pitch. Jesus is our healer and redeemer but he also wants to fashion and form you to be who you are called to be.”

Spot on. 

3. They left space and time to respond

To ask someone to come down the front is an incredibly brave thing and of course it is not the only way to start a faith journey. Saying 1-2-3 and expecting people to jump out their seats will be fine for a few people but most people will be wrestling with themselves and need a prayerfully patient atmosphere without coercion. 

4. They didn't make false promises 

I often hear this “Come to Jesus and all your issues will get sorted” type gospel. But one of the things that moved me about the whole weekend was the way that they openly  talked about weakness, suffering, loss and challenge, even as a believer. Of particular note is the way that Carl Beech is walking his journey with Parkinson’s disease full of grace. This is not “get out of the storm” - it is “God is with you in it.”

5. The  focus was on the message not the messenger

It never felt like the spotlight was on the gifting or personality of the person at the front but the consistent message of the leadership team was “This is about Jesus.”

6. There was a clear call to action

Not only was it clear what you were responding to, you were also given next steps to ensure you had a pathway right for you. One of the constant calls to action throughout the weekend was “talk to the mates you came here with.” Love that.

7. Follow up was built in from the start

The church is generally brilliant at ramp up and poor at follow up. The Gathering has a network of hundreds of men’s groups. Men often visit the event as guests of these groups and they are already rooted or connected in churches and faith communities. For others not in a group the organisers will apparently take time to connect them in. This well thought through approach will help make a long term difference.

A step in the right direction

Ultimately whenever people respond to the gospel publicly, it is important to note two things:

• No one really knows the heart of man.

• No one really can change a man’s heart but God.

We have to be okay with the mystery of all this.

Becoming a disciple is about making a personal decision to live for Jesus, learn with Jesus, love like Jesus, and in doing so, seek to look like Jesus. This is what it means ‘to give our lives to Christ.’ This is why every Altar call needs to ultimately lead to an altered lifestyle.

Whether you are a man in desperate need of a saviour, or a lobster in need of a new shell, may we never lose the wonder of seeing lives’ change before our eyes. 

Ps: What do you think about Altar calls and their role in discipleship? Let me know in the comments.

Some Images: Copyright The Gathering 2023