The Bible tells us to preach the gospel and call people to repentance. Peter gives us a good example of this in the Book of Acts. After Peter had preached a powerful sermon, reminding the Jewish audience that they had killed Jesus, who was the Messiah they had been praying for and expecting for generations, they responded by asking a question.
Acts 2:37–38 says…
37 When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”
38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Notice that Peter didn’t merely give information. He confronted his audience with the truth about Jesus.
He told them:
· You crucified Christ.
· You need to repent.
· You need to be baptized.
He promised them that if they would respond in this way, they would be forgiven and they would receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
We need to remember that, friends. Biblical preaching should call people to repentance and faith. It should call them to respond in repentance and faith, trusting Christ for the forgiveness of their sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit.
This becomes a problem, however, if we try to produce the response ourselves.
For example, if a preacher deliberately creates psychological pressure, manipulates emotions, uses public embarrassment, prolongs the meeting until people surrender, or treats visible decisions as proof of spiritual results, we’ve moved into much more questionable territory.
The person may go home believing he has been converted.
But as the emotion fades, so does the apparent commitment. He doesn’t begin following Christ. He doesn’t develop a hunger for Scripture. He doesn’t seek fellowship with other believers. There is no meaningful change in his life.
And what happens then?
Instead of asking, “Was my conversion genuine?”, he may conclude, “Christianity doesn’t work for me.”
That is tragic.
He may have been given an experience and told it was conversion. When the experience doesn’t produce the promised results, he may reject Christianity altogether.
And the minister may have unintentionally contributed to that person’s confusion by emphasizing the decision rather than the gospel, the response rather than repentance, and the moment rather than the life that follows.
The New Testament gives us a different picture. Jesus called people to follow Him. Peter preached repentance. Paul made disciples and strengthened believers in the faith. Christianity was never presented merely as a decision made during an emotionally intense moment.
Christianity is about genuinely turning from sin and following Christ, even when doing so isn’t popular or easy.
We cannot manufacture conversions. We can preach the gospel. We can call people to repentance. We can point them to Christ. But only God can bring about genuine spiritual life.
Last Call Outreach Ministry 
Leave a comment