A Cause For Rejoicing

Q.  Luke 15:10 says, “Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”  NKJV
I have always wondered why there isn’t a bigger to do about someone who repents and asks Jesus to be the Lord of their lives. Most churches I’ve been that have an alter call do not have much of a celebration for the new brothers and sisters to welcome them into their new  Christian family.  Is there a reason for this?

A.  Giving ourselves to the Lord is the most important decision of our life, and like you I think churches should make more of the event. The reason they don’t is probably because although it’s a once in a lifetime event for the new believer, it’s more of a routine matter for the church.  But if it causes rejoicing in Heaven, it certainly should have the same effect on Earth.

I also think it’s a mistake to treat the public declaration of faith as the end of something, when it’s actually the beginning.  By and large churches are weak in the discipleship area and new believers need all the help they can get in developing a foundation of knowledge upon which to build their faith.  After all faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ (Romans 10:17).