*The Motivation of the Masses
by Evangelist Taj Pacleb
INTRO: *What is the purpose of preaching?
§ It is not to satisfy the curiosity nor to inform the intellect.
§ But to call people to a POINT of DECISION for Christ. And why is that?
*Rom.2:13—“For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the
law shall be justified.”
*Mat.7:24—“Therefore whosoever HEARS these sayings of mine, and DOES them, I
will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock.”
But what does it mean to DO? What can we DO?
The only POWER we have is that of CHOICE!
The only POWER that God does not have is that of CHOICE over us.
*When we give Him our choice, He gives us His change. The Divine Transaction.
Thus, the object of preaching is to communicate enough information so that
people can make an intelligent decision. It is an appeal for people to DECIDE!
*“I saw that when the truth is presented, it should be in the power and Spirit. Bring the
people to the point to decide. Show them the importance of the truth--it is life or death. With
becoming zeal, pull souls out of the fire.”—1T 152
*“At the close of every meeting, decisions should be called for.”—Ev 280.4
*“No one can tell what is lost by attempting to preach without the unction of the Holy Spirit. In
every congregation there are souls who are hesitating, almost decided to be wholly for God.
Decisions are being made; but too often the minister has not the spirit and power of the message,
and no direct appeals are made to those who are trembling in the balance.”—GW 151
There are no altar calls, decision cards, nor hand-raising appeals found in Bible.
However the principles of calling & asking for a response are still there…
§ *Gen.3:9—The first appeal: “Adam where are you?”—A call to come forward.
§ *Exo.32:29—“Who is on the LORD’S side? Let him come unto me.”
§ *1Kn.18:20—“How long halt you between two opinions?”
§ *Josh.24:15—“Choose you this day who you will serve.”
§ *Lk.8:45—“Who touched me?”—Come forward and confess me publically.
§ *Lk.19:5—“Make haste and come down for today I must abide at your house!”
§ *Mk.10:21—“Sell what you have… take up your cross and follow me.”
§ *Rev.3:20—“Hear my voice and opens the door.”
§ *Rev.22:17— Final Trinity of appeals: “Come, come, come”
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*What causes someone to choose that which is against their sinful nature? ONE WORD…
*CONVICTION—the state of being convinced of error or compelled to admit the truth.
POINT #1—THE SCIENCE OF CONVICTION
We do not have power to create conviction in people’s hearts…
*1Cor.2:1-5—“And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of
speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. 2 For I determined not to
know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. 3 I was with you
in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. 4 And my speech and my preaching
were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit
and of power, 5 that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the
power of God.”
*Persuasive words of human wisdom can create guilt, but not spiritual conviction.
It is the demonstration of the POWER of the Holy Spirit that brings conviction…
*Jn.16:7-8—“…The Comforter…when He is come, he will reprove (convict) the
world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment.”
§ Thus, our responsibility in the appeal is not to try to convict someone.
§ Our responsibility is to appeal to a conviction that the Spirit has already created.
§ Conviction does not come by human tactic but rather a divine miracle.
We must watch for conviction in people’s faces and body language…
*Act.14:8—“And in Lystra a certain man without strength in his feet was sitting, a
cripple from his mother’s womb, who had never walked.”
§ Fit description of HUMANITY!
§ “Without strength, sitting, crippled, never walked.”
v.9-10—“This man heard Paul speaking. Paul, observing him intently and seeing that
he had faith to be healed, 10 said with a loud voice, “Stand up straight on your feet!”
And he leaped and walked.”
§ They must HEAR God speaking through His messengers!
§ We must watch & observe how people are responding.
o *“The heart can be read in the face.”—YI Sep.1, 1873, par.13
o Then we must make a direct appeal to the conviction in people’s hearts.
o We must discover where God is already working and join Him there!
*“When persons who are under conviction are not brought to make a decision at the earliest
period possible, there is danger that the conviction will gradually wear away.”—Ev 229
Conviction doesn’t always last. For this reason we must appeal!
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If you don’t make an appeal, you’re preparing your people for non-response.
§ *DESENSITIZED: Overexposure to the point where one becomes less sensitive.
§ When people get used to feeling a conviction but not doing anything about it.
o We watch TV and it never requires a response: Desensitized.
o Murders in media prepare people to see one in real life and not respond.
We must create an environment where people will ACT upon the convictions of their heart.
We are not creating conviction but rather appealing to it. *So how is it done?
What gives people POWER to CHOOSE against their sinful nature?
POINT #2—THE ART OF THE APPEAL: 14 PRINCIPLES OF DECISION MAKING
*PRINCIPLE #1—UPLIFT THE CROSS
*1Cor.1:18—“For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but
unto us which are saved it is the power of God.”
*Jn.12:32—“And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw ALL men unto me.”
*2Cor.5:14-15—“For the love of Christ compels us… 15 and He died for all, that those who
live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.”
*At the CROSS we see two things simultaneously…
1. *The Ugliness & hideousness of SIN.
2. *The Beauty & Majesty of self-sacrificing LOVE.
The Cross reveals the CONTRAST of the two most powerful forces in the universe.
At the cross we see the power of LOVE overcoming the power of SIN!
A correct view of the Cross will cause us to hate sin and to love God!
**“God and His beloved Son must be presented before the people in the wealth of the love
they have evidenced for man. In order to break down the barriers of prejudice and
impenitence the love of Christ must have a part in every discourse. Make men to know
how much Jesus loves them, and what evidences He has given them of His love.
What love can equal that which God has manifested for man by the death of Christ on the
cross. When the heart is filled with the love of Jesus, this can be presented to the people
and it WILL affect hearts.”—Ev.285.3
*“If those who today are teaching the word of God, would uplift the cross of Christ higher
and still higher, their ministry would be far more successful. If sinners can be led to give
ONE earnest look at the cross, if they can obtain a full view of the crucified Savior, they
will realize the depth of God's compassion and the sinfulness of sin.”—AA 209.2
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*“Accompanied by the power of persuasion, the power of prayer, the power of the love of
God, this work will not, cannot, be without fruit.”—MH 143.4
This does not mean that we only preach about the Cross.
But rather every message must be preached in the context of Calvary!
*PRINCIPLE #2—POINT OUT THE SOLEMNITY OF THE DECISION
*Deu.30:19—“I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set
before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore CHOOSE life, that both thou
and thy seed may live.”
The listener must be led to understand how this single decision will change the
course of their eternal destiny & potentially that of their loved ones.
*“Throw off all appearance of apathy (indifference, lack of enthusiasm) and lead the people to
think that there is life or death in these solemn questions, according as they shall receive or
reject them. As you present testing truth, ask often, who is now willing, as they have heard
the words of God, pointing out their duty, to consecrate their hearts and minds, with all
their affections, to Christ Jesus.”—Ev.284.4
It is far more solemn than choosing what school you’ll attend, what career you’ll
pursue, where you live, or even whom you will marry.
This decision will influence all the rest!
*“With an unction of the Holy Spirit upon him, giving him a burden for souls, he will not
dismiss a congregation without presenting before them Jesus Christ, the sinner's
only refuge, making earnest appeals that will reach their hearts. He should feel that
he may never meet these hearers again until the great day of God.”—Ev.280.2
*“Speak with all the earnestness of a faith that not only believes what you say to be
true but believes that eternal destiny hangs upon it—and if it doesn’t hand upon it,
then don’t preach it. If that sermon isn’t a matter of life and death, you never were
ordained to preach it.”—Richards, p.100
PRINCIPLE #3—POINT OUT THE URGENCY OF NOW
*2Cor.6:2—“…Now is the accepted time, NOW is the day of salvation”
Heb.3:7-8—“TODAY is you will hear his voice, harden not your hearts…”
Jn.12:35—“…Walk while you have the light, lest darkness come upon you.”
Isa.55:7—“ Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near.”
Josh.24:15—“Choose you, THIS DAY whom you will serve… But as for me and my
house, we will serve the Lord.”
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Amos 8:11-12—“Behold, the days come, says the Lord God, that I will send a famine
in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of
the LORD: 12 And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the
east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it.”
**“Some may be listening to the last sermon they will ever hear, and some will never
again be so situated that they can have the chain of truth brought before them, and a
practical application made of it to their hearts. That golden opportunity lost, is lost
forever. Had Christ and His redeeming love been exalted in connection with the theory of
truth, it might have balanced them on His side.”—Ev.280.1
LUKE—HOW TO POSTPONE YOUR FUNERAL
DEJAH—“Thank you for your message of love. I want you to baptize me when you come
back to the Big Island. Pray for the renewing of my mind. I had fleshly thinking and know
the battle rages on. But Jesus has overcome. With God all things are possible.”
**“Many are convicted of sin, and feel their need of a sin-pardoning Savior… and if
there is not a decided application of the truth to their hearts, if words are not spoken at the right
moment, calling for decision from the weight of evidence already presented, the
convicted ones pass on without identifying themselves with Christ, the golden
opportunity passes, and they have not yielded, and they go farther and farther away
from the truth, farther away from Jesus and never take their stand on the Lord’s side.”—Ev.283
*PRINCIPLE #4—ELIMINATE ALL NEUTRALITY
Mat.12:30—“He that is not with me is against me; & he that gathers not with me scatters
abroad.”
Rev.3:15-16—“I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were cold or
hot. Because you are lukewarm, & neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.”
Exo.32:26—“Who is on the Lord’s side? Let him come unto me.”
1Kn.18:21—“How long halt ye between two opinions? If the Lord be God, follow
him: but if Baal, then follow him.”
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*PRINCIPLE #5— MINIMIZE THE RISKS AND MAXIMIZE THE BENEFITS
*“’SOMETHING BETTER’ is the watchword of education, the law of all true living.
Whatever Christ asks us to renounce, He offers in its stead something better…To
honor Christ, to become like Him, to work for Him, is the life’s highest ambition
and its greatest joy.”—Edu. p.296-297
***“The shortness of time is frequently urged as an incentive for seeking righteousness and
making Christ our friend. This should not be the great motive with us; for it savors of
selfishness. Is it necessary that the terrors of the day of God should be held before us, that we
may be compelled to right action through fear? It ought not to be so. JESUS IS
ATTRACTIVE. He is full of love, mercy, and compassion… He says to us, I am the Lord thy
God; walk with Me, and I will fill thy path with light. Jesus, the Majesty of heaven, proposes
to elevate to companionship with Himself those who come to Him with their burdens, their
weaknesses, and their cares. He will count them as His children, and finally give them an
inheritance of more value than the empires of kings, a crown of glory richer than has ever
decked the brow of the most exalted earthly monarch.”--LHU 98.3
Do not focus on what we’re giving but rather what God has & will give!
*God never takes away something from us without replacing it with something better!
*PRINCIPLE #6—BE CLEAR ON WHAT THE DECISION IS
**“Present the plain "Thus saith the Lord" with authority, and exalt the wisdom of God in the
written Word. Bring the people to a decision; keep the voice of the Bible ever before them. Tell
them you speak that which you do know, and testify that which is truth, because God has
spoken it. Let your preaching be short and right to the point, and then at the proper time call
for a decision. Do not present the truth in a formal manner, but let the heart be vitalized by
the Spirit of God, and let your words be spoken with such certainty that those who hear may
know that the truth is a reality to you.”—Ev 296.2
Decide what are the main objectives of your presentation.
Call for a variety of decision for different people in your congregation.
First EXPLAIN exactly what you want them to do & how they are to respond.
This gives them a few moments to calculate the cost in their hearts.
THEN ask them to DO it.
*PRINCIPLE #7—EXPECT PEOPLE TO MAKE DECISIONS
Many times the biggest hindrance is in our own minds!
Our thinking impacts HOW we give the invitation.
The way we give the invitation impacts the response.
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Many ministers do not call for a decision out of FEAR that no one will respond.
If we are not confident in asking, people will not be confident in responding!
*Act.28:30-31—“Preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which
concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him.”
Jm.4:2—“You have not because you ask not”
Isa.55:11—“So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return
unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the
thing whereto I sent it.”
Ecc.11:1—“Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days.”
*“All the resources of heaven are at the command of those who are seeking to save the lost.
Angels will help you to reach the most careless and the most hardened.”—COL 197
*“Talk and act as if your faith was invincible.”—Col 146
Do NOT ask: “Is there just one person here?”
Rather say: “I KNOW the HS is calling someone to respond today!”
APPEAL: “I want to GIVE you the OPPORTUNITY to respond.”
*PRINCIPLE #8—PRESS & RELEASE
Consistent pressure/conviction will eventually crush people & push them away.
There’s only so much PRESSURE human nature can handle.
There must be a good BALANCE between encouraging points and challenging points.
We need to give people time to breathe by easing the tension of rebuke and correction
with exhortation and encouragement.
*PRINCIPLE #9— ASK “YES” QUESTIONS
Throughout the message ask questions that will require a “yes” or affirmative answer.
These we call mini altar calls.
Smaller commitments prepare people for bigger commitments.
The Holy Spirit can use rhetorical questions to bring conviction to people’s hearts!
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*PRINCIPLE #10— APPEAL TO PEOPLE ON EVERY LEVEL OF THEIR BEING
*“In order to lead souls to Jesus there must be a knowledge of human nature and a study of the
human mind. Much careful thought and fervent prayer are required to know how to approach
men and women upon the great subject of truth.” - 4T 67
4 realms of our existence: Mental, spiritual, emotional, & physical…
CAPTIVATE the ATTENTION (Emotional)
This is done by HOW we deliver the content: Creative language/speech, art, music.
We must appeal to both the LEFT (mathematical) and RIGHT (artistic) brain!
CONVINCE the Mind (Mental)
What we present must be Biblical, sound, & logical.
EVIDENCE (both Biblical & practical) should be given to back up our claims.
We must reason from cause to effect and effect to cause.
CONVICT the Heart (Spiritual)
This is done by making a personal application to truth to one’s life.
We must explain WHY the information is important.
To show How the information breaks into the realm of personal experience.
CONVERT the Soul (Physical)
Appealing for people to MAKE A DECISION based upon…
Information of their mind & the conviction of their heart.
*PRINCIPLE #11—LEAD INTO THE APPEAL WITH PRAYER
*Phi.2:13—“For it is God which works in you both to WILL and to DO of his good pleasure.”
§ God is the one who puts the desire & power to DECIDE.
§ Begin praying, then in the middle of your prayer say: “As your heads are bowed,
and your eyes are closed, and your heart open to God in prayer…”
*PRINCIPLE #12— BE PERSISTANT WHEN YOU SEE CONVICTION
*Jude 22-23—“Some have compassion, making a difference: 23 And others save with
fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.”
§ Don’t give up so easily.
§ If you see conviction on faces & agitation in body language.
§ Keep PLEADING with the people to respond.
§ We need to give people TIME to think & respond. (Reedley appeal)
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*PRINCIPLE #13— ANSWER THE MOST COMMON OBJECTIONS
*Isa.1:18—“Come now, let us reason together…”
§ As people sit during an appeal, Satan is giving them every reason NOT to respond.
§ During the appeal, you must recognize, address, & answer these objections.
§ Answering objections are like clearing the rubbish away from the Cross.
§ During the appeal say, “You may be saying to yourself… (state the objection then
answer it from the Bible or show why that is not a good reason to hesitate).
COMMON OBJECTIONS…
§ What will my friends think?
§ How will my family respond?
§ I can’t let go of my sin. I love it too much.
§ My life will be so boring without this sin.
§ I need to change or give something up first.
§ I’ll wait until someone else responds.
§ God cannot really forgive me. I’m too sinful.
§ My life is okay. I’m a good person.
§ I’ll have another opportunity. Not right now.
§ Why do I need to go to the front?
§ But everyone is looking and will see me come forward.
*PRINCIPLE #14— DON’T BE INTIMIDATED IF NO ONE RESPONDS
God isn’t calling us to convert people. We can’t anyway.
Even Jesus lost JUDAS.
*God will never FORCE anyone to be saved. He allows people to walk away.
§ We must allow people to choose their own destinies.
§ When we’ve done all that we can, we leave the results with God.
§ Sometimes it will take years or even decades for the seed to sprout. (Rob McCowan)
§ Sometimes God moves mountains one pebble at a time!
CLOSE: *The Gripping of Agrippa (Act.26)
PAUL was a powerful PREACHER & a master SOUL WINNER
Paul appealed in various different ways to the King…
§ Demonstrated confidence in listeners’ honesty & sincerity. (v.3, 26)
§ Shared his own personal testimony and experience. (v.4-22)
§ He called the King by name 4 times thus making it personal. (v.2, 7, 19, 27)
§ He called attention to the scriptures. (v.22)
§ Ask rhetorical “yes” answer questions. (v.27)
§ Press & release: “Do you believe? I know you believe” (v.27-28)
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*“The whole company had listened spellbound to Paul's account of his wonderful experiences.
The apostle was dwelling upon his favorite theme. None who heard him could doubt his
sincerity.”—AA 437
**”The apostle was dwelling upon his favorite theme, in that solemn, earnest, impassioned
manner which had been so powerful an agent in his mission. In the all-absorbing interest of his
subject, he lost sight of kings and governors and chief captains, of wealth, rank, and titles. He
was bearing the testimony which was the object of his life, and he could speak with the
assurance of long familiarity and the fire of intense conviction. None who heard him could
doubt his sincerity.”—LP 258
What was his response to the appeal?
v.28—“ Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.”
“Deeply affected, Agrippa for the moment lost sight of his surroundings and the dignity of his
position. Conscious only of the truths which he had heard, seeing only the humble prisoner
standing before him as God's ambassador, he answered involuntarily, "Almost thou persuadest
me to be a Christian.”—AA 438
*Even if our appeal is PERFECT, people are still free to refuse and reject.
Leave them in God’s hands.
Do you see & understand the great privilege set before us?
Do you believe that God will bring the success according to your faith & work?
How many of you by His grace want to go and compel them to come?
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*A word on Baptismal Clearing…
*1Cor.1:17-18—“For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the GOSPEL: not with
wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect. 18 For the
preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it
is the power of God.”
Our goal is NOT to baptize. But to faithfully give the message of the GOSPEL!
As we do this, THEN people will be baptized!
We must make sure that their decision for baptism is based upon the message of the gospel!
But which gospel?—The PRESENT TRUTH message of that time.
*Our PRESENT TRUTH GOSPEL Message is found in Revelation 14:6-12
The 3 Angels message must always be Christ & Cross centered!
We should never baptism someone without them first accepting this specific message.
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