Rev. John Kuzma is a General Licensed Minister of the UPCI. He has been a member of The Potter’s House Church, where he is currently the assistant pastor to Rev. Mark Hopper, for 19 years. John along with his wife, Kim and family, hosts a weekly Monday Night Small Group that has brought countless people to Christ. John is an anointed vessel of God who has personally prayed hundreds of people through to the Gift of the Holy Ghost over the last 26 years. 

One thing I have noticed in the churches I’ve preached at or visited – each of them have the same need.  There are never enough saints helping at the altar service. Many of the others are not sure what to do when the Spirit is moving at the end of service. 

Three thing happen in a service:

1. We WORSHIP to bring God’s presence in our midst. 
2. We RESPOND to the Word of God.
3. We BIRTH Spiritual Babies. 

We must understand our purpose as Christians:

Mark 16:15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. 17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; 18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

We tend to think that People are not ready…but Jesus said….

John 4:31 In the mean while his disciples prayed him, saying, Master, eat. 32 But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of. 33 Therefore said the disciples one to another, Hath any man brought him ought to eat? 34 Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work. 35 Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest. 36 And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together. 37 And herein is that saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth. 38 I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours.

The problem is not the HARVEST it is the HELP!

We can have the attitude that it’s the preacher or ministry that does everything in the church and it is our job to come, pay our tithes and worship for awhile and go home until we do it again.  We are MEANT FOR MORE than that.  

Mark 9:23 Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.

Mark 11:23 For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith: 24 Therefore I say unto you, What things so ever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.

If we believe….that is the key..

There are four types of people in the altar: Leaders, Helpers, Seekers and Saints.

1. LEADERS: 

This is the person who will recognize and initiate the need of the Holy Ghost. Some have tremendous potential as leaders but are held captive by a little word — FEAR. Some of the hardest things for us to overcome is fear. It is hard to stand in front of someone and take charge of the moment. But we must remember that what we are doing is more important than our shyness. 

We can be intimidated by “What do I say, or what if I fail.” I would rather try and fail than not try at all. So what if you are unsuccessful . . . not everyone I pray with receives the Holy Ghost, but more much more will than won’t. 

When people I’m praying with don’t receive the Holy Ghost I’m shocked that they didn’t! It’s that kind of faith and thought process you must have. You are stepping into the roll of a coach. Lead them to the greatest thing they will ever receive!

2. HELPERS:

Maybe you are not ready to approach a guest or new person and begin talking to them about the Gift of the Holy Ghost. There is still a place in altar work for you. You can assist the leader/ministry in the following ways:

• Stay with the seeker as the leader may move on to another person. 
• Continue praying with seeker until they are done praying. 
• Talk to them about baptism.
• You may take the lead in praying with the seeker if the leader moves on. 

3. SEEKERS:

Seekers are people needing God. They might smell bad, have bad breath, dirty clothing, or be homeless, but everyone needs the power of the Holy Ghost in their lives. The altar call truly is not about the leader, the helper or the saints. The altar call is for the seekers!

4. SAINTS:

Saints are church folks that come up and seek the Lord for a need in their personal life. Outside of that we should all have an active roll in helping people touch Jesus.

PERSONAL PREPARATION

No matter if you are a leader, a helper or a saint we must all come prepared to work in the altar with the following attitudes:

• Prayer
• Repentance 
• Humility

LAYING ON OF HANDS

Laying of hands is a powerful tool in the hands of the church! When we lay hands on people there is a spiritual transmission that happens. We will impart or [transmit a measure] of our faith onto the individual that we are praying for.

If you are full of faith, then you will transmit FAITH!
If you are full of doubt, you will transmit DOUBT.

NOTE– if we are not serving the Lord as we should, we have no business laying hands on anyone. We transmit what we are…and if our spirit is not right…then what are we going to transmit to the person we are laying hands on?

There is an appropriate manner in which we should lay hands; 

• THE HEAD: This is generally done by the altar worker who is functioning as the leader
• THE CHEST: Male Only!
• THE SHOULDER: For those assisting the leader
• BACK: For those assisting the leader

DO’S AND DONT’S

DONT’S:

• NO CLAWS OF DEATH . . . Never grab and try to shake their head off 
• NO SCREAMING CONTESTS . . . Refrain from screaming in their ear. 
• NO TUG-A-WAR . . . Have two people speaking at the same time – one saying hold on and the other saying let go . . . this causes confusion. Let one lead and the other assist. When working as a team be sensitive to who is leading or assisting, these roles can change. 
  
• DON’T BEG GOD . . . We do not need to beg for Him to do what He has already promised to do.  Just believe!

DO:

We need to impart faith, faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.

• QUOTE SCRIPTURE: As you are praying with the seeker, quote scripture to them. EXAMPLE: “The Bible says…according to the Book of Acts you shall speak in tongues as evidence that you have received the Holy Ghost.”
• LEAD THEM TO REPENTANCE: They cannot receive the Holy Ghost with out repenting first. I often have the seeker repeat after me, “Lord Jesus forgive me for everything that I looked upon that was evil…said….did… I give my life to you…etc.” 
• PREPARE THEM: Help them understand what is happening. EXAMPLE: Say, “When I lay hands on you, you will begin to say words that you don’t understand the meaning of, that’s okay, that is the sign of Christ’s Spirit speaking through you.”
• BELIEVE that they are going to receive it, and they will!
• BE BOLD: Do not be afraid to be bold. Boldness is not arrogance, it is confidence in the Lord to do what He said He would do!
• BE SENSITIVE to God’s Spirit as He is leading you with what words to say to the person seeking to be filled with His Spirit.

PRACTICAL TIPS:

• Have some tissues available.
• Some people may fall out . . . having someone behind them is a wise practice. Use modesty blankets or scarves. 
• Men praying with men and ladies with ladies is always acceptable and encouraged.
• Use mints!

CONCLUSION:

The first time I prayed with someone who received the Holy Ghost it changed me . . . I gained a zeal and confidence after that first time. Think of it this way: a child cannot be born into this world with out a mother; she brings forth the child. We are spiritual mothers and we are birthing new babes into this new and awesome Kingdom of God. Pray for God to use you. Seek to get involved in God’s Kingdom . . . the rewards are out of this world!