"Re-Establish My Altar!"

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"RE-ESTABLISH MY ALTAR!"

 

The altar, a place where people gather for prayer, confession and repentance, has been the prominent focus of many evangelical revivals over the years. One thinks of the revival meetings of Charles Finney in the mid to late 1800's, the Welch revival of 1904, and the Azusa street revival of 1906 - 1909 as examples. One thinks also of prayer gatherings which began at an old-fashioned altar, and sparked great movements of revival and renewal in the church. The altar is a symbol: a symbol of something far greater than a place, a location, or an area in the church. It is a symbol of surrender.

 

An honest look at the condition of the church in many places today reveals weakness, lethargy, and decline. In many places the fires of revival and renewal have dimmed, or have been greatly hindered by the encroachments of sin, the flesh and the devil. As sin and lethargy abound in many places, God's call to His people is, "Re-establish My altar!"

 

I believe the Holy Spirit is once again directing His people back to the altar, so that He can again pour out upon us in power, renewal, and healing. As the Holy Spirit establishes and anoints God's altar, both in the church and in our own hearts, powerful things will happen!

 

(1) The altar is a place of consecration!

For those who are sincerely following Christ, there is power in fresh consecration. Re-dedicating our all to Christ will bring a fresh fire on the altar. "A fire shall always be burning on the altar; it shall never go out." (Lev. 6:13). This is a picture of the fire of total consecration to Christ: Come what may, come danger or blessing, come difficulty or triumph, my all belongs to Him!

 

"I beseech you therefore brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship." (Romans 12:1). Fire will fall on the altar of consecration!

 

(2) The altar is a place of confession and repentance!

When the Holy Spirit is moving, people are brought to the altar in confession of sin and repentance. Fresh confession and repentance are so needed today! The worldliness and the sins of the flesh have become so commonplace around us; Lord, establish the power of your altar, to bring cleansing, confession and repentance into our hearts by the power of the Holy Spirit!

When there is sin in our hearts, even if it is unrecognized as such, it hides the face of the Father from us. "For your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear." (Isaiah 59:2). But through confession and turning from sin, the Holy Spirit cleanses us by applying the precious blood of Christ. Then the barriers are removed, and God promises, "I will no longer hide My face from them, for I will pour out My Spirit on the house of Israel." (Ezek.39:29 / also Acts 2:17,18). When we are seeking His face we are seeking nothing for self, but only to please Him. On such hearts the Lord will surely pour out His Spirit!

 

(3) The altar is a place of surrender!

As people come to the altar in surrender, lives are transformed. The altar is a powerful place for evangelism, as people are called to come forward to the altar to receive Christ. May the fires of evangelism be burning at our altars! People coming forward to the altar under anointed preaching and the working of the Holy Spirit leads to definite conversions, as the Holy Spirit wondrously produces the new birth in the hearts of the lost.  "Coming to the altar" is more than just praying a prayer:  it means a genuine surrender of your heart and life to Christ. Nothing less will do!

The altar is also a place for prodigal sons and daughters to come back to Christ. There is nothing sweeter than to see a prodigal son or daughter weeping their way back to God at the altar. Truly the altar is a place of surrender!

 

(4) The altar is a place of prayer!

The Spirit is calling us to prayer, with an urgency and a compelling voice. 2 Chronicles 7:14 has been a theme verse for seeking revival in our land. May we apply it to our altars, both in our churches and in our private altars of prayer: "If my people, who are called by my name, shall humble themselves and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, I will forgive their sins, and I will heal their land." We must "build an altar" today in our hearts. It is an altar of surrender, and an altar of prayer and confession. May we be a "people of the altar," who live daily at God's altar of prayer, and who gather together at altars of prayer in our churches. As we pray and seek His face, God will bring healing to our land!

 

(5) The altar is a place to receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit!

Jesus said, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink!" (John 7:37). As we come to the feet of Jesus at the altar, He will pour out His Baptism of the Holy Spirit upon a hungry people. He will pour water upon the thirsty! (Isaiah 44:3). Truly there is an urgent need for people to be baptized in the Spirit, to receive power to witness, and to receive anointing for victorious Christian living. Lord, pour out your Spirit at our altars in fresh power!

 

(6) The altar is a place of healing!

As people come forward to receive prayer for healing, healing gifts of the Spirit can be given to those in need. Elders of the church can anoint with oil, following James 5:14-16, and the prayer of faith will result in healing of the sick. Some of the dramatic breakthroughs of the early Pentecostal movement were the result of divine healing. Are we believing for it today?

 

(7) The altar is a place of worship!

As people gather in worship around God's altar, powerful things begin to happen. The atmosphere of worship invites the presence of the Holy Spirit to move in the hearts of people. "Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy; and on the harp I will praise you, O God, my God." (Psalm 43:4).

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As the worship of false gods was overrunning Israel, Elijah was a man true to God. The nation experienced a difficult drought, and at the end of it, Elijah called for a showdown with the prophets of Baal. He said, "The god who answers by fire, He is God!" (1 Kings 18:24).

After the prophets of Baal had failed to call down fire, Elijah called the people to him. He said, "Come here to me." They came to him, and he repaired the altar of the Lord, which was in ruins." (1 Kings 18:30).

Let us restore the altar of the Lord, as Elijah did! In many places it is in ruins, or badly in need of repair. When the altar was restored and the sacrifice was placed on the altar, the fire of God fell. The people cried, "The Lord, He is God; the Lord, He is God!" (1 Kings 18:39).

 

God is calling people everywhere back to His altar! The altar must first be established in our hearts; then it must be strengthened and established in God's house. Under the anointing of the Holy Spirit, the altar will be established once again as a place of evangelism, surrender, healing and prayer. It will be a place where people are Baptized in the Spirit, and a place of fresh consecration. And it will be a place of glorious worship. Lord, establish your altar once again! Begin with me!

As His called people, we must return to the power of God that is manifested at a Spirit anointed, fire-cleansed altar! The power of God is more than a match for the worldliness, the sin, the complacency in churches and in our society. As the fire of God falls on the altar, people once again will cry, "The Lord, He is God! The Lord, He is God!"

 

Copyright 2008 by M. A. Erickson / May be distributed, with correct attribution.

Painting: The Descent of the Holy Spirit by Anthony Van Dyke (1599-1641 a.d.). .

 

 

 

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