I shall be bringing to you in these pages, one of the discourses in our previous Go Forward Retreats – Building Altars unto the Lord. The encounters we had during those days shall be seeking relevance in your life today until God’s work is made perfect in you. Building of altars had been an ancient lifestyle amongst ancient men, and for those of them who walked with God, It was that of necessity. And though believers of our dispensation do not see relevance in this practice, the rulers of darkness are building altars consciously which seem to speak in certain settings. These altars became the covenant points, through which great transformations were birthed in their lives and nation. The close communion with God, the holy rebukes, the consistent righteous living, the faith and victories they obtained were not unconnected to this way. This discourse shall therefore focus on the following subjects:
- 1. Men who built altars unto God
- 2. Altars – are they physical or spiritual?
- 3. Fire on the altar
- 4. When the altar is broken…
- 5. Altars that bring answers 6. Prophetic altar
SOME MEN WHO BUILT ALTARS UNTO GOD And he reared up an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he had built in Samaria’ 1 Kings 16: 32
As we shall be pondering quietly on this first issue, I want to first of all challenge the mind of every man of God and you, the reader, of the issues we have handled loosely which some men took to heart and laid their lives on it. The man in this scripture was an evil ruler who did not just build altars but watched constantly over his altars until they got established and became a voice in the land, and all these he did for Baal. His heart was in full commitment to this as he offered prayers and sacrifices often on those satanic altars and did prosper in more wickedness. The number of Baal worshippers increased as well as their prophets. Evil did prosper in those days, and Jericho the city God destroyed was rebuilt; as more altars were raised. It was as though that was the basic agenda of the government, as all the projects were channeled into building altars and contrariwise for Baal. These also were executed boldly without excuse. Note in that scripture, that it was built even in the city of Samaria, not at the backyards. Some professed believers do not talk about Christ in the offices and in classrooms. They would dissociate themselves from every public prayer meeting in the name of Christ. They bend the rules of righteousness in the public; and also in senate meetings, they deny their Lord. Someone once said to me, “let’s leave the Bible for now…” and he is a Christian. It is because you do not know how to build altars unto the Lord that such things are heard of. This particular scripture troubles my heart and compelled me to bring it to you first and foremost. So before we go on to look at those men who built altars for God, see what an evil ruler did for Baal, and may I ask beloved, are you not troubled? Will you go through this world just like that, with no altars to speak in your time and when you are gone? Will your generation and that of your children be forcefully subjected to the dictates of Baalim and evil altars?
Genesis 8: 15-22: The story of Noah and the flood brought to mind the evil generation in which such a man lived but yet he was found faithful. He built an altar unto the Lord even though he lived amongst sinners and in an evil generation. The issues of his time did not deter him from raising altars unto the Lord. The building of the altar was followed by the sacrifices and prayer he made, noting also that cleanliness and holiness was a basic requirement. It is such altars that can produce the smell of sweet saviour. This act brought about a generational blessing that is in force up till today as seen in the scriptures above. Praying that you shall build altars that would release such blessings that would stand through ages in Jesus name, Amen. Judges 6: 23-26: The peculiarity of Gideon’s altar proves beyond doubt that God is interested in who builds; and how the altar should be built. Few things to understand about this altar:
1. He named the altar, Jehovah-Shalom, after he had a personal experience with the God of peace. Some encounters some men had with God ended without a legacy. Some had killed theirs in beer parlors, and some with friends of this world.
2. The altar stands unto this day in Ophrah. Hallelujah! Many years ago, men like John Wesley raised altars that still stand till today. Abraham’s heritage was preserved till date. The satanic altars raised by our fore-fathers still contend with many destinies in many homes, and how I pray that their Gideons would arise.
3. He was commanded, first, to throw down the altars of Baal built by his father. You cannot build an altar for the Lord, when you are yet standing on Baal’s altar. Some brethren speak and prophesy of change when the idol of mammon still rules in their hearts. They want the reign of righteousness when their lives are full with all bitterness and wickedness. They want revival when their altars are messed up with all lust and cravings for materialities. No, such cannot build an altar for the Lord, and more so if it will stand to affect generations. Listen beloved, if your altar must actually speak, then all of Baal’s altar in your life must be thrown down. The unstoppable wave of corruption is because evil men laid this altar which still speaks aloud, but the children of light have no altar to raise as you too fall in worship of that evil stone of Babylon that awaits destruction at the appearance of our Lord. You say you are of the light but you have quitted that office with no altar to speak. You hoard your Christ while Satanist spends all raising evil altars, doing it with no shamefacedness. And if they have their way soon shall they turn the entire city after them; whereas believers so called are languishing in their bedrooms with that little righteousness that cannot set a room on fire and soon they too in trying to hide are swept away by their folly. And now there they are singing that evil song ‘if you can’t beat them join them…’but these men shall proceed no further.
4. He was asked to build an altar unto the Lord in an ordered place. Kamaramah! So the Lord can ask a man particularly to build an altar in a certain place. Note specifically that this instruction was not given to all the men that walked with God. We have seen that in the life of Jacob in Genesis 35. Other men like Noah had built based on the result of their walk with God. The instruction here is that, God can actually command a man to raise an altar in the place he has appointed. Now Gideon’s fear of his father and the men of the city could have as well deterred him. And this same may have stopped you from raising altars in places the Lord had commanded you – the fear of faces, the fear in losing your promotion and the fear of satanic attacks, etc. Gideon also had his fears but they were all overcome and shortly he became Jerubbaal, the destroyer of Baal. Arise! Holy Saint of God, and again I say ARISE! The time would fail me to go on, discussing such men who built altars unto the Lord as the list is endless. We can see that in the life of Abraham in Genesis 12: 78, Genesis13: 4, 14-18; Jacob in Genesis 35: 1, Genesis 28: 18-19; Moses in Exodus 17: 15-16; also in Ezra 3: 1-7; and Elijah in 1 Kings 18: 22-32.
And though altars were not strange in the new dispensation, they rather became more of a practical spiritual demonstration than in the building of stones and pillars which are the physical symbolism of the spiritual altar. We shall look more closely into this in the following discussion. Altars – are they spiritual or physical? ‘Thou shall build the altar of the Lord thy God of whole stones; and thou shall offer burnt offerings there unto the Lord thy God’. Deut. 27:6 ‘An altar of earth thou shall make unto me, and shall sacrifice thereon thy burnt offerings, and thy peace offerings, thy sheep, and thine oxen: in all places where I record my name I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee’. Exod. 20:24
I suppose very necessary to handle this subject as some sects may have done otherwise contrary to scripture. The above few chapters have brought to light what nature the altars are made of. They are built altars of clay or a stone, depending on what is available to the builder. Though these appear to be physical altars, what attracted me is the commitment to building such an altar, the energy to be expended and the time to be invested trying to make a place for the Lord. Remember therefore that this altar was to be the meeting point for the builder and his God. And on this same place will his God come to bless and effect covenants made thereto. This same was to be a physical presence his God occupies in his life, therefore is the building itself a holy project to undertake. It is supposed therefore the relevance in the lives of such that would walk with God, to raise altars, if truly He shall come to them. Am I therefore advocating for such practice in our present dispensation? No, not at all but rather a semblance which is already at work if we shall heed completely. ‘Then will I go unto the altar of God, unto God my exceeding joy: yea, upon the harp will I praise thee, o God my God’. Ps. 43:4 ‘Do ye not know that they which minister about holy things live of the things of the temple? And they which wait at the altar are partakers with the altar’? 1Cor.9:13
Altars have actually evolved from that built by one man as seen in our earlier discourse to that built for the use of an entire people whom God desires to walk with. Also those same altars built by one man became the covenant points for their generations, and God willing to fellowship with the entire people of Israel commanded that congregational altars be built. It was this practice that lingered unto the new dispensation, so that men who want to meet with God went on themselves or as a group to these altars. David also while speaking in the book of Psalms shared his experience and the visits to those altars which became to him a constant practice. Brother Paul while speaking in the above scriptures made mention of that same congregational altar, which is in place up to this day. Moreover such altars exist in many churches and some people willing to build a semblance erect blocks and woods in their homes calling such an altar unto the altar, to which they would visit regularly to call on the Lord, and in the absence of such, felt God would not hear them. This however is a misunderstanding as the move in the new dispensation does not place emphasis in building of stones and clay but rather in what I call a spiritual altar unto the Lord. ‘A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched and not man’. Heb. 8:2
‘Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour’. Acts.3:1 ‘On the morrow, as they went on their journey, and drew nigh unto the city, Peter went up upon the housetop to pray about the sixth hour’. Acts 10:9
I do not oppose the use of congregational altars, which was in use even in the time of the early apostles. Peter too was seen going to the altar of prayer to meet God on a congregational altar. But the issue of such men raising stones for a personal altar was not in place any longer. This emphasis was drawn on the fact that God has built upon our lives an altar not made with hands, as was the practice of ancient days. That the Spirit of the God dwells no longer in temples made with hands but in the lives of believers clarifies this. Every believer has in him the tabernacle of the Lord where the Holy Spirit dwells. But though it appears
that the Spirit dwells in us, God desires that we give him a place in our lives. Thus on this fact the visit of the housetop by Brother Peter as in the above scriptures, is to him a personal altar dedicated to commune with the Spirit in him. This same became the practice of the early saints, even Jesus Christ in his earthly life had demonstrated this betimes and oft. And in same manner that God honors the ancient altars, such places of visit for Holy Communion as seen in the life of Brother Peter did attract same heavenly presence. And the lives of those men actually became a living altar that is carried to any abode of their presence. That physical altar became a spiritual altar so that wherever they kneel to call on God became an altar unto the Lord. Their offices were transformed into altars for the Lord. Their bedrooms became same, attracting such presence like the altar of Elijah which brought down fire from heaven. To such living altar no demon can try, and even satanic altars cannot contend. How shall we build such powerful altars that can fight evil in our time and bring victories to the kingdom of God? This I shall explore more appropriately in our next discourse.
