ALTARS OF PRAYER AND SACRIFICE

1. “Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, “To your descendants I will give this land.” AND THERE HE BUILT AN ALTAR TO THE LORD, WHO HAD APPEARED TO HIM.
2. And he moved from there to the mountain east of Bethel, and he pitched his tent with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; THERE HE BUILT AN ALTAR TO THE LORD AND CALLED ON THE NAME OF THE LORD.”
   Genesis 12:7,8 (NKJV)

• Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary renders Altar: Structure used in worship as the place for presenting sacrifices to God or gods.

• IN the Old Testament: Altars were used primarily as places for sacrifice, especially animal sacrifice.
WHILE animals were common sacrifice in the Old Testament, altars were also used to sacrifice grain, fruit, wine and incense (Deuteronomy 26:2-4).

• IN the New Testament: The Greek word “thysiastērion” used for altar translates or means “a place of sacrifice.”
THE New Testament references to altars concern proper worship (Matthew 5:23,24) and hypocrisy in worship (Matthew 23:18-20).
WHILE direct references to altar and the sacrifice of Jesus Christ are few in the New Testament (Hebrews 13:10), the message that Jesus Christ is the ultimate sacrifice who effects reconciliation with God is the theme of the New Testament (John 1:29; 1 John 2:2; 2 Corinthians 5:18-21).

• The Significance or Importance: Altars were places of sacrifice.

• Beyond the function, altars also were places of God’s presence.
• The patriarchal narratives regularly record the building of an altar at the sites of a theophany, a place where God had appeared to an individual (Genesis 12:7; 26:24,25).
• It was quite natural to build an altar and commemorate the appearance of God with a sacrifice (Genesis 13:18).
• If God has once appeared at a site, that would be a good location for Him to appear again (Genesis 12:7,8; 28:10-22).
• Thus sacrifices would be offered there with the feeling that God was present and would accept the offering (Genesis 13:4).

• In summary, altar is a place of contact with the spirit realm or world.

• Believers in Christ Jesus in the New Testament are to worship God in spirit and truth because God is Spirit, thus a raised platform or an elevated place of sacrifice and worship may not be needed (John 4:23,24; Acts 7:48).

• However believers could have a place of gathering for Fellowship; where they meet to share the Word of God and pray together.
  JESUS promises to be present where people are gathered in His name: “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them" (Matthew 18:20).
• If an individual believer or a group of believers chose a place to be meeting with God in prayer and fellowship, the presence of God would linger in such a place.
  IN other words, God’s presence would continue to exist for longer than expected in such a place.
• If a particular property, land or building, had been used for God’s purposes: as a place for prayer or gathering of the people of God, such a place has been dedicated to God, it is consecrated, and an altar is already raised there.
• The person or the people who used the place for God’s purposes might not even know that an altar is already raised there.
• Remember, an altar is a structure, property, land or building used in worship as the place for presenting sacrifices to God or gods [idols].
• When a believer or the group started meeting with God for prayer and fellowship in a place, an altar is raised there (Acts 16:13).
  THERE might not be any platform physically, that is, any physical structure might not be there, but the fact that the person comes there regularly to pray and fellowship with God, an altar is already raised there. THE presence of God lingered in the place.
• The Bible scholars agreed that the land where Abraham raised the first altar between Bethel and Ai was the same land where Jacob had the dream of a ladder set up on the earth, and its top reached to the heaven; and there the angels of God were ascending and descending (Genesis 28:12,13).
• Abraham had earlier raised an altar in that land (Genesis 12:7,8), God’s presence lingered on that land because He had appeared to Abraham on that same land.
• The altars raised by Abraham in various places in the land of Canaan gave him and his descendants the possession of the land (Genesis 12:7,8; 13:8; Psalm 44:3).
• Whenever Abraham had an encounter with God, he raises an altar and makes a sacrifice to God (Genesis 12:7,8; 13:14-18).

• Remember, a major significance of altars is that they are places of God’s presence.
HIS presence lingered in a place where He had appeared to an individual.

• Where an individual or a group of people had used as a place of prayer or fellowship to meet with God, has God’s presence lingered there (Matthew 18:20).

• Every believer needed to raise an altar of prayer wherever they find themselves.
Remember, it does not mean any structure or platform should be raised, but a place to meet with God for prayer and fellowship.

• Jesus in His earthly ministry has the habit of going to certain places alone, and at times with His disciples, for prayers and fellowships with God the Father (Luke 21:37; 22:39; John 18:1,2).
• You raise altars of prayer where you are living or working.

• Through the altars you raised, you access the spirit realm in order to get the good of the land (Isaiah 1:19).
YOU equally bind the strongman of the land that you may take possessions of the land (Mark 3:27).

• You possess the land apportioned you by God through prayer and the Word of God.

• If you are sent to start a new work, pioneer a new ministry, the prayer altar is needed to be raised: plans and strategies on how to do the work would be given to you in the place of prayer (Luke 6:12-16).

• A land infested and permeated with sins and demonic activities could be subdued and taken over through prayer and the preaching and teaching of the Word of God (Acts 19:9-12,18-20).
• Wherever Paul went in his missionary journeys, he used to take over the land, break through the land via preaching and teaching of the word of God and prayer (Acts 16:16-18; 17:16,17,22,23; 19:1,8-10,20).
• As you pray, you organize meetings where you preach and teach the Word of God to liberate the people of the land from the shackles of the enemy—the devil (Acts 16:12-14).
  FOR the knowledge of the truth makes free (John 8:32).

• The altar you raised should be serviced with prayers.
THERE should be fire on your altar always (Leviticus 6:12,13).

• You meet with God for fellowship and prayer regularly in order to pray THROUGH, about whatever God has laid in your heart to do (Luke 6:12).
• If this is not done as it should, your outreaches might not yield the expected results (Luke 5:15-17).

• Note the following:

• Sow seed of the Word of God to the land through teachings and preachings (Acts 18:11; 19:9,10).
• Sow seed of prayers to the land also (Mark 1:35; John 8:1,2).
• Sow teaching materials, give them Bible study outlines, books, and other materials that can help their spiritual growth (Act 19:8-10).
• Sow monetary seed to the ministries or ministers who have done things that are similar to what God has instructed you to do (Hebrews 7:4,6).

• What makes your altar functional are the sacrifices, offerings—the things you sow.

• If there are no sacrifices, offerings or seeds, on your altar, it would be a dry altar, functionless, and ineffective one.
• For God’s promises to be fulfilled in your life, you have your own part to play.
• God did promise to give the land of Canaan to Abraham, he raised altars to possess the land (Genesis 12:7,8; 13:18).
  IT is not enough to raise an altar, you need to service it with your offerings—fire 🔥 should always be on your altar (Leviticus 6:12,13).

1. “Now consider how great this man [Melchizedek] was, to whom even the patriarch Abraham gave a tenth of the spoils.
2. but he whose genealogy is not derived from them RECEIVED TITHES FROM ABRAHAM AND BLESSED HIM WHO HAD THE PROMISES.
3. Now beyond all contradiction THE LESSER IS BLESSED BY THE BETTER.”
   Hebrews 7:4,6,7 (NKJV)

• Realization of God’s promises in your life would be through offerings, sacrifices.

• Abraham who had the promises of God gave an offering, tithe, to Mechizedek (Hebrews 7:6).
• Cultivate the habit of giving, seed sowing, it is an important weapon or ingredient that will speed the answers to your prayers (Matthew 10:40-42; Luke 6:38; 2 Corinthians 9:6-8).
• Offerings or the seeds you sow are sacrifices that cause the fire on your altar to keep burning (Leviticus 6:12,13).

1. "AND THE FIRE ON THE ALTAR SHALL BE KEPT BURNING ON IT; it shall not be put out. And the priest shall burn wood on it every morning, AND LAY THE BURNT OFFERING IN ORDER ON IT; and he shall burn on it the fat of the peace offerings.
2. 'A FIRE 🔥 SHALL ALWAYS BE BURNING ON THE ALTAR, IT SHALL NEVER GO OUT."
   Leviticus 6:12,13 (NKJV)

• It is the seed you sow, your OFFERING, that speaks for you in the time of adversity (1 Timothy 6:17-19).
MAY the Lord give you understanding.

• You will not fail in Jesus’ name.
Peace!