Highlights from Sunday Tithes and Offering Message THE ALTAR MORE THAN A PLACE TO RECEIVE FROM GOD THE ALTAR just about every a Christian Church has a place at the front of the sanctuary, right before the pulpit, called the altar Many ministers, pastors and overseers use that altar to invite the congregation to come out of the pews and meet The Lord there Some many come to the altar to receive from a God Pastors welcome the Church to meet them at the altar to receive: Salvation, prayer, deliverance, forgiveness, a special word, guidance, restoration, anointing, healing and gifts from a God Sinners are asked to come to the altar to be converted and backsliders are called to the altar to receive renewal and revival Why is it so easy to invite the Church to come to the altar and receive blessings from a God but often feel ashamed and guilty to call the same people of a God to the altar to give back to a God? In the Bible the altar was much more than just a place to take from God, it was a place of sacrificial offerings to God The people of a God freely came to the altar to sacrifice their animals, vegetables, silver and gold and precious possessions The altar was a place to give to God as an expression of honor, love, devotion and faith We should come to the altar just as cheerfully to give, as we do to receive cheerfully If we expect God to bless us bountifully at the altar, then we should come to the altar to bless Him abundantly Pastors we should not apologize for asking our congregation to come to Jesus to bless Him with our substance, just as we do not apologize when we ask them to come to receive his redemption benefits In reality, offering sacrificially at the altar sets us up to receive answered prayers from a God Genesis 8:20-22 Then Noah built an altar to the Lord and took some of every clean animal and some of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar. And when the Lord smelled the pleasing aroma, the Lord said in his heart, “I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the intention of mans heart is evil from his youth. Neither will I ever again strike down every living creature as I have done. While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.” 1st Kings 3:3-5 …3Now Solomon loved the LORD, walking in the statutes of his father David, except he sacrificed and burned incense on the high places. 4The king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the great high place; Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. 5In Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream at night; and God said, Ask what you wish me to give you. From the thoughts of Pastor Steven T. Miller Sr. Faith in a God Restoration Church Charlotte, NC SUNDAY WORSHIP: 10:15am McCrorey YMCA 3801 Beatties Ford Rd. Have a Blessed week!
Posted on: Tue, 22 Jul 2014 10:02:27 +0000