Conference yukon::christian_v7

    There are a couple of different types of altars in the Bible.  The
    stone altars are discussed in Exodus 20:24-26.  Interesting to note
    that only uncut stones could be used.  This is because there is to be
    no work involved on our part for our atonement.  I think it is also a
    testimony to God's grace that He temporarily accepted the shed blood of 
    animals on Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement - once a year) for the atonement 
    for our sin.  Another beautiful fact connects the event of Genesis 22
    with Christ's death on Calvary: both events took place on the same
    mountain ridge in Jerusalem overlooking the Kidron Valley.  God told
    Abraham to go there for a very good reason, then told him that God
    Himself would become the lamb.
    
    The other type is the Altar of Sacrifice used in the Tabernacle and
    then in the Temple.  It is discussed in Exodus 27.  It should be
    pointed out that it was made of bronze, which always symbolizes
    judgment in God's Word.
    
    Mike
    
    

Hi Donna, 

First you need to think about what an altar is, before you can decide
whether it's appropriate for you to have one. 

An altar is a place for a sacrifice to be offered.  In the Old Testament,
under the First Covenant, sacrifices were offered to God for the people's
sins, both consciously and unconsciously committed.  Israel was warned
severely against sacrificing to any other than God, Who revealed Himself to
them (eg Deuteronomy 13:6-18).  When the tribes who lived east of the
Jordan built a 'token' altar, not for sacrifice, but to show their unity
with the rest of Israel (in Joshua 22:10...), it nearly precipitated civil
war, as at first it looked like renegade worship.

The place for the altar was in the presence of the God to whom the
sacrifices were being made - ie, once it was built, in the temple (built
for God to dwell in).  Before that, it was in the tabernacle, or wherever
God was being specially sought. 

All these sacrifices were a picture of the sacrifice of the LORD Jesus to 
come, as Hebrews 10 explains; those animal sacrifices couldn't touch their 
sins, but they could express their faith.

Hebrews 9:27-28 :  
  "Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgement,
   so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and
   He will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to
   those who are waiting for Him." 

ie - an altar is no longer relevant, as the sacrifice for sins is complete.

Some churches like to call the place where they celebrate communion an 
altar, because there they are specifically remembering Jesus' sacrifice.  
That is a little like the Joshua 22 example, in that it is not for actual 
sacrifices in this era.

However, there are sacrifices which are relevant now, as 

Romans 12:1 
  "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye
    present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, 
    which is your reasonable service."

1Peter 2:5 
   "Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy
    priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by
    Jesus Christ."

This tells us what the sacrifice is, and where the altar and temple are.
'The temple' is now the believer

1 Corinthians 3:16 
  "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the
    Spirit of God dwelleth in you?"

1 Corinthians 6:19 
  "What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost 
   which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?"

The temple is each of us who are the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit; the
altar is each of us, the sacrifices are also our bodies - the use of them 
etc, even what we think, as in :
2 Corinthians 10:5 
   "Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself
    against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought 
    to the obedience of Christ;"

That last phrase is the one ... :
    "...bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ"

Donna, guess you have an altar, like the rest of us, which you take around 
with you, as part of you, and whenever a thought pops into yuor mind, it 
gets run past the filter for the LORD to check it out, and if it doesn't 
grieve the Holy Spirit within, it gets on the agenda....  If it does grieve 
the Holy Spirit, it gets burnt up as a sacrifice.

Now maybe some people would find it comfortable to make a private corner at
home, where they keep, maybe a Bible or text on display etc, and a Bible
reading log / notebook, etc, where they regularly have their daily quiet
time.  They might find this a suitable place / time to bring particular
problems before the LORD, including things they feel they 'ought' to 
sacrifice, but find difficult.  They might privately think of this as 
their 'altar', but I would beware of making too big a thing of it, as we 
are called to worship and sacrifice - in terms of personal commitment and 
walk with the LORD - continually, as we walk with Him, and big 
sacrifice-type situations are liable to catch us when we're not poised in 
front of our 'altar' - nor able to get to it necessarily...

						God bless
								Andrew

I have known several elderly people who have had a prayer seat to
which they go and sit and talk to God.  Andrew's caution about making 
too big a thing out of it is well-taken in the balance of things, but
sanctifying certain things is not a bad thing either.  Just like singing
the doxology can become rote and meaningless, so too can a prayer seat
or home altar become the only place where we offer prayer and communion
with God, which is not how it should be.  But also just as singing the
doxology can come from the heart, so too can a time and place that is
set apart become a hallowed sanctuary for intimate communion - many people
would certainly not object to a "prayer closet."  Remember Who sanctifies
a place and what makes the place special is the important thing.  Priorities
in perspective.

Mark

    Thanks.  Jesus is the ultimate sacrifice, so why would I need an altar
    of that sort in my home?  Thanks for bringing that up.  Makes sense.  I
    don't see anything wrong with having a place in your house that you go
    to have bible study, pray, etc.  I personally talk to God throughout
    the day informally, and more formally at "prayer times".  Thats just
    me.  And I wouldn't want that "place" to become the only time that I
    think of God, nor would I want to put too much focus on any items
    there.  So as long as I had the "right" focus, I suppose it'd be ok.
    
    
    Thanks for the input.  I'm not as confoosed. (no comments, or I'll
    tweek your nose)
    
    
    Donna

    I have an altar in my bedroom.
    
    when ever I am having difficulty working an issue or resolving
    something or missing someone, I put a symbol for the problem on the
    alter.  Then like magic, the issue becomes less intense, goes away, or
    resolves itself.
    
    I've never sacrificed anything at my altar.
    
    Patricia

    Not trying to get personal, but what kind of symbol are we talking
    about.  Also, do you just go to the altar for those problems/issues or
    is it a daily thing.
    
    Donna

    What Patricia does on her altar, I do the same when I go to my Lord in
    prayer.  I place my burdens in His hands.

    Oh.  When she said she put a symbol for the problem on the altar, I
    thought it was physical.
    
    
    dlh

    I think she does place a symbol on her altar.  

    Some of the symbols that I have placed on my altar include pictures of
    my children, a book my mother gave me, a piece of ribbon from a
    ceremony when a friend left, a letter, a piece of art work by a child,
    a pink triangle, a piece of string.
    
    Just little ordinary things that have particular meaning for me at the
    moment.
    
    My goal in setting up the altar was as a place of meditation but in
    fact I usually meditate in bed.  The altar being in my bedroom provides
    a physical reminder.  Seeing, and touching, and rememberng the various
    items on the altar help me get out of the rational into the emotional,
    spiritual, non intellectual.
    
    Patricia

Hello Patricia,

I wondered why you called the meditation / reminder area an altar.  An 
altar is associated with worship, but I don't think you think of it in this 
way?  If you did, there would be something / someone being worshipped.  Not 
the people whose tokens were on it, but someone greater than the one 
worshipping and those whose tokens are there.

If I called it a 'Remembrance Corner', would you think that sounded 
appropriate? 

							Andrew

    Andrew,
    
    Good question.  It made me think.
    
    I don't need an altar as a place to worship God because God is
    everywhere.  The altar is mine and it is my place to bring those pieces
    of my life that I want to bring before God.  I know that I can bring
    anything to God anytime, but the altar is a bit more formalized than
    that.
    
    It is the same as going to church.  I worship God in many ways and in
    many activities, but going to church on Sunday morning is a formalized
    way of remembering to do that.
    
    My altar does have a single candle, and the candle is symbolic for God
    for me, but I am aware that it is just a symbol.  God as the light of
    the World.  God as the light within each of us.
    
                                  Patricia

A sort of unique expression of yourself - a collection of all the special
things or people that matter to you, including a representation of God, as
a quiet place to think about them all ... and to remember them before God?

Nice idea.  Possibly I have an embryo form of it in the pictures,
postcards, texts, etc I have in a corner of my office-cube, where I can
rest my eyes from the terminal, and be greeted by people who have become
very special to me over the years.  Most of them noters I have met only
once, or even less... 

							Andrew 

    
    I'm reading the book "Too Busy Not To Pray" by Bill Hybels.  Towards
    the end of my before sleep reading I read that he has a place in the
    corner of his office set up to pray in.  He goes in way before the
    day begins so there are no interruptions.  He has different items
    that he keeps there; an open bible, a shepherd's staff, and a few
    other things I can't remember.  Sometime he even holds the staff
    up to heaven when he has a very heartfelt prayer.  He said that
    basically though that by setting up a place to pray, you associate
    it with be holy and approach God more reverently.  While I don't
    know if I agree with everything about this special place, I do think
    I understand.  It's the same feeling I get when I'm in church...
    that reverence that I'm in the presence of God when in reality we
    always are.  Maybe we need holy places in our every day lives too.
    
    Jill

>Maybe we need holy places in our every day lives too.

This is what sanctification is.

In the OT, utensils were sanctified: set apart for specific use and not
to be used for common or other purposes.  To use them for purposes other
than for what they were set apart was to profane and defile them.

I think it is okay to sanctify things to the Lord; even places; and times!
Do you fast?  You have set apart a time to the Lord.
Do you go to a church?  You have set apart a time and place to the Lord
   in His "sanctuary."

And when the Christian comes to the point where our persons are set 
apart for god's use, we become sanctified, too.

MM

    
    Thanks Mark.  I never really thought of it as sanctifying things to
    God.  It's kind of like setting CHRISTIAN apart from the rest of the
    notesfiles for God.  I like it.
    
    Jill