The Meeting Place

“You also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ” 1 Pet.2:5 [KJV]

An altar, in summary, is where God meets with man. In the Old Testament, altars were usually raised surfaces, a collection of stones, or a huge stone raised by the individuals or a group of people when God called for a meeting place. And on that altar, God visits them. Sometimes, it is after God has visited them that they realize that the Presence of God is there and so they raise an altar. An altar is a place of meeting between divinity and humanity. It is a place where the Maker of the heavens and the earth makes contact with us His people. I know that even in present times, people are still raising physical altars similar to the types raised in the Old Testament and it is fine as long as God initiates it.

However, in the New Testament, an altar goes far beyond a raised surface, a collection of stones, or a huge stone. “Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself” 1Cor.6:19. At the center of the temple in the Old Testament is the altar. God is saying to you and I that our bodies are the temples of the Holy Spirit. My body is the temple of the Holy Spirit; your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. And at the center of your body is your heart. Your heart is the altar of God. Even though your whole body is important, your heart is the most important thing because out of the abundance of our hearts flow the issues of life. If the heart is contaminated, the life is contaminated. If the heart is consecrated, the life is consecrated. And Jesus takes this even further and says, “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am in the midst of them” Matt.18:20 [KJV]. Which means, Jesus comes down to that altar when we congregate in His Name. The difference between the church and any social gathering is Jesus; we are gathered in His Name. The difference between the church and the village meeting is we gather in the Name of Jesus. Peter puts it this way, God has made us lively stones; the altar of God has come to life in us. This is so powerful.

We started with Old Testament, then to the New Testament, and I am taking it a step further. Your heart is the most important thing, so guard it with all your life. You are probably thinking, who doesn’t know? I will tell you this; your heart is the most important thing in ministry.

Prayer: Father, please place a guard over my heart so that I will ever remain a worthy temple for Your Spirit, in Jesus Name.