THE FAMILY ALTAR- A BIBLE STUDY

THE FAMILY ALTAR- A BIBLE STUDY

TEXT: - And the LORD blessed Obededom, and all his household." (2 Samuel 6:9-11).

The title "Family Altar" simply means family Bible study and worship time. Every Christian family should have such a time daily. It is amazing how few families really take this seriously and practice this routinely. It is the best guarantee to have Christian children with good moral standards that do not drift through the teen years, to have a family that has a witness for Christ in the community, and to have a family that takes the church seriously and enjoys going to all the services.

 FAMILY ALTAR is an affirmation that God is at the center of the home. 

CHRIST IS THE HEAD OF THIS HOME. 

Christ is Resident and President and thus He ought to be so in the believing heart.

Family altar is the time to stop and to remind all the family (saved and unsaved) that God is at the center. The home is to be GOD'S PLACE. It is a place set apart for God. You are reminding the family that the home is God's place and He is in charge of it. It is to be a place of blessing.

It is to be a place to be obedient and God-conscious, a recognizing and reverencing God's presence here and now.

Biblical Examples

There is biblical background (especially in Old Testament examples) for seeking a new walk with God at the altar. Many memorable and significant spiritual experiences in Scripture happened at an altar of worship and sacrifice.

·         Noah marked his new covenant with God by sacrificing at an altar (Genesis 8.20).

·         Abraham’s spiritual journey was signified by his altar experiences. In every life situation, Abraham built an altar and lived out an altar experience that carried him through life’s changes and challenges (Genesis 12.8; 13.1-4; 22.9).Abraham’s example carried into the next generations in the altar experiences of his son and grandson.

·         The same God who had appeared to Abraham also appeared to his son, Isaac, at Beersheba and also gave him wonderful promises. The result was, “Isaac built an altar there and called on the name of the Lord” (Genesis 26.25). The spiritual vitality and life success in the families of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were based in their experiences at the family altar.

The Ark of the Covenant is the CENTERPIECE in the tabernacle, the most important piece of furniture, the place where God made known His holy presence in the midst of the most holy place.

Where the ark of God was, it was a blessing. That place was a BLESSED PLACE. The tabernacle was blessed. The temple was blessed. The house of Obededom was blessed. God was there in a special way. God was in that place. Where God was was a blessing. It wasn't just a blessing to Obededom, who opened the door to have it there, but for all his household. Everyone in his household was blessed. God was there. The ark was there. It was in his home. All his household knew it and were blessed. Wherever God is honored there is to be found His blessing.

The HEART, the HOME, the ASSEMBLY (church) – all three of these places are a special concern to God and where God can manifest Himself in a special way.

God can certainly be in the heart (Gal. 2:20).

God can certainly be in the home (Gen. 18:19).

God certainly ought to be in His church (Rev. 2:1; 1:20). Everything is in the presence of the omnipresent God, but the enjoyment of His presence requires a healthy relationship to God by way of the cross.

The believing heart should know that it is set apart for God to be God. "For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy" (1 Cor. 7:14).

Wherever the ark was, that territory was blessed. When the ark was at the home of Obededom, his territory was blessed. Wherever God is found in the heart, that territory is blessed and set apart. If God is found in the heart of a believing wife or a believing husband, then the territory of that home (including the children and the unbelieving spouse) is set apart in a special way. One REAL BELIEVING PERSON IN THE HOME makes a big difference.

When God is having His rightful place in the heart then the believing believer is showing God's place in the home. As in His Church so let it be in the home "that God is in you of a truth" (1 Cor. 14:25). Again Jacob points us in the right direction: "Surely the Lord is in this place and I knew it not. And he was afraid and said, How dreadful (awesome) is this place" (Genesis 28:16-17).

"I go the way of all the earth: be thou strong therefore, and show thyself a man; And keep the charge of the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, to keep his statutes, and his commandments, and his judgments, and his testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses, that thou mayest prosper in all that thou doest, and whithersoever thou turnest thyself: That the LORD may continue his word which he spake concerning me, saying, If thy children take heed to their way, to walk before me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul, there shall not fail thee (said he) a man on the throne of Israel" (1 Kings 2:2-4).

David walked with God. Solomon was encouraged to walk with God. David reminded Solomon that if Solomon and his sons who followed him (Rehoboam, etc.) would take heed and follow God, then they would be blessed. Solomon had a great privilege that men in other homes did not have. He had a David in his home. Solomon was exposed to David. If Solomon would represent God properly (verse 3), then his children would have an advantage. Again we see the principles of 1 Corinthians 7:14. One believer exposes everybody to the possibility of the blessing of God! What they do with this privilege is up to them, but they have this privilege. They have the privilege of KNOWING GOD. They may use or abuse this privilege. The very best thing one can do for each and all whether near or far is personally to exercise and to enjoy being in the presence of God and God's presence in them.

It is well to remember the great command that the Lord gave to Israel.

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up" (Deut. 6:4-7).

Worship of the Lord is first of all vertical and then horizontal and begins in the home and takes in the whole family.

I. What Is the Purpose of the Family Altar?

To worship God together and learn more of His ways. What could be a better purpose. Children should learn to worship God in their early years that they might have respect for Him in the later years. They need to learn how to regard Him and to realize that He is the Creator, Holy, and to be honored in all that we say and do.

To honor God's Word, develop respect for it, and to live by it. James says, "But be ye doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves" (James 1:22). Remember the words of the Lord Jesus, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God" (Matthew 4:4). Home is a good place to practice the exhortation, "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord" (Col. 3:16). In these days when we have put the Bible out of our schools, we need to put it back in our homes and teach our children from it.

To establish the family in the faith, personal convictions, and doctrine. Children and young people need convictions to stand up against their peers. They must understand their faith and know something of good Bible doctrine so they know what they believe and why. The home makes a good Bible school where the children can be grounded as they face the humanistic, evolutionary philosophy of [our modern society].

To pray over family problems and needs, burdens the children may have, and that they may have confidence in the God that answers prayer in the everyday things of life. All the members of the family have personal needs. It would be good if they could learn to share them openly and take them before the Lord together. There are school needs, boy and girl friend problems, problems with play mates, character problems such as timidity and fears of all kinds, questions about amusements, finances. Teenagers have deep needs and hate to express them for fear of being misunderstood or embarrassed. Their problems are big problems to them and must be considered. Mom and Dad have needs of all kinds. Financial needs, Dad's work needs, the car, moving, and all kinds of things can be prayed through with God. All the family needs to know they can have confidence in Him and that He will hear and answer prayer.

To pray and intercede for others such as the pastor, missionaries, sick folk, unsaved loved ones, the neighbors, fellow believers in need, the church, our president, the shut-ins, those who are in trial or going through persecutions. Children who can learn to pray openly at home will have no problem praying publicly in the church weekly prayer meetings as they grow.

II. Practical Suggestions That May Be of Help.

Search out methods that will appeal to all age levels in the family. Different ages have different interests and what may appeal to one will not appeal to another.

Vary the methods so as to keep family time from being boring and from being cold routine. Interest for all should be maintained so monotony does not kill it.

Do not make it a time of forced listening to the Bible, of bitter participation, or unhappy endurance while you drone through whole chapters of the Bible beyond family comprehension and then drag the family through a long dry, routine prayer. If they participate in bitterness, they will abhor the family altar time.

Make it a delightful, happy, interesting time filled with enthusiasm so that the whole family looks forward to it with real expectancy.

Do not make it so long that the children despise the time it takes. Better have it short and sweet, vital and satisfying, so their appetites hunger for more.

Let all participate and become involved. Those that can read should take turns in reading as well as in prayer. Even the little tots can say a few words in prayer even if they cannot read. They can be taught songs in which all can take part.

Take time for discussion, answering questions, solving problems, and for self expression. All have some. Children especially are inquisitive and want to know.

Do not spend time in criticizing or gossiping. There is nothing that will sour the whole thing more than engaging in tearing something or someone apart. This is not time to air church problems unless for a matter of prayer. Make sure that you do not have roast preacher. Remember it is a worship time.

Let the children that are old enough conduct the family worship time some time either in the whole or in part. Let them do it their way and express themselves. It will create interest in it for them. This is also a good way to develop them spiritually and in self confidence. They should be encouraged in what they do or say and not be belittled.

Have the family altar when it is most convenient for all. Supper time is usually best for all before the various activities of the evening begin.

III. Possible Methods That May Be Used.

Paragraph Bible study. Rather than read a whole chapter at a time which may be quite long and hard to retain, do just a paragraph a day. Let all the members of the family suggest a title to the paragraph according to its content. Let each one list some things they observe in the paragraph such as places, people, things, special words, etc. This can be great fun for the children and a real challenge to all. It is like observing things in a room or in an automobile ride. When you have gone through the paragraph like that, then investigate spiritual lessons that may be learned. Let each one make it personal and tell what they have learned for themselves.

Read Bible stories from the Bible. They supply answers to different family needs and give a challenge to spiritual living.

Go through the miracles of Christ. You could do one a night and learn something about Christ from each miracles and especially let each one learn something for himself. Study the miracle as to where it was, the occasion, what happened, who was involved, and then personal lessons.

Study Bible characters. This can be good for a different kind of study for the sake of variety. Read about the character in the Bible and study his weak and strong points and discuss how you may learn something from him or her. You can see yourself in Bible characters and learn many precious lessons.

Study Bible doctrine. Everyone should know the basic doctrines of the Bible. All the family should be grounded in the truth. You could follow the doctrine by means of a good concordance or perhaps taken from a book on basic doctrines of the Bible.

Bible book study. This might be more difficult and might be better for older ones rather than children. Take one Bible book at a time and find out its theme, major divisions, lessons, key chapters and ideas, etc.

Great chapters of the Bible may be used. If not done this way, one can go through a Bible book chapter by chapter. To read a chapter a day could well be done if the children are not too young so they can comprehend. Learn the key verse in the chapter, get the key word, study any special promises, see how Christ is seen, look at the important doctrine in the chapter, break the chapter down into its paragraph parts if you can to get the structure of the chapter, study what sins should be avoided and what things a person should do and what lessons can be learned.

Devotional books for various age levels. You can buy such books in a local Christian book store or send for some from a Christian publishing house. They are written for various age levels. Children enjoy these and find them very interesting. There are books for primaries, juniors, teens, etc. [Discernment needs to be used in selecting titles. One suggestion is A Family Devotional Guide by Pastor Clarence Sexton. Each booklet (12 volume set available) covers thirty-one stories of the Bible. You read the story in the Bible, answer questions about it, and memorize a weekly Bible verse.]

Major verses. This is a good method for variety. Just take a verse a night for a period of time and scrutinize it as to what it means for each one. For example, you might take a series of verses on great promises in the Bible such as on prayer, salvation, victorious living, Christ's second coming. Try to memorize the verse.

Bible games. This can be very interesting and add challenge to the family altar and can be very appealing to the young folks and keep the family altar time from being boring. Use Bible games that teach a lesson and from which you may learn something helpful for Christian living.

Have a map study. After all, salvation is also geographical and children might learn where certain countries, rivers, and mountains are and what happened there such as the law on Mt. Sinai, crossing the Red Sea, and Christ walking on the water. Show them where it took place and draw some lessons from it.

Use pictures. This is a wonderful way to interest children. Many Bible story books have many pictures in them that tell a story for the child.

Object lessons. Visual aids of all kinds can be used. Be creative and use whatever object you may have handy to teach a Bible truth. Christ readily used object lessons such as the sheep and goats, the rock, water in the well of Samaria, etc. There is no end to object lessons.

Read short biographies of godly servants of the Lord Jesus: missionaries, evangelists, pastors, etc. Good sources are the Christian Biography Resources, Children's Corner Biographies, and Worldwide Missions Biographies.,

Listen to dramatized biographies of godly servants of the Lord Jesus. Stories of Great Christians Dramatized biographies of godly servants of the Lord Jesus available as complete DVD set or individual CDs. The following are recommended only for young adult and older: John Bunyan, George Mueller, John Newton, and Charles H. Spurgeon.]

Read wholesome short stories. Let each member of the family who can read take a turn reading

Have Scripture memorization for the family during the holidays. Even a 3-4 year old can learn ten verses during the summer if you select the right verses, and by the time a child is five years old, he can learn Psalm 23. Try it, make it fun, and you will be amazed at what your family can accomplish!

Use gospel songs [Eph. 5:19.] You should always sing if possible. [Have a hymnal, such as Bible Truth Hymns, for each member of the family. Learn the great hymns of the faith. There are also many traditional choruses that can be sung. Sing the Books of the Bible song to learn the books of the Bible. You can also teach from the songs that are sung and there are stories behind the hymns available

Listen to sermons of fundamental preachers/evangelists/teachers on audio CDs, MP3 or watch the videos together as a family. The Lord can use their preached messages to touch the lives of each family member.

Read God's Word together. Select a book of the Bible appropriate for your children's ages and have each family member read 2-3 verses as you go around the room. You can read anywhere from 1-2 chapters to an entire epistle such as Philippians each night. Let the children help choose what book of the Bible to read.

Have a Sword Drill, which is a fun way to learn the books of the Bible and where they are located, by turning quickly to a specific verse in the Bible.

Learn to pray warfare prayers together, carry out personal deliverances and ministrations on each of the family members. Also, you can stand in the gap for other family member through prophetic intercession prayers by mentioning their names before the lord.

Develop the spirit of raising special sacrifices to the lord upon the family altar which will speak on behalf of the family.

5 Important Elements of a Family Altar

A family altar will alter your family.  One of the most important things you can do to secure the spiritual atmosphere in your home is establish a place of corporate prayer. For many families this is a difficult thing to accomplish.  Homework,  business trips, and extracurricular activities monopolize our time.  Unfortunately, some homes go weeks and months without praying together. 

When constructing a family altar remember these five important suggestions:

1. Consistency

Inconsistency stumps our efforts and limits our growth.  Place this time together with your family as a top priority and stick to it.  Do it until it becomes habitual in your schedule.  We all struggle with making this happen on a frequent basis, but stay with it until it becomes a vital part of your daily activities.

2. Communication

This is not just a time to talk with God, but a time to talk with one another.  Share your burdens and your blessings.  Keep a journal or notebook and record one another’s thoughts and concerns.  Remember, a family altar is about putting down the electronic devices, looking one another in the face and actually speaking to each other like normal human beings.

3. Consecration

Incorporate praise and worship at your family altar.  Teach your children that worship is not confined to the walls of a church. Allow your home to become your sanctuary.  Worship the Lord together and dedicate that special moment to the Lord as a family.

4. Creativity

Don’t let your family altar become routine and boring. Change things up from time to time and make it interesting.  Do whatever you need to do to keep your kids involved.  Allow them to pray, or even lead the family occassionally.  Go online and get some ideas.  This is certainly a time of sincerity and reverence, but that doesn’t mean it has to be dull.

5. Conjugality

Remember, this is about building a family that functions in the body of Christ.  The old saying is still true, “The family that prays together stays together.”  Twenty years from now your children will cherish those small moments that you shared together.  Remember, you are not just building an altar, you are building a family.

BENEFITS OF FAMILY ALTAR

1. It chases evil spirits from your home

The spirit of confusion, deceit and sin cannot find it easy to dwell in your home if you maintain your family altar.

Jesus says: “When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when he comes, he finds it swept and put in order.

Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first.” (Luke chapter 11 verse 24 to 26)

2. Family devotion increases Spiritual Strength

The spirit man of every member of your family would acquire divine strength through reading and meditating on the word of God. The prayer at the family altar is also a spiritual exercise that’ll keep the spirit of your family strong and healthy.

3. Family altar is a great avenue to Hear God

My heart always leaps for joy when I receive directions and solutions from the LORD. If your family devotion is consistent, then your family won’t miss the right step to take for their successful livelihood. “A 40 days journey won’t turn to 40 years journey.”

4. Family Devotion Sustains Unity

There is no home on earth without ups and downs, but it takes the supernatural Power of God to unite the family during the ‘downtime’. For instance, the rate of divorce is at the increase, because our generation had failed to take the family altar seriously.

5. Family Altar Promotes Love

The heart of human is flexible. For instance, the love of someone to his spouse after 10 years ago might go cold overnight. And the love of children to their parents might go sour due to some issues or vice versa.

But, the family altar has the power to avoid such hatred. I boldly tell you today that if you are consistent with the family devotion, your love to your spouse and children will wax stronger every day. And the ship of your family can never be wrecked by the storm of hatred or bitterness.

6. Good Training for the Children

It is important to take the spiritual life of your children seriously, because the level of immorality in our society is increasing daily. And a good environment for training your children is at the family altar.

Proverbs chapter 22 verse 6 says: “Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.”

You and your family can hear, see and know more about God through the family altar. It goes a long way to unite the family. Regular family devotion defeats spiritual warfare, and uplifts the success of your family. Decide today to commence the establishment of your family altar and you won’t regret sacrificing your time and energy to meet with God and be refreshed by him eternally in Jesus name.

What Happens at the Altar?

1. Confession (and forgiveness of our sins)

In the altar, we confess with our mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in our heart that God raised him from the dead and we are saved (Romans 10:9). There, according to Scripture, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:8,9). In the altar, “we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).

2. Change (transformation)

In an altar of prayer, we are changed and experience the transforming power of God that results in Paul’s declaration, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17).A true altar experience with God brings about a noticeable and visible change in our behavior and lifestyle.

3. Consecration and Closeness to God

At the altar we are brought near to God, expressed in the truth of James 4:7,8, “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you.” The Psalmist yearned for closeness (intimacy, friendship) with God in the sanctuary and wanted, “…a place near your altar” (Psalm 84:3).

Here is God’s promise to us as we consecrate ourselves at the altar: “Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great high priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water” (Hebrews 10:19–22).

4. Communion of the Saints

The word together is mentioned more than 400 times in Scripture and it is evident throughout the Bible how important the community of faith is to our spiritual life. At the altar, we have that community, a family that surrounds us and includes us in the communion of the saints. There, we understand that we are not alone and that we support one another in our desire for holy living.

Notice how the Scripture expresses this value of community and the communion of the saints: “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another — and all the more as you see the Day approaching” Hebrews 10:23–25.

5. Commissioning into the World

In the altar we understand that we are sent by God on mission in His world and there we find His direction for purpose-driven living. It was in the altar that Isaiah was commissioned to prophetic ministry (Isaiah 6:1–8), Ananias was directed to find Saul (Acts 9:10–19), and Peter was called to open up the gospel to the Gentiles (Acts 10:9ff). There, in the altar of prayer at Antioch, the Holy Spirit commissioned the first cross-cultural missionary team (Acts 13:1ff).

Conclusion

The hunger for revival and personal experience with God that drove the early pioneers of the Church of God was also central to other holiness and Pentecostal groups at the outset of the twentieth century. A singular spiritual quest drew early Pentecostals to altars of prayer and revival. What God gave them propelled them to the corners of the world with a spiritual passion to evangelize the lost.

See you at the top!

PM