REBUILD THE ALTAR

This may not be an accurate dipiction of the actual altar that the prophet Elijah used to make his point with the prophets of Baal but it will be the one that I use for this.

I was sharing this story at the Pathfuge event last Sunday night with our junior and senior high students when there was a specific passage that stood out to me while I was reading it. It was not part of what I was going to do but when I came across it the Holy Spirit really spoke a strong word to me about it. It was so strong that I was physically shaken for a moment and had to gather myself and my thoughts. Here is the passage that stod out. 1Kings 18:30-32a NLT "Then Elijah called to the people,"Come over here!" They all crowded around him AS HE REPAIRED THE ALTAR OF THE LORD THAT HAD BEEN TORN DOWN. He took twelve stones,one to represent each of the tribes of Israel, and HE USED THE STONES TO REBUILD THE ALTAR IN THE NAME OF THE LORD."

Here's the thought that the Lord hit me with. The altar of the Lord had been destroyed. Undoubtedly the people thought that the Lords altar was no longer relevant to them. They felt it was better to build a new altar that would be more to their liking. They didn't like what the Lords altar represented and what the requirements were to follow His ways. Maybe they thought it was to hard or not real fun. Maybe they thought that life was passing them by and the Lord was not up on the new ways of the world. Maybe they thought they knew better for their life. Sounds a lot like most people today. But when they called out to the god they created nothing happened. They cried out all day. Danced and offered up sacrifices and cut themselves trying to get the attention of a god that basically did not exist. But then Elijah steps forward and does what he is use to doing all the time. The thing that he COMMITTED to years before and never waivered from. He begins to rebuild the altar of the Lord. The thing that seemed to be not relevant to others was still very relevant to him. As a matter of fact it was something that he cherished and embrased. The altar was where he found his strenght because it is the place of intimacy with the Father. A place of sacrifice. Where he would spiritual sacrifice his will and ways to the Lord for the Father's will and ways. He would rebuild the altar that was not just for those that went before him but him as well and for the ones that would come after him. As he stood on that altar he didn't scream out and dance some crazy dance. He didn't cut himself and he wasn't there all day long. He simply stood at the altar and prayed a simple prayer to the Father that he had a relationship with and that he knew would show up because He had done it some many times before. And show up He did. The fire fell from heaven and all around that saw it that day knew that the God of Elijah was the one true God.

Here's the other thing. When he finished he called for all the false prophets to be killed. Are there some things that need to be killed in your life? Things that have taken the place of the Lord and His ways. Are there some things that have come into your life that don't line up with what He has for you? Maybe they need to be taken out. Just a thought.