Altarations

Introduction

Text:

2 Kings 19:14–19 KJV 1900

And Hezekiah received the letter of the hand of the messengers, and read it: and Hezekiah went up into the house of the Lord, and spread it before the Lord. And Hezekiah prayed before the Lord, and said, O Lord God of Israel, which dwellest between the cherubims, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; thou hast made heaven and earth. Lord, bow down thine ear, and hear: open, Lord, thine eyes, and see: and hear the words of Sennacherib, which hath sent him to reproach the living God. Of a truth, Lord, the kings of Assyria have destroyed the nations and their lands, And have cast their gods into the fire: for they were no gods, but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone: therefore they have destroyed them. Now therefore, O Lord our God, I beseech thee, save thou us out of his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the Lord God, even thou only.

Introduction:

This week as I began to prepare for this message, and I want to be transparent tonight, I do not have a catchy introduction to what I am getting ready to teach,

But all this week really I have felt led to minister to you tonight on Altar work

And so my subject or title tonight is going to simply be “Altarations”

I grew up coming to church

I was blessed with wonderful grandparents that made every effort to bring 3 little children to church every time the doors were open

Many times going out of the way just to bring us to church

The church has a very special place in my heart

Many of my childhood memories were experienced at Calvary Apostolic

I can remember going downstairs and getting haircuts before we went on life tour

I remember going to trib trail

But one of the things that I remember the most about the services were not the songs we sang or I wish I had that photographic memory that some around here do to remeber details of sermons

But at least in my memory what sticks out was the the altar services

Maybe it’s simply a nuanced nostalgic memory but I feel like that there was always a push around the altar

As a matter of fact I believe the church as a whole was established on the altars

And as I survey the church in this generation, it seems that the thriving churches all have one thing in common

It’s not necessarily driven by location

It’s not having the most talented musicians, or singers

It’s not have the most articulate Pastor

It is not even associated with standards

I have seen some of the strongest standard churches flourishing just as must as the charismatic

But in every single one of them there is an emphasis on altar

I don’t want to bring up the pandemic, but in my opinion it was one of the most damaging things the modern church has experienced

And the reason why I feel like it was so damaging is for 2 years we were not allowed to touch

We were not allowed to gather

We were not allowed to have effective altar services

And even still now there is a hesitance kingdom wide to minister and be ministered to in the altar

But the altar is the place not just where we come to pray

It is the place where eternity is redirected, where lives are surrendered, and where miracles are birthed

Outcomes and situations can change by the move of God that is stimulated in an altar service

Hezekiah king of Judah, was the son of Ahaz, and born in the year of the world 3251.

At the age of five-and-twenty he succeeded his father in the government of the kingdom of Judah, and reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem

The reign of his father Ahaz had been most unpropitious for his subjects.

A war had raged between the kingdoms of Israel and Judah, in which the king of Israel, overthrew the army of Ahaz, destroying a hundred and twenty thousand of his men

. As idolatry had been established in Jerusalem and throughout Judea, by the command of Ahaz, and the service of the temple either intermitted, or converted into an idolatrous worship,

so it seems the first object of his son Hezekiah, on his accession to the throne, was to restore the legal worship of God, both in Jerusalem and throughout Judea.

He cleansed and repaired the temple, and held a solemn passover.

He improved the city, repaired the fortifications, erected magazines of all sorts, and built a new aqueduct.

And In the fourth year of his reign, Salmanezer, king of Assyria, invaded the kingdom of Israel, took Samaria, and carried away the ten tribes into captivity, replacing them by different people sent from his own country.

But Hezekiah was not deterred by this alarming example from refusing to pay that tribute to the Assyrians which had been imposed on Ahaz:

this brought on the invasion of Sennacherib, in the fourteenth year of the reign of Hezekiah

He sent a letter filled with intimidation, mocking God and warning Hezekiah not to trust in the Lord’s deliverance.

Let me tell you it’s one thing to say you believe something

It’s one thing to say you stand for something

But it’s a whole other thing when you have a nation depending on your wisdom and this encroaching enemy writes you to mock and boast that he will be victorious

Not only that He will destroy and defile your God just like he did everywhere else

Hezekiah didn’t react in fear—he took the letter, went into the house of the Lord, and spread it before the Lordat the altar.

2 Kings 19:15 KJV 1900

And Hezekiah prayed before the Lord, and said, O Lord God of Israel, which dwellest between the cherubims, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; thou hast made heaven and earth.

God responded through the prophet Isaiah: “I will defend this city.”

That night, God sent an angel who struck down 185,000 Assyrian soldiers—without Hezekiah lifting a sword.

Hezekiah shows us what to do with fear, accusation, and impossible threats: bring it to the altar.

He didn’t fight back in the flesh—he brought the issue into God’s presence.

The altar became the place of:

Transparency: He laid it all out.

Trust: He believed God could change the outcome.

Transformation: God turned disaster into victory—right there at the altar.

At the altar

So tonight I wanted to discuss a threefold approach to altar working

#1 Goal- #2 Role- #3 Yes & No’s

#1 Goals- What is the purpose or why do we still have altars and altar calls each in our churches

Romans 12:1 KJV 1900

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.

The altar is not just where our service ends, it’s where transformation begins

When I begin to prepare a sermon, one of the first things i try to ask myself, even tonight on a Bible Study home folks night

What do you want to accomplish from this message, what is God trying to achieve right what is he saying to us

Essentially many times I begin from the ending

I try to layout my message in such a way that each point or topic is building to this creciendo , in seminary they call that the point of action

It begins with a foundation to introduce my theme or main point, offer supporting points, move to application or how it relates to us today and finally call to action

So every part of the service is all leading up to the altar call

Every song, every testimony, every exhortation, it is all moving us to the point of action

And that action takes place at the altar

The altar is the place of conveyance of God’s spirit to us here today

It is the place of transferrence of his power

Once again from the first greeting all the way to the altar call we are building a connection, or planting a seed if you will

And the way in which that seed is planted into the soil is in the altar

Altar call gives us the opportunity to respond to the gospel

I get up here for 20-30 minutes hooting hollaring screaming shouting and when I’m all said and done you get the chance to come up here and respond to what was preached

There are many reasons why someone may come to the altar

So the altar becomes the opportunity for the saints to cooperate in leading people to Jesus

And we do that through creating an environment conducive for repentance, deliverance, holy ghost infilling, renewal, direction, and healing

Acts 2:38 ESV

And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

This is one of the most quoted scriptures in the Pentecostal church, and when you break it down it was an altar call

And in response to this altar call over 3000 souls were changes

Paul in Acts 19:6 laid hands on people and then the Holy Ghost came upon them

Acts 19:6 ESV

And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking in tongues and prophesying.

In Acts 9 We see evidence of a one on one altar moment, through the direction of the Spirit of God

There is a quote that says “If the Word is the seed, then the altar is the soil. The minister preaches it, but we help plant it.”

Every service we are singing and ministering praying that somebody would receive the Holy Ghost

Praying that somebody would get baptized in Jesus name

Because John 3:5

John 3:5 ESV

Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.

The altar is the place like Hezekiah that we bring our hurts wonds, concerns amd lay them before the Lord

But we have to remember that the first time we read about an altar being built was in Gen 8:20 Where a covenant is established between God and Noah, exxtending to all humanity

Genesis 8:20 ESV

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. 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 from the very first altar we see that the altar was a place of sacrifice

As a matter of fact we read that it was at the altar that we find:

Sacrifice (Genesis 22 – Abraham & Isaac)

Covenant (Genesis 8 – Noah)

Repentance & Atonement (Leviticus 1–6)

Worship & Consecration (Exodus 30 – Golden Altar of Incense)

Fire from God fell (1 Kings 18 – Elijah on Mount Carmel)

The goal once again of the altar call is simply to be the place of transference of anointing and power God to the people of God in response to the word of God

It is the place where

Hearts are softened.

Minds are renewed.

Bondages are broken.

Direction is given.

The old man dies, and the new man rises. (Romans 6:6

Romans 6:6 ESV

We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.

So the next thing we all want to know is #2 and that’s role

What is my part or responsibility in altar service

1 Corinthians 3:9 KJV 1900

For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building.

We all have a position when it comes to altar working and altar call

Luke 10:2 “And he said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”

The Bible said that in the last days I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh

I believe that there is going to be a last days revival the likes of which we have not seen

Joel 2:23–24 ““Be glad, O children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God, for he has given the early rain for your vindication; he has poured down for you abundant rain, the early and the latter rain, as before. “The threshing floors shall be full of grain; the vats shall overflow with wine and oil.”

So if there is going to be a latter rain move of God as it was in the former times

I can read of a day when 3000 were converted

So I say if the latter rain is a coming and the fields are white for harvest then we are going to need all the help we can get

Well I don’t know what to say

I not an extrovert

I’m not a loud person

My friend God called you and he has equipped you

Even if you don’t pray with somebody, everybody should be praying

The Bible says there were in one mind and one accord, in one place

So no matter your position or title we are all called to altar work

So how do I minister in the altar

Discern the moment, don’t dominate it.

Follow the lead of the preacher and the Holy Ghost.

Encourage without forcing.

Use Scriptures like Acts 2:38 and Isaiah 55:6 to stir faith.

Avoid clichés—be sensitive, not mechanical.

Guide repentance carefully.

Teach them to confess, surrender, and call on the name of Jesus.

Be specific if needed: “Ask Jesus to forgive you for…” (sin, bitterness, addiction)

Pray with expectation.

Expect the infilling of the Holy Ghost (Luke 11:13; Acts 2:4).

If they’re seeking the Spirit, encourage vocal worship and surrender of the tongue.

Use wisdom in laying on hands.

Only with permission, especially when praying for the Holy Ghost (Acts 8:17; 19:6).

Lay hands with faith—not intensity.

Protect the moment.

Create spiritual focus by gently guarding from distraction.

Step in if needed to keep the environment reverent.

It’s good practice to just ask the person when they come down what is it that you need from the Lord

that's pretty simple someone might come down because their back's hurting or someone

might come down because they had a rough day at the job or somebody might come down because they're standing in the gap

for someone that's home or someone that's in the hospital and uh or someone might come down because they said you

know what I would like to talk to God about receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost

so people come to the Altar for several reasons we shouldn't ever assumethat we know why someone comes to the altar

even if they come with you that doesn't mean that that's what they want to pray for

All of that to say that our responsibility as an altar worker is to be an instructor

We are guiding and helping them receive what they are seeking from God

One thing I like to do and not saying that I am the greatest altar worker is that I try to use we and us me as I am leading them through prayer

Be Clean

You cannot pour out if you’re spiritually dry or living in sin.

Prepare in prayer, consecration, and repentance.

✅ 

Be Approachable, Not Aggressive

Don’t shout in someone’s face.

Don’t shake them or push.

Ask before laying on hands.

✅ 

Be Aware of Space and Sensitivity

Respect personal boundaries.

Don’t crowd. Don’t interrupt a real move of God.

If someone is breaking under conviction—let them weep.

✅ 

Be in Sync with Leadership

Don’t “out-pray” the preacher.

Stay in order with the flow of the altar call.

Be a complement, not a distraction.

✅ 

Be Bold, But Gentle

Be ready to cast out fear, speak life, rebuke condemnation, and call people higher—but always in the Spirit of Christ.

🪔 Final Charge: 

This Is Sacred Ground

“And the fire shall ever be burning upon the altar; it shall never go out.”

(Leviticus 6:13)

Altar ministry is not an add-on—it’s core Apostolic ministry.

You are a:

Midwife, helping birth new life in the Spirit.

Messenger, confirming the preached Word.

Watchman, helping guard the moment.

Worshipper, showing seekers how to respond.

📣 Call to Action: TRAIN. PRAY. MOVE.

Start every service expecting to be used.

Pray during preaching. Watch for who the Spirit is drawing.

Don’t wait for a dramatic moment—step out in faith.

✝️ Because when people come to the altar…

They don’t need performance.

They need power.

They don’t need hype.

They need help.