The Power of the Altar: Generational Faith & Transformation | Pastor Chad McAtee

I was reminded in our Sunday school class our Bible study this morning at 930 we were reading through Philemon you know very small book in the letter in the New Testament and I was reminded how when you have Jesus in your life everything changes nothing else you’re you’re you’re where you work isn’t as important as who you are in Christ Jesus and and where who you are and who your parents were and what’s your socio-economic status is and all that all none of that matters compared to being a brother and sister in the Lord that’s just a powerful message from Philemon well this morning we’re really blessed to have pastor Chad McAtee with us and yeah for those that’s some of the guys because we had a great men’s breakfast what that men’s breakfast good I appreciate everybody that came to that and he gave us a great message that morning and he’s here again and I do he’s all the way from Indiana so I feel like we owe a debt to Indiana but pastor Chad and I played basketball way back at at Central Bible College and so we had some we’ve had some fun he showed up Friday night went to dinner and then yesterday we went fishing together so you have no idea what he’s been through to be here this morning it was a little bit hot it was one of the hottest days I’m sure he’s ever fished and there’s probably second or third hottest day I’ve ever fished it was very hot but we had so much fun and told stories and remembered and we were really blessed on that basketball team that we got to play on back in like 1990 91 92 they went on and won the national championship what one year after you got rid of me or okay in 1994 okay so a couple years but we had so much fun and you know all the guys I got to play with amazingly are in ministry and pastor Chad he’s been a youth pastor a pastor and then recently he was elected in the Indiana district as the executive secretary and I guess he did a good job because now they’ve elected him as the superintendent so we’re just so proud of you and then I told you hang around Chad for a little bit he is a humble guy he will serve he will do anything and I just appreciate pastor Chad and again thanks for being my friend and just being willing to come and bless us you’ve got plenty of other things you could be doing but you’ve come and and spend time with me and I’ve enjoyed that so much and and so pastor Chad just come and share your heart whatever God’s put on your heart amen praise God good morning good morning how are you are you awake are you alive you know you had your opportunity just a moment ago to get more doughnuts and coffee and some of you probably should have done that I’ve heard myself preach and so let’s work hard at staying alive all right staying awake and staying after it hey what a blessing it is isn’t your pastor pastor Tom and Jenny aren’t they amazing and yesterday I said this but pastor Tom he made a huge impact on my life as he was a senior I was a freshman in college and those those months that we spent together sweating together and playing basketball and going playing basketball on Saturday nights you know and you can’t go to sleep until one or two o’clock in the morning because you’re drillings running and then coach would be like yeah be ready to go at five because we’re driving to Kansas City to do a service you know and and we did those kind of things all the time most basketball teams don’t do that but when you have a basketball team full of wannabe preachers that’s what you do you know and and so a man of character man of integrity and a man of God and and I saw that in 1991 and I used to sit in the bus and I was telling Tom this yesterday me and another freshman we’d sit in the bus and we’d be like do you think we’ll ever be like Mark and Tom those were the two seniors and I thought I don’t think I ever will be you know I just I looked up to him that much and and I bless you today and and what great people amen for all the ladies let me just say yesterday was better I mean we had biscuits gravy bacon sausage eggs and coffee hallelujah today we just have us all right and so but we’re gonna have a good time for the next a little while I want to challenge you today though and really my goal is today is preach way beyond today and that’s not like a length okay like oh no not one of those long-winded guys but what I’m talking about is that what God speaks to us today goes way beyond this morning that even five years ten years twenty years from now all you know is that God did something in my life that day don’t remember the name of the preacher don’t remember even where I was but God did something that lasted way beyond 30 minutes amen and so that’s what we’re after today and that’s what I’m believing for that this message is a generational message and and God touches your life and does something inside of you and and I want to preach out of Genesis 35 this morning so if you have your Bibles you can turn there and we’ll just see what God does but I think he wants to challenge us today in what he has to say but just as chapter 35 verse 1 it says then God said to Jacob go up to Bethel and settle there and build an altar to God who appear to you when you’re fleeing from your brother Esau now let’s just stop and make comments all right he’s fleeing he fled from his brother Esau because Jacob is a liar and a deceiver and his brother was going to kill him you know not all families in the Bible were perfect let me just throw that out there and and Jacob went away he had been away 20 some years and he’s also had been running for his life because his father-in-law was going to kill him why because Jacob was a liar and deceiver may I let me just throw this out there’s hope for all of us God takes imperfect people and he makes something with their lives let’s keep going so Jacob said to his household and to all who are with him get rid of your foreign gods you have with you purify yourselves and change your clothes then come let us go to Bethel war I will build an altar to God who answered me in the day of my distress and has been with me everywhere that I have gone let’s stop again all right Jacob ran away and he’s one person and now he’s coming back 20 some years later he’s not coming back as one person he’s coming back as many alright he has several wives he’s got a bunch of kids he’s also has thousands of camels thousands of donkeys thousands of sheep thousands of rams and so he left as one person and now he’s coming back with a whole flock of family and he’s also coming back with probably hundreds of herdsmen they were a pagan people they were a pagan land they did not know the one true God they serve false idols in just a moment we’ll talk about their idols and their earrings was was their way of their fetishes of how they worship their God and Jacob saying this come with me I’m going to introduce you to the one true God are you with me today so far so let’s keep going so they gave Jacob all the foreign gods they had in the rings in their ears and they buried them under the oak at Shechem and then a very interesting verse then they set out and the terror of God fell upon all the towns around them so that no one pursue them let’s stop there why is that an interesting verse why is that verse even in there because everything that Jacob had was the inheritance of God everything that he had his his family and all the flocks and the herds understand anybody that that came against him in a warlike fashion and took everything they had they were taking the inheritance of God and so I say to you this morning this alpha that verse if the Lord would stand with Jacob and keep everything that he had safe why not children of God like your son yourself everything that you have as well is the inheritance of God so I want to encourage you this morning that when you’re doing what you’re doing and you’re praying over your family and your things plead the blood of Jesus over them and say not today devil this is the inheritance of God my kids and my grandkids are the inheritance of God the things that I have in my house that are godly they’re the inheritance of God it’s time that we stand and and and everything that God has given us is ours to use for the kingdom don’t let the enemy have it can somebody say amen there he built an altar and he called the place El Bethel because it was there that God revealed himself to him when he was fleeing from his brother now Deborah Rebecca’s nurse died and was buried under the yoke outside of Bethel and Jacob returned from Pardan Aram and God appeared to him again and blessed him God speaking now God said to him your name is Jacob but you’ll no longer be called Jacob your name will be Israel so he named him Israel and God said to him I am God Almighty be fruitful and increase the number a nation and community of nations will come from you and Kings will be among your descendants the land I gave to Abraham and Isaac I also give to you and I will give you this land to your descendants after you then God went up from him at that place where he had talked to him let’s pray father help us to go way beyond the moment and help us to see that Lord no matter who we are or what we’ve done in the past or what our last name is you desire to use us from this day forward and God may you get all the glory in Jesus name amen you know what one of the things that in Bible College Tom a long time ago in chapel services I don’t know how many times I heard when you leave this place you need to be able to pray when you get out of here you need to have a prayer life when when when you get into ministry the thing that’s going to sustain you is your time in prayer and and I could honestly say this what I was able to do is I was able to leave Bible College and really not have a strong understanding of what that means now I knew how to pray for my food I was really good at that I also if you came to the altar I could pray for you and believe God with you but I really did not understand a daily prayer life I did not have a daily moment or daily time with God and so when I started in ministry as a youth pastor and his kids pastor and I was I quickly I said I got to figure this thing out if I’m going to do this the rest of my life if this is the call of God upon my life as a Christian and as a believer I better figure out how to pray and so I just decided every morning I was going to get up I was going to go to the church and I was just going to begin to pray I was going to begin to spend time with God and so as a 22 year old youth pastor and kids pastor I would walk into the sanctuary and and I realized pretty quickly I couldn’t just kneel down at the altar because that wasn’t working for me I was so distracted I would you know just be everywhere and so I just began to walk around the sanctuary and the sanctuary became my altar place the sanctuary became that place that I spent time with the Lord and I learned how to pray and I it began to grow me and mature me in the faith and and then several years down the road the Lord called us to be lead pastors and and we lived in a parsonage right next door to the church and so I would wake up early in the morning when we had little boys and I’d walk over to the church and and that sanctuary became my altar place and I prayed and prayed and prayed and the Lord just grew me and matured me and answered prayers and did miracles and just it was so amazing but it all started because I decided one day I gotta learn how to do this and then we go to our district council and our district council I get elected as our our executive secretary which meant I had to leave the church that I was that we we pastored in a small farming community in northern Indiana and I had to move to Indianapolis and we moved down to Yuppieville area and I mean it was like horrible I mean give me farmland not neighborhoods and and the first morning I woke up it was July I woke up I got out of bed and I said this Lord I’ve got a problem my altar was gone I said Lord I’m helping lead 230 churches now but I have keys to none I don’t have anywhere to pray what I have known for the last 20 some years of ministry in life was go to the church and that that sanctuary is my altar now I don’t have that and and and I was just like I was just like Lord I’ve got a problem now it was July so I walked outside and I began to pray around my neighborhood and walk on the sidewalk and pray and that’s that’s good you know but it’s not great because you’re you know you’re trying to pray and people are jogging by you know people are going to work you know and it’s just not just not like you and God and then it got cold I was like Lord I need to find my altar I found a spot in our house that became my altar place the place that then I would go every morning and spend time with God and here’s what I realized is that often in life things change but there needs to be one constant for all of us is that the altar needs to be our best friend because no matter where we’re at in what phase of life that we’re at we need a place that we can go and worship we need a place that we can go and confess to the king a place that we can go and receive from him a place that we can go and listen and hear what he has to say to us and for our family we need a place that we can personally get direction where we can empty ourselves of ourselves and be filled with him our altar so I came out today really to ask you where’s your altar place now in the church house we we call this area up here they alter area and this church even has some wood altars that that we call that some of you came up just a few moments ago and and that is wonderful and that is great but I want to ask you where’s your altar tomorrow because you’re not going to be here tomorrow where is it that you’re going to meet with God tomorrow because we’ve got to have a meeting place with the king on a daily basis now for some of us in this room your altar might look like your Chevy truck because tomorrow morning you’re gonna get up and you’re gonna go to work and you’ve got a 20-minute drive you get in and you turn the key and you just say hey Lord here I am again and for the next 20 minutes to begin to worship him and pray for your family and and ask the Lord you bring needs to him and you pray for your pastor and you pray for your church and that truck that truck or that Jeep or whatever it is that becomes your altar because you’re there every day I mean it’s better than road rage just saying and so why not turn that time and the time with the king you know your altar could look like a lazy boy chair you get up every day and you go sit in that chair and they you know get you a good cup of coffee because they say the best part of waking up I would get something besides Folgers personally but you know whatever you like and you sit down in the chair and good morning Jesus it’s me again and in that chair you begin to plead the blood of Jesus you could start you begin to worship the name of Jesus you just begin to spend time with the king of kings and the Lord of Lords and that chair becomes your altar place could be your back porch could be your bedroom could be a lot of places could be your garage your wife might be like I don’t know why he’s always out there in that garage messing around building hot rods I don’t know why he’s always doing that but what they don’t understand is you’re out there praying over the grandkids and praying over the family believe in God for the kingdom of God to touch our family I don’t know where your altar place is but I know this we need one you know there’s a lot of us in the church world and and this is what we know like when we come to the church houses is that we look at the front area and we think I’m not going down there the altars like a scary place like pastor Tom wants me to leave my chair and walk down there that ain’t happening or the devil starts talking to us and and says you know if you go down there everybody in the room is going to be thinking something must be wrong with their marriage so we just stay where we are we miss out on what God has for us I’m not going down to the altar because what if I go down the altar and God tells me something I don’t like like work in the nursery not willing to take that chance I think I’ll stay right here what if I go down and I’m not filled with the Holy Spirit what if I go down there and I don’t hear what I need to hear what what I what I need him to say to me I don’t want to go down there because I don’t even know how long to stay so I think I’ll just stay right here at my seat and we miss out on what God has for us here’s what I know in the books of Ezekiel and Revelation the writers give us a visual of heaven where the Bible says that the river flows from the throne of God to the nations here’s what I believe that the altar area at your house and the altar area at this church house is where the river flows and this is what both of those books say everywhere that the river flows it brings life it brings salvation it brings health and it brings the kingdom of God now I don’t know about you but at my house I need life salvation health and the kingdom of God at my church I need life I need it needs health it needs salvation it needs the kingdom of God the altar is got to be an important part of our life can somebody say amen so I came out to ask today where’s your altar where’s that place that you meet with God you know I mentioned that I pray in the morning but maybe your best time is 10 o’clock at night maybe your best time is at your lunch break and you simply just walk out of your your factory or you walk out your office and you just go spend time with the Lord I don’t know what time of day is your best time but give it to the Lord in the scriptures that we’re looking at just a moment ago verse 2 says that Jacob says to get rid of your foreign gods change your clothes because we’re getting ready to go into the God zone he’s telling me hey I’m getting ready to introduce you you’ve been worshiping false gods you’ve been you know rubbing your little lamp and thinking that something good is gonna happen I’m gonna introduce you to the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords you know the great news on this side of Calvary we don’t have to get cleaned up we don’t have to get the people that we work with cleaned up if we’ll get them in the presence of God God will clean them up amen if we’ll just get them there God I’ll clean them up if you if we can just get the people that we work with and introduce them to Jesus if we’ll bring the God zone with us to the workhouse all of a sudden this is what I know that God can clean up any mess that anybody else has made can somebody say man we’ve got to make the altar part of our life why because life flows from the altar verse 3 Jacob says let’s go let’s go to Bethel he’s telling his family I mean imagine the family meeting with all the the kids and the multiple wives that’s not encouraged all right and and then all all the herdsmen he’s like listen guys I’m gonna take you to a place last time I was at this place I went to sleep and the heavens opened up and angels were ascending and descending and and I was like I must be sleeping in the living room of God he’s I’m gonna take you to that place I’m gonna introduce and God’s gonna speak to us I mean imagine having that family meeting at your house I mean next time the grandkids are over everybody sit down make him some pancakes and bacon and oh let’s go to Denny’s all right and then start talking to them about how the Spirit of God moves through your home because this is where your altar is and Jacob is having alter experiences all right he’s having alter experiences even as he’s sharing with the family and they’re showing up at Bethel and they’re having alter experiences and then in the midst of that verse 8 happens Deborah dies now Deborah’s really a somebody that helped raise him almost like a family member probably you know like somebody who was there with him as he was being raised all the time and oftentimes here’s what happens in the process of saying that you know what I’m gonna have a I’m gonna have a prayer place I’m gonna have an altar place I’m gonna show up at this time every day I’m gonna I’m gonna do this or me and we make a decision here’s what I’m gonna do all of a sudden life kind of gets in the way you know you’re like hey I’m gonna I’m gonna start praying at 6 a.m. I’m gonna pray for 20 minutes and then I’m gonna go to work every day and you do that and on your third morning you’ve prayed and and then all of a sudden you go to work and your boss is like great news we’re doing two hours overtime everybody in at 4 tomorrow and you’re like Lord me and you started this thing I’ll catch you later because life gets in the way all of a sudden you started going to the altar and meeting with God and and you felt the presence of God in your home and and then all of a sudden somebody ends up in the hospital and that kind of messes it all up and and or something else happens and and there’s a situation with the kids and now you got to be gone and to go take care of them it’s a situation life gets in the way but Jacob’s example is this verse 9 life got in the way but they showed right back up at the altar life got in the way and as soon as he got home he went right back to the altar I want to say to us this morning make the altar your friend keep showing up and you it might be hard at first and some days are really easy to pray and some days are really hard to pray and and some days you’re so excited to be there and other days you’re like I don’t even know that God’s awake yet keep showing up when life gets in the way keep showing up because all of a sudden verse 9 happens God start speaking at this altar God gave Jacob a new name now I don’t know what that conversation was like I don’t know how that happened but can you imagine God talking to Jacob Jacob son you are a liar thank you father that means so much coming from you Jacob you know how many times I’ve saved your life because people wanted to kill you because you are a deceiver father I’ll change he goes you’re right you’re going to change and here’s not what the only thing that’s going to change I’m gonna change your name from Jacob means which means deceiver to Israel I’ve got something new for you son and it begins to talk to him and it begins to change his name got tell you if we’ll show up gotta start ministering to us and gotta do something new in us but we gotta keep showing up you know maybe you’re here this morning and everybody knows your name as addicted and afflicted that’s been your testimony for the last 20 years I want you know today God wants to give you a new name son or daughter of the Living God maybe you’ve been Jacob and you’ve been a liar and deceiver you can’t even do business around here anymore because everybody knows you that way God wants to give you a brand new name maybe your testimony has always been the one that was abused and you’ve lived on that testimony a long time I want you to know this morning God wants to give you a brand new testimony like grace and mercy let’s move past that and let’s move into what God has for you today maybe you’ve been known as alcoholic God wants to give you a brand new name like living water maybe you’ve been the one that’s in this church and and fear has consumed you God wants to give you a brand new name today because perfect love drives out fear he’s got something brand new for you this morning I want to say let’s get to the altar on a daily basis so that God can give us a brand new name can somebody say man but God wasn’t done at the altar see was at this altar that God made himself known he says to Jacob I am God Almighty imagine that conversation I’m giving you new new name and Jacob I need you to understand something I am God I am the one that opened up the heavens in the earth I am the one that protects you we need to understand this morning that we don’t just run to the altar just when we need something which is common we don’t run to the altar like this is a genie in a bottle and we just begin to rub the side of it saying Oh God Oh God Oh God you know the mess I got in Oh God help me today we need to understand this we need to comprehend what God was saying I am God Almighty we need to know that he’s the creator he’s the healer he’s the miracle worker he’s the alpha and the Omega he’s the baptizer and friends can I remind us he’s the soon coming King amen he’s speaking to Jacob at the altar I am God Almighty but he’s not done yet he’s still talking at the altar see was at this altar that God gave Jacob direction he said Jacob be fruitful and increase this is from the Lord be fruitful and increase God tell you today that if you need direction for your business or direction for your family it’s found at the altar not social media well I said it’s found at the altar not social media but God wasn’t finished yet he’s still speaking at the altar he gave Jacob a promise he said a nation and community of nations will come from you can’t tell you he’s not just the God of the moment but he’s the God of your future I don’t know how long it takes to build a nation and I don’t know how long it takes to build a community of nations but this is one thing that I know that God is the God of the moment and he’s the God of the future and if we’ll hook our train to his train we’ll keep going forward to the future how does that happen by making the altar our friend but God wasn’t finished yet it was at this altar that God gave prophetic words he says to Jacob Kings will come from your body there is no nation yet there is no community in nation yet but God’s already giving prophetic word Jacob you won’t be alive but the day’s coming that Kings will come from your body but you need to continue to make the altar your friend can I tell you this morning there’s greatness inside of you and God reveals it at the altar but if you don’t get the altar you’re never gonna know what God wants to do inside of you God wasn’t finished so he was at this altar God declares increase over those were to come he’s saying God he’s saying Jacob the promises that I gave to your granddaddy Abraham and the promises that I gave to your dad Isaac are the promises that I give to you I’m declaring it increase over you because I am the God of Abraham Isaac and oh you read that part he is the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob he’s not the God of the dead he’s the God of the living and he was declaring increase over everything that was to come you see it was this altar is the place of a Bethel of meeting with God that new direction came for generations to come the generations after us listen to me the generations after us whether you’re a teenager in the room or 90 years old the generations after us are dependent upon us having alter experiences that change the direction of our family’s future preacher you just put a lot of pressure on me sorry but let me say it again the generations after us are dependent upon us having alter experiences that change the direction of our family’s future I told you this morning that I wanted to preach way beyond this morning I wanted to preach from generation to generation today and here’s what I believe I believe mom and dad grandma and grandpa teenager that if we’ll begin to make the altar our friend and if we’ll begin to show up there and if the river of God will begin to flow through our home where it brings life and strength and salvation in the kingdom of God then I believe that God wants to do something way beyond the moment but from generation to generation to generation amen but it’s up to us I’m a McAtee my name’s Chad McAtee I grew up in southwest Missouri the McAtees down in that area in the olden days not one of them served the Lord nobody served the Lord when I grew up we would go to my great-grandpa’s he had a little dirt farm still had an outhouse there and on the way there my dad would give us the speech every year the same speech every year don’t say what they say don’t drink what they drink don’t smoke what they smoke and don’t look at uncle Don’s tattoos all right this was like in the 1970s 1980s all right and he gave us that same speech every year because the McAtees didn’t serve the Lord but as my dad was growing up he hated how the McAtees lived he hated the drunkenness he hated all the things that came with that and so as a sixth grade boy my dad just live in life really not in liking it at all and up the street from my grandparents there was a little Pentecostal Church and the pastor’s son invited my dad to come to church one day and my dad thought well I can stay here where I mean my grandparents had a very large home about 750 square feet big but my grandparents had a home like unlike a lot of the other McAtees and so everybody would come there to drink and hang out and my dad had to sleep on the floor when they were all drunk and passed out sleeping on his bed and so he thought stay here go to church I think I’m gonna try the church thing and so my dad he got up on Sunday morning all by himself and he walked up the street to that church and at that church he walked down to the altar and he gave his life to Jesus and then a few years later he’s at the altar and he gets baptized in the Holy Ghost and then at the age of 19 in that same church he is at the altar with my mom and they got married two years later at that altar they dedicated my sister to the Lord two years later at that altar they dedicated me to you to the Lord two years later at that altar they dedicated my brother to the Lord I’m telling you my dad was having altar experiences that changed our family’s direction for generations to come and here’s what I mean by that this morning my mom and dad attend my brother’s church my brother’s a pastor just down the road from where my great-grandfather’s farm was and this morning my my brother has two kids that serve at that church Jack and Macy Jack and Macy are both in their 20s they both love the Lord they’re walking with Jesus why because my dad started having altar experiences that changed the direction of our family’s future forever this morning my sister and her husband they just retired from being chaplains in the army and and this morning they’re serving at their church they don’t have any kids but they have three dogs and we think all three dogs are serving the Lord if they were cats we would not say that this morning I have the opportunity to be here with you my oldest son Dave and his wife and my new little grandbaby serve at a church down in Dallas Texas area why because my dad started having altar experiences this morning my middle son and his wife they they’re not in full-time ministry but they’re serving at their church this morning this morning my youngest son and his wife are kids pastors and youth pastors at the church that we used to pastor in northern Indiana why is that because my dad was having altar experiences that changed the direction of our family’s future listen my dad wasn’t super Christian but he went to the altar every Sunday night at church why he needed to and you know what happened I usually would get out of my seat and go kneel next to him why because that’s tired of being in my seat but you know what happened I started having altar experiences that changed the direction of our family’s life for the next generation now can I tell you there’s nothing like calling one of your boys and saying hey what are you doing and they say well I was praying but since you called I thought maybe it was important see what my dad started by being the first McAtee to come to the altar has now already touched the third generation and my grandbaby’s born and he’s gonna be a Christian also and so that would be the fourth generation what happened is this is that my dad started having altar experiences that changed the direction of our family’s future for generations to come so I want to ask you this morning where’s your altar where’s that place that you meet with the King you might not be good at it what does that mean hey Jesus I’m back again just want to tell you I love you I just showed up today Lord to tell you you’re so worthy of praise but on this Sunday morning I showed up because I want to join with two or three billion people around the world to lift my hands and worship you I don’t know what it looks like at your altar but I know this that if we’ll just keep showing up God will touch us from generation to generation to generation now some of us in this room might be like preacher it’s a little late for me my kids are old my kids maybe aren’t serving the Lord they’re prodigals I got grandkids that aren’t being raised in church I got great news for you keep reading keep reading because Jacob lived in a pagan land and if you start reading about his kids they’re a mess adulterers murderers I mean they were a total mess but somewhere along the line after Jacob made the altar his friend somewhere along the line something happened in the family well you say well how do you know that we don’t see salvation experiences for them no we don’t but you know what we do see is the twelve tribes of Israel are named after them I don’t think God was going to name them after a bunch of pagans somewhere along the line after Jacob was having altar experiences his kids were like I think following God is the right way and somewhere along the line it went from generation to generation to generation and so I want to say to you this morning it’s not too late let’s begin to pray that wherever your kids are that the Lord would bring somebody to them that would work in a Christian that would work in the office next to them that would work on the line next to them that would be their salesman and every time that they would show up that God would just begin to pour out heaven upon them you know like a real Christian that shares their faith that is working alongside your kids that maybe are backslidden and we’ll see what God does from generation to generation generation to generation why we need the river of God to flow through our homes and our churches because everywhere the river of God flows it brings salvation life healing and the kingdom of God so where’s your altar today friend here’s what I know is that some of you in this room you have one you’ve got that place that you go to others of you in the room you don’t but God wants you to start he wants you to find a place and some of you in this room that he’s been speaking to you while I’ve been speaking saying yeah why not you I love your family so much I love you so much I love your great-great-grandkids that haven’t been born yet but I know they’re coming if I should Terry I need you to start something I want to start the altar call off this way maybe you’re in the room and you’re like my dad you showed up at church and the truth is you don’t know Jesus as your Lord and Savior you’re here today but Jesus is not your Lord and Savior we sing about the blood of Jesus washing away sins and that song doesn’t make sense if you don’t know Jesus but maybe you’re here this morning and say I need to give my life to the Lord may invite everybody to close your eyes for just a moment don’t worry I’m gonna have an opportunity for everybody to respond in just a second but you’re in the house today and you say preacher I’m not ready for heaven I’m not maybe a sixth grade boy like your dad was maybe I’m 38 but I’m here this morning and I need to give my life to Jesus and you’re in the house and I want to ask this question are you are you ready if there’s anybody in the room this morning you say yeah preacher I want to give my life to Jesus would you just lift your hand and wave it at me yeah anybody else this morning I’m in the house you can put your hand down anybody else I’m in the house and I want to give my life to Jesus anybody else anybody else today here’s what I want to do here’s what I believe if you raised your hand today and you say yeah that’s me I I want to give my life to Jesus if you’ll ask him he’ll come if you’ll ask him to forgive you if you’ll declare that he is the king and he’s able to forgive sins and he’s the Savior of the world he’ll come and so I want to ask us today could we do this together and I don’t know if you guys do this often or if you ever do it but could we pray this prayer together in the house so that the one that lifted their hand feels like they’re not alone this morning I want everybody if they would let’s say and let’s believe it say this say dear Jesus I am a sinner you are the Savior would you come into my life today forgive me of all my sins I need you today Lord I need to learn how to love you would you help me I need to learn how to pray would you help me I need an altar would you show me God forgive me cleanse me make me righteous I want to be like you in Jesus name amen would you give Jesus a hand clap of praise he forgives sins and here’s what I believe that if you prayed that prayer that he came if you meant it he came and he just forgave you of your sins amen he’s that kind of God now I want to ask everybody in the house would you make a fresh commitment to the altar this morning would you say you know what I’m kind of hit-and-miss I am I am at the altar every day I you know I’ve never go the altar only time I really praise when I go to church with what could we make a fresh commitment everybody in the house and I know that it’s not easy for everybody to come to this altar and I get that but I also know this that there’s lots of room up here and there’s all kinds of chairs in the front that you could sit down in and as a body could we just begin to make a fresh commitment together and say I I need the River of God to flow through my home and I need the River of God to flow through my church because I need salvation health healing in the kingdom of God if that’s you this morning and you’re like I want to be a part of that would you just come would you just come to the altar at the church house just spend some time with the Lord I don’t know what to say just make a fresh commitment I don’t know how long to stay just stay till he’s done with you I just begin to talk to the Lord you can sit down on the front row you can kneel you can stand let’s just spend some time together with the Lord just come on whoever will just come fresh commitment this morning you pray I’m gonna pray over you father in the name of Jesus we are joining together today to say that I want the altar to be my best friend maybe I’ve neglected spending daily time in prayer maybe I haven’t been as faithful as I would like to have been or I’ve been missing out on meeting with you Jesus would you come and and Lord I want you I need you God I desire you Lord I want to be a real Christian Lord I want I want to spend time I want to know your voice God I want to pray I want to learn how to pray God I want to understand what the Lord’s prayer is and how to pray that and how to how to grow in that prayer and how to believe God I want to pray and ask for faith Lord Jesus but I pray for the baptism of the Holy Spirit so I can pray in in my prayer language when I’m alone with you Jesus because your word says that if I pray in the spirit that you’ll edify me and build me up and so I need that today father I pray and I ask God let the altar become my friend Lord I know that I need I need the river of God to flow through the middle of my life I need a river of God to flow through my house I need salvation and life and healing and the kingdom of God to be a part of my family Lord beyond a moment at a church service Lord I’m praying for generations to come that if you should tarry a hundred more years Lord Jesus I’m praying for those that will have my DNA that what I began Lord would be carried on from generation to generation that I’ll pray and I’ll seek your face and it’ll touch from generation to generation but I ask it today Lord someday I’m gonna have kids and I want them to know that mom or dad prays and spends time with the Lord Lord I already have kids I want my kids to know that I’m spending time with the Lord father I asked this in the name of Jesus I want my grandkids to know that it’s all right to pray that I’m praying for them that I’m praying for generations to come I want them to sense and know the love of God in such an incredible way Lord I want to become a person that spends time with you I want to go into the God’s own I want to be at the altar I want the place Lord to be a place that I meet with you day after day after day God we need you God I pray for prodigal sons and daughters even now I pray for prodigal grandkids I pray for prodigal brothers or sisters or husbands or wives or parents Lord that way at one time we’re serving you but they’re not now or maybe have never served you Lord I pray that you’d bring Christians along their way Lord I pray that you’d bring Christians into the office where they work I pray that you’d bring Christians Lord real Christians that will share the good news of Jesus Lord with them I pray that in the marketplace Lord at the grocery store or where they get their car wash that there’d be somebody that would share the love of the Father Lord I ask this in Jesus name we’re praying for the next generation we’re praying for prodigal sons and daughters Lord that they’d come home in Jesus name Lord that you touch and move and minister Lord that the river of life would not only flow through our homes but would begin to flow through their homes Lord Jesus that the river of God would begin to bring salvation to our grandkids that the river of God would begin to bring healing to relationships that the river of God would be and the kingdom of God would be released over everybody that has our DNA Lord you came and you died upon the cross not for things but for people and when I talk about people I really think about those in my family that I love and I care for and so Lord we ask today would you touch them and heal them and save them that the kingdom of God be magnified in our family Lord may the people in this room have the testimony of the Maccabees Lord that’s this is the blood of Jesus is covering from generation to generations Lord that that you would do a work in their lives Lord the way that you’ve done a work in our lives God and you’re not done yet you’re not done yet you’re working you’re working God I agree with my friends this morning I agree with my friends this morning I stand with them today way beyond a moment way beyond a moment in a church service I stand with them God three Thursdays from now when they wake up and and they want to they they just don’t feel like praying they go through their day they just don’t feel like praying but I stand with them today that they do it anyway that they take time and just call out to you that you’d meet with them Lord I know the devil’s gonna do everything that he can to distract him he’s gonna bring things to get in their way but I pray that they would they would say no matter what Jesus I’m not gonna give up I’m not gonna shut up I’m not gonna quit I’m gonna go after you because my family’s worth it because my family’s worth Lord I believe the generations after us are dependent upon us having alter experiences that changes our families so I say do it Lord I say do it Lord do it Jesus you got a plan Lord you got a purpose Jesus you love our families more than we do father you sent your son Jesus to die on the cross for them because you love them do it again Jesus and touching our families touch this generation touch this generation Jesus and you be glorified and praised you be glorified and praised things die and new life is given at the altar here’s what I find when I die to my sin Jesus gives me life when I give up the idols of this world Jesus gives me a promise when I give up my past he gives me a future he reveals himself because I’m no longer because now my life is no longer my own but my life is his let’s give it to him friends he loves you so much God speak over them declare over them in the name of Jesus in the name of Jesus bless you Lord praise you Jesus praise the Lord thank you Lord Jesus some of you are going to want to spend some time at the altar today so don’t rush off you’re you’re welcome just to stay up here and continue to just be in the presence of the Lord if you made a spiritual decision today tell somebody tell a pastor tell us someone you came to church with we’d love to give you a Bible we’d love to give you something that could help you grow in your walk with the Lord as we just continue to be in the Lord’s presence let’s sing this chorus and you’re you’re welcome to stay you’re welcome to go and we’re just so thankful for God’s presence here this morning Lord give us an altar in our homes give us an altar in our daily lives praise the Lord this is my surrender this is my surrender here is where I lay it down every lie and every doubt this is my surrender and I will make room for you to do whatever you want to to do whatever you want to and I will make room for you to do whatever you want to to do whatever you want to sing that verse here is where I lay it down every burden every crown this is my surrender this is my surrender here is where I lay it down every lie and every doubt this is my surrender and I will make room for you to do whatever you want to to do whatever you want to and I will make room for you to do whatever you want to to do whatever you want to shake up shake up the ground of all my tradition break down the walls of all my religion your way is better your way is better shake up the ground of all my tradition break down the walls of all my religion your way is better your way is better sing it again shake up the ground of all my tradition break down the walls of all my religion your way is better your way is better and I will make room for you to do whatever you want to to do whatever you want to make it your prayer and I will make room for you to do whatever you want to to do whatever you want to say, man, praise God. God bless you. I am Pastor Tom. I’m Pastor elizabeth And we’re from Columbia. First Assembly of God Church We are a church that’s on mission with Jesus. our vision is simple. We want to make Jesus famous in your heart and in our community. Absolutely. Thank you so much for connecting with us online. We would also love to connect with you in person. We are located at 1100 North seventh Street, right in the heart of Columbia, Missouri, right across the street from Hickman High School. So if you’re in the central Missouri area and you’re looking for a home church, come hang out with us. If you’re just connecting online and you’re nowhere near us, then please connect with us in the comments. If you have a prayer request, if you have a question, if you’re wondering anything about the Lord or Christianity, please let us know and we’ll be happy to engage with you in the comments. We believe God’s doing something special at our church and we want you to be a part of it. We’re a multi-generational church. We have people from all different backgrounds. We’re a church of the word. We’re a church of the spirit. We believe Jesus can transform your life. That’s why we’re on mission with him and we want to help you know God. We want to help you grow in God and we want to share hope in our community. So connect with us and we want to connect with you.