For those of us who have interceded for revival in this nation and for our younger generations, what God is doing at Asbury is a precious sight. It all began in a time of repentance, worship, and prayer. God’s love manifested and college students kept coming back to the chapel. They were so captivated by the presence of the Lord that they recognized He was doing something. What began as prayer and worship at the altar led to an immense desperation for more of God that spawned the current Asbury Outpouring. 

The Revival Altar Connection

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For those who don’t know what revival is, it can be simplified as an awareness of the manifest Presence of the Lord and desire to host His presence. 

In the Bible, two specific revivals caught my eye: one under the Priest Ezra and one under the Prophet Elijah. There are a few similarities between the two. Both men were grieved by the spiritual state of their nations. Both confronted evil. Both fasted, prayed, and lamented to the Lord. However, the one thing that stood out to me was they both rebuilt the altars of the Lord that had been abandoned. 

In early autumn, when the Israelites had settled in their towns, all the people assembled in Jerusalem with a unified purpose. Then Jeshua son of Jehozadak joined his fellow priests and Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel with his family in rebuilding the altar of the God of Israel (Ezra 3:1,2 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 (1 Kings 18:30-32 NLT).

Why Does It Matter Today?

From the beginning, the Lord commanded the need for an altar. Even satanists and those who practice occultism recognize that altars are important. (Satan counterfeits God’s original pattern.) In the Old Testament, altars were needed for sacrifice to temporarily atone for the sins of the people. In the New Testament, Jesus Christ is the perfect sacrifice, once and for all. It is finished. 

However, altars are still significant because of what they represent. 

Altars represent worship and intercession. In Exodus 30:7-10, the Lord gave Moses the instructions for a golden altar that was placed before the Holy of Holies in the Tabernacle. This altar was specifically for worship and intercession. It was to burn incense continually before the Presence of the Lord (Ex. 30:7,8).

Altars represent death. We are called to die to self and take up our cross daily (Lk. 14:27, Gal. 2:20). 

Altars represents sacrifice. We are called to be a living sacrifice (Rom. 12:1,2). 

Altars represent forgiveness. The cross became the final altar where Jesus prayed, “Father forgive them for they don’t know what they’re doing” (Lk. 23:34).

Today, we have altar calls in churches where people receive forgiveness from their sins and accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. 

Yes, the altar is still important today.

Over the years something happened in this nation. Our altars were torn down. The altar lost its power. We traded that power for political correctness and performance. We traded truth for our feelings and valued wokeness over worship. Some churches abandoned altar calls altogether, while some had full pews and empty altars. The once mighty church became powerless. This isn’t to condemn, it’s a sad truth. I’m not singling anyone out, because we are the church, so this can apply to us on a personal level too.

 The Altar Remains 

Throughout 2020, I had a continual series of dreams about different leaders in the church. The common theme in each dream was that they were rebuilding the church literally. Everything was torn down from the inside out. All the church was working together to rebuild it. The only piece that remained intact was the altar. Everything else was being rebuilt.

Think about this. Everything was torn down, except the altar. I believe God was, and has been, cleansing His church and removing everything that was not of Him, but the altar remained. The place where we worship, pray, and win the lost remained, while everything else was pulled down. 

I believe the Lord is calling each and every one of us to examine ourselves and contend for the altars again. Contend means to strive for. It won’t be easy. Satan will oppose you every step of the way just like Jezebel and the prophets of Baal opposed Elijah. But it’s going to be worth it all. 

Rebuild your personal prayer altar

Prayer is powerful and effective. Every revival has its beginning in prayer. Contend for churches to become houses of prayer again. 

Worship in full abandon to the Lord repairs the altar. 

Contend for your altar. Ask the Lord to remove anything from your life that doesn’t belong there. Continue in prayer, praise, and worshiping the Lord in Spirit and in truth. Contend for your family’s altar. Pray with your family. Call upon the name of the Lord like never before. Keep contending for your church and revival in your city. 

If we want revival, it must begin within each and every one of us first. If we are the temple of God, and every temple has an altar, then it means there’s an altar within us. That altar is our heart. It’s where we found Jesus and experienced the greatest exchange of all time, a new heart. It’s where He exchanged our filthy rags and we became the righteousness of God in Christ. 

What struck me as I have been reading the growing reports of the Asbury Outpouring is how it began. An outpouring of God’s love started in worship, prayer, and repentance, but it began in the altar of their hearts first. Now we are seeing literal altars filled in churches on several campuses. My prayer is that what we are seeing, our focus remains on what the Lord is doing. I’m also praying that this would spark a desperation in the heart of every man, woman, and young person to go after God with everything they’ve got.

You can have what they have at Asbury, because the same Spirit that started this move, is the same Spirit that resides in you. 

Father, we glorify you. We thank You for what you are doing among the younger generations that is touching all generations. You are the God of revival and what You are doing in Kentucky, You can do anywhere.

 Do it in me, Lord! Create in me a clean heart and renew a right spirit within me. 

Purify my heart. Tear down anything in me that doesn’t belong there. Search my heart and expose anything in me that You find offensive. Revive my spirit. Revive my family. Revive my city.

I ask that as You are moving in this nation, churches would repair the altars of the Lord. Let Christ-centered churches arise! Let us return to Jesus being at the center of worship, prayer, and church services.  We are contending for our families, for our churches and cities. 

As we exalt and magnify in Your name, let evil altars of false worship come down. 

Let every evil altar be torn down.

I pray for all believers who are hungry for Your Presence. Fan the flames in our hearts. In our homes, revive us. In our prayer closets, revive us. In our workplaces, revive us. In our communities, revive us. In our churches, revive us.  Wherever we call upon you in Spirit and in truth, make your face shine upon us and revive us and let us be the revival to the lost. 

In Jesus’ name, amen.

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IFA contributing writer Gloria Robles is a passionate intercessor with a prophetic voice for today. For more from Gloria, go to Spotify or Anchor and listen to her podcast, Something To Share. Photo credit: IFA.