THE ALTAR! Where is it now?

By James E. Crigger

   When I grew up, The Altar was a must in the design of a church.  It was not there as a symbol, but a necessary part of repentance and a sacrifice made for our sins..  Without repentance, there can be no sacrifice.  Without sacrifice, there can be no forgiveness.  Without forgiveness, there can be no Salvation. The Altar is where you went when you were convicted that you were a sinner and needed forgiveness.
   I will never forget the feeling of heaviness when I was young and then, the feeling of peace and freedom when I would run to the altar and ask God for forgiveness and knowing that I had

receive that forgiveness.

   Today, we have forgotten the value of that public confession that we needed the help and forgiveness of a loving God.  Today, we raise our hands.  Every eye is closed, so we never made a public confession of our guilt.  God forbid that our friends know that we need God.
   And then, we have “The Sinner’s Prayer”.  We offer this to others as a simple and all inclusive prayer in which we offer our promise of repentance (many forget that promise very soon). 
   In my opinion, if you are too proud to go to an altar when you need forgiveness and you are worried about who might see you, you might as well not bother.
   The Bible says: “none come unless the spirit leads them”.  If you raise your hand because someone says you should do so, that is not the spirit.  If you go to the altar because someone said it was the thing to do.  If you say the sinner’s prayer because someone offers it as s simple way to salvation (Jesus is the only way to salvation).  If you do not go to the altar because of  a spiritual conviction that you need this audience with God, then you may not receive what you thought you would.
   We are ashamed of God.  We are too proud to let others know that we are a sinner.  It is said that “pride goeth before a fall”.  It is no wonder that we are falling.  When there comes a time that our refusal to acknowledge God and our Saviour Jesus results in our death or imprisonment, where will we be then.  This is already happening in some countries.  A confession of  Salvation through Jesus and a statement of being a Christian means rejection or even death to some people.  I have Facebook friends who have been disowned by their family because of their faith in Jesus Christ.  Where is our faith?
   Christians are thought of as hypocrites and liars because they do not behave as a Christian.  If one takes The Altar for granted, then we will take our “Christianity” for granted.
   My father was an alcoholic and I found myself with him in many bars during my childhood.  I have heard many a barroom conversation on Christ and how that person was a Christian.  I’m sorry, Christians do not belong in places like bars.  The Bible says to “shun the very appearance of evil”.
   The world will not see Christianity unless we act as a Christian.  The world will never hear of true Salvation unless we tell them and confess to them that we also are sinners, save by grace.  If we are too proud to cry and kneel at an altar amongst other Christians, then we will be too proud to tell others about our Savior.
   This Sunday, in church, if there is an altar and you are one of the proud.  Swallow your pride and make a public confession of your love for Jesus Christ.