Restore The Church

(1Kings 18:30 ) 31 Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the LORD came, saying, “Israel shall be your name”;

32 with the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD. Then he made a trench around the altar, large enough to contain two measures of seed.

33 Next he put the wood in order, cut the bull in pieces, and laid it on the wood. He said, “Fill four jars with water and pour it on the burnt offering and on the wood.”

34 Then he said, “Do it a second time”; and they did it a second time. Again he said, “Do it a third time”; and they did it a third time,

35 so that the water ran all around the altar, and filled the trench also with water.

36 At the time of the offering of the oblation, the prophet Elijah came near and said, “O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel, that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your bidding.

37 Answer me, O LORD, answer me, so that this people may know that you, O LORD, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back.”

38 Then the fire of the LORD fell and consumed the burnt offering, the wood, the stones, and the dust, and even licked up the water that was in the trench.

(Pray)

If we read the story in the book of Kings, we will learn a battle is happening at the altar…(someone say a battle)

WHETHER WE LIKE IT OR NOT THE BIBLE TEACHES THERE IS A SPIRITUAL BATTLE HAPPENING THAT WE CAN NOT SEE WITH THE NAKED EYE…

-IT’S A BATTLE OF SPIRITS, ANGELS AND PRINCIPALITIES…(EPHESIANS 6:12)

The battle that was happening in this story was…

-FALSE PROPHETS CALLING UPON A FALSE GOD… YET NOTHING HAPPENED AND THE PROPHET ELIJAH CALLLING UPON GOD… (my friend if nothing is happening in our life’s @ <our altar > WE may not HAVE THE ALTAR TO THE right God..)

Our altar must be built to JESUS, not our jobs, not our brand, not ties to the world…

BUT ELIJAH REBUILDS THE ALTAR…CALLS UPON GOD ALMIGHT…YAHWEH…

AND FIRE FALLS!!! GOD SHOWS UP!!!

AT A PROPER ALTAR, WITH PROPER WORSHIP!!!

THE SCRIPTURE READS THAT THE ALTAR HAD TO BE BUILT PROPERLY…

Not only do we build altars but my prayer is my life is an altar unto God…

GOD MAKE ME AN ALTAR, LET MY LIFE BURN, LET MY LIFE SHINE, LET MY LIFE BRING YOU GLORY, GOD SHOW UP, WHEN I CALL IN JESUS NAME!!! LET ME BE YOUR REPRESENTATION AND MOUTH PIECE TO THE WORLD…

The bible states that the altar had a trench built around it for seed….

LISTEN CHURCH…BEFORE WE COULD GO UP…WE MUST GO DOWN… WE MUST DIG!!! WE MUST HAVE SEED IN THE GROUND….

WHEN I SAY GO DOWN IT’S A POSTURE OF KNEELING, A POSTURE OF MY FACE ON THE FLOOR, A MENTALITY OF DIGGING…

For many years I was the trench digger at work… THAT WAS MY TITLE LABORER/DIGGER…

BEFORE, I WAS IN THE MACHINE. BEFORE I WAS DRIVING THE BIG TRACTORS, BEFORE I WAS WALKING AROUND WITH A NOTE BOOK..

BEFORE I WAS SHOWING UP TO JOB SITES…BIDDING ON JOBS…

I WAS IN THE TRENCH WITH A SHOVEL….

MANY TIMES, WE WANT THE PLATFORM, MANY TIMES WE WANT ELEVATION, MANY TIMES WE WANT TO BE THE CEO BUT COULD WE LABOR AND BUILD A TRENCH FOR JESUS….

We have big dreams for Whittier, I believe we will see more families reached, more families restored, prodigals come home, bodies healed, hundred and even thousands of people come to salvation through our preaching, mens & womens homes, and outreach…

But the big dreams do not come without work….

James 2:26 “..so faith without works is also dead”.

Intro: It’s important that the church today does not get away from what makes the church a church.

We are not a club, we are not a group of cliques.

But we are the temple of the Holy God!!! A TABERNACLE FOR GOD, All churches must have 3 elements that make the church a church, an altar, worship, and sacrifices.

The danger is we become another entertainment center…A HOUSE OF MEN,

A HOUSE OF MEN HAS A STAGE, A HOUSE OF GOD HAS AN ALTAR…

A STAGE IS TO PERFROM (ACTOR)

AN ALTAR IS FOR SACRIFICES (PRIESTS)

How do we get out of an acting mechanics , we do this through proper training…

SOME OF US ARE GOOD ACTORS, MYSELF INCLUDED. THERE’S A FAITHFUL SAYING THAT MANY PEOPLE USE FAKE IT TO YOU MAKE IT…