One of the greatest tragedies of all times in the Church of God (not necessarily referring to Cleveland, TN but all churches) is the diminished emphases of the ALTAR. The highlight of any service is always the altar service. Yet so many altars have been removed from our churches.
Agreed
Where do we see altars in the New Testament church? If the apostle Paul was with us today, would he have altar calls?
Come on now do you hold all things in common as they did?
Brownsville was not CoG.
Rev 11:1; Mt 5:23, 24; 23:18-20; and many other references regarding the altar.
Peter A Vandever, if you are not saved and sanctified and living a life of holiness, you are not baptized in the Holy Ghost.
I was attracted to the COG largely due to altar experiences. The A/G churches that I attended also had an emphasis upon praying through at the altar. I like to spend time with God in soaking prayer at home or in the woods but do miss praying for others at the altar. We don’t have to have altars to meet with God but I hope that altar time remains a part of services in all denominations.
On the way home from church we pass an independent Baptist and most of the time they are still having an altar call at 12:20 or so yet other churches in the area have empty lots by that time yet they are bigger. Maybe it’s more tradition than New Testament Christianity.
We still have altar services just about every time we come to church. But you are so right brother.
Altars should be in every church. And should be filled every service… So many things to pray about ,.
Another sad thing is that so many religious Radio & TV services never present the message of salvation. It should be done each & every time.
The ‘altar’ is another one of those COG (Cleveland)/Pentecostal traditions that doesn’t really have roots in scripture. In the Bible, the altar is a place of animal sacrifice. Roman Catholics called the raised table where the communion was blessed by the priest an ‘altar.’ But they believe the priest is performing a sacrifice. Later, certain revivalistic Protestant groups called a bench for prayer in the church building, the same general area where the Roman Catholic ‘altar’ was, an ‘altar.’ The ‘altar’ came to be associated with prayer, altar calls, etc.
Many of the early churches met in homes and the meetings weren’t so ‘furniture oriented.’
Lots of posts here about the importance Pentecostal and Holiness traditions that aren’t necessarily Biblical– certain styles of preaching, altar calls, evangelists preaching revivals, modified Wesleyan theories of sanctification.
I served as an interim minister at a missionary Baptist church once. I thought it was funny that they’d want me since I wasn’t Baptist. The song leader kept pointing to a wooden box with carpet on it at the front, saying how important it was that they had an altar.
It’s a place to pray
Oh my, cannot believe some of these comments
There was a non pentecostal church in Lafayette that was sold and was to be torn down to make room for more parking at a neighboring hospial. A gentleman from the church brought in a chain saw and cut out a piece of the flooring at the place he liked to pray at the altar. To him this was holy ground.
Amen I agree with we need alter in our Church God meets us there arms open wide you can pray any where but God tells in his word come and let brother and sister agree two are three can touch the Throne of Grace when in agreement I agree with Brother Collins Amen
Brethren, not everyone in this forum are CoG or ex-CoG ministers. Link Hudson nor Peter A Vandever have never been associated with the CoG ministry or any of its schools. Yet, they are often so swift to bring their judgments into this forum.
When were you an official student at Lee Peter A Vandever?
Exactly what year Peter A Vandever. If you had been at Lee, you will know exactly.
To me if any church removes the alters, it no longer is a church, just a building.
In modern day churches the alter should be the emphises
Regardless whether we are pre-1986 or post-1986 CoG, Lee impacted all of our lives. I do not know of a single ministerial student who ever spoke even remotely negative about their experience at Lee.
Not at New Life Tabernacle of Praise!
Reminds me of accepting a new pastorate. The Lord directed me to shorten my sermons and encourage more time in the altars, …except, the church no longer had altars. I began calling around to find some that would go with our decor. A little church offered to give me a set. When I picked them up there were stored in the baptistry.. Wonder when the last time that had been used…the end result of more time in the altars were salvations, healings, deliverance, the church increased from 25/30 to 100+ in 2 years…