Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. 1 Timothy 4:7-8 (ESV) “Then another angel with a gold incense burner came and stood at the altar. And a great amount of incense was given to him to mix with the prayers of God’s people as an offering on the gold altar before the throne. The smoke of the incense, mixed with the prayers of God’s holy people, ascended up to God from the altar where the angel had poured them out.” Revelation 8:3-4 (NLT) “Abram traveled through the land as far as the site of the great tree of Moreh at Shechem. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. The LORD appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built an altar there to the LORD, who had appeared to him.” Genesis 12:6-7 (NIV) Four Significant Altars: 1. Altar of Awakening “From there he went on toward the hills east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to the LORD and called on the name of the LORD.” Genesis 12:8-9 (NIV) “An altar is a serious, sacred moment in time. It is a serious, sacred place of transaction. Altars are about transactions. They are not just about hanging out. They are not just about why don’t we swing by the altar. They are about doing business with God. An altar in this case is a memorial on Abram’s part to the place God had led him and a memorial to the place God met him. It is a place to do business with God that leaves an imprint on your soul.” ~ Dick Foth “Set up road signs; put up guideposts. Mark well the path by which you came.” Jeremiah 31:21 (NLT) “Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to live there for a while because the famine was severe.” Genesis 12:10 (NIV) “So Abram went up from Egypt to the Negev, with his wife and everything he had, and Lot went with him. Abram had become very wealthy in livestock and in silver and gold. From the Negev he went from place to place until he came to Bethel, to the place between Bethel and Ai where his tent had been earlier and where he had first built an altar. There Abram called on the name of the LORD.” Genesis 13:1-4 (NIV) 2. The Altar of Return “Then Gideon built an altar there to the Lord and called it, The Lord Is Peace.” Judges 6:24a (ESV) “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord…” Acts 3:19 (NIV) 3. Altars of Dreams The LORD said to Abram after Lot had parted from him, “Lift up your eyes from where you are and look north and south, east and west. All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever. I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust, then your offspring could be counted. Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you.” Genesis 13:14-17 (NIV) “So Abram moved his tents and went to live near the great trees of Mamre at Hebron, where he built an altar to the LORD.” Genesis 13:18 (NIV) 4. Altars of Decision Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” "Here I am," he replied. Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.” Genesis 22:1-2 (NIV) “When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son.” Genesis 22:9-10 (NIV) So Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided.” Genesis 22:14 (NIV) If you make me an altar of stone, you shall not build it of hewn stones, for if you wield your tool on it you profane it. Exodus 20:25 (ESV) I SURRENDERED MY LIFE TO CHRIST TODAY! If you decided to follow Jesus as a result of today's message, we would love to connect with you, talk about what just happened, and put some great resources in your hand to help you grow in your relationship with Christ! Simply click the link below to get started! https://bit.ly/IwanttofollowJesus I WANT TO BE WATER BAPTIZED! The Bible teaches that baptism is the first step of obedience after making a commitment to Jesus. Baptism allows a believer to communicate to the world their new commitment to Christ. At Painesville Assembly, we encourage believers to be baptized in water. We do this because: Jesus, as the Son of God, set a great example for us to follow when he was personally baptized (Matthew 3.16), Jesus commanded us to be baptized (Matthew 28.19), Water baptism symbolizes the brand new life that Jesus gives (Romans 6.4). Click the link below to go public with your faith! https://bit.ly/Iwanttobebaptized