Steemchurch: The family altar

If you are living a faith that focuses on doing certain things for God to love you, you are in a trap. God's love is not something we can earn, but something that He freely gives us and that we simply receive. Please, if you are in that trap of love that has conditions, free yourself!

The danger of what we will see today is to take it that way, as something that we have to carry as a heavy burden and as an obligation. It does not have to be like that. The reality is that what we are going to see today can transform your home, bringing joy, peace and well-being to the heart of your family.

What do I mean? I refer to the practice of the family altar. Before they go looking for some stones to build an altar in the room and a calf to sacrifice in it, let me clarify that the family altar does not refer to a physical altar that is built in the house.

No, it refers to the family meeting, preferably daily, where as a family we practice the presence of God. The family altar consists of spending time with the Word of God and in prayer, as a family. We will see three things that we achieved with the celebration of the family altar, and then talk about some guidelines to be a blessing and not an obligation.

I. The family altar reflects the family commitment to the Lord

Reading: Genesis 12: 7, 12: 8, 13: 4, 13:18

12: 7 And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said unto him, Unto thy seed will I give this land. And there he built an altar to Jehovah, who had appeared to him.
12: 8 Then he went from there to a hill east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; and there he built an altar to the LORD, and called on the name of the Lord.
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13: 4 to the place of the altar that he had made there before; And Abram called on the name of the Lord.
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13:18 And Abram removed his tent, and came and dwelt in the plain of Mamre, which is in Hebron, and built there an altar unto the LORD.

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What do you notice in common among all these passages? In each place, we noticed that Abraham raised an altar for the Lord. Here we are clearly talking about a physical altar, a pile of stones on which sacrifices of animals were offered. This was the place of worship during Abraham's time.

The important thing in the case is the reason why Abraham did it. Could not he have simply made an altar somewhere, to visit him from time to time? Why did he build an altar in every place he lived? That altar served as a visible sign that Abraham and his family were committed to the Lord.

Compare Abraham and Lot. Abraham's camp was a place of worship, seen in the presence of the altar in every place he lived. Lot's house, on the other hand, was a place of concession. Lot granted his authority as a just man to the mundane and perverse culture of Sodom. Which it was the result? He lost everything!

What separates your family from the families that surround you? What sign is that you are different? God does not want you to put images in your home to reflect his presence, for He is Spirit. Nor is it a matter of putting a sign on the door that says, "This home is Christian."

The best way to reflect the family's commitment to the Lord is to spend time with Him, together, every day. This begins to produce a spiritual change in the family, because the most valuable thing we have is our time. When we begin to give part of our time to the Lord, He begins to manifest among us.

In addition to reflecting the family commitment with the Lord,

II. The family altar educates children in the ways of the Lord

The most important thing you can do for your children is to teach them about God. The story of a dinner at the church is told. One of the sisters placed a sign next to the fruit plate that read: Take only one piece of fruit; God is watching. Up ahead there was a plate of cookies, and one of the children had put up another sign. He said: Take all the cookies you want; God is looking at the fruit.

It's funny, but clearly that child did not understand that God is everywhere, and he sees everything. God wants every child to learn about Him within their home.

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Reading: Deuteronomy 4: 9-10

4: 9 Therefore be careful, and guard your soul diligently, so that you do not forget the things that your eyes have seen, nor depart from your heart all the days of your life; rather, you will teach them to your children, and to the children of your children.
4:10 In the day that you stood before the LORD your God in Horeb, when the LORD said to me, Gather the people together, that I may make them hear my words, which they will learn, to fear me all the days that they shall dwell on the earth, and they will teach their children;

What would we think if we saw a man well dressed and well nourished, accompanied by malnourished children, pale and dressed in rags? We would conclude that he is a bad father, because he has not known how to share his material blessings with his children. It would be a scandal.

Here Moses teaches us not to keep the spiritual blessings we have received by knowing Christ for ourselves. We have to share them with our children, and teach them what we have come to know about the Lord. When we meet with them to pray and talk about the Word of God, we share with them what we have known about God.

Reading: Deuteronomy 11: 19-21

11:19 And you shall teach them to your children, speaking of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up,
11:20 and you shall write them on the doorposts of your house, and on your gates;
11:21 that your days may be, and the days of your children, so numerous upon the land that the LORD swore to your fathers to give them, as the days of heaven upon the earth.

The life of the Christian home must be saturated with the presence of God. The result of this, according to what we read in the Word, is that there will be blessing. Only if we talk to our children about the words of God, only if we teach them to obey and fear the Lord, can we count on God's blessing on their lives.

The best legacy you can leave to your children is not a bank account, a life insurance policy or even a good education. The best legacy you can give them is a legacy of faith, teaching them to love and fear God.

Reading: Psalm 34:11

34:11 Come, children, hear me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord.

Take your mind off the idea that you waste your time when you teach your children. Do not think that they can not understand; rather, it adapts the truth to your needs. For example, a well-known pastor says the following: "When our children were small and we were teaching them to pray, we had three kinds of prayers: prayers 'please', prayers of 'thank you' and prayers of 'I'm sorry'."

It is a very simple way of expressing the reality of communication with God. It is not necessary to teach children to say: "Dear Heavenly Father, we want to express our gratitude for the great grace you have shown us by justifying us freely through the propitiation made at Calvary." These words express great realities, but it would be better to express them in a way that is understandable to a child.

The family altar is the main place where you can educate your children in the ways of the Lord. If you have children in Sunday school, they receive sheets from their teachers with activities that you can do during the week. They also receive leaves with biblical readings. Take advantage of these resources, or use the weekly reading sheets. Why:

III. The family altar contributes to the salvation of the family

Through his Word, God works through families. He wants your family also to be impacted by his truth, and that many come to know his salvation. So it was with a man that Pablo and Silas met in jail. He was not another prisoner, but rather the jailer.

Reading: Acts 16: 30-34

16:30 And taking them out, he said to them: Sirs, what must I do to be saved?
16:31 They said: Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved, you and your house.
16:32 And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house.
16:33 And he, taking them at that very hour of the night, washed their wounds; and immediately he was baptized with all his family.
16:34 And leading them into his house, he set the table for them; and he rejoiced with all his house to have believed God.

As the head of the household, when the jailer surrendered to the Lord, God's blessing came to all his family. In their case, they all believed in the Lord, and were baptized together. If you as a father or mother are devoted to the Lord, you must serve as a channel for your blessing to flow to your children as well.

Through the example you give them, what you teach them, and the answers they see in their prayers, your children can get closer to that day when they will make the decision to accept Christ on their own, and they can be strengthened in their faith.

How can this happen in a family? The first thing that has to happen to have a family altar is that you have to set an hour to do it and turn off the television. I could preach a whole sermon about television, but suffice it to say that they will not die if they turn it off for 10 or 15 minutes, and at the best it does them good.

Second, make sure you always use the Bible. If you have small children, you could use a book of Bible stories or another source, but be sure to show them where the story is in the Bible so they can see that the Bible is the center of our faith. Do not leave the Bible aside.

Third, look for a rhythm - perhaps you can start with prayer for different family and Church needs, and then read the biblical portion. If you have a rhythm that you always follow in your family altar, it is easier to continue. However, it is good to vary from time to time too - perhaps singing a corito, or watching a video clip.

Fourth, remember why you do it. Do not let it become a habit anymore. Remember that, at that table, you and your family are meeting the God of the universe. Actually, that is the most important part of the day and of your family life. Let your children share; do not make it a space to give them a speech.

Fifth, make it fun! Find ways to get children involved with questions and opinions. Let them choose from time to time what they are going to study. Teach them to pray. Make sure there is something they can apply to their lives. What does God want us to do, think or say?

Do you have an altar in your house? I do not mean a pile of stones or an altarpiece, but rather a daily family altar where you can reflect your commitment to the Lord, educate your children in the faith and seek the salvation of your family. If you do not have it, I encourage you to commit yourself today to the Lord in the beginning. I know it will be a blessing.