Altars over Thrones: An Introduction

Altars over Thrones

Author’s Note. I intend to turn this series I am writing into a book. I feel an urgency to share this message.

Why write Altars over Thrones?

I first wrote an outline for this book in September of 2023. I felt a stirring to write on this topic after some observations I heard on the Biblcial story of Elijah and some preaching I did on Elijah's showdown with the prophets of Baal in 1 Kings. This phrase Altars over Thrones, gripped me as I meditated on the Scriptures and thought about it as a greater meta-narrative throughout the Bible.

Photo by Josh Eckstein on Unsplash

I have a list of books I would like to write, but obviously can't write all of them at once. So this outline just sat in one of my digital files alongside other book ideas for a later time. In early October 2024, I was at a leadership retreat with Christ Covenant Coalition, convened by Bishop Jospeh Mattera who has been a mentor and like a spiritual father to Grace and I. During our retreat, different ministers were assigned a portion of Psalm 23 to teach from throughout the days we gathered.

Our schedule was interrupted by a move of the Holy Spirit on our second day. We all came to the altar in the front of the room in which we gathered during a powerful time of prayer. As Grace and I prayed together we felt the Holy Spirit come upon us. It was like a renewal of an impartation we had two years early that shifted the course of our church and minsitry. I sat there and repented and continue to seek the Lord. I felt an urgency that as leaders in the church we needed to repent of our exalting of thrones over altars. The minsitry has become obsessed with power, prestige and popularity too often and those whom we considered as great leaders have fallen. Our elections have been causing great division and fear on the one hand and great hope of a national revival on the other if the "right candidate wins." As this was stirring in my heart, I was reminded of Elijah and the idea of Altars over Thrones.

Right after this happened, Bishop Joe got up and said something to the effect that God is doing something right now in this season concerning Elijah and the restoring of altars. He pulled me up and I shared what had been stirring in my spirit. I went to pray and was so overwhelmed by the power of God. I could barely stand. It was almost difficult to breathe in an atmosphere so charged with God's presence.

I felt marked by God in that encounter. I felt God confirming now is the time for the message of Altars over Thrones. I got back to my seat and opened my note files to see the outline I had started almost a year before. I realized that God is alerting me and not only me, but the church in America to restore our faith in the power of the altar once again.

From my observation, the people of God have lost faith in the power of altars and are mesmerized by the power of thrones. Our hopes and fears for the future of our ministries, churches, cities and nation are overly tied to who occupies human thrones of politics, celebrity and influence. In the United States of America we face a crisis every four years known as a presidential election. With every presidential election and campaigning season I now hear people say, "this is surely the most important election of our lifetime." Many are persuaded that if we can only get the right person in office we will finally have revival and awakening in our great nation once again. Many believers are now convinced that if we could just get more Christians voting and involved in politics we could "save our nation." If we could just produce better programs, gain more followers, have more money or power, we could really turn things around.

While I believe that Christians should be involved politically by voting, in government and by running for office, I believe we have things out of order and have put more faith in our activism and participation in earthly things by thrones than in the heavenly power we have been given through altars. I would like to assure you that this book is not altars vs. thrones, its Altars over Thrones. We should not ignore the importance of thrones but interact with them from the proper place of faith and perspective.

God sized problems take God size solutions. God shaped holes in the church, in cities and in soceity cannot be filled by human effort. Its going to take God to solve and heal the problems facing our nation. Why do we think that the leadership of the Whitehouse is more important than the leadership of God's house? Why do we think whoever has the most popularity or earthly power makes the biggest difference? Have we replaced our conviction that the apostle Paul has more to say to us than Caesar? Have we lost faith in the suffering Savior and put our hope in another Pilate or Herod? Is it the cross or the sword that has most radically shaped the world?

Forget even thinking about politics and culture for a moment. Have we lost faith in the power of sacrfice, humility, confession and repentance? Have we lost faith in the conviction that God meets with us and answers us at altars?

May God recover our faith in the power and authority we have when we build altars unto Him, the Almighty, who is seated on heaven's throne as the Lamb slain on the altar for us.

It's time for a holy visitation and a return to the altar so that we don't miss anything that heaven intends to pour out in this hour.