Steps To The Altar

So you are at church or at a revival and the Holy Spirit is moving. An altar call is made and you see someone head in that direction. You are one of the leaders or simply a saint, and you feel the need to go and pray for that individual, or someone told you to do so. What should you do?

Before I can tell you what you should do, we will examine some requirements for you to be effective at the altar.

THE HOLY GHOST

If you are intending on leading someone to the Lord, it is imperative that you have the Holy Spirit. Ministry is when the Holy Ghost operates through our bodies. He uses, our hands, our mouths, our minds to effect ministry in the earth. The anointing of the Holy Spirit is able to …heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, (Luke 4:18). We must be aware that these are the things that might be necessary at the altar. Without the Holy Ghost it is impossible to break the bondage of the enemy.

Matthew 12:26 & 28

26 Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand: And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand?

28 But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you.

It is clear here, that Satan cannot cast out himself, only the power of God can. Therefore it is pointless for one who does not know the way to God to try and lead someone else to Him. Note, if you are not saved, you have issues with sin too, so it would be hypocritical of you to work the altar ministry, when you also need deliverance.

This is also true for those that are unsure whether they have the Holy Spirit or not. The only tell-tale sign that one has the Holy Spirit is the power to stop sinning. Love is the opposite of sin. If you are able to love as God loves, you are saved. However, if you cannot overcome sin and you know in your heart that you cannot, you do not have the Holy Ghost.

HOLINESS

1 John 1:5-6

This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:

Even though you may have the Holy Ghost if you are not living holy, your ministry at the altar will not be effective. God does not fellowship with darkness. Fellowship also includes God’s ability to use you. If He is not fellowshipping with you, it also means that He prefers not to use you.

You must ask yourself, “Why would I go to the altar and pray for another when I know that I am not right with God?” The answer of this question will always lead to pride. The urge to go pray for someone at the altar should be replaced with an urge to repent and regain right standing with the Father.

A KNOWLEDGE OF THE WORD

If you had to counsel an individual at the altar, would you know what to say to them? A knowledge of the word, will always be a benefit in any type of ministry, because the word is the mind of God. This will cause you to do what is necessary and avoid what is not. Wisdom of the operation of the word, which is extracted from personal experiences, is also a good asset to have when ministering at the altar.

A knowledge of the word will also determine your approach to ministry. You will only operate in what you know/believe. You must know that you are one with God, and are simply an instrument for His use. Your confidence must be in the word and what it says about you, the individual at the altar, and the situations concerning both.

PRAYER & FELLOWSHIP

A lifestyle of prayer and fellowship allows you to learn how to discern God and also gives you confidence. Prayer allows you to offer words of thanksgiving as well as make your petitions known unto God. It is also the place you will receive instruction and revelation from God. Reading your Bible allows you to learn the principles of God and to be reminded of His immutable ways.

Before church begins, pray that the Holy Spirit anoint every aspect of the service, especially the preacher. At the time of the altar call, as you approach individuals, be humble and prayerful in your heart. Ask the Holy Spirit to direct you and to give you the words that the individuals need to hear. Expect the Lord to lead you. Keep an open ear to Him. There are times when the Holy Spirit will tell you not to go to that individual, or in cases of a massive altar call, He might lead you to someone specific. So be keen to Him. Follow His leading ALWAYS.

MATURITY

At the altar there may be times that you will learn information you did not know about a person. In other cases, there may be occurrences that may cause many to flinch (eg. A spirit unclothing someone). Therefore, character, integrity and maturity is essential to working the altar. Remember these are people, not actors in a movie. Your responses can affect them.

AUTHORITY

Though we are all called to reconcile the lost, do not be intimidated by righteous spiritual leadership. Yes, you are led by God, but so are your leaders. Obey your Spirit-led leaders because they watch for your soul, and know what is best for you. They are seeking the Lord for what is best for the individual at the altar. If a leader tells you not to go to the altar, trust that it is for the good of all parties involved.

If you are not an individual that the leader expects to be working the altar, go to your leader and make a request to go pray for someone at the altar, then honor their answer.

So you are on your way to the altar, having cleared all the necessary requirements above. Here are some things that are important to consider.

SENSITIVITY

We must ensure that our approach to that individual is for no selfish reason at all. There are many selfish reasons one may approach the altar. Here is a list of a few reasons.

1. Many approach the altar simply to appear spiritual or God-led to those around them.

2. Some approach individuals and act as if they are praying for them, when actually they are praying for themselves.

3. Some approach the altar because they want to prove to people or themselves that they can perform spiritual acts.

4. Some approach the altar with a mind to fight the devil.

However, we must discern that if someone approaches the altar, it is the Holy Spirit that has encouraged them to make a decision to approach Him. He has compelled that individual for His purpose, not your own. Do not allow pride or lust to get in the way and motivate you to approach the altar. When you are praying for an individual, the most important thing to you should be how you can reach the individual, and lead them to the Lord. To do that, we must be sensitive to them and the Holy Ghost.

Before we get to the altar, there must be a manifestation of sensitivity in our hearts. Do we truly care about this individual? Are we simply going to the altar because we were instructed to do so? Or do we expect to see God move and to see that individual blessed? To do that, you must make yourself one with that person. When I say “make yourself one” I mean, feel what they feel, and prepare to beseech God in their stead. Prepare to articulate the words they cannot. Put yourself in their shoes, and pray for them as you would pray for yourself and your own. Be sensitive to the concerns of the individual.

Sensitivity also allows you to be free of judgmentalism. When you are judgmental, you seek to condemn before the time. It causes their wrong doings to become an offense to you personally. However, sin is against God, not you. See the purity of the soul that you are approaching. Compare spiritual with spiritual, by recognizing what the devil is trying to do with the individual, and what God is doing in their hearts or His plan for their life. That is why it is necessary to understand that all sin has some devilish influence.

BE WISE

Depending on the individual, there may be cases that it may not be wise for you to be the one to pray for the individual at the altar or to be the only one.

For example, if you are Suzie’s ex-boyfriend that she is currently struggling to get over, you are not the best one to minister to her at the altar. Or, if you are the individual that Mickey has intense hatred for, it may not be best (or safe) for you to lead him to the Lord.

It is also good to let females pray with females and males with males (depending on the situation), to lessen distractions. If this cannot be avoided, avoid unnecessary touching and tight embraces. Eschew not just evil, but the appearance of it also.

ARE YOU ALTAR READY?

Clothing & Jewelry

As ministers, we must bear in mind that our clothing is very important. We must be mindful of the items we use to cover the temple of the Lord (our bodies). There is nothing wrong with putting yourself together and looking your best for the Lord, however we must ensure that what we wear is not a distraction to those at the altar. You always want to encourage people to the Lord, not turn them away by being an image of lust in their minds. Always bear in mind that individuals at the altar may have varying issues and problems, so do not think that you are exempt from being a possible distraction. Cover up what needs to be covered; loosen what needs to be loosened; tighten what needs to be tightened and secure what needs to be secured.

Bear in mind that the ministers who pray at the altar should have on comfortable clothing. The altar is a very unpredictable place. You do not know what you will be doing. There are times you will need to kneel, or to keep a person from falling. You do not want your own clothes to be a distraction to you and hence an impediment to your ministry.

Do the Stretch/Mirror Test

If you are aware that you might be at the altar at your service, go to the mirror and do some stretches in whatever you are wearing, to see whether you will be exposed and where. Then, make adjustments to amend those issues. Ensure that your clothes is fixed upon your body enough - that it will not fall off during the events that may happen at the altar.

Just as items of clothing can fall off, so can jewelry. Sometimes the altar can look like somewhat of a battle zone. So before you approach the altar, rid yourself from as much jewelry as possible. Especially if you are not at your common church service. If you are evangelizing on the streets or doing a revival where you have the opportunity to pray for strangers, it is best that you wear no jewelry at all.

Hygiene & Health

If you prepare to be speaking with an individual, you do not want your hygiene to be a distraction. Make sure that you have done your best to prevent distracting smells (using deodorant, mints, perfume/cologne, etc). If you are one who has a contagious disease, it is best for you not to go to the altar, unless you are unequivocally clear that our God in heaven is leading you to do so, and thus intends to protect the individual from receiving your illness.