By looking into scripture, this book hopes to shed a clear picture of God's love, grace, and mercy toward man in the act of creation. The image depicted by the author is based upon scripture by using it to reveal what exactly is covered by God's boundless act of love. This book will also discuss the intricate details of God's altar for the sins of all mankind. Throughout the Old Testament, we are given examples that show the true character of God. The Bible also shows God's love for all mankind. God desires to draw us near to Him, to restore us to a place we were prior to the fall of man, to have fellowship with God, and to live eternally with God. By God's plan of redemption through His Son Jesus Christ, He would restore man back to Him, and to have fellowship with Him as it had first been intended. Man was predestined to again enter into fellowship with their Creator. There is a common ground in which all existence has in common: God spoke a beginning, and it was created.

Discover your true identity in Christ. Many of us live for the approval of others. We let the world decide who we are, or we look to those around us to discover who we think we’d like to be. The problem is that living for what people think of you is the quickest way to forget what God thinks of you. In Altar Ego, pastor and author of Winning the War in Your Mind Craig Groeschel will show you how to sacrifice your broken ideas of approval-based identity on the altar of God’s truth and become who you were meant to be in Christ. You'll learn how to: Expose false labels and selfish motives. Live according to God's higher values with a deeper confidence in His calling. Trade in your broken ego and unleash your “altar” ego as a living sacrifice to Him. Understand how God continuously shapes you into His vision of you. Once you know your true identity and are growing in Christ-like character, then you can behave accordingly with bold behavior, bold prayers, bold words, and bold obedience. Altar Ego reveals who God says you are, and then calls you to live up to it. Rather than living a timid, halfhearted, shallow cultural Christianity, you'll boldly live in the confidence of the God who believes in you.

Burning with passion and zeal for Jesus, and driven by a vision to see the church revived, pastor and author, Jeremiah Johnson offers a prophetic plea to the people of God: "Come to the altar! Purify yourselves for the coming Bridegroom!"

Few believers experience God's altar--a place of pure and wholehearted relationship and worship where our holy God can meet with us and the fire of his presence can fall. But such an altar is necessary in our personal lives, our marriages, our churches, and our nations so that we are strengthened, empowered, and equipped for every good work. In this influential, modern-day call back to the altar, Chuck D. Pierce and Alemu Beeftu invite readers to find their way to rebuild the place of God's presence to allow the fire of God--his presence and power--to fall. When we rekindle the altar fire, our lives, prayer, and worship are transformed. The time to rebuild altars for fresh fire is now!

What does it mean to be in the presence of God's holiness? How can it affect us whether we seek it out or stumble upon it? Can it truly change our very reality to encounter it? The essayists in this volume explore these questions at the heart of Christian worship, considering the oft-neglected Old Testament as essential to understand our purpose in worship. Following the structure of the Hebrew canon -- beginning with the Pentateuch, moving through to the Psalms, then wisdom literature -- each chapter considers a separate aspect of worship, from theater to the Sabbath to sacred space, offering new inspiration. In the final essay Carol Bechtel "rereads the book of Job through the lens of our human limitations (as opposed to the usual theme of theodicy)," with compelling applications for both life and worship. Each of these essays concludes with two appropriately themed hymns and a "For Further Reading" list. Five of the seven contain sidebars that illustrate and enrich key points. Evocative woodcut artwork by Margaret Adams Parker provides a striking backdrop to the text. Taken together, these essays testify powerfully to the belief that the Old Testament is not only valuable but also essential to "whole" and fully foundational preaching and worship. Written primarily by Old Testament professors, Touching the Altar will make an engaging supplemental text for introductory or elective Old Testament courses and will also go far toward providing deeper worship for any Christian. Contributors: Carol M. Bechtel Thomas A. Boogaart Corrine L. Carvalho Ellen F. Davis J. Clinton McCann Jr. Dennis T. Olson Margaret Adams Parker John D. Witvliet