As those who are being prepared for the Lord’s return, we need to live the life of the altar and the tent by having God’s appearing and consecrating everything to Him, and we need to be renewed daily by having a transformation that is fresh daily to grow in life until we’re matured. Amen!
Our life on earth is not for ourselves, for our prosperity, or for our benefit. Neither is our life on earth so that we suffer and endure and go through trials.
Our Christian life on earth is for us to hasten the Lord’s return; for this, we’re being prepared little by little, day by day, by giving the Lord our best cooperation.
To be prepared for the Lord’s coming, we need to have a revived living; starting from the morning, we need to contact the Lord and remain in the contact with Him.
Our time with the Lord in the morning is very important; we need to take time before we do anything to simply contact the Lord and enjoy Him.
We need to take at least fifteen minutes to be in the Lord’s presence, open to Him, speak to Him, receive His speaking, and touch Him.
It all starts in the morning. Our revived living is an issue of being revived every morning.
May we be those who love the Lord to the uttermost in such a way, having a revived living and living an overcoming life until the Lord returns!
Our daily goal should be the fullest enjoyment and gaining of Christ.
Christ has seized us, and now we want to seize Him – we want to gain Him.
He has dispensed something of Himself into us, He has shown us His preciousness, and now we just want to pursue Him, gain Him, be found in Him, and have the fullest enjoyment and gaining of Christ.
We gain Christ and He gains us by our coming to Him day by day.
Our time with the Lord is very important. When we come to the Lord, especially in the morning, we need to take Him as the reality of all the offerings.
We cannot just enter into the Holy of Holies, right away, when we come to the Lord; we need to apply Christ as our sin offering for our sinful being, as the trespass offering for our sins, and as the peace offering so that we may have peace with God.
And we can take Christ as our burnt offering, for He is the One who is absolute for God, and as such a One He lives in us today.
When we lay our hands on Christ through faith and take Him as the reality of the offerings, we have access to God.
Christ qualifies us to enter into God’s presence, and here we can enjoy God with all that He is.
May we be those who enjoy God in Christ as our everything, and may we enjoy Him day by day, even moment by moment.
If we remain in the enjoyment of Christ, we will have a revived living day by day.
Having the Lord’s Appearing to live a Life of the Altar and the Tent, Consecrating ourselves to God and Living for Him on earth
As those who are actively preparing themselves for the Lord’s coming, we must be those who live the life of the altar and the tent (Gen. 12:7-8; 13:3-4, 18).
Before we believed into the Lord we lived for ourselves, for our interests, for our desires, and for what we wanted to do and achieve.
But once the Lord appeared to us, the course of our life changed. Our Christian life is the life of the altar and the tent.
When the Lord appears to a man, that man cannot remain the same; he will simply give himself with all he is and has to the Lord for His purpose and desire.
He will simply live the life of the altar toward God, consecrating all he is to Him, and the life of the tent toward the world, living as a sojourner here, yearning for the New Jerusalem as his heavenly home. Amen!
This is the reaction that Abram had when Jehovah appeared to him; God promised him that He will give him a seed and the land, and Abraham simply built an altar to Jehovah, and he lived the life of a tent.
Toward God, he put everything on the altar; toward the world, he was not set somewhere but followed God’s leading to where He wanted him to go.
The altar is a type of our consecration; we can consecrate ourselves with all we are and have to the Lord only when the Lord appears to us.
Many times Christians say that they consecrate themselves to God, but they do not have God’s appearing; no one can voluntarily offer up all he has on the altar if God has not appeared to him first.
God’s appearing is absolutely necessary; when God appears to us, if we meet God even only one time, consecration will take place in us spontaneously.
If we touch God, our life will no longer be the same.
If we catch sight of God just once, we are no longer our own; we will consecrate ourselves to Him to live the life of the altar and the tent.
This is because, when we touch God and He appears to us, we are filled with inexhaustible power.
God’s appearance brings with it inexhaustible power, and such power changes the course of our whole life.
Why would someone give all he is and has to God? What makes him do this? What is the cause and source of our consecration? It is God’s appearance.
When we have God’s appearance, we simply live the life of the altar and the tent; we no longer live to and for ourselves, and all we are and have is for the Lord.
The power for us to live for God is based on the vision we have of God.
It’s not our decision based on a careful consideration and analysis that causes us to serve God; it is the Lord’s appearing that causes such a reaction in us.
It is not our will or desire to build an altar that produces consecration in us; it is the Lord’s appearance, His coming to us, and our genuine touch of God.
When God appeared to Abraham, he built an altar for burnt offerings, and he lived for God.
When God appeared to Moses, he could no longer be the same.
When the Lord appeared to Saul of Tarsus, even though he persecuted Him, he had a complete change in his course.
When God appears to us, we offer ourselves to Him on the altar, and we consecrate our spirit, soul, and body to Him for the church life (Rom. 12:1).
The issue of such a consecration is that we live in a tent; we do not settle here on earth, we don’t work for us to build up a career for ourselves, but we live for the Lord.
A tent is not a house – it is something movable, not settling or taking root somewhere.
Through the altar, God deals with us, the persons, and through the tent, He deals with our possessions.
When we consecrate everything to God as a result of His appearance, we offer all we have to Him.
However, this doesn’t mean that we have no clothes, money, food, or shelter, for we offered it all to God; rather, what passes through the altar and is returned to us can be used by us in the tent.
Abraham offered himself to God on the altar and lived the life of a tent, and he had sheep, cattle, servants, and many possessions, but these were for him to live a life for God’s purpose.
May we have God’s appearance day by day so that we may consecrate ourselves to Him, and may we live the life of the altar and the tent as an anti-testimony to the world today.
To live the life of the tent is our declaration that we are strangers and sojourners on the earth who are seeking a better country, and we are eagerly waiting for the God-built city, the New Jerusalem (Heb. 11:9-10, 13, 16).
God is the goal and the meaning of our life, and all we have and have is consecrated on the altar; whatever God allows us to have, these things we will use in the tent for His purpose.
![By faith he dwelt as a foreigner in the land of promise as in a foreign [land,] making his home in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the fellow heirs of the same promise; For he eagerly waited for the city which has the foundations, whose Architect and Builder is God... All these died in faith, not receiving the promises but seeing them from afar and joyfully greeting [them] and confessing that they were strangers and sojourners on the earth...But as it is, they long after a better [country,] that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed of them, to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them. Heb. 11:9-10, 13, 16](https://i0.wp.com/www.agodman.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/By-faith-he-dwelt-as-a-foreigner-in-the-land-of-promise-as-in-a-foreign-land-making-his-home-in-tents-jpg.webp?resize=400%2C600&ssl=1 "By faith he dwelt as a foreigner in the land of promise as in a foreign [land,] making his home in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the fellow heirs of the same promise; For he eagerly waited for the city which has the foundations, whose Architect and Builder is God... All these died in faith, not receiving the promises but seeing them from afar and joyfully greeting [them] and confessing that they were strangers and sojourners on the earth...But as it is, they long after a better [country,] that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed of them, to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them. Heb. 11:9-10, 13, 16")
We are simply passing through the earth; we don’t settle here, nor are we rooted on this earth, for our eternal abode is the New Jerusalem.
We may have a good job, but this is not for us to settle here and be rooted on earth.
If we are rooted on earth, even if the Lord wants to rapture us, He cannot plug us out of the earth.
If we establish our own property and build up our own future, we will become so deeply rooted that we cannot be raptured.
We will be one with the corrupted world and we will fall into the judgment of God.
May we have God’s appearing and live for the Lord’s interest and move on the earth, being consecrated to Him.
The things that pass through the altar can be used by us in the tent.
As consecrated persons, we have and use things for us to live a life in preparation for the Lord’s return, eagerly awaiting the Lord’s coming and expecting the city which has the foundations, the New Jerusalem!
Our life today is with the New Jerusalem in view, and we want to hasten the Lord’s return.
May the Lord be gracious to us and cause us to see the importance of consecration so that we may live a life of the altar and the tent.
Lord Jesus, be gracious to us and cause us to see the importance of consecration so that we may live a life of the altar and the tent. Appear to us, Lord. We want and we need Your fresh appearing day by day. It is Your appearing that gives us the strength to go on with You. Oh Lord, we consecrate ourselves to You. We are not here for ourselves: we are here for You and Your purpose. We want to live the life of the altar and the tent. We are just sojourners and strangers here, for the New Jerusalem is our real habitation! Save us from being rooted on this earth. Oh Lord, we do have a job and responsibilities here on earth, but our future and our goal is God! We are just passing through this earth, seeking a better country! Amen, Lord Jesus, appear to us again and again so that we may build an altar and live the life of a tent to hasten Your return!
Having a Revival that is Renewed Daily by having a Transformation that is Fresh Daily
If we are daily revived and renewed, we will be transformed in a fresh way. Our daily revival will bring transformation with it.
As we are transformed by the renewing of our mind (Rom. 12:2), we will be transformed in the same image as the Lord, and this is a daily matter – we have a daily transformation that is fresh (2 Cor. 3:18).
We all, with unveiled face, need to behold and reflect like a mirror the glory of the Lord, so that we may be transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord Spirit.
Our being transformed issues from our beholding the Lord. It is not only by reading the Bible to be renewed in our mind that we are transformed; transformation issues from our seeing the Lord and beholding Him to reflect Him.
The Lord’s appearing, our seeing the Lord, issues in our being transformed.
When we see God, we cannot remain the same. We need to remain in this seeing of the Lord, beholding Him with an unveiled face.
Day by day there are many things that come in, many activities we’re involved in, and many failures that we have; these can be a veil that covers our face.
We need to remove all the veils by turning our heart to the Lord and confessing what He shines on, and we need to simply behold Him.
When we see the Lord, we are transformed into the same image.
When we see the Lord, we can live a life of the altar and the tent.
To have a revival that is renewed daily is to have a transformation that is fresh daily.
May we remain in this transformation our whole life so that we may grow in the life of the Lord until we are mature and ready to be raptured by Him. Amen!
Transformation is an organic process taking place in us when we behold the Lord.
When we spend time with the Lord and see Him in His word, when we have the Lord’s appearance day by day and even moment by moment, something takes place in us: we are transformed.
Our old element is discharged, and the Lord’s new element is added to us.
Whatever is of us is old, but everything that the Lord is, is new.
So we need to open to Him, behold Him, and say Amen to His word, and He will infuse His new element into our being to make us a new being, a transformed being.
May we have a fresh transformation daily as we behold the Lord and reflect Him.
May we remain in this transformation our whole life, not seeking to escape or resisting it.
As we are daily transformed by the Lord, as we have a fresh transformation every day, there is an inward change in our being; we grow in life unto maturity, and we will reach maturity so that the Lord will come to rapture us.
As we live a daily life of the altar and the tent, there’s a transformation going on in our being, and we will grow in life unto maturity.
The Spirit of God is carrying out a transforming work within us.
We are not here for an outward stirring up but an inward revival, even a continual revival that is fresh and daily.
All the materials composing the New Jerusalem have been transformed; gold, pearls, and precious stones with the jasper, everything has been transformed.
May we love the Lord, experience Him as our offerings, and be filled with Him, so that His life in us would renew us daily and transform us from within. Amen!
Lord Jesus, we want to have a daily revival by having a fresh transformation every day. May we be transformed by the renewing of our mind as we behold and reflect the Lord! Amen, Lord Jesus, grant us to have an unveiled face to behold You and reflect You day by day. May we have a daily revival, even a renewed revival every day, as we open to the Lord and are being freshly transformed! Dear Lord Jesus, renew us daily and transform us daily into Your image! Keep us in the process of being transformed by the renewing of our mind. We want to grow in life unto maturity so that we may be ready for the Lord’s return. Amen, Lord, a fresh transformation today! A fresh renewing today! Make us as new as You are until we become the New Jerusalem composed of transformed materials and New even as God is new! Hallelujah!
References and Hymns on this Topic
- Inspiration for this article/sharing comes from the Word of God, the enjoyment in the ministry, a sharing by the brothers in the message for this week, and portions from, Collected Works of Watchman Nee, vol. 37, ch. 16, “The Life of the Altar and the Tent“, as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, Making Ourselves Ready for the Lord’s Coming (2023 ICSC), week 5, entitled, Making Ourselves Ready for the Lord’s Coming by Having a Revived Living and a Labor of Shepherding.
- Further reading on this topic:
– The day-by-day Christian life, article by Ed Marks in, Affirmation and Critique.
– The Normal Living of a Christian, Coming and Going, article at, Holding to Truth.
– Aspects of the Christian Life and Church Life Seen in the New Jerusalem, article at, New Jerusalem blog.
– Prayer—Our Spiritual Breathing, article at, Bibles for America blog.
– A New Revival, a portion via, Living to Him.
– Abraham: living by faith, being today’s river-crossers to live the life of the altar and the tent.
– The life of the tent, a portion from, The Life of the Altar and the Tent, Chapter 1, by Watchman Nee. - Hymns on this topic:
– My spirit, soul, and body, / Dear Lord, I give to Thee, / A consecrated offering, / Thine evermore to be. / My all is on the altar; / Lord, I am all Thine own; / Oh, may my faith ne’er falter! / Lord, keep me Thine alone. (Hymns #447 stanza 1 and chorus)
– God hath us regenerated / In our spirit with His life; / But He must transform us further- / In our soul by His own life. / Spreading outward from our spirit / Doth the Lord transform our soul, / By the inward parts renewing, / Till within His full control. (Hymns #750 stanzas 2-3)
– Christ to me is so subjective, / Life imparting all the way; / As the Spirit He revives me / And refreshes day by day. / Christ to me is so subjective, / All my being He transforms; / By the mind and will renewing / To His image He conforms. (Hymns #537 stanzas 2-3)
About aGodMan
Collected Works of Watchman Nee, vol. 37, pp. 90-93
Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1988, vol. 4, “A Timely Trumpeting and the Present Need,” p. 41
When the Lord appears to us, we simply consecrate all we have and are to Him, putting everything on the altar.
Whatever passed through the altar, we use in the tent, having the testimony that we live here on earth for the Lord and His purpose. Amen!
Also, we need to have a fresh transformation daily by having a revived living so that we may grow in life unto maturity and be ready for the Lord’s return!
Amen brother!
O Lord appear to us daily to be consecrated to you and offer ourselves at the alter to have the tent living you desire!
Hallelujah!😃
Building an altar signifying our consecration to the Lord is a spontaneous result of the Lord’s appearing, His granting us a vision, a revelation of Him.
Furthermore the altar issues in a tent.
Subjectively in our experience when we see the Lord and touch the Lord in our fellowship with Him, loving Him we spontaneously offer ourselves to the Lord.
It based upon this consecration which has its basis on our fellowship with Him that we experience being transformed by the renewing of our mind resulting in our growth and maturity in life.
may you be renewed and have a fresh transformation today.
Praise God through our consecration we can enjoy the Lord’s presence! 🙌.
Amen! Through the altar, God deals with us. Through the tent, He deals with our possessions.
Consecration is the result of revelation. If we have truly met God, we can no longer live for ourselves.
So, the power to live for God is based on our vision of God.
It’s not our will that produces an altar.
An altar is built when God comes to us. God appeared to Abraham and Abraham built an altar.
This altar is for the offering of ourselves to God.
Then, the altar issues in the tent because the things that have passed through the altar and are for our use can only be kept in the tent.
When God appears to us and touches us there is a spontaneous consecration – offering up all that we are and have to Him.
This is what God requires of us in our life as Christians. a life of the altar and the tent, sojourners on the earth, eagerly awaiting a better country.
AMEN👑
*BY THE RENEWING OF THE MIND; (Fn.”renewing”, cf.Eph. 4:23; Titus 3:5)
*After presenting our body, we need to have our mind renewed. The renewing of the mind, which results from setting the mind on the spirit (8:6), is the base for the transformation of our soul. Our mind is the leading part of our soul, and as it is renewed, our will and emotion automatically follow to be renewed also. To be renewed means that a new element is wrought into our being. This produces an inward metabolic transformation, making us suitable for the building up of the Body of Christ, which is the practice of the church life. All the virtues and the overcoming in chs. 12 — 16 also are the results of this transformation.
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