If we believers in Christ would walk in the steps of Abraham’s faith, we must be those who live the life of the altar and the tent; we need to put everything on the altar and use what the Lord allows to remain in the tent for His purpose.
Abraham is our father in faith, and we as believers in Christ are his spiritual children, likened to the stars of the heaven.
Like our father Abraham, we need to live and walk by faith. How do we do this? Do we just go and do things according to what we think God wants us to do?
To walk by faith means that we have God’s appearance and follow His instructions.
Abraham followed God as his map; he didn’t have a certain route, nor did he have a set itinerary but rather, he followed God’s instructions as He appeared to him.
We need to have God’s appearing and, based on what He reveals to us, we need to follow Him.
We need to exercise our spirit of faith every day to contact the Lord, partake of Him, and receive Him into us; He in us becomes the living map which we follow as we live the Christian life.
God’s presence is our travelling map; our travel and sojourning on this earth are according to His smile.
When He moves, we move, and when He speaks, we speak.
We are believers who look to the Lord, even look away unto Jesus, and we are infused with Him as our faith.
Christ in us is the element of faith, the believing element; because we’re infused with Him, we cannot but follow Him.
Some unbelievers say that we’re crazy to do what we do as Christians, staying away from what they consider as “fun” and “entertainment” while we “enjoy Christ” with the saints in meetings, conferences, etc.
We live in another realm; we live in the divine and mystical realm, and our real joy is the Lord and His excellent saints.
When He goes somewhere, we go, but when He doesn’t, we don’t go.
We simply want His presence to be with us, and we covet His smile, for His being with us is all that we want.
As we spend time with the Lord, as we contact Him in our time with Him in the morning and then throughout the day, we are infused with Him as our faith, and we simply walk by faith.
We walk by faith spontaneously, as an issue of our being infused with God as our faith.
But if we don’t spend time with the Lord, if we’re not under the hearing of faith to be infused with God so that God would transfuse Himself into us, we cannot walk by faith, for faith has its source in God.
Like Abraham, we need God to transfuse Himself into us; we need God’s appearing day by day, and His presence will guide us, while we walk by faith, being infused with what He is.
To Walk in the Steps of Abraham’s Faith, we must Live the Life of the Altar and the Tent
As sons of Abraham, we believers in Christ need to walk in the steps of Abraham’s faith; this means that we need to live the life of the altar and the tent.
What does it mean for us to live and walk by faith as Abraham did? He lived the life of the altar and the tent.
When God appeared to him in Gen. 12, He promised Abram that to his seed He will give this land; his reaction was simply to build an altar to Jehovah who had appeared to him, and then he lived the life of the tent (Gen. 12:7-8).
God didn’t tell Abraham to build an altar; Abraham simply built an altar after God appeared to him.
When we meet God, we simply consecrate ourselves to Him. When we really touch God, when God appears to us, we cannot remain the same; we simply offer our all to Him.
Consecration is not the result of man’s persuasion; it is not because we hear a convicting message or sermon that we consecrate to God – we need to see God.
God’s appearing to us, His speaking to us, causes us to simply offer all we are and have to Him.
Unless God has appeared to us, we can’t offer our all to God.
When we really touch God, when He reveals Himself to us, we will voluntarily offer up all we have and are on the altar.
This is why we need to spend time with God and exercise to deal with anything that He shines on, so that we may have God’s appearing again and again.
When God speaks to us, when we really touch God, we consecrate all we have and are to Him; we put everything on the altar.
When a man meets God, a radical change takes place in his life; he can no longer do what he did in the past.
When we meet God, we have the power to deny the self, for He in us can deny the self.
When we really contact God and enjoy God’s appearance, the self is denied, the flesh is put on the cross, and the natural man is kept in the tomb.
God’s appearance makes us unable to go on by ourselves; we simply depend on the Lord and we put ourselves aside.
God’s appearance brings with it inexhaustible power, and our encounter with God changes the course of our life.
It is not because we are so strong and determined in ourselves that we are able to change according to God’s word; it is because we have God’s appearance that we are able to deny the self and live by faith by living the life of the altar and the tent.
As believers in Christ, the power to live for God is based on our vision of God.
Because we see God, we put ourselves on the altar and we allow Him to be everything to us and do everything in us.
Living a life by faith is living the life of the altar and the tent.
On one hand, we put all we have and are on the altar as a reaction to God’s appearing.
On the other hand, since we still live on earth, we still have things that we need to have and use for our God-man living; these things can be used in the tent.
Abraham must have lived in the tent before God appeared to him, but this was mentioned only after he built an altar as the spontaneous issue of God’s appearance.
God’s appearing and transfusing issue in our consecration, causing us to build an altar, live in a tent, and live totally for God (Exo. 33:20; Job 42:5; Matt. 5:8; 1 John 3:2-3).
An altar is for worshipping God by offering all that we are and have to God for His purpose.
Building an altar, that is, consecrating ourselves to God, is the issue of our seeing God.
Building an altar means that our life is for God, that God is our life, and that the meaning of our life is God (Gen. 8:20-21; Exo. 29:18-22).
May we be those who follow in the steps of our father Abraham, walking in the steps of his faith, by living the life of the altar and the tent by faith in Christ in our Christian life today.
Lord Jesus, appear to us again today. Transfuse Yourself into us and infuse us with Yourself by Your appearance. May Your appearing change our life and cause us to have a radical turn. Amen, Lord, we give ourselves to You. Your appearing causes us to deny the self and crucify the flesh with all its passions and its lusts. We worship You, Lord, by offering all that we are and have to God for His purpose. Our life here on earth is for God! Amen, Lord, You are our life, and the meaning of our life is God! We have nothing here on earth besides You, and we are here for You and for Your purpose. We consecrate ourselves with all we are and have to You, for we have seen Your beauty, Your radiance, and Your purpose. We give ourselves to You for the fulfilment of Your economy on the earth today.
We do Not Belong to the World: We are Sojourning by Faith on Earth, we Live for God, and we use the Things He gives us for our Needs
![By faith Abraham, being called, obeyed to go out unto a place which he was to receive as an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going. 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. Heb. 11:8-10](https://i0.wp.com/www.agodman.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/By-faith-Abraham-being-called-obeyed-to-go-out-unto-a-place-which-he-was-to-receive-as-an-inheritance-1-683x1024.jpg?resize=450%2C675&ssl=1 "By faith Abraham, being called, obeyed to go out unto a place which he was to receive as an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going. 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. Heb. 11:8-10")
As we walk in the steps of Abraham’s faith, we need to be those who live the life of the altar and the tent.
On one hand, we need to have God’s appearance and meet God every day, for our contact with God will enable us to go on with Him and live a life for His purpose on the earth.
On the other hand, we testify that, like Abraham, we do not belong to this world but rather, we live the life of a sojourner on the earth (Heb. 11:9-10).
We live on earth but we do not belong to this world. Rather, we live the life of the altar and the tent, that is, we belong to God, we live for God, and we use the things that He gives us for our needs on earth.
When God appears to us, we spontaneously consecrate all we are and have to Him; we put it all on the altar.
However, since we live in this world, we still need things; what is not consumed on the altar can only be kept in the tent.
Abraham still had cattle and sheep and many other things, but he was a tent dweller.
He did not reside in a city nor did he build a kingdom for himself; rather, he lived the life of the altar and the tent.
Everything we have and are needs to go through the altar, and then it can be used in the tent.
Not everything that passes through the altar is consumed; some things are left for us to use in the tent, as we live a sojourning life on earth for the Lord.
The things that have passed through the altar and are for our use can only be kept in the tent.
Some Christians are afraid that, if they give their all to God, they have to sell everything they have and dispose of all their money, so they have nothing left.
What God wants is not our money and our things; He appears to us, He changes our life, He gives Himself to us, and He wants to gain our being.
When we see God, we simply consecrate ourselves to Him, and we give all we have and are to Him, laying it all on the altar. Then, He allows us to have certain things for our life on earth.
There are many material things we still need for our human existence; we still need clothing, food and a dwelling place.
We have to consecrate all we have and are to God, living the life of the altar and the tent, and live for Him alone.
But if He says that we can retain a certain thing in our living for Him, we may retain it.
Everything we have and are needs to be on the altar, and we need to have and use things in oneness with the Lord for our living for Him on earth.
If we don’t need certain things, if we have some things that we don’t need for our living for the Lord, we need to dispose of them; we may use them, but we must not be touched by them.
In this materialistic world today full of shopping and owning and selling, we are those who live the life of the altar and the tent as an antitestimony.
We dare not use anything that has not been placed on the altar, and we cannot take anything back from the altar.
Rather, our daily living is for the Lord, under His shining, and in the way of sojourning on the earth, living a life for His purpose.
And our living by faith is in the Body and for the Body; we don’t live a life of the altar and the tent not on our own but together with the saints.
When there’s a need in the Body, when the Lord leads us in the Body to move somewhere for His move, we live the life of the altar and the tent.
We go by faith, we live by faith, we move by faith, and we do all things by faith, consecrating all we have and are to the Lord, and using the things that He allows us to have for His purpose on earth.
Lord Jesus, we give ourselves to You with all that we are and have. We lay everything we have and are on the altar, and we live a life for Your purpose here on earth. Teach us to live the life of the altar and the tent as we live the Christian life in oneness with You. Amen, Lord, we want to live a life before God and also live Christ in the world. You know what we need. We trust in You to provide what we need. We want to learn to use what has been placed on the altar and You allow us to have and use it for Your purpose. Amen, Lord, may we be like Abraham today, living in a tent a life by faith, sojourning on earth and looking forward to the city which has the foundations. Our life here on earth is for You. May we live by faith in the Body, following Your instant leading and living for Your purpose.
References and Hymns on this Topic
- Sources of inspiration: the Word of God, my enjoyment in the ministry, a sharing by the brothers, 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, God’s Economy in Faith (2022 spring ITERO), week 8, entitled, Walking in the Steps of that Faith of Our Father Abraham.
- Hymns on this topic:
– Through the Lord’s infusion, Abraham became / Father of the faithful—life had changed his name. / Though the Lord’s appearing, brought him to the land, / Still he needed Isaac to fulfill God’s plan. / Our Lord God Jehovah called a corporate man, / One that would express Him and fulfill His plan. (Hymns #1269)
– In Your appearing, Lord, we have Your speaking clear; / Your word empowers us and drives away all fear. / So, Lord, keep calling us, Your voice we need to hear. / O Lord, do speak to us, we pray. / O Lord, do speak in us today; / You know the words You need to say. / To open all our heart, / Your very Self impart. / O Lord, do speak in us today. (Hymns #1190)
– Draw me nearer, nearer, blessed Lord, / To the cross where Thou hast died; / Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer, blessed Lord, / To Thy precious, bleeding side. / Consecrate me now to Thy service, Lord, / By the pow’r of grace divine; / Let my soul look up with a steadfast hope, / And my will be lost in Thine. (Hymns #387)
About aGodMan
The altar has its issue in the tent… From [Genesis 12:8] on, Abraham lived in God’s house—Bethel… He lived in a tent before, but God did not mention it. Not until he had built the altar does the Word of God bring the tent into view. A tent is something movable; it does not take root anywhere. Through the altar God deals with us; through the tent God deals with our possessions. At the altar Abraham offered up his all to God… Abraham still possessed cattle and sheep and many other things, but he had become a tent dweller. What was not consumed on the altar could only be kept in the tent. Here we see a principle. Everything we have should be placed on the altar. But there is still something left. These are the things that are for our own use. However, they are not ours; they are to be left in the tent. We have to remember that anything that has not passed the altar cannot even be in the tent. But not everything that has passed the altar is consumed… When we consecrate many things to God, He takes them and nothing is left behind. But God leaves some of the things offered on the altar for our own use. The things that have passed through the altar and are for our use can only be kept in the tent. (Collected Works of Watchman Nee, vol. 37, “The Life of the Altar and the Tent,” p. 90)
we need to walk in the steps of Abraham’s faith by living the life of the altar and the tent.
When we see God, when we contact God and He appears to us, we are infused with Him and our life changes: we spontaneously put all we are and have on the altar, and we live the life of a tent.
For us to live for God we need a vision.
Such a vision comes from God’s appearing which issues in our spontaneous consecration in which we put everything we are and have on the altar and then these things are brought into the tent life – to live the life of a sojourner not rooted in the world but living a life of faith for God’s economy.
Amen Brother. May we be those who live the life of the altar and the tent. May we be those who take Jehovah as the centre of our life and our everything.
Building an altar means God is the centre of our life and everything we do is to please Him.
The tent is the issue of the altar once we have placed all that we have and posses on the altar, the issue is the tent life (the church life) in a practical experiential way.
Dwelling in a tent testifies that we do not belong to the world, we are not set, settled and occupied but we are living a sojourning life on the earth, a moving flowing life in the Sspirit by Faith as in a foreign land.
We who are of the seed of Abraham should live the life of the altar & the tent.
When we meet God, we have the power to deny ourselves and consecrate our all on the altar to God. God becomes our life and the meaning of our life is God.
We may use the things that God gives back to us for our living.
However, we must apply the principle of the tent to these things,,realising that that these things are only for our needs in the world.
If we cling to these things, we are no longer living the life of the tent.
Amen! Lord, You are our everything.
amen Brother may we be those who see the Lord when he appears to us so that we can live a life of faith, and a life of giving everything to the Lord as the reality of the altar and living with what the Lord has reserved for us in the tent
Oh Lord, give us the faith to let the things of our human life lay on the altar. This reminds me of the hymn 448.
Amen Lord for Your repeated appearing and speaking to us to enable us to live a life of the altar and the tent for Your purpose on earth!
Amen, Lord appear to us each day, empowers and refreshes us and make Your face shine.
Amen our life should have the principle of the life of the tent Lord I can’t but You can
Aaameen! Lord we are here for You! Appear to us again and again!