"Blow the trumpet in Zion; sanctify a fast; call a solemn assembly; gather the people" Joel 2:15
Most fasting is a private matter between an individual and God. There are however, occasions of public fast. The example cited above in the book of Joel would fall into that category. Whenever there is a public fast, there are a couple of key ingredients. I want to go over them because I called our church to a public season of fasting and prayer during December to last through the end of February.
1) The corporate fast is called for by a spiritual leader
2) There is some compelling reason for the fast that typically involves emergency
I know that many of you are participating in the season of prayer and fasting in various ways and I want to encourage you as we are in the last month of our season by sharing some ways that you can pray specifically.
Pray for the families in our church for financial provision. Several are out of work. Many have had to take jobs making less money. Many who own businesses are struggling to make ends meet. Many of our Senior Saints are living on fixed incomes, but their expenses are constantly rising.
Pray that God would provide the resources that Bethel needs to do all that God is calling us to do. Pray that there would be no ministry effort that goes undone, that God is calling us to do, that is not done because of a lack of funding.
Pray for spiritual growth in our church, so that we as individuals, and corporately would bring much glory to God.
May God richly bless you as you continue to do the hard work of intercession!!!
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Practical considerations for fasting
In the forty days of Jesus' fast in Luke 4 we are told that "he ate nothing" and that "he was hungry". Satan tempted Him to eat. That seems to indicate that Jesus was abstaining from food but not water. This is usually what is involved in a fast, that is abstaining from food but drinking water.
There are several examples of an "absolute fast" where people abstain from food and water. All of those situations appear to be a desperate measure of dire emergency. For example Ester instructed in Ester 4:16 "G, gather all the Jews......and hold a fast on my behalf, and neither eat nor drink for three days, night or day. I and my maids will also fast as you do." Ester had been informed that an edict had been declared by the King to have all the Jews exterminated on a particular day. She was going to approach the King and ask him to repeal his edict. Ester knew that if her request displeased the King, that her life could certainly be in jeopardy. So she requested to have all the people engage in an "absolute fast" for 3 days to seek the intervention of God in the situation.
The human body cannot go without water much more than three days. Moses and Elijah did absolute fasts of forty days that must be considered supernatural. I would caution you that the absolute fast is the exception, and should never be attempted unless you have an absolute very clear command from God, and unless is it absolutely clear to you that God wants you to do otherwise, do not go beyond three days.
Most fasting will involve abstaining from food but continuing to drink water.
I also want to offer a practical word of caution to those who have health issues.
If you take medications that will burn a whole in your stomach if you do not eat food, I would caution you not to totally abstain from food. For you a fast may be a reduction in food intake as opposed to totally doing without food. During your "semi-fast"eat enough food to get you out of the danger zone for stomach problems that your medication would cause if you took them on an empty stomach. But eat no more than what would be required to get you out of that danger zone.
If you have diabetes or some other health issue that causes you to have to pay special attention to your diet, exercise great caution in regards to totally abstaining from food.
It may be wise to consult your physician about fasting if you have extenuating medical issues. It may give you the opportunity to have an interesting spiritual dialogue with your doctor. Imagine having this conversation with your doctor:
"Doctor, I don't know if I ever mentioned it to you before or not, but I am a Christian. I am really sensing a drawing from God lately to develop more intimacy with Him. The bible teaches Christians that fasting is a way to do that. However, I also want to consider practical matters before starting a fast. Now Doc, you know the medications that I am taking. You know my health issues. How much food would I need to consume if I wanted to cut my consumption to the absolute minimum without putting myself in danger physically?"
Think about the witness that would be to your physician if he or she is not a believer!!!
Now by all means, if you have a clear command from God to fast, and you absolutely know beyond the shadow of a doubt that you have heard His voice......then far be it from me to give you any advice that would cause you to disobey God. If it is not that clear to you that you are hearing from God on it, I urge you to take the advice that I have offered on this blog post if you are an individual with health issues that need to be considered before entering a fast.
There are several examples of an "absolute fast" where people abstain from food and water. All of those situations appear to be a desperate measure of dire emergency. For example Ester instructed in Ester 4:16 "G, gather all the Jews......and hold a fast on my behalf, and neither eat nor drink for three days, night or day. I and my maids will also fast as you do." Ester had been informed that an edict had been declared by the King to have all the Jews exterminated on a particular day. She was going to approach the King and ask him to repeal his edict. Ester knew that if her request displeased the King, that her life could certainly be in jeopardy. So she requested to have all the people engage in an "absolute fast" for 3 days to seek the intervention of God in the situation.
The human body cannot go without water much more than three days. Moses and Elijah did absolute fasts of forty days that must be considered supernatural. I would caution you that the absolute fast is the exception, and should never be attempted unless you have an absolute very clear command from God, and unless is it absolutely clear to you that God wants you to do otherwise, do not go beyond three days.
Most fasting will involve abstaining from food but continuing to drink water.
I also want to offer a practical word of caution to those who have health issues.
If you take medications that will burn a whole in your stomach if you do not eat food, I would caution you not to totally abstain from food. For you a fast may be a reduction in food intake as opposed to totally doing without food. During your "semi-fast"eat enough food to get you out of the danger zone for stomach problems that your medication would cause if you took them on an empty stomach. But eat no more than what would be required to get you out of that danger zone.
If you have diabetes or some other health issue that causes you to have to pay special attention to your diet, exercise great caution in regards to totally abstaining from food.
It may be wise to consult your physician about fasting if you have extenuating medical issues. It may give you the opportunity to have an interesting spiritual dialogue with your doctor. Imagine having this conversation with your doctor:
"Doctor, I don't know if I ever mentioned it to you before or not, but I am a Christian. I am really sensing a drawing from God lately to develop more intimacy with Him. The bible teaches Christians that fasting is a way to do that. However, I also want to consider practical matters before starting a fast. Now Doc, you know the medications that I am taking. You know my health issues. How much food would I need to consume if I wanted to cut my consumption to the absolute minimum without putting myself in danger physically?"
Think about the witness that would be to your physician if he or she is not a believer!!!
Now by all means, if you have a clear command from God to fast, and you absolutely know beyond the shadow of a doubt that you have heard His voice......then far be it from me to give you any advice that would cause you to disobey God. If it is not that clear to you that you are hearing from God on it, I urge you to take the advice that I have offered on this blog post if you are an individual with health issues that need to be considered before entering a fast.
Thursday, February 2, 2012
The right motive for fasting
Matthew 6:17 "But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face,
Throughout the bible fasting is abstaining from food for spiritual purposes. There are health benefits. You can find plenty of articles on the internet regarding the potential health benefits of fasting. That must never be the motivation if you are going to achieve anything that will aid your spiritual life. In fact, motivation is the single most important factor. Wrong motivation when it comes to fasting will render it unproductive for your spiritual life.
The Pharisees wanted everyone to know when they were fasting. They would let their appearance become disheveled to give the outward impression that they were suffering through a fast. They were fasting and they wanted everyone to know. Jesus was teaching that they had their motive wrong. The motive ought to be to grow in intimacy with God, not to put it on display so everyone else can see how spiritual you are.
That brings us to a major reason for fasting....intimacy with Christ. Consider this passage:
Luke 5:33 Then they said to Him, "Why do the disciples of John fast often and make prayers, and likewise those of the Pharisees, but Yours eat and drink?"
The Pharisees were watching Jesus and picking him apart attempting to find fault with him. They thought they had an issue that they could get some traction on, so they bring it up. Notice how Jesus responds to their criticism:
Luke 5:34 And He said to them, "Can you make the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them? 35 "But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them; then they will fast in those days."
Jesus is saying, the purpose of fasting is to achieve intimacy with Me......I am with them face to face, so there is no need for them to fast now.....but one day I will be crucified and ascend to the Father, and when I am no longer with them physically, then they will fast.
So the motive is intimacy with Jesus.
To what degree do you desire intimacy with Jesus?
I played some football in High School. I had had a football coach that during a tough game would get us huddled up and say, "This game is going to boil down to who wants it worse. We are in a dog fight. The dog that wants it the worst is going to win. YOU GOTTA WANT IT!"
Can I say to you that when it comes to achieving deeper intimacy with Christ, YOU GOTTA WANT IT! If you are just fasting so that you can feel better about yourself because you did something spiritual you won't grow closer to Christ.
Before you fast, check your motive. Make sure there is but one thing and one thing alone that is driving your soul to fast.......to know God deeper.
Throughout the bible fasting is abstaining from food for spiritual purposes. There are health benefits. You can find plenty of articles on the internet regarding the potential health benefits of fasting. That must never be the motivation if you are going to achieve anything that will aid your spiritual life. In fact, motivation is the single most important factor. Wrong motivation when it comes to fasting will render it unproductive for your spiritual life.
The Pharisees wanted everyone to know when they were fasting. They would let their appearance become disheveled to give the outward impression that they were suffering through a fast. They were fasting and they wanted everyone to know. Jesus was teaching that they had their motive wrong. The motive ought to be to grow in intimacy with God, not to put it on display so everyone else can see how spiritual you are.
That brings us to a major reason for fasting....intimacy with Christ. Consider this passage:
Luke 5:33 Then they said to Him, "Why do the disciples of John fast often and make prayers, and likewise those of the Pharisees, but Yours eat and drink?"
The Pharisees were watching Jesus and picking him apart attempting to find fault with him. They thought they had an issue that they could get some traction on, so they bring it up. Notice how Jesus responds to their criticism:
Luke 5:34 And He said to them, "Can you make the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them? 35 "But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them; then they will fast in those days."
Jesus is saying, the purpose of fasting is to achieve intimacy with Me......I am with them face to face, so there is no need for them to fast now.....but one day I will be crucified and ascend to the Father, and when I am no longer with them physically, then they will fast.
So the motive is intimacy with Jesus.
To what degree do you desire intimacy with Jesus?
I played some football in High School. I had had a football coach that during a tough game would get us huddled up and say, "This game is going to boil down to who wants it worse. We are in a dog fight. The dog that wants it the worst is going to win. YOU GOTTA WANT IT!"
Can I say to you that when it comes to achieving deeper intimacy with Christ, YOU GOTTA WANT IT! If you are just fasting so that you can feel better about yourself because you did something spiritual you won't grow closer to Christ.
Before you fast, check your motive. Make sure there is but one thing and one thing alone that is driving your soul to fast.......to know God deeper.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
It's time
It's time to move on from making a case for fasting to other matters concerning this lost biblical discipline. But one more blog entry to make an appeal that I feel in my heart and spirit needs to be made to some of you out there reading this.
Reggie, you ask, "Why are you going to such lengths to try to make a case for fasting?" Because you need to be totally convinced in your spirit that what I am saying about fasting is true or it will avail you nothing. If you have not totally bought into the notion that it is a biblical discipline that absolutely needs to be just as much a part of your Christian experience as prayer and giving, you will not approach it in the right frame of mind and heart. If you approach it with the wrong frame of mind it will not work for you. You can not approach fasting with an "experimentation" attitude. "Let me try this to see if it works for me." You have already doomed it to fail. I want to get into reasons to fast on the next blog post or two.......but before I do......if you are not totally on board with this idea, please understand that you are rejecting something that has been portrayed in the bible as something Jesus assumed people would do. I must lovingly say to you that if you are not on board, it is because you are stiff necked and not responsive to the Lord, and are resistant to the Holy Spirit. You have defined what your Christian experience will consist of according to your own tastes and not according to biblical revelation....and the Holy Spirit is not involved in anything that does not line up with the Word of God. Folks this is serious stuff. Fasting is not some item on the Christian buffet that you choose if it suits your fancy. "Well, that fasting stuff just isn't for me." Then biblical Christianity isn't for you. You have created a Christian experience that you like instead of being instructed by the biblical revelation.
It is a very dangerous thing to be presented with truth and reject it. It is not even the fruit of a true child of God.
May the Lord soften every heart that has hardened itself against the truth of God.
Reggie, you ask, "Why are you going to such lengths to try to make a case for fasting?" Because you need to be totally convinced in your spirit that what I am saying about fasting is true or it will avail you nothing. If you have not totally bought into the notion that it is a biblical discipline that absolutely needs to be just as much a part of your Christian experience as prayer and giving, you will not approach it in the right frame of mind and heart. If you approach it with the wrong frame of mind it will not work for you. You can not approach fasting with an "experimentation" attitude. "Let me try this to see if it works for me." You have already doomed it to fail. I want to get into reasons to fast on the next blog post or two.......but before I do......if you are not totally on board with this idea, please understand that you are rejecting something that has been portrayed in the bible as something Jesus assumed people would do. I must lovingly say to you that if you are not on board, it is because you are stiff necked and not responsive to the Lord, and are resistant to the Holy Spirit. You have defined what your Christian experience will consist of according to your own tastes and not according to biblical revelation....and the Holy Spirit is not involved in anything that does not line up with the Word of God. Folks this is serious stuff. Fasting is not some item on the Christian buffet that you choose if it suits your fancy. "Well, that fasting stuff just isn't for me." Then biblical Christianity isn't for you. You have created a Christian experience that you like instead of being instructed by the biblical revelation.
It is a very dangerous thing to be presented with truth and reject it. It is not even the fruit of a true child of God.
May the Lord soften every heart that has hardened itself against the truth of God.
Monday, January 30, 2012
Who's who list when it comes to fasting
Scripture has so much to say about prayer and fasting that I think we would do well to recapture this discipline of the Christian life. I am sure if you have been following my blog posts that statement is no surprise to you at this point. I will continue to make the case by pointing to some of the people in scripture of whom it is said they fasted. It reads like a who's who list of the faith, and many of these characters are people who's lives you have studied in great detail hoping to glean from their lives things that will point you toward increasing godliness. Yet you may have you overlooked the fact that fasting was a great part of the spiritual lives of the following according to scripture:
Moses the law giver (Deuteronomy 9:9)
David the king (Psalm 35:13)
Elijah the Prophet (1 Kings 19:8)
Ester the queen (Esther 4:16)
Daniel the seer (entered a partial fast Daniel 10:3)
Anna the prophetess (Luke 2:37)
Paul the apostle (Acts 9:9)
and last but certainly not least.....Jesus the Christ (Matthew 4:2)
This is not a total list. There are many more who could be named. But this is just a smattering.
Do we think that this is a list of people who would be good examples for us to follow? Of course the only perfect one on the list is Jesus, but certainly the scripture teaches us many valuable positive lessons from the lives of some of these other individuals. Why would we ignore a discipline then, that was a significant part of their spiritual lives?
More to come in future blog posts regarding fasting.
Moses the law giver (Deuteronomy 9:9)
David the king (Psalm 35:13)
Elijah the Prophet (1 Kings 19:8)
Ester the queen (Esther 4:16)
Daniel the seer (entered a partial fast Daniel 10:3)
Anna the prophetess (Luke 2:37)
Paul the apostle (Acts 9:9)
and last but certainly not least.....Jesus the Christ (Matthew 4:2)
This is not a total list. There are many more who could be named. But this is just a smattering.
Do we think that this is a list of people who would be good examples for us to follow? Of course the only perfect one on the list is Jesus, but certainly the scripture teaches us many valuable positive lessons from the lives of some of these other individuals. Why would we ignore a discipline then, that was a significant part of their spiritual lives?
More to come in future blog posts regarding fasting.
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Only by prayer and fasting
Matthew 17:14 And when they had come to the multitude, a man came to Him, kneeling down to Him and saying, 15 "Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water. 16 "So I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not cure him." 17 Then Jesus answered and said, "O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him here to Me." 18 And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour. 19 Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, "Why could we not cast it out?" 20 So Jesus said to them, "Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. 21 "However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting."
Okay folks let's get out of the shallow end of the spiritual pool. Time to swim out to the deep end. As I continue to make a biblical case for fasting on these blog posts, today I point your attention to this story recorded for us in the gospel of Matthew. A man brings his son to the disciples of Christ for healing. The son is obviously afflicted with something like epilepsy or as the father in this story describes it in the King James Version "he is a lunatic." The context of the story helps us clearly understand that this young man's condition was the result of demonic possession. The disciples were unable to cast out the demon. So Jesus comes behind them and does what they could not do, and the boy is healed. After the incident, the disciples inquire privately of Jesus, "Why could we not cast it out?"
Jesus' answer to this question provides some great insight into the role of fasting in the life of the believer. Jesus tells the disciples their lack of faith prevented them from casting out the demon.
The next thing Jesus does is He refutes a conclusion that could be easily drawn from His remarks. The disciples might have easily believed that Jesus was saying the amount of your faith is the key. Actually HE SAYS THE OPPOSITE!! Jesus says, it only requires the faith of a mustard seed. Wow, only the faith of a mustard seed? I would think to cast out a demon, it would require at least a dump truck load of faith, but you are saying Jesus, that it only requires the faith of a mustard seed? That is exactly what Jesus was saying.
Okay, I get it. So what was the missing ingredient for these disciples? Allow me to answer that. WHAT WAS MISSING FROM THE DISCIPLES WAS THE POWER AND ANOINTING OF GOD ON THEIR LIVES. What does it take to cast out a demon? Power...spiritual supernatural power.....accompanied by the faith of at least a mustard seed. I think most of us can handle the mustard seed faith part.....but where does the power of God come from? Glad you asked because Jesus answers the question for us.
"This kind does not go out but by prayer and fasting."
Where does the power and anointing of God come from? Prayer and fasting.....
So what do you want dear Christian. You want an average Christian life, or do you want the power of God resting on you? Apparently according to the words of Jesus, there are some things that you will never experience in the Christian life, and some things that you will never be able to do in the spiritual realm apart from prayer and fasting. The choice is yours.....you can experience all God has for you.....or you can settle for part of it. Go for all of it.....consider making prayer and fasting part of your Christian experience.
Stay tuned, more to come.
Okay folks let's get out of the shallow end of the spiritual pool. Time to swim out to the deep end. As I continue to make a biblical case for fasting on these blog posts, today I point your attention to this story recorded for us in the gospel of Matthew. A man brings his son to the disciples of Christ for healing. The son is obviously afflicted with something like epilepsy or as the father in this story describes it in the King James Version "he is a lunatic." The context of the story helps us clearly understand that this young man's condition was the result of demonic possession. The disciples were unable to cast out the demon. So Jesus comes behind them and does what they could not do, and the boy is healed. After the incident, the disciples inquire privately of Jesus, "Why could we not cast it out?"
Jesus' answer to this question provides some great insight into the role of fasting in the life of the believer. Jesus tells the disciples their lack of faith prevented them from casting out the demon.
The next thing Jesus does is He refutes a conclusion that could be easily drawn from His remarks. The disciples might have easily believed that Jesus was saying the amount of your faith is the key. Actually HE SAYS THE OPPOSITE!! Jesus says, it only requires the faith of a mustard seed. Wow, only the faith of a mustard seed? I would think to cast out a demon, it would require at least a dump truck load of faith, but you are saying Jesus, that it only requires the faith of a mustard seed? That is exactly what Jesus was saying.
Okay, I get it. So what was the missing ingredient for these disciples? Allow me to answer that. WHAT WAS MISSING FROM THE DISCIPLES WAS THE POWER AND ANOINTING OF GOD ON THEIR LIVES. What does it take to cast out a demon? Power...spiritual supernatural power.....accompanied by the faith of at least a mustard seed. I think most of us can handle the mustard seed faith part.....but where does the power of God come from? Glad you asked because Jesus answers the question for us.
"This kind does not go out but by prayer and fasting."
Where does the power and anointing of God come from? Prayer and fasting.....
So what do you want dear Christian. You want an average Christian life, or do you want the power of God resting on you? Apparently according to the words of Jesus, there are some things that you will never experience in the Christian life, and some things that you will never be able to do in the spiritual realm apart from prayer and fasting. The choice is yours.....you can experience all God has for you.....or you can settle for part of it. Go for all of it.....consider making prayer and fasting part of your Christian experience.
Stay tuned, more to come.
Friday, January 27, 2012
Prayer and fasting
In December I called the church to a season of fasting and prayer for the next three months. The season will come to an end in February.
I have had several inquiries about fasting since calling the church to a season of prayer and fasting. I have started to realize that people have not been exposed to it very much and that in large measure, most are unsure how it fits into the Christian walk. Many have expressed to me that they are not sure that it needs to be a regular part of their relationship with God. I therefore am going to spend some time writing about prayer and fasting on this blog as a matter of information.
Let me start by laying a foundation for the practice of the discipline of fasting. I must offer that I believe that this is sad, that there is a need to do this. It shows me how far we have drifted away from biblical Christianity in America. Please do not feel guilty if you have had a less than favorable attitude toward fasting. But please realize that if it is not a discipline that you have practiced or are really open to practicing, you are more a product of your culture than you may realize. It is indicative of the drift away from biblical Christianity that has been occurring for a long time in America. I have noticed the practice of fasting more when I have gone over seas on mission trips more than I have seen it mentioned or practiced in America. Many in the modern church particularly in America are not familiar with fasting, and are not convinced that it is something that they need to consider doing. In a culture that is dotted with shrines to the Golden Arches, and Pizza Temples on every street corner, fasting seems out of touch with the times. But it is a discipline that the Christian would do well to rediscover as a vital and useful part of their Christian experience and their walk with Christ.
I will begin making a case for fasting from the life and teachings of Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.
Jesus said, "When you fast......" and then started to give instructions about what to do and what not to do when you are fasting. Notice that Christ did not say, "If you fast....", Jesus said, "When you fast..." Christ teaches on fasting as if it were a foregone conclusion that those who desire to follow God would practice it. It was such a part of their experience that Jesus makes no attempt to "make a case for fasting." Jesus fasted, this is very clear in the bible, and He just assumed that it was something that those who wanted to know the Father were going to do.
Consider also that Jesus' instructions on fasting were part of what we know as "The Sermon on the Mount". His teaching on fasting is in the context of His teaching on prayer, and giving. It is clear that there is an assumption that fasting, prayer, and giving are all disciplines that need to be practiced in the life of the believer, and therefore Jesus was teaching on them. Now I am not convinced that a single one of you reading this would deny that prayer and giving are two Christian disciplines that are vital elements to the walk of the believer. So let me ask this question, "Why would we exclude fasting when Jesus puts it on the same level in his teaching with prayer and giving?" I sincerely hope the answer is clear in your thinking.....the inescapable conclusion if we are going to be intellectually honest in regards to the teaching of Jesus is this: We should not exclude fasting, but should put it on par with praying and giving as disciplines of the Christian life because Jesus did.
More to come....I will talk in more detail in regards to Jesus' teaching on fasting, how we see fasting portrayed in the bible, what fasting is intended to accomplish in the life of believer, some practical considerations in regards to fasting, and much much more on the topic in future posts. Stay tuned.
I have had several inquiries about fasting since calling the church to a season of prayer and fasting. I have started to realize that people have not been exposed to it very much and that in large measure, most are unsure how it fits into the Christian walk. Many have expressed to me that they are not sure that it needs to be a regular part of their relationship with God. I therefore am going to spend some time writing about prayer and fasting on this blog as a matter of information.
Let me start by laying a foundation for the practice of the discipline of fasting. I must offer that I believe that this is sad, that there is a need to do this. It shows me how far we have drifted away from biblical Christianity in America. Please do not feel guilty if you have had a less than favorable attitude toward fasting. But please realize that if it is not a discipline that you have practiced or are really open to practicing, you are more a product of your culture than you may realize. It is indicative of the drift away from biblical Christianity that has been occurring for a long time in America. I have noticed the practice of fasting more when I have gone over seas on mission trips more than I have seen it mentioned or practiced in America. Many in the modern church particularly in America are not familiar with fasting, and are not convinced that it is something that they need to consider doing. In a culture that is dotted with shrines to the Golden Arches, and Pizza Temples on every street corner, fasting seems out of touch with the times. But it is a discipline that the Christian would do well to rediscover as a vital and useful part of their Christian experience and their walk with Christ.
I will begin making a case for fasting from the life and teachings of Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.
Jesus said, "When you fast......" and then started to give instructions about what to do and what not to do when you are fasting. Notice that Christ did not say, "If you fast....", Jesus said, "When you fast..." Christ teaches on fasting as if it were a foregone conclusion that those who desire to follow God would practice it. It was such a part of their experience that Jesus makes no attempt to "make a case for fasting." Jesus fasted, this is very clear in the bible, and He just assumed that it was something that those who wanted to know the Father were going to do.
Consider also that Jesus' instructions on fasting were part of what we know as "The Sermon on the Mount". His teaching on fasting is in the context of His teaching on prayer, and giving. It is clear that there is an assumption that fasting, prayer, and giving are all disciplines that need to be practiced in the life of the believer, and therefore Jesus was teaching on them. Now I am not convinced that a single one of you reading this would deny that prayer and giving are two Christian disciplines that are vital elements to the walk of the believer. So let me ask this question, "Why would we exclude fasting when Jesus puts it on the same level in his teaching with prayer and giving?" I sincerely hope the answer is clear in your thinking.....the inescapable conclusion if we are going to be intellectually honest in regards to the teaching of Jesus is this: We should not exclude fasting, but should put it on par with praying and giving as disciplines of the Christian life because Jesus did.
More to come....I will talk in more detail in regards to Jesus' teaching on fasting, how we see fasting portrayed in the bible, what fasting is intended to accomplish in the life of believer, some practical considerations in regards to fasting, and much much more on the topic in future posts. Stay tuned.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)