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Education Ministry

Posted on September 13, 2007 ...

Some Food (or not) For Thought

Written in red at the beginning of Matthew 6:16, just after Christ instructs His disciples about prayer, we find these words, "Whenever you fast". It seems indisputable that Jesus expected that this spiritual discipline would be a part of the lives of those that would follow Him. In our time of affluence and self-indulgence, when the order of the day is more often "meet and eat" and when proverbs like "when two or three are gathered together someone will bring a casserole" are true, more often than not, fasting can seem like a relic of Christian antiquity with no place in our enlightened world. That view, however, does not stand up to the scrutiny of Scripture. We find in Matthew 4:2 that Jesus fasted for forty days before His temptation in the wilderness, in Acts 13:3, the early church at Antioch fasted before sending out Barnabas and Saul (Paul), and in Mark 2:18, we find that the disciples of John fasted. The thread of fasting also runs deeply through the Old Testament as well. We see that David fasted (2 Samuel 12:16). Also, Queen Esther and her maidens fasted before she risked her life in making an un-requested appearance before the king. In Matthew 17:21, Jesus responded to His disciples' query as to why they had been unable to cast out certain demons. In doing so, He taught that there was a uniqueness of power about fasting and that there were instances when nothing else would substitute - "But this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting".

There could be many reasons why this discipline has fallen into disuse in our era: a choice of convenience, a society that teaches us to rebel against the concept of intentionally denying ourselves anything, a faith that is more heritage than pragmatic, or simply that there is no need or concern that we would become serious enough to hold communication with God more important than food. In truth, there are many reasons why this discipline does not dovetail into today's world, but I find no Scriptural basis for saying that God does not still say, "Whenever you fast".

If God's Spirit has used these words to stir your heart and mind about this discipline, I would invite you to join me for a day of fasting and prayer on Friday, Sept. 21st (from sundown on Thursday to sundown on Friday) with special emphasis on our Men's Seminar the following week.

I believe that the alarming number of men, even here in the "Bible Belt", who do not see spiritually leading their homes as a priority in their lives is more than sufficient cause to be very serious with God. When fathers don't attend church there is a very high likelihood that neither will their families. When fathers don't model Christian values to their sons it is unlikely that they will find that model in someone else. Like it or not, men are held accountable for their leadership or lack of it and nationwide 60% of men don't seem to be very concerned. As with anything in our Christian lives, we don't fast because God needs us to, we fast because we need that concentrated time of communion with Him. Verlin

Mark Your Calendar

Success That Matters Men's Seminar is Friday, Sept. 28th from 7:00 - 9:30 pm & Saturday, Sept 29th from 8:00 - 11:45 am. (Spouses are encouraged to listen-in on Saturday's Session 3 - Finding a New Best Friend in Your Wife.)

Beth Moore Ladies Bible Study - A Woman's Heart - Beginning September 18th at 6:30 pm.

Planning for Next Summer's Calendar - We are planning a mission trip/ construction project to the Gulf-Coast area during the first week of June 2008. A wonderful opportunity to offer practical help and extend the love of God to those who are still trying to recover from the affects of past hurricanes in the area.