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Throughout each month in 2021, we will be praying and fasting through our membership covenant; asking God to help us hunger for his glory and to be faithful to fulfill the things we have committed to each other as church members. These are commitments he has called us to live out together according to his word. Likewise, each month we will be praying and fasting for significant cultural issues of our day and asking the Lord for his truth and righteousness to be known throughout the world. 

Fasting Together: November 9, 2021

• Membership Covenant Topic: Walking Faithfully in the World

• Cultural Issue: Loving those different from you

Sing:

• A Mighty Fortress is Our God
• He Will Hold Me Fast
  
  

Read and Reflect:

For The Church: Walking Faithfully in the World
“Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all” (Romans 12:17).

“so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God” (Colossians 1:10).

As we continue to fast through the principles of our church covenant, we want to grow in our practice of living well in God's world.  Part of living well involves how we interact with those outside the church.  An intentional mindset of engaging peoples for their spiritual growth is encouraged for the Christian. A mindset that is firmly convinced by the word of God that the Church is responsible for representing God to lost peoples. We have the inexplicable joy of bearing his name. 

Representing God to lost people means that the Christian lives consistent with the gospel. Or said another way, we are to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord. We ought to be controlled in our responses to opposition. We should not murmur or slander. We should be  eager to serve, warm and interested during conversations, and desiring to present God’s grace as fits the occasion. This type of living really does provide a helpful contrast for people who live according to the flesh. Dietrich Bonhoefer said, “Your life as a Christian should make nonbelievers question their disbelief in God.” 

Our body at CCC is filled with faithful brothers and sisters who live well amongst lost people, and we praise God for this. Yet, none of us are complete. So let’s pray and fast that our church body will grow evermore in how we walk in a manner worthy of the Lord amongst those in the world. And as we walk with God, we will recognize more and more our dependence upon him for these things. 

PRAYER POINTS:

• Pray that God would grant you opportunities to engage the spiritually lost around you (Col 4:3).
• Pray for increased awareness with how you engage non Christians. Pray that you would trust the Lord with every interaction.
• Pray that God would allow you to grow ever closer to him (Jas 4:8); filling you with joy and peace, teaching you his tender heart of grace and love for the nations, and assuring you that he is always near. 
• Pray that your affections would be set on things above–where Christ is seated.
• Ask God for help to overcome inconsistencies and insensitivities with how you treat people. 

For Our World: Loving Those Different from You
“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Gal 3:28).

I am thankful for the sermon that Tom preached last week. What a helpful reminder to our congregation that certain “identities” pale in comparison to the ultimate identity of being one in Christ. Christ loves a diverse group of people, which includes you and me. Before we knew the love of Christ we were his enemies (Rom 5:10; Col 1:21). Yet, when the Savior appeared, he served us and saved us. Not according to our deeds, but according to his mercy (Titus 3:4–6). So our lives are now hidden with Christ in God (Col 3:3). 

And through his example, we learn how to love those who are different from us. We learn to pursue people with varied opinions and contrasting world-views. The world does not do this, nor do they know how to, for this type of love is only found in Christ. The world divides along cultural and social lines. These divisions and identities are really the antithesis of the gospel of grace, which instead gathers from abroad [i.e. from different backgrounds, ethnicities, countries etc…] the children of God scattered (John 11:52). The world unites with people who approve of them and are like them, which is why there are so many factions in our culture. The gospel, however, unites people who are very different from one another, under the beautiful grace and kingship of our Lord.  

Oh that we would pursue the lost peoples in the world who are unlike us. Hopefully, our hearts break for those who pursue unity outside of anywhere but Christ. May we love and serve them as we have been loved and served by Christ. May the Lord increase our burden for the world, and may we pray faithfully for them. 

PRAYER POINTS:

• Confess any ill will or bitterness you hold towards those who are unlike you and who do not know Christ. 
• Pray for Christ to gather people who are currently uniting over other identities [gender, family views, politics etc.] instead of him.  
• Pray for boldness and courage for you to pursue people who are not currently a part of the church and enjoying a new identity in Christ.

Helpful fasting resources:

• A Hunger for God: Desiring God Through Fasting and Prayer, John Piper
• "Fasting for Beginners" by David Mathis (Desiring God)
• "How Do I Delight Myself in the Lord?" by John Piper
• Fixing the Mind: A Guide to Meditation

Fasting from (ideas):

• Food
• Technology 
• Entertainment 
• Social Media/News