Week 5
Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors…
The old adage states
that to win a fight you must divide and conquer. Nothing could be truer in our life as
Christians and especially in our life as a church. If Satan wants any shot at winning a battle
on the way to losing the war, his best bet is to create a spirit of disunity
among God’s people.
Jesus tells his
disciples in John 13 that all people will know that we are his disciples by the
way we love one another. What does that
love look like? Well, Paul tells the
church in Philippi they are to be united
in loving as Christ loved: servant humility (Philippians 2:5-11). Unity and humility are at the heart of the
church and some of the most important factors in us sharing the Gospel with the
world.
This week’s fast will
center on moving from division to unity.
·
Week 5 Fast: Division. This week, give up anything that would keep
you divided from someone you love (or dislike!), especially any individual or
group inside the church.
·
Fast Challenge: How do you give up division? Well, at the heart of most division is either
indifference or an unwillingness to forgive someone for a real or perceived
wrong. So how do we stand united? Two ways this week. First, if you remain divided from someone
because of a wrong done, find a way to extend forgiveness to or ask forgiveness
from that person. Second, challenge
yourself to get to know someone in the church you might otherwise not usually
take time to get to know. A good place
to start would be at our Family Round Up on Saturday, October
12 from 5:30 to 8:00 p.m. here at the church!
·
Prayer Focus: Each day of our
fast you will be challenged to pray the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13). Each week there will be a different emphasis
of prayer. This week ask God for the
strength to extend forgiveness where it has been lacking or ask for forgiveness
where you’ve been afraid to ask. Then
pray for the courage to reach out to those, especially in our congregation,
you’ve not felt a need to get to know.
No comments:
Post a Comment