Glynlea Grace United Methodist Church l Southside l Arlington l Jacksonville Florida

There is something interesting about the Book of Acts. It does not have a formal closing. Chapter 28 is the last chapter and it ends abruptly with Paul in jail continuing to preach the good news. We are left wondering what’s going to happen to him and the church. Perhaps this is because the book is still being written by the church today. As we fulfill the great commission and obey the great commandment God will use us to write chapter 29.

For this to happen, we must surrender to God’s will in order to be empowered by the Holy Spirit. This is done through prayer and fasting. For this reason, I would like to invite everyone at Glynlea Grace UMC to participate in a covenant of prayer and fasting. This covenant will begin on Ash Wednesday and last for 50 days.  (17 February – 7 April)

The following is a timeline that we will follow:

• 14 February: Ten minute meeting right after each church service to distribute the prayer book “Acts 29: Fifty Days of Prayer to Invite the Holy Spirit”. We will go over the book and each person will commit to fasting in some way.
• 17 February (Ash Wednesday): Begin the prayer and fasting
• 13 March at 10AM: Day 25 gathering to encourage each other and share any insights that may have been revealed. There will be food and refreshments.
• 7 April: End the prayer and fasting
• 10 April at 10AM: Gathering to celebrate God’s grace and share any insights that may have been revealed. There will be food and refreshments.

The Fasting part of the Covenant

Jesus expects us to fast. In Matthew 6:16, Jesus says, “When you fast…” He does not say “If you fast…” Clearly, Jesus expects us to pray and fast in order for our wills to align with God’s will.

In Matthew 16:24, Jesus says, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and pick up his cross and follow me” This is telling us that we need to sacrifice for the sake of the Kingdom of God. Fasting demonstrates our willingness to do this. Therefore, we should fast from something we will truly miss. It should be a genuine sacrifice.

Fasting also demonstrates our acknowledgment that we are totally dependent on God for everything. Jesus gave us this example when he fasted for forty days. At that time Satan tempted him by encouraging him to change rocks into bread. Jesus replied by stating, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’“ We must fast as a way of reminding ourselves that God provides us with life, sustenance and salvation. When this happens, we open our hearts up to the transforming power of the Holy Spirit.

For this fast, I am asking that you give up something that is important to you and cost you some money. Keep track of the money you save as a result of this fast. Donate the money saved to the “Savings Account to hire Children’s and Youth Ministry Directors”.  This will help to strengthen our children and youth ministries.

The following are some fasting suggestions. Please pray about this between now and the time to start the fast.

• Fast from food from sunrise to sunset. After sunset, don’t gorge yourself but eat a moderate meal. Figure out the money you saved as a result of having to buy less food. Donate that money to the “Savings Account to hire Children’s and Youth Ministry Directors”
• Fast from coffee. Carry around a pad of paper to record every time you crave or think about coffee. Then figure out the amount of money you saved by not drinking coffee. Donate that money to the “Savings Account to hire Children’s and Youth Ministry Directors”
• Fast from cable T.V. Have your cable suspended from 17 February to 7 April. Use the money you save to donate to the “Savings Account to hire Children’s and Youth Ministry Directors” (Talk with your cable provider to see if you can suspend your cable service rather than having it turned off. That way you won’t have a start-up fee when you have it turned back on.) Take the time you would normally use to watch T.V. to study Scripture and pray.
• Fast from sweets. Carry around a pad of paper to record every time you crave or think about sweets. Then figure out the amount of money you saved by not eating any sweets. Donate that money to the “Savings Account to hire Children’s and Youth Ministry Directors”
• If you see movies on a regular basis, fast from movies. Donate the money you would normally spend on movies and the associated snacks to the “Savings Account to hire Children’s and Youth Ministry Directors” Use the time you would normally spend at the movies to study Scripture and pray.

These are just a few ways you could fast. The possibilities are infinite. Think and pray about it.

The Praying part of the Covenant

• On 14 February 2010 we will hand out copies of the book, “Acts 29: Fifty Days of Prayer to Invite the Holy Spirit”

• Prior to beginning on 17 February, read pages 7-30. You need to especially read pages 23-30.
• This book will lead you to pray over ten chapters from Acts. You will pray through one chapter a day for ten consecutive days and then repeat the process five times for a total of fifty days.
• As you pray over these chapters, you will be inviting the Holy Spirit to work in our church, city, state and nation. Through this process, we will be surrendering our wills to God’s will and this will enable us to be empowered by the Holy Spirit.
• Set aside a specific time each day to do this. If you miss a day, don’t fret about it. Just pick up where you left off.
• Be sure to write down any revelations you receive through this prayer and fasting time. (There’s space in the book to write this down.) We will share these insights with each other on 13 March and 10 April.