Sunday: From Death to Life

Each day of our 2017 fast will include a short reflection on each of the 7 Movements of Discipleship. The 7 Movements are the way we explain the transformations that come as we follow Jesus.

As we begin this week of prayer and fasting, we reflect on the first and primary movement that we make as disciples of Jesus: moving from death to life.

"Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life." John 5:24

I'm struck by how 'otherworldly' this verse is and yet, at the same time, how simple and straightforward it is. 

It's 'otherworldly' because Jesus is saying that there's a realm of death that many are living their lives in and there is a realm of life that some cross over into and beginning living within. That's a bit odd, no? I'm not sure that most people walk around thinking that.

Yet he's very straightforward about it and explains it very simply: he says that if you hear what he says and you believe God the Father (meaning what God the Father is saying through Jesus' life and words) then you are (currently) in the realm of life and you possess this incredible thing called eternal life.

Eternal life is life infused with God. It is the life of the garden of eden from Genesis 1. It is a quality of life beyond what even the most ambitious go-getters are looking for. It's a life filled with wonder, with beauty, with joy and with a love so powerful it even makes dead people live.

Do you hear Jesus' words? Do you believe that God sent him and all that his life, death and resurrection means for you? Then you have crossed over from death into life. So, what else are you looking for? And have you really grasped that for yourself?

If that's not you yet--consider that. Consider Jesus. His life was so historically and profoundly impactful that we're here writing blogs and singing songs about him today. Your life is worth enough that you should seek out what life means and how to get the most life out of life that you can. I believe that this road will lead you to the historical person of Jesus as he is presented in the New Testament--freed from the baggage that 2000 years of broken human beings have done in his name.

This movement from death to life is something that we can consider each day as we continue to choose life and relationship with God as he has been revealed in the person of Jesus and as we have the privilege of offering this life, spilling over the rim of our lives, to others who are thirsty and looking for life.

As you begin your time of prayer and fasting, make space to remember a greater reality: that in Jesus, you are living in the realm of life where your reality is infused with the presence of God and the unbelievable announcement that you, yes YOU, will not be judged. You can rest.

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To go deeper, consider reading Ephesians 2:1-5.

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Join us for one of the corporate prayer times during the week:

Wednesday, January 11th at 680 rue Richmond 6:30pm - 8:00pm

or

Thursday, January 12th at 4250 avenue Marcil (Apt. 21 Buzzer: 28) 7:30pm - 9:00pm

We will break the fast and celebrate together on Saturday, January 14th at 680 rue Richmond 10am - 12:30pm. We will have a time of prayer followed by brunch together. Please bring a dish to share.

Get Prepared for 2017 Prayer and Fasting

It's getting close. We begin our annual time of prayer and fasting this Sunday, January 8th at sunset. Don't miss this opportunity to join your heart with the rest of the community in drawing near to God.

Prepare yourself

Now it's time to prepare yourself. Heart. Mind. Body.

Heart: Prepare your heart for this time. The scriptures say, "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart" (Jerimiah 29:13). It is with our hearts that we find God and that can feel difficult when our hearts have been longing for and pursuing other things for a while. Prepare your heart by beginning to quiet yourself and taking stock of the state of your heart--are you fearful, sad, etc? Prayer and fasting is ultimately about freeing your heart from other entanglements to seek after God. Start that process now.

Mind: Prepare your mind for this time. One of the hardest things about fasting is overcoming the mental habits of eating that meal, grabbing that snack, or checking that app. You will have to say 'no' frequently. Prepare yourself by starting to say 'no' to these things now in part--checking apps less, eating less, etc.

Body: It's is extremely important to prepare your body--especially if you plan on fasting food in any form. If you will be fasting food in any form, it is wise to begin "eating smaller portions a few days before the fast. Avoid food high in sugar and fat. Plan to limit physical and social activities for the week of the fast."** 

Important: Fasting food is not for everyone. If you have any physical condition or potential for a physical condition that would be adversely affected by fasting food in any form, consult a physician prior to fasting.

Prayer Partners and Prayer Times

Moving through the fast with activities and busyness will not help you to slow down and draw near to God. You are encouraged to find a prayer partner--someone who you can touch base with each day and pray with and for.

Each Jubilee Community will host an open prayer time one evening during the week. If you are not a part of a Jubilee Community yet, you are welcome to join one of these. We encourage you to attend just one of these prayer gatherings. [Times announced soon].

The fast ends on Saturday, January 14th at sunrise. We will have a break-the-fast brunch at 680 rue Richmond H3J 2R9 at 10am this day. Bring a healthy brunch dish to share. We will have a time of prayer and then we will eat together.

Materials

Each day of the fast, we will publish one short devotional blog on one of the 7 Movements of Discipleship. So check here on the blog each day or check your email for the link. If you don't receive our emails, sign up here.

For the fast, you are highly encouraged to set aside time to sit in silence, listen in prayer, speak with Father God and consider journaling as your spend this time. To augment this, we attached a devotional put together by Every Nation, one of our global partnerships and spiritual family, that you can use as you move through the week. 

**Qtd in "Knowing God." Lafoon, Jim. Pg. 2. 2017.

An Invitation to Pray and Fast Together

There may not be a better way to start a new year than with a time of prayer and fasting. Starting the year this way sets us up to be present with the time God is giving us and not rush right through it.

Would you join us for a time of prayer and fasting from Sunday, January 8th at sunset to Saturday, January 14th at sunrise?

“Fasting is the voluntary abstinence of any good thing for the sake of God.”

— Corné J. Bekker

Here's why I'm fasting...

I am at risk of letting my life fly by thanks to my insatiable hunger for speed, for growth, for 'more'. Often we live our lives hurrying to get to something so that we can then hurry and get to something else. Instead of taking the slow, human walk through the airport terminal of life we take the electric walkway mover thing and then we begin to run.

Fasting is actually a process of letting go of my pursuits, it's a process of suffocating the gods I worship and returning to the essence of life--an open, vulnerable, real relationship with God, my Father.

Jesus' own time of fasting, recorded in Matthew 4, prior to the beginning of his ministry shows that His fasting was solidifying his dependence on His Father and providing him the ability to say no to the temptations of self-sufficiency, of ambition for power and control and of worshipping other things.

For this week, I will be giving up my attachment to entertainment, to food and to technology. I invite you to take some time considering how you will fast. The most important thing in fasting is creating time and space for silence, reflection and communication with God. It is a time to remove all excess in life so that you can begin the year living out of your true identity as God's daughter or son--following Jesus, our leader, into a year filled with transformation and abundant life.

“When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.”

— Matthew 6:16

Fasting is not a competition and it is not a way of getting God to do what you want. It is a way of bringing yourself to a place where you can receive what God is giving you and come back to the reality of your relationship with Him.

Are you joining in? Start preparing now:

• Write the dates on your calendar
• Decide what you will fast from

Coming up we'll be posting prayer material to read for the week, dates for prayer meetings and some pointers to prepare your heart, mind and body for the week.