Breakthrough Fast Readings on the Cross

- Pastor Bob Klecan

During the 1720’s Count Nicholas von Zinzendorf visited a Dusseldorf art museum, where he was especially moved by a particular painting of the crucified Jesus.  The painter had painted the picture with the intent of conveying his love for Christ.  Below the picture were the words:

            All this I did for thee,

            What hast thou done for Me?

Zinzendorf’s heart was affected.  Christ’s love as demonstrated in the cross became the constraining power of his life, as 2 Corinthians 5:14 states, “The love of Christ constrains (compels) me.”  “I have,” he exclaimed, “but one passion, tis He and He only.”  It was the dying love of Christ mastering his life that fitted Zinzendorf for the work he had to do.

Zinzendorf returned home to provide spiritual leadership for about three hundred refugees from religious persecution, the majority of which were Moravians, spiritual descendents of the Czech martyr Jon Hus.  The goal of Zinzendorf and the elders was to lead their souls deeper into the love of Christ, into which they had been baptized. 

In August 1727 the community experienced a breakthrough of love and unity during a special Lord’s Supper celebration.  They asked the Lord to “keep us in the saving power of His grace, and not allow a single soul to be drawn away to itself and its own merits from that Blood-and-cross theology, on which our salvation depends. 

Following this experience the Moravian brethren were possessed by a zeal for missions.  The Spirit breathed in power on the young and the old.  People’s hearts were filled with a burning love for the Savior who died for them.  They emphasized Isaiah 53:10-12 as their chief incentive, from which they drew their battle cry, “To win for the Lamb that was slain the reward of His sufferings.”  They started a 24-hour prayer vigil which lasted 100 years.  During the following 25 years they sent out more than 100 missionaries.   It is worth noting that this is before the start of the modern missions movement. 

Some of these Moravian missionaries met John Wesley on a boat bound for America.  In the presence of their sincere and wholehearted devotion to Christ, Wesley realized that his own religiosity was bankrupt.  He was later converted to Christ at a Moravian chapel in London, and became the founder of Methodism and the Great Awakening in England. 

William Carey, the “Father of modern missions,” was also greatly influenced by Moravian missionaries.  Carey went on, against the overwhelming opposition of his church associates, to be the founder of a missions movement that really continues, in many different waves and manifestations, to this day. [1]

Think about this.  One artist painted to communicate his deep love for Jesus. One man’s faith caught fire during this encounter with the suffering Savior and became the spark for a group of three hundred refugees to catch fire with a  “blood and cross” motivation that impacted the entire world for Christ.  Our desire is that of the Moravian leaders, to lead our souls deeper into the death of Christ.  It is certain that, if we go there, we will be changed.  Whether we impact people around the world, in our own homes, or in our communities, we will be people of new impact and power.  Author John Stott says that the cross is “the blazing fire at which the flame of our love is kindled, but we have to get near enough to it for its sparks to fall on us.[2]

This is why we are calling a breakthrough fast to focus on the cross from 7:00 PM Thursday, April 5^th to 7:00 PM Friday, April 6^th.  We’re breaking the fast with a Good Friday communion service at 7:00 PM the 6^th.  We believe that we need to get nearer to the cross, in hope that its sparks will fall on us.  These readings are provided to help us get closer to the cross throughout this coming week.   Whether you participate in the fast or not, we encourage you to spend these days getting nearer to the cross.  Read these passages reflectively and prayerfully, praying for “Holy Spirit sparks” to land on you and ignite a new passion for the cross as you read. 

2 Corinthians 5:13-21

This passage, referenced above in relation to von Zinzendorf’s life-changing experience, describes the impact the cross had on the Apostle Paul’s motivations. 

Isaiah 52:13-53:12

This passage was likewise referenced above, in relation to the Moravian brethren’s missionary motivation.  This is the most detailed and powerful Old Testament prophecy related to the cross of Jesus. 

Matthew 16:21-28

In this passage Jesus looks ahead to the cross and confronts a bewildered Peter, who is having great difficulty embracing the idea of His Lord heading for a cross. 

Matthew 9:14-17

This passage relates to fasting.  Jesus tells us that fasting was inappropriate for His disciples while He was with them on earth, but when He goes away His followers will fast.   His going away is referring to His death, resurrection, and ascension, the era between His two appearances on earth.  That’s when we live!  We fast looking back to the cross and resurrection, we fast to help us live in Christ NOW through the Holy Spirit and His present intercessory ministry, and we fast looking ahead to His Second Coming.  The events of the gospel define our lives.  We fast to put ourselves aside and intensify our focus, asking the Lord to make the gospel work of Christ more and more the true defining center of our lives. 

Luke 22:39-23:56

Here is the basic account of the cross from Luke’s gospel.

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[1] This story is summarized from several sources, most significantly From Jerusalem to Irian Jaya by Ruth Tucker and Come to the Lord’s Table by Claude King.  

[2] From What Christ Thinks of the Church by John Stott

What's Next?

-Pastor Bob Klecan

Wow!  What an amazing time our Breakthough Fasting and Prayer Emphasis has been!  I'm very, very encouraged by the incredible response of the FBNE family.  The participation was really good and enthusiastic to the fast, to the 24-hour prayer vigil, and to tonight's service and dinner!  The service was packed with songs of praise and testimonies.  The testimonies were not only abundant but they were amazing!  They encouraged, convicted, inspired, taught, and also contained a lot of humor!   Wow what a service!  The hour went by in what seemed like 15 minutes!  And what a feast we had afterwards!  My only regret is that I have but one stomach.  But I think I did eat enough for 2! 

 

Thank you FBNE family!  I'm wowed by your desire to seek more of the Father through this time.  Many of you have shared how much this time has meant to you.  Thank you for telling me!  To the Breakthrough Team, you are amazing, you provided terrific inspiration, education and leadership.  John Brydon led the service tonight, thank you so much!  To all who worked in the service and the dinner, thank you so much! 

 

What's next?  I don't have a specific answer, but one thing is for sure; we will be doing corporate fasting and prayer again.  And now we need to incorporate fasting into our regular lives more.  I so appreciated Teresa's testimony tonight on how she and Matthew are going to fast select lunches.  That's great!  The Breakthrough Team isn't finished yet, we'll be meeting in the next few weeks to ponder what's next.  We'll be asking for feedback on this experience soon, so please share your insights with us. But you don't have to wait. If you have a God-story to tell please respond to this post and let us know.  I know that we ran out of time before we ran out of testimonies tonight, and I also know that not everybody who participated was able to be there tonight. 

 

I'm out of words for this blog.  But the Lord has one more thing to say to you, FBNE family:

 

"But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy." (1 Peter 2:9-10)

 

For Him,

 

Bob

My Heart's Desire

-Marge Montgomery 

To my many friends at FBC,

I am so proud of all of you!! When I went to church on Sunday, I was thrilled to hear all the good responses of the ones who have never fasted before but were willing to try it.  I am sure the Lord is excited about you willingness to try fasting.  I heard from one who was fasting TV time, one was fasting sweets and some were on the Daniel fast.  All of you were excited about your first attempt to please the Lord by fasting.  I can hardly wait to hear how much the Lord has done for all of you. 

I had fasted one day last week to practice but this week it was the real thing.  The first day was certainly the easiest, no problem, I can do this.  The second day was much the same until about 4 o’clock in the afternoon.  I got quite sick and decided I needed a little more food in my stomach to take care of the medicine I had taken in the morning.  I had some chicken noodle soup and two crackers.  Guess what?  The Lord was not angry with me.  He just said it is ok just keep trying, I love you!  The next day we started on the Daniel fast with the fruits and vegetables.  Oh, they tasted good.  It has been fun trying new recipes from friends such as spaghetti squash with spaghetti sauce, vegetable soup with no meat and v8 juice in between.  As you know from my last blog, I am a snacker.  God knows that too and He understands.

We are learning things about fasting that we never knew before.  One thing was when you do not eat meat you body gets cold.  Lack of protein was the problem.  The solution was some peanut butter.  We also know that almost everything has sugar in it, so you have to read labels.  The greatest thing we have learned is that we can do it!!  We have decided that fasting is going to be a regular part of our life from now on.  Why do we wait so long to be obedient?  Actually, with God we can do anything.

Remember in Daniel 10, that Daniel saw a vision of the Lord, heard His voice, fell into a deep sleep, and an angel touched him and he fell on his hands and knees.  There was no strength in him. The angel said “stand up for I have been sent to you”.  There is much more to the story but the angel said to him “do not be afraid for from the first day that you set your heart on understanding this and on humbling yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to your words.”

I thank Him so much for the weeks of soul searching I went through before the fast.

Oh, to be a Daniel.  My heart’s desire is to please God and to follow in the path He originally set out for me!

God bless!

Day Seven!

Type of fast (If following the Breakthrough schedule): Daniel fast; water, vegetables, fruits.

Scriptures to meditate on:

Galatians 5:13-17

You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other. So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.

Galatians 5:22-25

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.

Prayer emphasis: Oh, Lord, allow the Holy Spirit to give me a tremendous love for others!

What I've Learned So Far

-Marcie Gribbin

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (II Corinthians 12: 9-10, NIV).

Since the beginning of this fast, the phrase “My grace is sufficient” (from II Corinthians 12: 9) has been following me around everywhere. It reigns in my thoughts morning, noon, and night. At first I didn’t understand why; I mean, of course I KNOW His grace is sufficient for me. It gives me life, breath, and keeps me going when nothing else can. But I am just beginning, I think, to realize why this phrase is besieging me. See, after I fail (or, more aptly put, FALL)—and I am made aware of my failure—I have the tendency to overdo it a bit on the “good works” end. I do this not to do “penance” or to find favor with God, because I know His grace covers all of me, and there is nothing I can do to make Him love me more than He already does. No, instead, I tend to not be able to forgive myself, so I am constantly trying to find favor with myself.  During this fast, the one thing that I am being taught (although sometimes I am not a quick-minded student) is that His power is indeed made perfect in my weakness. Instead of trying to somehow “make up” for my shortcomings, I am to lean on His grace, to boast of my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me, reign in me and through me, since I am His and He is mine.

Here are just a few other things I have learned so far this week:

1.)  Knowing that others are going through the same experience I am does indeed give encouragement to “finish the race” of fasting. Truly, this like-mindedness in our church body has blessed me more than I can say.

2.) Having a fasting buddy is the best! J You know who you are, and I am so grateful for you! Somehow you always knew just when to text me some encouragement! 

3.) I lean on caffeine and sugar (and food in general) to sustain me far too often. Nourishment from the Word and a zip of energy from praising my Savior far surpasses any energy I get from a Diet Coke.

4.) Concentrating on praying for the needs of others blesses me beyond words. I am humbled by the privilege of discovering and praying for the specific needs of my church family.

5.)  After nearly three days with no food, that communion cracker on Sunday morning was THE BEST communion cracker I have ever tasted! I savored it! And it reminded me, as Psalm 38: 8 urges, to “Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.”

I hope you will join us in our prayer vigil at church Wednesday and Thursday, and then, also, Thursday evening as we celebrate Breakthrough together with a potluck dinner and a time of worship and testimony starting at 6:00 pm! Come taste and see that the Lord is good!

Day Six

Type of fast (If following the Breakthrough schedule): Daniel fast; water vegetables, fruits.

Scriptures to meditate on:

           Psalm 16: 1-2

           Keep me safe, my God, for in you I take refuge. I say to the LORD, “You are my      

           Lord; apart from you I have no good thing.”

1 Peter 2

Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.

Prayer emphasis: Create in me a clean heart, Lord, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.  Do not cast me away from Your presence and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.  Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and sustain me with a willing spirit.

Spiritual Warfare: Guarding Our Hearts

-John Brydon

I pray we don’t loose sight of the fact that fasting and spiritual warfare are fastened at the hip.  We really cannot separate them.  Our goal in fasting is:

¨ To be obedient and surrendered to our Lord

¨ To gain a new and increased intimacy with Him

¨ To be better equipped to love and serve Him

That will put us in conflict with Satan, who won't want any of those goals to happen.  Thus, our fasting necessarily involves spiritual warfare. 

We need to be prepared! The following Scriptures will help.  Can you think of, and perhaps share any others? 

Ephesians 6:11-13   Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.

John 10:10  The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

Ephesians 1:17-21   I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.  I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength  he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.

Colossians 1:10-14   So that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Colossians 2:10    And in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority.

II Timothy 1:7   For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.

II Corinthians 10:3-5     For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.