First Baptist Church of Ojai, California

Celebration!

Sunday evening at 6 PM we will be gathering at the Sanctuary for an end of fasting celebration.  We will spend some time in worship and prayer and sharing testimonies of what God has done during the past month.  If you had to reduce to one thing that God did in your life in September, what would it be?

Reflections on Fasting

What an incredible month this has been. The highs have been very high and the lows have been quite low. All of it has resulted in spiritual growth and a greater awareness of God’s Spirit. Here are some of my early personal reflections on this past month’s fast:

 

1. Fasting exposes me. It exposes how much of a slave I am to comfort and how diligently I seek it. My pursuit of comfort is often more passionate than my pursuit of God.

2. Fasting calms me. I was surprised by this. Especially during the food fast I found myself to be more patient and easy-going. The world seemed to slow down. The slower pace made me more reflective.

3. Fasting focuses me. I had a clear purpose this month: to focus on the presence of God. Everything else became secondary. This sense of focus enabled me to hear God’s voice and to see Him at work. To pray without ceasing became much more natural.

4. Fasting unifies us. Perhaps my favorite thing about this past month was the sense that we were all in this together. To know that my brothers and sisters were also being intentional in their humble pursuit of God was an amazing encouragement in my own spiritual journey. We drew closer together. We laughed and cried together as God worked in our midst. We are a family.

5. Fasting cleanses us. God did some serious scrubbing in our hearts. That scrubbing was painful at times, but so very liberating. We are now better prepared for the great future that God has planned for us.

6. Fasting empowers me. Thanks to so many of you for the positive feedback on the messages the past few weeks. I must confess that from a human perspective, these sermons were not my personal favorites. Yet, I have heard consistently how God has used these words to impact lives.  Something about the fast clears the way for the Holy Spirit to work—even through me!

7. Fasting highlights spiritual gifts. As we have journeyed together this month, we have seen spiritual gifts at work within the Body of Christ. Each of us has gifts essential to the healthy functioning of the Body. The Body of Christ at First Baptist continues to grow in health as we exercise the spiritual gifts that have been given to us.

8. Fasting encourages us. I am not a big numbers guy, but is it any coincidence that our greatest attendance in worship and in “Kidmo!” as well as our greatest month of giving took place during the fast? Thanks, God!

9. Fasting fatigues me. I’m tired and exhilarated all at the same time. At the conclusion of Jesus’ fast and temptation, the Bible talks about angels coming and attending to Him. That sounds really good right now.

 

I am convinced that fasting must become a common experience in my own life and in the life of our church family. It is not enough to do this once or even twice a year. It must become a lifestyle. I am hoping to better learn in the days to come how to apply this truth.

 

Thanks to each one of you who participated in this month of fasting and praying. The best is yet to come.

Building Project

It has been really interesting to see how interrelated our lives have become in the midst of the fasting.  Our lives fit intricately together.  Ephesians 2:22 says, "And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit."  We are under construction.  God is fashioning us to become a wonderful place in which His Spirit can live and move. 

Urgency

Fasting brings a sense of urgency to my Christian life.  It is consistent with what Jesus said in Luke 12:35-36:  "Be dressed and ready for service and keep your lamps burning, like men waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him."  Jesus may return at any moment.  Will He find us living with a sense of Kingdom urgency, or living in apathy? 

So This Is Why They Call It a "Fast"

Another observation on the fast so far:  things are happening in our lives at a rapidly accelerated pace.  This too is painful.  A slower pace would perhaps be more comfortable.  But I have a sense that God doesn't have time for us to plod along.  It seems his timetable is accelerating and we have to be ready for what lies ahead.  These are wonderful, scary, amazing times.  I am glad to be on the journey with you.

Scrub-a-Dub-Dub

If I had to identify a theme for our fast together so far it is "cleansing."  God is doing some deep cleaning in our hearts and lives.  I remember when I was Josh's age and my Mom told me to go get cleaned up.  I would taken a token bath or shower and miss a lot of dirt.  She would then come in with a wash cloth and hit all of those areas I "missed".  One thing I remember about her scrubbing:  it hurt.  I didn't like it.  But it was so very necessary.  God is scrubbing those areas we have "missed" (neglected, ignored, hidden).  It is momentarily painful, but the cleansing is preparation for something great.

Where Is My Focus?

"...their god is their stomach...Their mind is on earthly things" (Philippians 3:19).  My fast so far has revealed the reality of this convicting truth in my own life.  When you truly begin to intentionally focus on the things of God at all times you begin to realize how little you have consistently been focused on the things of God in the past.  My life is gradually becoming decompartmentalized.  God is now permeating all of my life.  It is a joyful place to be. 

Humility

Today's Bible Reading:

Psalm 8

Luke 8

Philippians 2

Philippians 2 nails me every time.  "Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus."  The chapter spells out in detail how Jesus humbled himself and explains how we are to do the same.  Humility is the key to our relationship with God and our relationships with others.  Any relationship that is not immersed in humility will be plagued by strife.  Further, when we lack humility, we are unteachable.  Fasting has a wonderful way of humbling me, of reminding me how weak I am and how much I need to grow.

For Me To Live Is______________________

Fasting has a way of revealing how we honestly fill in that blank.  What is it that I truly live for?  food, entertainment, comfort, security.  The Apostle Paul said in Philippians 1:21 that he would fill in the blank with the word "Christ".  No doubt, many tests in his life proved this to be true.  As I am tested, may "Christ" be proven to be my answer as well.

Today's Bible Reading:
Psalm 7
Luke 7
Philippians 1

I'm Awake

Today's Bible Reading:
Psalm 5
Luke 5
Ephesians 5

Ephesians 5:14 - "for it is light that makes everything visible.  This is why it is said:  'Wake up O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.'"

One of the results of the fast has been that I feel spiritually awake.  So much of my life is spent in a groggy, half-awake spiritual state.  During the fast I am finding that my spiritual senses are much sharper.  I hear God more.  I see things in the spiritual realm more.  I am more spiritually aware.  What if this were the norm?  What if Christians lived constantly in such an awakened state?  How might the Church and therefore the world be different?