FASTING... (Saturday's entry EARLY)

“And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungered” (Matthew 4:2)

The “he” mentioned above is Jesus.  He fasted forty days and forty nights at the start of His ministry.  Fasting is one of those TOUGH topics to talk about because you’re not supposed to tell people you’re fasting (according to Matthew 6) and thus it’s dubious whether you should tell what it’s like to fast, how you do it, whether it’s easy or difficult, etc.  It’s kind of like when you’re proud of the fact that you acted in a humble manner...well, then, you defeated the whole purpose!

I just bought a new Christian book from InterVarsity Press about fasting.  The title is:  “Fasting”!  I skimmed through it quickly on Thursday but I haven’t had time to truly read it yet.  One thing that I DID read in that book is that in interviews with Born-Again Christian men and women:  when MEN fast, they tend to fast from everything but water (some MAY drink juice).  WOMEN often tend to do the kind of fasting where they eat fruits and vegetables and maybe even bread but don’t eat meat or candy or heavy foods and then call THAT a fast.  Well,  it IS a fast, but it’s kind of a junior fast, in my opinion.  Of course, Old Testament scholars will point out to me that Daniel did that sort of fast (water, fruit, vegetables) and so I guess I have to consider that!

I’m saying all this stuff about fasting because (and here I go breaking the Matthew 6 rule!) Saturday, April 7 has been called as a Day of Fasting and Prayer for our church.  Usually, if there’s going to be something like that it’s my decision, but this time my wife called for the Day of Fasting and Prayer (although I fully agreed with her).  This Saturday’s focus is our church’s finances.  Without going into all sorts of detail, they’re really bad.  Well, when attendance is down by 30% from a year ago and financial income is down by 40% from a year ago (and we were just about staying afloat a year ago); well I guess that says it all.  Ironically, we’re having great services and great Bible studies at our church, but creditors, utility companies, etc. just don’t seem to be impressed by great services and great Bible studies.  In the past, I’ve put out desperately pleading letters to our mailing list asking for money for the church...sometimes those mailings have brought in an extra $1000-$2000 !  Mary Ann has been insistent that I NOT do that this time...that we fast and pray and see what God does.  You may think I’m cheating by writing about this on the blog, but I really don’t think I am.  I’m not asking for money...I’m really not.  I AM asking for prayer, though, from any who might feel so inclined.

I don’t fast as much as I’d like to, in all honesty.  I usually fast a few isolated days out of a year.  I think the last one I did was in January or February.  It’s going to be a discipline, but I’m going to TRY to fast all day Saturday except for water.  We’re leaving our church open from 6:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 7.  People will be able to come and pray for as long or as short as they like- during that time.

Mary Ann felt it would be good to do this between Good Friday and Easter Sunday.  Our church has really been “to the brink” several times before.  In the 1990s, the Town of Framingham tried to close us down.  At other times in the past the finances got so bad that (even with my hysterical mailings) unless we’d have a major miracle, we’d close.  Somehow, the miracles always came.

Sometimes people ask me, “If you’re SUCH a good speaker, and you’re SUCH a good teacher, and you’re church has SUCH good music, WHY don’t you draw MORE people, and WHY are you frequently on the verge of closing?”

That’s a tough question.  I AM admittedly very eccentric and very unique.  I tend to be a lousy businessman.  All that said, I really AM a phenomenal public speaker and an excellent teacher!  And, our little church has some of the BEST, most upbeat exciting contemporary Christian music around! Friends who visit tell me there are good-sized churches that DON’T have anywhere NEAR the quality of the speaking and music that we have!  Unfortunately, people are “consumers”.  They are attracted to:

crowds; beautiful buildings; places with lots of “programs”; and most of all, places that have outstanding ministry for their teenagers.

If you are trying to run a church and you DON’T draw a big crowd (we sure don’t!); and you  DON’T have a beautiful building (we DON’T!);  and you DON’T have lots of “programs” (well, it takes lots of people to run lots of programs, so for the most part, we DON’T!);   and you DON’T have an outstanding ministry for teenagers (actually at one time we did, but right now, we DON’T) .... then most Baby Boomers and Gen Xers don’t care if the speaker is the best speaker in America, nor do they care if the music would make the music at the best concert you can think of sound lousy...if the church DOESN’T have that stuff I just wrote about, MOST Baby Boomers and Gen Xers just WON’T come.

Is that discouraging to me?

Honestly, at times, it’s been absolutely devastating.

BUT, I’m just crazy enough to believe that Jesus Christ rose from the dead, and that God raises the dead!  I believe in miracles!  Call me Don Quixote- but I’m STILL  at First Assembly of God of Framingham preaching and teaching my heart out, and my kids and a few others are still offering some of the best praise and worship music around!  Will God work miracles at First Assembly of God of Framingham?  I believe so, and, well, I’m not going anywhere!

I know this piece may seem almost contradictory and like it has gone all over the place.  I guess in some respects it has.  But life can be hard... fulfilling and deep and meaningful; but hard.  There’s a big role for prayer and fasting in the Christian life.  Anybody wanna fast and pray on Saturday?  Join us!

Anybody wanna attend a very simple but VERY REAL church on Easter Sunday?  I’ll see you Sunday at 32 South Street, (off Route 135) in downtown Framingham!