Week 3: A Hunger for God
Chapters 4-5 (~32 pages)
Key Quotes:
Key Quotes:
Chapter 4
"Do you love the Lord's appearing? Then you will bend every effort to take the gospel into all the world. It troubles me in the light of the clear teaching of God's Word…that we take it so lightly. - George Ladd" (78)
"The almost universal absence of regular fasting for the Lord's return is a witness to our satisfaction with the presence of the world and the absence of the Lord." (80)
Chapter 5
"The almost universal absence of regular fasting for the Lord's return is a witness to our satisfaction with the presence of the world and the absence of the Lord." (80)
Chapter 5
"how hasty we are to judge from God's mercy in the life of a fasting saint that this particular pattern of piety is the key to vital spiritual life! " (94)
"We will measure all by the Scriptures. We will not be swept away by the 'successes' or 'blessings' that accompany any particular pattern of spiritual discipline. We will realize that God is sovereign in dispensing his mercies" (96)
"The course of history has been turned by many other factors besides fasting… I only observe that God, from time to time, has ordained that this be the means of changing the course of events for the good of his people." (101)
Engagement Questions:
"We will measure all by the Scriptures. We will not be swept away by the 'successes' or 'blessings' that accompany any particular pattern of spiritual discipline. We will realize that God is sovereign in dispensing his mercies" (96)
"The course of history has been turned by many other factors besides fasting… I only observe that God, from time to time, has ordained that this be the means of changing the course of events for the good of his people." (101)
Engagement Questions:
Chapter 4
1. After taking an honest assessment of your heart, do you find areas where you are most satisfied with the things of this world, as opposed to longing for the coming of our Lord? What steps will you take to reorient where you find your delight?
2. In what two ways does the church express her longing for the bridegroom?
Chapter 5
2. In what two ways does the church express her longing for the bridegroom?
Chapter 5
1. What pitfalls do Christians fall into when reading stories of faith that involve fasting?
2. What 5 tips are offered for testing subjective impressions?
2. What 5 tips are offered for testing subjective impressions?
Summary:
Chapter 4:
Chapter 4 can be neatly divided into two parts, 1) a reason for fasting, our desire to see the Lord again more than the delights of this world, and 2) the results of fasting, a proclamation of the Gospel. In the first part, an exposition of Luke 2:36-38 is used to show how we, unlike Anna who had fasted day and night to see the Lord, do so with the expectation, hope, and joy of seeing him again. And although it is true that in our fasting we are growing in our desire to see the Lord's return, we need to be reminded that fasting does not create the desire to see His return. Instead, it will augment that desire while at the same time express the hunger we already have for God.
In the latter section, Matthew 24:14 is connected to our longing to visibly see His return. In fasting, we do not segregate ourselves completely from the world and become recluses. Rather, because our desire for His kingdom to come is so strong, we are unable to keep ourselves from preaching the Gospel. One note I do want to make about this specific section is that Dr. Piper is not suggesting that we can somehow initiate or compel Jesus to return by our evangelistic efforts. But with humility we acknowledge that only God knows the date and the hour of the Second Coming, and will faithfully complete the work that needs to be done; world evangelism. As he put it, "there is a direct correlation between loving the Lord's appearing and laboring for the cause of world evangelism" (89). And while we will never figure out when that day or time is, we will diligently do the work set out before us because we desire his appearing more than we desire our career plans or family plans or retirements.
Chapter 5
The fifth chapter is a transitional chapter between what John Piper distinguishes as the inward and outward wars that believers face. The focus of this chapter is on examining several defining moments throughout Christian History where great revivals were ushered in by fasting. Dr. Piper makes very clear however that just because fasting accompanied several occasions for spiritual awakening, it does not mean that fasting is the prerequisite for revival. Likewise, he warns us that we should not view these stories of faith as implying that God approves of any individual’s or group of individual's behaviors or doctrines. What he does try to show us through these stories of faith is that, while no specific spiritual discipline is the key to revival, we cannot deny the close association between revival and fasting. And while some people may experience subjective impressions while they fast, we must be careful not to overly emphasis their worth or veracity. Scripture is our guiding post and a commitment and desire for God's supremacy in our lives and over all is our life's aim. Our hope and aim is that our own stories of faith may be marked by an ever-growing desire for Him and for His glory to fill the world.
Grace and Peace,
Alex Galvez
To never miss an article, click on the "Subscribe" button at the top of the blog page (https://aogalvez.blogspot.com/)
****************************************************
These articles usually follow the current Bible Reading plan for Overflow Ministries. If you would like to join the reading plan, simply download the plan here: Overflow Reading Plan
You may follow Overflow Ministries @ https://faithlife.com/overflowtx/activity
or on Facebook @ https://www.facebook.com/OverflowChurchTX/
In the latter section, Matthew 24:14 is connected to our longing to visibly see His return. In fasting, we do not segregate ourselves completely from the world and become recluses. Rather, because our desire for His kingdom to come is so strong, we are unable to keep ourselves from preaching the Gospel. One note I do want to make about this specific section is that Dr. Piper is not suggesting that we can somehow initiate or compel Jesus to return by our evangelistic efforts. But with humility we acknowledge that only God knows the date and the hour of the Second Coming, and will faithfully complete the work that needs to be done; world evangelism. As he put it, "there is a direct correlation between loving the Lord's appearing and laboring for the cause of world evangelism" (89). And while we will never figure out when that day or time is, we will diligently do the work set out before us because we desire his appearing more than we desire our career plans or family plans or retirements.
Chapter 5
The fifth chapter is a transitional chapter between what John Piper distinguishes as the inward and outward wars that believers face. The focus of this chapter is on examining several defining moments throughout Christian History where great revivals were ushered in by fasting. Dr. Piper makes very clear however that just because fasting accompanied several occasions for spiritual awakening, it does not mean that fasting is the prerequisite for revival. Likewise, he warns us that we should not view these stories of faith as implying that God approves of any individual’s or group of individual's behaviors or doctrines. What he does try to show us through these stories of faith is that, while no specific spiritual discipline is the key to revival, we cannot deny the close association between revival and fasting. And while some people may experience subjective impressions while they fast, we must be careful not to overly emphasis their worth or veracity. Scripture is our guiding post and a commitment and desire for God's supremacy in our lives and over all is our life's aim. Our hope and aim is that our own stories of faith may be marked by an ever-growing desire for Him and for His glory to fill the world.
Grace and Peace,
Alex Galvez
To never miss an article, click on the "Subscribe" button at the top of the blog page (https://aogalvez.blogspot.com/)
****************************************************
These articles usually follow the current Bible Reading plan for Overflow Ministries. If you would like to join the reading plan, simply download the plan here: Overflow Reading Plan
You may follow Overflow Ministries @ https://faithlife.com/overflowtx/activity
or on Facebook @ https://www.facebook.com/OverflowChurchTX/
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