Some
time back while outside the country, I paid a courtesy call at the
office of one of the most prominent ministries in the world today. I met
with the head of administration of this ministry and while we bantered
in their conference room, I got a glimpse into one major reason why the
Church i.e. the Pentecostal movement in Nigeria has grown so fast in the
last two decades drawing the attention of the Christian world to it. If
you speak of the ten largest ministries in the world, at least four
will have their operational head quarters in Nigeria and all this in the
last twenty years.
I had always felt strongly in my heart that this was one of the reasons but in just one statement I said, “that’s it”.
My host politely asked me if I will like to eat anything requesting that I should have lunch. I had just eaten before I left my hotel so I politely replied saying “a glass of water will be fine” to which he responded saying “you Nigerians like to fast a lot”, he then smiled and went on “don’t you know the work has already been finished on the cross”? And wham it hit me!
Many think that those who fast are largely operating with the mindset of “the works of the law” and they simply are ignorant of the provisions by grace. Therefore they don’t know what grace is and are not walking in the consciousness of the finished work of Christ.
I have thought over this encounter for a while now, what really will make people think that someone that fasts and prays a lot does so because they are not operating in faith, neither walking in their positional truth in Christ. It is clear from the scriptures Jesus prayed a lot, clearly spelt out that He fasted regularly. Why then will people hold a “low opinion” of this, thinking it is out dated to live this way.
One of the rules of interpreting the scripture is never in your interpretation arrive at a conclusion that over-rides what other scriptures plainly teach. If something is plainly stated in the Bible you don’t go around it with an interpretation that is not clearly stated in the scripture you are using. Always let your “revelation” fit into what other scriptures say and not try to make the scriptures fit into your revelation. Also what ever you find practiced by Christ when he was in flesh and blood made obvious by the writers, I suggest you pause at that point.
Jesus made it clear that when He departs His disciples will embrace the practice of fasting Matt (9: 15) And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bride chamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? but the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast.
Also Paul did say in (2 Corinthians 11:27)
"In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness".
He said he fasted often. He wasn’t speaking about having no food to eat, for he had earlier on said “in hunger and thirst”.
The real issue is that many have not separated the work God did in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, from the work He is now doing in us by His Spirit of building the facts of Christ’s work into our mortal flesh, making us partakers of His divine nature.
The first was done in our absence by Christ alone, the second is now being wrought in us by faith and that requires our cooperation. We will need to walk in the steps of faith to appropriate the finished work of Christ into our lives. Those steps of faith are not the works of the law. Through the works of the law, man tried to gain acceptance with God but with the works of faith we are appropriating the fullness of the work of Christ in us and this we can only do boldly because we have been made accepted in the beloved.
During a fast the Spirit has more room to minister His life into us. The point we are making is this the Father said to Christ after the work was finished “sit at my right hand until I make thine enemies thine footstool” (Matt 22:44)
As we take our position seated in Christ, we through faith and prayer allow the father to subdue and build into us everything He has wrought for us in Christ.
We fast not to gain approval but because we are already approved We simply want to create room for the Father to make visible what He has wrought for us in Christ.
Pastor Poju Oyemade is the Founder and Senior Pastor of Covenant Christian Centre, Lagos, Nigeria.
I had always felt strongly in my heart that this was one of the reasons but in just one statement I said, “that’s it”.
My host politely asked me if I will like to eat anything requesting that I should have lunch. I had just eaten before I left my hotel so I politely replied saying “a glass of water will be fine” to which he responded saying “you Nigerians like to fast a lot”, he then smiled and went on “don’t you know the work has already been finished on the cross”? And wham it hit me!
Many think that those who fast are largely operating with the mindset of “the works of the law” and they simply are ignorant of the provisions by grace. Therefore they don’t know what grace is and are not walking in the consciousness of the finished work of Christ.
I have thought over this encounter for a while now, what really will make people think that someone that fasts and prays a lot does so because they are not operating in faith, neither walking in their positional truth in Christ. It is clear from the scriptures Jesus prayed a lot, clearly spelt out that He fasted regularly. Why then will people hold a “low opinion” of this, thinking it is out dated to live this way.
One of the rules of interpreting the scripture is never in your interpretation arrive at a conclusion that over-rides what other scriptures plainly teach. If something is plainly stated in the Bible you don’t go around it with an interpretation that is not clearly stated in the scripture you are using. Always let your “revelation” fit into what other scriptures say and not try to make the scriptures fit into your revelation. Also what ever you find practiced by Christ when he was in flesh and blood made obvious by the writers, I suggest you pause at that point.
Jesus made it clear that when He departs His disciples will embrace the practice of fasting Matt (9: 15) And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bride chamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? but the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast.
Also Paul did say in (2 Corinthians 11:27)
"In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness".
He said he fasted often. He wasn’t speaking about having no food to eat, for he had earlier on said “in hunger and thirst”.
The real issue is that many have not separated the work God did in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, from the work He is now doing in us by His Spirit of building the facts of Christ’s work into our mortal flesh, making us partakers of His divine nature.
The first was done in our absence by Christ alone, the second is now being wrought in us by faith and that requires our cooperation. We will need to walk in the steps of faith to appropriate the finished work of Christ into our lives. Those steps of faith are not the works of the law. Through the works of the law, man tried to gain acceptance with God but with the works of faith we are appropriating the fullness of the work of Christ in us and this we can only do boldly because we have been made accepted in the beloved.
During a fast the Spirit has more room to minister His life into us. The point we are making is this the Father said to Christ after the work was finished “sit at my right hand until I make thine enemies thine footstool” (Matt 22:44)
As we take our position seated in Christ, we through faith and prayer allow the father to subdue and build into us everything He has wrought for us in Christ.
We fast not to gain approval but because we are already approved We simply want to create room for the Father to make visible what He has wrought for us in Christ.
Pastor Poju Oyemade is the Founder and Senior Pastor of Covenant Christian Centre, Lagos, Nigeria.
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