by Sarah Lang
“It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” (Eph. 4:11-13)
Reading this passage, it is obvious that the leader’s job is to prepare, to equip, to help God’s people toward “works of service.” As people grow, the Body of Christ is harmoniously constructed. As leaders, then, our posture must be one of humility, on our knees, seeking God and serving in love. Nothing is beneath us; no one is above another. Low to the ground is where we need to be.
Yet, this message isn’t just for a select few; we are all leaders in some sphere of influence. Also, the direction necessary to travel is into the “knowledge of the Son of God” – knowing Jesus. Only through the inner journey which leads into the depths of our souls are we going to attain the maturity we desire.
This is exactly where our Fall40 prayer and fasting intersects. Fasting reveals the things that motivate and control us. We uncomfortably lay exposed. We are more comfortable covering up what lays inside us with food and other things (media, relationships, materialism). Funny how these “secrets” surface during a fast.
It’s easy to rationalize anger when we’re hungry, but if we move through our anger to its source, we realize that a spirit of anger actually resides in us. The same is true of pride, lust, jealousy, fear, and unforgiveness.
However, this uncovering is a blessing. These are the places Jesus meets with us: real hope and healing can occur. Through the discipline of fasting freedom exists from the things we are enslaved. “The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.” (2 Cor. 10:4) The weapons we use to fight have “divine power to demolish strongholds” in our lives. That’s great news! “Fasting can bring break-throughs in the spiritual realm that will never happen in any other way.” This demands that we place ourselves in a posture of humility, on our knees, seeking God.
God is knocking at our doorstep, looking for a group of people who are wholly yielded to him. If we are courageous and willing enough, God wants to do a work of God-sized proportions through us: bring hope to the hopeless, healing to the heart-broken, restoration to the torn-down. He seeks to reconcile our community to himself. But it takes being low, being on our knees, seeking God – releasing our pride and ego.
And so I pray:
“God, give us a new-found energy to continue this Fall40, to wholly seek you. May we focus first on knowing and being known by you. Then from our wholeness, may we turn and serve others, equipping your body in unity. Give us a burden for those who don’t know you. Break our hearts and disturb our complacency. Show us how to serve those who don’t know you; show us our mission field. let us proclaim your hope and love with boldness and humility. Thank you, God, for who you are and what you are doing in each of our lives. Amen.”
Comments