Celebration of Discipline:
The Discipline of Fasting - "Fasting Reveals What Controls Us"
(Downloadable Word document)

Why has fasting has been disregarded as a spiritual discipline?
•Associated with asceticism of the Middle Ages or with Catholicism in general
•Modern "fasting" is often motivated by vanity (dieting) or politics (hunger strikes) rather than spiritual desires

Biblical Grounds for Fasting
•Examples of godly men and women in the Bible: Moses, David, Esther, Daniel, Elijah, Jesus, Paul
•Fasting is mentioned in Scripture on 77 occasions, more than baptism
•Christ's teachings on fasting:
- Matthew 6:16 - "when you fast …", not "if"
- Fasting is presented alongside prayer and giving in Matthew 6 as an expected activity for believers
•Examples of Christian Leaders in History: John Wesley, John Calvin, Martin Luther,
David Brainerd

Purpose for Fasting
•As with other disciplines, fasting is not an end in itself, but a method to aid in "concentration" (according to Foster)
•Bad motivations
- Acclaim of other (according to Christ)
- Vanity
- Manipulating God to achieve desired blessings
- Mystical experience
- Penance
• Good motivations
- Addendum to other disciplines (i.e., increased concentration on prayer, meditation, worship, etc.)
- Ministering to the needs of others
- Seeking guidance
- Expressing repentance (which is different from penance, or earning forgiveness)

Practical Methods of Dietary Fasting
• Begin with a partial fast (lunch-to-lunch, drinking fruit juice / water)
•After a few weeks, try a 24-hour fast, drinking only water
•Eat carefully before and after fasting (don't "tank up" prior to a fast)
•Concentrate on spiritual activity during the fast (perhaps intensified concentration on other disciplines)

Non-dietary "Fast" Suggestions
•People (cf. Discipline of Solitude)
•Telephone
•Media (movies, radio, TV, newspaper, magazine)
•Advertising
•Consumer culture / lifestyle of comfort (cf. Discipline of Simplicity)

Group Discussion
1. Richard Foster defines fasting as "the voluntary denial of an otherwise normal function for the purpose of intense spiritual activity." What does this mean? What are some spiritual purposes for fasting?

2. How can fasting reveal what controls your life?

3. Why do think that fasting is no longer a common practice among most Christians?

4. How can we, as individuals and as a church, reintroduce the concept of fasting?

5. Read Isaiah 58:1-9a aloud. What does this passage say about fasting? What is the fast which God chooses?