An Introduction to Fasting

Lent is the time when for hundreds of years, Christians have focussed on prayer and fasting in preparation for Easter. This year Transforming Melbourne is encouraging Christians across Melbourne to join in praying and fasting during this time.

Let's pray and fast together asking God to:

open mission opportunities in our area
help us identify 'people of peace' who are receptive to the gospel and
bring people to faith

Follow the link on the right and you will be able to sign up for various days and see which days are yet to be covered.

Here is an audio address on fasting in the modern world by Richard Foster - worth a listen!

As you can see there are a number of articles about fasting - they are worth a read.

In Celebration of Discipline Richard Foster wrote:

The list of biblical personages who fasted becomes a ‘Who’s Who’ of Scripture: Moses the lawgiver, David the king, Elijah the prophet, Ester the queen, Daniel the seer, Anna the prophetess, Paul the apostle, Jesus Christ the incarnate Son. Many great Christians throughout church history fasted and witnessed to its value; among them were Martin Luther, John Calvin, John Knox, John Wesley, Jonathan Edwards, David Brainerd, Charles Finney and Pastor Hsi of China.

In addition he emphasised that biblical fasting centres on spiritual purposes (not political or medical/dieting),

In addition as a warning against legalism, he writes that there are simply no biblical laws that command regular fasting.

John Wesley Wrote: some have exalted religious fasting beyond all Scripture and reason; and others have utterly disregarded it.

David Wanstall, 1/23/2008