What It Means To Be A Disciple of Jesus

I  have the opportunity to speak at Four Corners Church on Sunday July 6. There will be two services one at 9 am and the other at 10:45 am.  I will be speaking on "What It Means to Be A Disciple of Jesus." I am really excited about this sermon and the implications it has on our lives.   

We will be journeying through Luke 14.25-35. In these eleven verses Jesus spells out what it means to be a disciple. They are hard and difficult words, but we need to be challenged and hear His call to "follow me." 

Fasting for Food

On Saturday I received an email alerting me to a day of prayer and fasting for the global food crisis.  You may not have known this was happening around the world because the majority of American suburbia doesn't feel the squeeze.  We can afford to pay an extra dollar or two for our food, however nearly half of the people in the world are living on less than $2 dollars a day.  Let me say that again, 50% of the world are living on less than $2 a day.

So when the price of food doubles in a year, you can see how half the world suffers and can barely provide for its basic necessities. Why is this crisis happening? There are always several reasons that make up a crisis of this magnitude, however the major contributors are the rising fuel costs, rising food demand from populous countries like India and China, and natural disasters that are eliminating major crop yields all over the world. (For more info visit this compassion link http://www.compassion.com/NR/exeres/A1BD84CB-1BBF-443A-B74D-829ABA8D15AB.htm )

So this week I am asking you to join with Compassion and pledge to pray and fast for our hungry brothers and sister all over the world. Pray that God will intervene with fuel costs, and that crop yields will be fruitful. Pray for the rich half of the world to donate money and goods to provide immediate relief to those who are starving. Pray that we will be willing to become less rich and less powerful in order to help people become less poor and less powerless. Pray that this crisis will open the eyes of the more affluent societies, pray that we can see and feel their need and become less selfish and more selfless.

So our experiment this week is to take up our crosses and fast from food on Wednesday June 25 and pray.

Experiment 008: Fasting for Food

I will let you know how I will be fasting on Wednesday so you can have an idea for yourself. I will not eat any food for breakfast, lunch and dinner; I will only drink liquids (water or juice). The following day I will eat a light breakfast maybe some fruit or yogurt so I ease myself back into food. I hope that you will practice this experiment this week. When you feel the pain, remember the hungry children of the world. Identify with them in their pain and ask God to help them. Pray that Jesus will come through His people and show His love for them. You can visit the compassion website and sign up to pray and fast with thousands of others if you like. Also you can donate your money to this cause via the web.

"If you can't feed a hundred people, than feed just one." Mother Teresa

Keep Seeking the Kingdom,
Jon