At Cross Bridge, one of our cultural staples is being Better Together, especially around food. We’re more likely to cook up a feast than to fast. Yet the early church fasted and prayed regularly (Acts 13:2-3; 14:23), to draw closer to God and with clear purpose.
People sometimes fast from things like social media or entertainment, but this congregational fast follows the biblical form of fasting from food. The two spiritual disciplines fit together naturally. Instead of eating, we use mealtimes to pray, and our hunger reminds us how much we depend on Him. Fasting also connects us to Jesus, who fasted in the wilderness, and builds the self-control to resist sin and hold fast to God’s promises.
Fasting and prayer are spiritual disciplines Jesus invites all believers to practice, not only the “ultra-spiritual.” He taught us not to fast for show (Matt 6:16-18), and we also see the early church fasting and praying together. When we fast together as a congregation, we bring our concerns before God side by side, pray for one another, and share what He is teaching us. Our shared fast also strengthens our witness, both to the generations after us and to those outside our church who see God at work among us.
Over the first three years of our five-year vision, we’ve seen God unite us through His Word and root us in Jesus, the true vine, and we trust that He who began a good work in us will carry it on to completion (Phil 1:6). Last year, Cross Bridge began fasting and praying together as a congregation. Each of us fasted on our own, but we shared a common purpose.
Our fall sermon series, Wholly Yours, asks what it looks like to give God all that we are and all that we have. Fasting is one concrete way to do that, offering Him our time and our bodies as we seek Him together.
This fall, we’re fasting and praying over the four marks of a bridge builder that we preached through: Missional in Life, Shaped by Scripture, Walking in Community, and Serving with Joy. Our focus is to stay open to the Holy Spirit’s leading as we grow as bridge builders, bridging cultures to build a family in Christ and sharing the good news of God’s kingdom, which brings reconciliation and renewal.
Missional in LifeShaped by ScriptureWalking in CommunityServing with Joy
If someone asked you to name something you can’t live without and explain why they should get it too, you could probably come up with an answer and make a good case for it. Jesus’ first disciples talked about Him the same way. Andrew had just met the Messiah, and the first thing he did was find his brother Simon and bring him to Jesus. Philip did the same with Nathanael. When you find something that good, you want to share it.
It still works that way. Most of us came to Jesus because someone said “come and see.” Asking someone to come and see can feel daunting, and we often worry about how they’ll respond. When Nathanael scoffed at Nazareth, Philip answered with a simple invitation and trusted Jesus to do the rest. We can do the same, knowing that everyone is seeking something. Jesus alone is the bridge to God (John 1:51). Our part is to bring people to Him. Come and see, then come and bring. In our fasting and prayer, we ask God to show us who He has already placed in our lives and to give us the courage to invite them.
To be shaped by Scripture is to let the word of God do the work of God in our lives. A single workout doesn’t change much, but months of steady practice do. Scripture works the same way. Reading and meditating on God’s word over time is what transforms us.
Thankfully, we’re not in this alone. Just as working out with others is easier than working out alone, Scripture sinks in more when we read it with others. Through conversation, song, and gentle correction, community helps the word of God do its work in our lives.
Pastor David Hansen describes a parable as a story that makes the invisible visible. Jesus is the greatest parable, the invisible God made visible in the flesh. When the word of Christ dwells in us richly, our lives become parables of Him, pointing people to the Jesus they can’t see. You live like Jesus as His word lives in you. In our fasting and prayer, we ask God to let His word settle in us and change us, so that others can see Jesus in the way we live.
Two themes show up again and again in books, TV and film. In one, someone feels alone in a crowd. In the other, a struggling person is lifted up by friends, and together they do what none of them could do alone. These stories resonate because God made us for community.
Hebrews calls us to consider one another, paying attention to the people around us so we can stir each other up to love and good works. That kind of attention needs us to keep meeting together and keep encouraging one another (v. 25). You can’t stir up a stranger.
Our faith grows when others ask how we’re really doing and notice when we’re missing. It perseveres when others encourage us through hardship and push back on sin’s lies, and we contend for each other’s faith when we carry one another’s burdens and go after those who are drifting. Bonding as a family and bridging out to others go together, because when we carry one another, we are encouraged to keep building bridges. In our fasting and prayer, we ask God to show us who to pay attention to and who to invite to our table.
Think of the Patriots and Falcons in Super Bowl LI. At halftime the game looked over. Rewatch it knowing the final score, and the worry is gone. All that’s left is anticipation. Christians know the outcome too. Through Jesus’ death and resurrection, sin and death are defeated, and our standing with God is secure.
Jesus commands and equips us to serve His purposes. When the seventy-two came back rejoicing that even the demons submitted to them, Jesus shared their joy and pointed them to a deeper one: their names were written in heaven. We can rejoice in what God does through us, and rejoice even more in what He has already done for us.
That changes why we serve. When our identity is secure in Christ, we aren’t serving to earn God’s approval or a place in His family. Our names are already written, so we’re free to give ourselves to the people in front of us, however it goes. We serve in His name and rejoice that He has written ours. In our fasting and prayer, we ask God to root our joy in Him and to show each of us where to use the gifts He has given us.
Remove distractions and come with repentance and self-examination. Ask the Lord to:
Notice the prayers, verses and words that stir an “Amen.” Write down what keeps repeating; it may be God confirming His leading.
Like Jesus, find a quiet place away from noise and screens. Silence can feel awkward at first, and it often becomes the place where God speaks most clearly.
Keep track of the threads, themes, words and verses God shows you. Ask yourself:
Last year, many of us shared both struggles and breakthroughs as we fasted and prayed together, and we saw God’s faithfulness in fresh ways. We hope for the same this year.
As you take part, celebrate what God is doing, whether in moments of clarity, answered prayer, or simple encouragement. We especially want to hear how He is speaking to you as you pray through the four marks of a bridge builder.