Audlem Baptist Church Online Service for the
17^th November 2024

Practicing the Way

This is the fifth service in our current series.

The Practice of Fasting

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Introduction

The sermons for these online services come from Chichester Baptist Church during very recent months.

In our previous series we have talked about the huge impact that Jesus’s earthly ministry had on the way we think about God, the Trinity and the Kingdom of Heaven. Now, in this series we move on to think about what it means for us to be one of his followers. The early church was known as being people who followed in The Way. The term “Christian” came much later.

This series is in large part based on a book by John Mark Comer entitled “Practising the Way” (American spelling!). My hope is that as we go through this series we will go deeper in our understanding of what it is to be a true disciple.

Song: Oceans (where feet may fail)

In this series I have tried to use the same hymns that were used in Chichester before and after the message. So this song is their choice for our opening song. It is another new one to me. It has the line “I will call upon your name and keep my eyes above the waves”, which evokes in my mind Simon Peter wanting to go deeper into his relationship with Jesus when he and his friends were caught in a storm.

Message: The Practice of Fasting

The fifth message of the series is from September this year. If you have a Bible or Bible App to hand, please get it ready. The first reading comes from the gospel of Matthew chapter 6.

The speaker is the Reverend Ellen Wild, who is the Minister at Chichester.

Click the filmstrip icon below to start watching the YouTube video. It should start automatically at about 48 minutes into the complete service.

I suggest that you stop the video when she suggests a period of silent prayer as you ‘digest’ what has been said! Then use the prayer time below and after that we will watch a video of the same closing song that they sang.

You can view the video full screen by clicking the small button at the bottom right of the video screen (as shown highlighted on the small image on the left).

Prayers

Ponder for a moment the two main points …

o We fast to offer ourselves in surrender to God

o We fast to amplify our prayers.

As you watched the message today was there a moment when you sensed the Holy Spirit speaking directly to you about your own spiritual formation? Then tell Jesus about it. Or maybe you simply had a ‘lightbulb’ moment which you would like to thank God for.

Spend a few moments to thank God for all his goodness to you in the last week.

Spend a few minutes in confession.

Take a few minutes to pray for others who you feel burdened for. If you have received the Church Email, it will give you some suggestions.

Now spend a few moments praying for the fellowship of the church to which we belong and its witness to friends, family, neighbours, the young and the old, and to the wider world.

Song: Light of the World

The Chichester congregation sang this song to close. As Ellen said, there aren’t many songs or hymns about fasting, but this one certainly contains the thought that God is more important than anything else and “altogether wonderful to me”.

A Closing Prayer

Dear Father
I’m ready to take responsibility for my own spiritual growth, and that starts with coming to You for help.
I need You. Make me open and receptive to Your Word, and may Your love shape my daily actions.
I’m confident that You can cultivate the fruit of Your Spirit in my life.
Help me fully surrender to You as You do that, knowing that it’ll lead me to a closer relationship with You.
In Jesus’ name.

Amen.