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<p>Dear Brothers & Sisters in Christ</p>
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<p>The diaconate of Mondeor Community Church feel that we as a body need a fresh Vision, a new Mission and a defined Direction for the church. This cannot be the vision of one person, or even a group of individuals, but it needs to come from the Lord, and it must be revealed to each one of us.</p>
<p><strong>In Acts 15:28 we read this, "It seemed good to us and the Holy Spirit..." I think it</strong><strong>’</strong><strong>s important to be open to the Lord showing us His will and purpose through the community of His people.</strong><strong> </strong></p>
<p>For this reason we are proposing that we set aside a week, from 26<sup>th</sup> June to 3<sup>rd</sup> July, to seek the Lord in prayer and fasting, to hear from Him regarding a fresh vision, direction and mission. </p>
<p>We believe that if we all do this, earnestly and sincerely, that the Lord will speak to each one of us. We would like each member of the congregation to write down, on a piece of paper, in approximately 6 lines, what the Lord has spoken to them, and to place it in the offering on Sunday 3<sup>rd</sup> July. On Monday 4<sup>th</sup> July, the deacons will be meeting to review what you believe the Lord has spoken to you, and to add our own. <strong>We will then seek to discern what God is saying to us through the in-put our people give, and will</strong><strong> </strong><strong>put this all together into a concise Vision and Mission Statement, which will be printed, and copies distributed to everyone on Sunday 10<sup>th</sup> July.</strong><strong> </strong></p>
<p>On Sunday 26<sup>th</sup> June, at the opening of our week of prayer and fasting, the Rev. Bruce Boynes will be preaching, and he will give us guidance regarding our prayer focus, and hearing from God. He will also be preaching at the close of the week, Sunday 3<sup>rd</sup> July when we break our fast with Holy Communion. </p>
<p>During the week of prayer and fasting, the church will be open from 6.00 am to 8.00 pm for prayer. There will be “prayer stations” around the church consisting of posters with scripture, with ideas for prayer focus. </p>
<p>May you be greatly blessed as you seek to hear from God.</p>
<p>“In the multitude of counselors plans are established.” Proverbs 15:22</p>
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<p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Fasting</span> </p>
<p>A fast can be anything you decide to “give up” for the Lord. You could be extreme and go on a water only fast, or you could give up lunch for the week, or a Daniel fast (vegetables and water. Some people have given up TV for the duration of their fast. It should be a sacrifice that you make to the Lord in order to draw closer to Him and hear better from Him. The options are unlimited, but should not be the focus of the week, - prayer and seeking to hear from God must be our major focus.</p>
<p>See guidelines below from Pastor Alexander of the Vineyard.</p>
<p>Blessings</p>
<p>Damon Greville</p>
<p>Elder</p>
<p><strong>Mondeor Community Church</strong></p>
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<p><strong>THE MOTIVATION AND PURPOSE (what to pray for): </strong></p>
<p>Because of the great spiritual battle we are facing in the church and the nation</p>
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<li>To humble ourselves before God in confession and repentance of our sin</li>
<li>To set our minds to prayerfully understand God’s purpose and what He is doing</li>
<li>To persist in prayer that <em>God’s purposes may prevail</em> in a) Mondeor Community Church, b) in marriages, relationships and individuals, and c) in our nation. </li>
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<p><strong>WHAT FASTING IS:<br /></strong><em>Negatively</em>, <em><span style="text-decoration: underline;">fasting is abstaining</span></em> from food (and things) for spiritual purposes: To discipline our bodily appetites (addictions and attachments to things), to feel hungry and weak, to turn it into hunger for God, into prayer for strength, into cries for mercy, intercession for others, praying for God’s purposes to prevail. Like Jesus who fasted for 40 days, when we fast and pray we enter a (inner) wilderness, the desert of demons, where we do battle with ourselves and with evil. God brings us into this desert to humble us, to make us hungry, to expose our sin and weakness, testing us to see what’s in our hearts, teaching us that we don’t live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from God’s mouth (Deut 8:2-3). <br /><br /><em>Positively</em>, <em><span style="text-decoration: underline;">fasting is feasting</span></em> on God’s Presence (prayer) and Word (meditation). Fasting makes space in our daily lives for prayer, to seek God’s face and His Word for understanding and direction, for His purposes in our lives, in our church and nation. Fasting and prayer is the mysterious participation with God in the unseen spiritual warfare taking place around us. It is <em><span style="text-decoration: underline;">the means</span></em> by which we persist until God’s purposes prevail against evil opposition.</p>
<p><strong>WHAT FASTING IS NOT:</strong></p>
<p>Fasting is not dieting. It is not to prove yourself, to feel spiritually proud, to compete or show off. It is not to punish the body, nor to be a spiritual martyr or hero. It is not to earn God’s blessing, or to twist His arm to get Him to do what you want. </p>
<p><strong>SOME PRACTICAL GUIDELINES:</strong><strong><br /><strong>- </strong></strong>there are many ways of fasting, decide what works for you (the more strenuous your fast, the less you must do daily; your work and circumstances will determine your type of fast)<br />- if you are on medication, check with your doctor — get informed advice<br />- be practical, don’t overdo or underdo things — ask God, He will lead and <em>stretch you</em><br />- like Daniel, you can fast all meats and wine, and just eat vegetables and fruit</p>
<p>- you can fast all ‘nice foods’, special treats, caffeine, fizzy drinks, puddings, etc<br />- for those not working, you could take just liquids (and soups when you need strength)<br />- or you could fast certain meals, like miss every lunch and use the time to pray<br />- you could do one week one way, another week another way, a few days this way… etc <br />- the idea is to make time for prayer — make prayer and Bible reading a special focus <br />- use every weakness, stomach groan, feeling of hunger and dizziness, to cry out to God <br />- help the body emit toxins the first 3 to 4 days (you’ll feel weak, slight headaches, light headedness, bad breath, irritated, etc) — go off caffeine, drink lots of water and eat fruit</p>
<p>- pace yourself, go slower, rest and read, meditate and journal, don’t exercise too much<br />- fasting is spiritual warfare — be aware of mood swings, bodily reactions, relational tension<br />- get help if you have a bad reaction or a serious “downer”, but try to press through<br />- stay close to trusted friends, feedback in your home group, be accountable and minister to one another when discouragement and other things happen<br />- be sensitive to what happens around you, to what God is saying via your dreams, prayers, feelings, etc, and share what God may be saying in your home group (and to the leaders) <br />- <em>break your fast carefully/slowly over days </em>— it depends on how severe you fasted</p>
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<p>Should you have any queries, please contact:</p>
<p>Sandra Greville</p>
<p><a href="http://mymail.gam.co.za/callto:011%20941%202055">011 941 2055</a><a href="mailto:info@mondeorcommunity.co.za" target="_blank">info@mondeorcommunity.co.za</a> </p>
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