I was personally challenged by Dr. Michael Oh’s message on Missions As Fasting at the Desiring God 2009 Conference for Pastors.
Fasting is a response
After highlighting the value of fasting following the model of David, Daniel, Paul, and Jesus, Dr. Oh gave three very helpful ways to think about fasting.
- Fasting is the response to a longing for God. It is a longing for the glory of God. It is a longing for God to be known and loved and adored and worshipped everywhere!
- Fasting is the response to urgency. The urgency is related to our one life to live. It is a “weighty stewardship” – such that we all must be devotedly pouring ourselves into our Master’s affairs until He comes!
- Fasting is the response to global opportunity. The opportunity to reach 2.7 billion people among 6,600 unreached people groups and over 4,000 language groups that have no Scripture and no gospel witness.
Mission as fasting
This form of fasting fits well with Dr. Oh’s definition of missions as fasting. He says,
"Missions as fasting is the forsaking of things present for the global exaltation of Christ."
That is very good. He goes on to say, “What are those things present beyond food itself that the Lord calls us to forsake and fast? I think in one sense they are the very things that we cherish and hold onto most tightly. These are both among our greatest blessings and also among our greatest idols. These are not always things to be forsaken in a throwing away sense. Instead they are to be forsaken in the heart having proper place well behind our Lord and His glory and they are to be invested and burned and consumed in the efforts of seeing the Lord receive such global and eternal glory.”
Fasting for missionaries
Dr. Oh goes on to describe three typical areas that foreign missionaries must forsake for the global exaltation of Christ. First, they must forsake comfort – they must endure cultural discomfort, physical discomfort, and political discomfort. Second, they must forsake recognition – they are not recognized for their work, or their sacrifice, or their career. Third, they must forsake family – distance from parents and relatives, real persecution and sacrifice of worldly treasures by immediate family members.
Fasting for all Christians
Dr. Oh makes the very penetrating point that fasting of things present is not just for missionaries. God’s mission in this world is for all who are part of the church. It is for every Christian who has a longing for the glory of Christ to be known in all the world. Here he quotes John Piper who says,
“When it comes to missions Christians have only three choices – go, send, or disobey!”
Two trends that have distorted our going and sending are the thinking that “we’re all missionaries” and the abdication of mission language by non-missional groups. But, he says, the great commission was given to the church. Here he quotes John Stott who says,
“We must be global Christians with a global vision because our God is a global God.”
Ways senders can fast
How can senders forsake things present for the global exaltation of Christ? Dr. Oh identifies three ways.
- Pastors must get on board with the Lord, with His mission, with a passion for his glory, and with a burden for the world. In short, pastors must model a heart for global missions. The extent to which a pastor’s heart is passionate for and his life actively engaged in global mission is the extent to which that church will be globally missional.
- Churches must recognize the enormity and glory of the task, the certainty of it’s fulfillment, and the enormity of our present resources. He makes the point that U.S. evangelicals earn $2.5 trillion per year and hold upwards to $5 trillion in assets.
- Churches must become the most effective, God-honoring, earth impacting senders that history has ever known. He quotes Ralph Winters who said to a group of pastors, “Don’t go! Send 100!” That is very wise and so much more effective.
Ways churches can fast
Dr. Oh closed out his sermon with some practical ways that local churches could fast – forsake things present for the global exaltation of Christ.
- Fast food. Fasting food helps us to sharpen our spiritual senses so dulled by materialism and worldly comfort and success.
- Fast comfort. A Christian’s comfort is future. How different the world will look if every congregation were to fast the greatest earthly blessings of life for even greater future heavenly joy.
- Fast time. Invest your time and heart and prayer for the Lord’s glory around the world. Invest your time to read and learn and grow your mind and heart for the world.
- Fast the very best and brightest of your church. Yes, send 100, but don’t send us the 100 biggest headaches of your church! Send us your sons and daughters.
- Fast your agenda. I have reason enough in the gospel of Jesus Christ alone that should Christ call me, I would leave everything behind to follow him even to the ends of the earth. What is it about our understanding of Lordship that allows us to think that we can set parameters on what we will and will not do and where we will and will not go for Christ?
