PAULSGROVE BAPTIST  CHURCH

SLAYING THE DRAGONS

MATTHEW 6: GIVING, PRAYING, FASTING

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At the beginning of Jesus’ ministry Matthew records for us Jesus’ teaching for his followers about how to live life as a member of His Kingdom. It is a way of life that is very different. It follows different values. It requires actions that are often directly opposite to the way most people live. He also includes in his teaching three spiritual disciplines that are rarely linked, and one of which is rarely followed in our personal lives or in our lives together as a fellowship. The three disciplines are: Giving, Praying and Fasting.

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Why does Jesus tell us to follow these three actions? In this series will explore these topics and the very strong hold that money, control and our stomachs have over us. As Christians we want Jesus to be our Lord, yet giving him Lordship over our security, our control and our struggles with our natural urges is a challenge. It may be that we do well in one or possibly two of these areas of life but Jesus calls us to follow him in all three. Ecclesiastes 4:12 says: “A cord of three strands is not quickly broken”. We will discover that as we exercise all three disciplines God’s blessing follows.

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During this series we will spend three weeks exploring each of these disciplines and look to find ways for them to be built into our lives, individually and as a fellowship.

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If you want to read a good book on fasting try "Fasting: opening the door to a deeper more intimate relationship with God" by Jentezen Franklin.

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