Following the practice that started in the great South African revival of 1860, we are calling Christian Life Camps Bay to 10 Days of Prayer before Pentecost Sunday, and this will be from Ascension Day, 25th May to Pentecost Sunday 4th June 2017.
We are calling for special personal times of prayer to be set aside each day as we call on God for a fresh Pentecost.
Check out this blog for guidance regarding how and what to pray.
During these 10 Days we will hold the following times of corporate prayer:
- Thursday 25th May during our 9:00am Ascension Day Service.
- Sunday 28th May during our 9:00am Service
- Sunday 28th May at our 6:00pm Church Prayer Meeting
Our normal mid-week small group meetings will include a special focus on prayer.
We also call on church friends and members to consider fasting during this time of prayer.
Please Note:
If you are pregnant, on medication, have any long form of illness, or have any reason not to fast, please do not fast. Or please do not undertake any kind of food or drink fast without the agreement of your doctor. Other kinds of fast are available to you, like abstaining from luxuries, TV, Facebook and the like.
Because fasting is meant to be a "secret" thing between the believer and the Heavenly Father (Matthew 5:16-18), we are suggesting that each one of us consult the Holy Spirit and decide if and how we will personally respond to this call to fast. Believers need to be led into fasting by the Holy Spirit (Matthew 4:1-2). The New Testament assumes fasting (Matthew 6:16-18; Matthew 9:15) but never commands us to fast.
For those new to fasting it may be wise to start with a short one day fast and this could involve missing breakfast and lunch. Do drink water or liquids. You might like to choose Wednesday for your day of fasting.
'In Bible times, fasts were generally one day in length (Judges 20:26). In Old Testament times the Israelites were required to fast annually on the Day of Atonement (Lev. 16:29; 23:29). There were also other special fast days in which the entire nation of Israel humbled themselves before God (1 Sam. 7:5-6; Jer. 14:12).'
'Occasionally, fasts in Bible times were three days (Esther 4:16; Acts 9:9) or even seven days (1 Samuel 31:13). And on three occasions, fasts lasted 40 days: Moses receiving the 10 Commandments (Exodus 34:28), Elijah encountering God (1 Kings 19:8), and Jesus while being tempted in the wilderness (Matthew 4). Since these were unusual circumstances, it is normally not recommended for a person to fast longer periods of time up to a maximum of 40 days without medical supervision.' (I am quoting here but have forgotten the source.)
Fasting mostly means abstaining from food and drinking water. In exceptional circumstances, some people abstained from both food and water (Esther 4:16; Acts 9:9) but this is very dangerous and one needs to be do this sort of fast with medical advice.
Fasting for longer than a day is for those with greater experience of fasting. This would mean abstaining from food but drinking liquids. And it is advised that these longer fasts be done with medical supervision.
(More information on how to pray during the 10 days will follow soon)
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