The morning text is found in the book of acts.

Acts chapter 13, verse 1 through 4.

If you don't have a Bible with you, there's one in a pure pocket in front of you and is on page 1,312.

At 13, 1 through 4.

Now, they were at Antioch in a church that was there, prophets and teachers.

Bonnevas and Simeon, who was called Niger, and Lucius of Syrian,

Amonian who had been brought up with Herod, the Tetrack, and Saul.

And while they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said,

Said apart for me, Bannebus and Saul, for the work which I have called them.

Then, when they had fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them, they

sent them away. So being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia and from there they sailed to Cyprus.

I'm beginning a series of messages on the biblical practice of fasting this morning.

I expect that it will go all the way through January, if not farther, though I don't have it all planned out. I've got two weeks planned out and am thinking

farther. It's not new for us at Bethlehem. We've taught on fasting before. We have called the church to fasting during prayer week before. But you know three weeks ago was it when we took the one card survey on Sunday morning, the one where you just checked off three or four things.

The most stunning result of that survey was that 40% of the people here that morning had been at Bethlehem less than three years.

Which means that when I stand up here on a typical Sunday morning, I cannot assume 15 years of history with anybody, I mean many,

and all my teaching on all the things I can remember so clearly from five, six, eight,

ten years ago that we ought to know. There's no reason to think that we ought to know because we're not the we we were then.

Which has, I'm really thinking what does this mean now for my preaching and planning

and choosing and all that.

Well, fasting, it means that there's a little reason for me to think right now

that all of you are seasoned practices of fasting or that you have been well taught on biblical fasting and so I doubt that this is superfluous or redundant in your life. My desire and I issue now a pastoral call to you to join me in

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