To place the class in my personal focus this week:

1. Read Matthew 6:16-18 at least once a day.
2. Find moments in the day when you can think about these verses.
3. Think of specific ways that a person can call other people's attention to his or her "spirituality."
4. Think of specific ways that a person can properly reveal his or her "spirituality."

Questions:

1. What was fasting?

   Read Matthew 4:2; 9:14-17; 11:18; and Acts 13:3.

   1. Did John the baptizer fast?

   2. Did John's disciples fast?

   3. Did Jesus practice fasting during the time of his ministry?

   4. Did Jesus' disciples fast during the time of Jesus' ministry?

   5. Did fasting occur among Christians?

2. Why did the Jews fast?

3. Why did Christians fast?

4. For what purpose did the hypocrites use fasting? How could a person call attention to himself through fasting?

5. Why had the hypocrite received his reward in full for fasting?

6. If a person fasted with godly motives, what would he or she do during the time of fasting?

7. Whom does an person want to see him or her during the act of fasting? Why?

8. In the act of godly fasting, explain the relationship between the act of fasting, the person who is fasting, and God who sees the person who is fasting.

9. Spiritually, are we commanded to fast today? Is it wrong to fast today? Is it good to fast today? How could fasting be a godly act? How could it be an ungodly act?

David Chadwell

Building a Healthy Faith Study Guide (lesson 4)
Sunday morning young adult Bible class, Summer Quarter 1999
West-Ark Church of Christ, Fort Smith, AR

Copyright © 1999
Permission is granted to freely copy and distribute with text unchanged, including author's name.

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