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What is the Global Bridegroom Fast and Why You May Want to Fast
Maybe you have fasted before and the mere mention of the word brings to your mind all types of horrible thoughts and memories - let me challenge you - to try this fast and you will never be the same! My entire paradigm has shifted when it comes to fasting.
Jesus first introduces this concept to his disciples in Matthew 9:14-17 right after He has a discourse with the religious leaders about leading the sinners to repentance. They were questioning why His disciples didn't fast.
Matthew 9:15 And Jesus replied to them, Can the wedding guests mourn while the bridegroom is still with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.
He is explaining to His disciples for the first time that they will fast once He is gone.
In the next verse Jesus explains to His disciples how you can not pour new wine into an old wineskin, otherwise the wineskin will burst and be unable to carry anything.
Matthew 14:16-17 And no one puts a piece of cloth that has not been shrunk on an old garment, for such a patch tears away from the garment and a worse rent (tear) is made. Neither is new wine put in old wineskins; for if it is, the skins burst and are torn in pieces, and the wine is spilled and the skins are ruined. But new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved.
We call this the Bridegroom Fast and it is for believers to join all around the globe together to connect to The Bridegroom Jesus to receive more of Him. I don't know about you but I must have more of Him!
I am motivated to enter into this fast because I have an ache inside for more of Him, what Song of Solomon 5:8 describes as lovesick or sick with love. I am sick with Love for more of Him, my longing for Him propels me to reach for more of Him. I want to understand this Bridegroom Jesus who has such a tender heart and passionate zeal for me even in my weakness. What kind of Love is this?
If you feel a pain, an ache inside for more of Him know this...you are beginning to feel lovesick! If you want to know Him as this Bridegroom God, who is tender and loves our weakness, who is transcendent in His Beauty and has a burning affection for us...please consider joining us on this fast!
For more info on this fast, please see watch Mike Bickle teach on this topic.
Jesus told his disciples a parable about ten virgins: five who were wise and 5 who were foolish. The context of this parable is in the days of His return.
In this story, Jesus makes it clear that the wise were those who had gathered enough oil for their lamps to endure the delay of His coming. They had already been to the oil merchants and gathered a surplus of oil for their lamps and were prepared for the return of the Bridegroom though he was delayed in the late hours.
The oil in this parable is fuel for their lamps and speaks of the fuel for our hearts to maintain the flame as we are called to be burning and shining lamps in this age of growing darkness.
As we have discussed in prior postings1, God created man to dwell in fellowship with the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. However, in His infinite wisdom2, the He knew that man would quickly depart from this place of intimacy and choose to walk in unrighteousness that would forever keep humanity from full intimacy with Him. This would require that a way be made for humanity to return to this eternal relationship. In full agreement and submission, the Son would become a man and take upon Himself the sin of all mankind3, taking not only the sin of the world, but taking on the form of a man; the uncreated God becoming the created; fully experiencing all that man would experience in the physical.