40 Days In Christ - Week 1: UNION
Adrian Thornton

Everybody and everything is created for union in Christ, and it’s in Christ that we discover all that we need for life. We discover purpose, meaning, belonging, healing, and the power of God in the Holy Spirit. It’s all in Christ!

Not only is everything in Christ now, but everything is going to be brought into unity with Christ at the end of this age.

Over the next six weeks (and forty days), I want to invite you into a deeper union with Jesus. That means seeking Him in prayer, becoming more attentive, reading the Word, fasting, and gathering together as His body (the church).

As I’ve been reading, I’ve been amazed at how often this phrase — in Christ, in Him, in Jesus — shows up across the New Testament. It’s everywhere! Over the next forty days, you will notice it more and more.

It really is only in Him that we find true life. We have all spent time looking elsewhere — careers, relationships, possessions, status — but none of those things satisfy for long. It’s only in Christ that we’re made whole.

So the question for us is simple: are we living in Christ? Are we abiding in Him? Are we walking with Him and listening to His voice? As we have just read, He is the centre of everything, not us!

As a church, we’re setting aside the next 40 days, beginning this Wednesday, to seek God together. We’re calling it 40 Days In Christ. It’s a time to reorient our lives around Jesus.

We’ll be praying together, including an 8am group prayer call on WhatsApp. We’ll read Scripture daily, focusing on passages that remind us who we are in Christ. And we’ll fast together, denying the flesh so that we can draw closer to God.

A note on the spiritual practice of fasting: Fasting isn’t just about giving something up; it is specifically about giving up food for a period of time to allow ourselves to become more connected to Christ.

There is a certain mystery to fasting, but it is a powerful way to seek a greater intimacy with the Lord, seek Him for a breakthrough, and shed off our old self and become more like Christ.

Fasting was once a common and expected practice among Christians centuries ago. They used to fast from breakfast to sundown on Wednesdays and Fridays. It’s just what they did. It’s sad that we have lost this powerful spiritual practice.

There are times when you just have to seek God through prayer and fasting. It’s not easy, but some things “can only come out by prayer *[and fasting]” (Mark 9:29). *Some manuscripts include and fasting.

These coming forty days are about deepening our union in Christ — not just knowing about Him, but living in Him. Because when He fills us, we discover we have everything we need.

It’s all, truly, in Christ.

[1] Write down your prayer requests
- Personal needs
- Friends and family who are yet to discover Christ

[2] Join us in a daily 8am prayer call on WhatsApp

[3] Attempt a fast. This could involve giving up one meal a week or one meal each day, fasting for one day a week, or undertaking an extended fast at various times during the forty days. There is no pressure or expectation on anybody. This is simply an invitation to respond as you feel led by the Spirit.

At the end of the forty days, I will be asking us to reflect on what God has done. My hope is that all we are seeking from God is found in Christ.