****Note: Due to life circumstances, I have taken a couple weeks away from the site. I hope to back publish the articles for chapters 15 and 16. I hope you are all still working through scripture. God Bless, JP****
I know it sounds archaic and mystical, but there’s a reason…The Brethren of the Feast was created to help inspire and motivate men to follow Jesus.
When I was young I read stories about bravery and heroism. When I became a follower of Jesus I realized all of those stories were relevant again. I searched for heroic mature Christian men to deepen my faith. I soon realized that they were few and far between. I started seeing issues in the church and in the family structure as a result of this absence. Where are the Christian men? That is why I created Brethren of the Feast.
The name takes explanation, however the name is the explanation. Brethren is a great ancient word that very simply means brothers with a purpose. And that purpose is the feast. The Feast is the spiritual nourishment provided by becoming a follower of Jesus.
Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. John 6:35
We Feast in 3 simple ways:
READ SCRIPTURE – The WOW or Word of the Week is a chapter from a book of the Bible that is shown under the header “WOW SCHEDULE” in the sidebar. We choose a chapter to prayerfully read and reread for seven days. This allows scripture to permeate every facet of our being as we find our spiritual nourishment from this feast.
This way of reading scripture is actually displayed in our Bibles. The Hebrew word הָגָה ‘HAGAH’ is translated “meditate” in Joshua 1:8 and Psalm 1:2. This Hebrew word describes the growls and utterances a lion expresses as he enjoys and is satisfied by his feast.
But whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. Psalm 1:2
PRAYER – The apostles devoted themselves to prayer, as do we. Praying daily as we read scripture sets our minds on God. Prayer gives us an opportunity to intercede for our various types of communities. Also, prayer is a way God changes us to be more like his Son. Praying through the reading is also a great way to think through the scripture and ask for God’s help as you discern the scripture’s impact on your life.
3 Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them 4 and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.” Acts 6:3-4
COMMUNITY – We are committed to meeting with a small group (2-5 fellow Brothers) once a week. These meetings are an opportunity to give differing perspectives on the Word of the Week (WOW), pray and remind us of our purpose. We’ve started our group by meeting at a local fast food restaurant on Thursday mornings at 6 am for 20-30 minutes.
We also want the movement to move, invite others to your group. When you get too big, divide and invite more men. A network of men undivided and under to the call of Christ will impact your families and churches and workplaces.
Lastly, while we appreciate the value of accountability, we seek to put the focus not on the ailment, but on the antidote. Focus on Jesus, not on sin. His Spirit will conform us into his image from the inside out.
Do you want to be brave? I was told so many stories as a child about heroes. I just realized that those stories are never realized the way in which we expect. Rather they are realized on our knees in the morning, on our lunch breaks or late at night as we seek the face of a loving God. They are realized when we give up our desire to control others and submit to God. They are realized when we pick up our crosses and take spiritual responsibility for our houses, our churches and our community. They are realized when we follow Jesus!
God Bless,
JP
Brethren of the Feast 