Andrew Fuller's life and work are primarily known for their profound impact on the rise of the modern missionary movement. While William Carey is celebrated as the "morning star," Fuller was a central figure in providing the necessary theological foundation and practical support.

Fuller was a principal founder and the first secretary of the Baptist Missionary Society, formed on October 2, 1792, which sent William Carey to India in 1793. Fuller tirelessly served as the society's main promoter, thinker, fundraiser, and correspondent for over two decades, effectively "holding the rope" for missionaries on the field, often at great personal cost and amid significant suffering, including the loss of eight children.

His most critical contribution was his theological battle against two systems that were "deadening" to the churches and hindering missions: Hyper-Calvinism and Sandemanianism. Hyper-Calvinism denied the duty of unregenerate sinners to believe and opposed indiscriminate gospel calls, arguing it was cruel to command what they lacked the natural ability to perform. Fuller, drawing on Jonathan Edwards's distinction between natural and moral inability, argued that the inability to believe stems from a perverted will and does not remove the universal duty to believe the gospel.

Sandemanianism defined justifying faith as merely a passive, intellectual assent, stripping it of holy affections and vital activity. Fuller countered that saving faith is a holy, active fruit of regeneration, even while it justifies solely by uniting believers to Christ.

By defending the duty of all to believe and the vital, active nature of saving faith, Fuller cleared away theological barriers, providing the crucial doctrinal platform for bold gospel preaching and the launch of the greatest missionary movement in history.

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During fasting, several physical effects occur, evolving over time. The first three days are often the most difficult, marked by physical discomfort, strong hunger pains, and detoxification. As the body eliminates accumulated poisons, one may experience headaches (especially from caffeine withdrawal), a coated tongue, and bad breath. This period is part of the body's cleansing process. By the fourth day, the initial hunger pains begin to lessen, but feelings of weakness and occasional dizziness may set in. This weakness can be significant, requiring ample rest, and is considered by many to be the most challenging phase. Moving slowly can help with temporary dizziness. Around the sixth or seventh day, a shift occurs; individuals often begin to feel stronger and more alert, with hunger continuing to decrease. By the ninth or tenth day, hunger pains become only a minor issue. The body has largely eliminated toxins, leading to a feeling of well-being and a sharpened sense of concentration. This phase is often described as physically the most enjoyable, with a feeling of being able to continue indefinitely. However, after twenty-one to forty days or longer, a critical point is reached: hunger pains return, signaling the first stage of starvation. This means the body's reserves are depleted, and it's beginning to consume its own living tissue, indicating the fast must end. Beyond this specific timeline, fasting is broadly understood as a discipline that subdues the physical body and its appetites, making it a fitter instrument for spiritual purposes and preventing it from hindering the soul. It helps lessen internal conflict, aids self-control, and can contribute to a greater sense of mastery over various instinctive impulses. While challenging and potentially exhausting, it can also lead to feelings of being refreshed and reinvigorated, particularly when combined with prayer.

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Based on the sources, Christology, the study of Jesus Christ, faces certain perennial problems that reappear across different historical periods. Unlike specific issues tied to a single point in time, these are ongoing challenges concerning the fundamental methodology and nature of understanding Christ.

Three major contemporary issues are identified as these perennial problems:

First is the relationship between faith and history. This asks whether a proper understanding of Christ must stem from historical investigation and reason, or if it is primarily based on faith in the church's proclamation, the kerygma. Approaches like Christology from Above prioritize faith and the kerygma, while Christology from Below emphasizes historical inquiry into the earthly Jesus, aiming to demonstrate his supernatural character from evidence. An alternative seeks to hold faith and historical reason together, using faith as a hypothesis to interpret historical data.

Second is the relationship between studying Christ's person (his nature) and his work (his actions, particularly saving work). The methodological question is the logical order: Should we first understand his nature and then his work, or vice versa? Historically, these were linked but later separated. A modern tendency prioritizes Christ's work, seeing Christology as a function of soteriology (the study of salvation) and aiming for relevance. However, this risks tailoring the understanding of his person to perceived human needs.

Third is the literalness of the idea of incarnation, questioning if God becoming human is inherently mythological and untenable. Influences like Rudolf Bultmann's demythologization view incarnation as myth expressing existential truth rather than a literal event. Arguments include that the idea is contradictory, New Testament Christology reflects only the disciples' faith, traditional doctrine comes from later philosophy, and the incarnation is not unique to Jesus. Replies contend it's a paradox, not a contradiction, and biblical incarnation is historically grounded and unique.

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Based on the sources, God rewards fasting, not because it earns merit or serves as a business transaction, but because it signifies something crucial about the human heart and ultimately points back to His own glory.

The sources strongly reject the idea that fasting earns rewards based on personal merit. This view is seen as dishonoring God's free grace and leading to a relationship based on what we earn (wages or debt) rather than God's unmerited gift. Attempting to earn anything from God through acts like fasting is described as fatal because it nullifies grace. Furthermore, fasting itself is presented as a gift from God, something He enables us to do; you can't expect God to pay for what is already His.

Instead, God is committed to rewarding acts that signify human helplessness and hope in God. Fasting is uniquely suited for this because it is an offering of emptiness, a sacrifice of need that declares dependence on God. It says, "I am empty, but you are full; I am hungry, but you are the Bread of Heaven; I am weak, but you are strong."

God rewards these expressions of dependence and hope because they call attention to His glory. God's ultimate aim in all He does is the display and recognition of His glory. When we rely on God's strength and confess our need for Him, it highlights His all-sufficiency. Ultimately, God rewards fasting because it expresses the heart's cry that nothing on earth can satisfy our souls besides God. He rewards this cry because God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him.

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Based on the sources and our conversation, Reformed theology views the Bridegroom motif as a central, unifying theme woven throughout the entire Bible, serving as a primary artery of the Covenant of Grace. This is not merely a metaphor but the very framework for understanding redemptive history as a single, grace-driven story where God is preparing a spotless spouse for His Son.

Jesus Christ is presented as the covenant Husband who lovingly pursues, purchases, and perfects His elect Bride, the Church. He fulfills this role through His threefold office: as Prophet, announcing the terms of the covenant; as Priest, paying the bride-price or dowry through His atoning sacrifice, thus cleansing and purifying His beloved; and as King, securing the household and preserving His Bride's fidelity.

This motif profoundly shapes various theological doctrines, including Christology, Soteriology (emphasizing definite atonement as the dowry and union with Christ), and Ecclesiology (understanding the Church as the espoused Bride undergoing preparation). It also has significant practical implications for the Church's life, transforming pastoral ministry into bridal preparation, framing holiness as marital fidelity, grounding assurance in the Husband's oath, and viewing corporate mission as royal heraldry summoning guests to the wedding hall.

The narrative unfolds from Old Testament anticipation to the New Testament culmination in Christ's appearance and ultimately points towards the eschatological horizon of the Marriage of the Lamb, where the Bride, adorned with the righteous acts enabled by sovereign grace, will enjoy full communion in glory with Christ forever.

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American abortion law is described as unique and the most permissive among democratic societies, primarily because it was established by judicial fiat through the Supreme Court rather than through legislative processes, in contrast to other nations. This situation is seen as a consequence of a deeper conflict rooted in differing worldviews.

Francis Schaeffer is highlighted as a pivotal figure who significantly influenced American evangelicals, particularly in solidifying their opposition to abortion. Schaeffer argued that societal issues like abortion are not isolated problems but stems from an underlying worldview, which he identified as the "material-energy, chance view of final reality." This perspective, which lacks a basis for the unique dignity of human life rooted in the image of God, inevitably leads to the devaluation of people, making practices like abortion seem logical.

The sources contend that this acceptance of abortion erodes the moral fabric of society, impacting individuals, families, and teaching violence as a means to solve problems. Addressing this deep-seated worldview battle requires more than just human intellectual or political efforts, which are seen as insufficient against such entrenched secular mindsets.

Instead, there is a strong emphasis on radical prayer and fasting as a crucial foundation for action. Fasting is presented as an expression of humility and desperate dependence on God, acknowledging human limitations while earnestly desiring and imploring God to act for His glory and bring about worldview breakthroughs that humans cannot achieve. The biblical example of Ezra, who fasted and prayed for protection instead of relying on military might, demonstrates God's sovereignty over kings and hearts and His responsiveness to humble entreaty, offering hope for transformation. The ultimate goal is to shift the culture to a point where abortion becomes "unthinkable", reflecting a changed worldview.

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The Holy Spirit is described as the essential bond that unites believers to Christ. This union is crucial because, according to the sources, without being joined to him, all that Christ suffered and did for salvation remains useless and of no value to individuals. The Spirit's "secret energy" enables believers to come to enjoy Christ and all his benefits, making them members of his body.

The principal work of the Holy Spirit is faith. Faith is highlighted as primary because it is by faith alone that the Spirit leads people into the light of the gospel and allows them to receive Christ. This faith is not a natural human capacity but a supernatural gift from God, originating solely from the Spirit. The Spirit functions as the "inner teacher" who ensures the promise of salvation penetrates the mind, providing the illumination needed to understand spiritual realities.

Christ himself was uniquely endowed with the Holy Spirit to be the minister and steward of God's liberality, distributing the Spirit's gifts to his people.

The Holy Spirit is known by various titles that reflect his diverse work in believers. He is called the "Spirit of sanctification" for setting apart, the "spirit of adoption" for testifying to God's fatherly love, the "guarantee and seal" for assuring salvation, "life" for bringing righteousness, "water" for cleansing and making fruitful, and "fire" for burning away vicious desires and kindling love for God. He is the source of heavenly riches and the means by which believers are ruled by divine power. Ultimately, the Spirit regenerates believers, making them new creatures and consecrating them as temples holy to God.

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The sources highlight that the main danger of fasting is spiritual, not physical, and it is possible to fast in a way that is very displeasing to the Lord and spiritually destructive. Jesus warned against fasting simply to be seen by other people, stating that this outward show receives its reward from others, not from God.

Isaiah 58 exposes fasting that is merely a religious veneer or sham, a hollow ritual despite outward appearances of devotion. God asks why people fast and humble themselves when they simultaneously seek their own pleasure in other areas, oppress their workers, and engage in quarrels and fights, even resorting to violence. Such fasting is unacceptable and prevents prayers from being heard on high because it lacks the true substance God desires.

This kind of fasting is dangerous because it becomes a substitute for righteous living and a religious cloak for allowing sins like harshness towards others, contentiousness at home or work, self-indulgence in various forms, or anger to continue. It's a camouflage for deeper issues like indifference and injustice, particularly towards the poor and afflicted, rather than a direct attack against one's own sin. If fasting leaves one's daily life unchanged in sin, it is like a bent reed, ridiculed by God.

The real test of authentic fasting lies in its ethical, practical, and relational accompaniments. How you treat people on Monday is presented as the test of the authenticity of your fasting on Sunday. A specific danger mentioned when serving the poor is becoming hard, caustic, and jaundiced, needing to fast from such cynical attitudes and contemptuous speech. Ultimately, a displeasing fast is rooted in a discrepancy between outward form and inward reality, failing to demonstrate genuine hunger for God or a commitment to holiness and love for others.

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Based on the sources, the core distinction between true religious affections (gracious affections) and false or self-serving affections lies in their foundation.

Genuine spiritual affections are primarily founded on the transcendently excellent and amiable nature of divine things as they are themselves. This means true saints love God, Christ, and divine truths for their inherent beauty, glory, and supreme loveliness. This apprehension and love for God's inherent excellence first draws the heart to Him, prior to any consideration of personal interest or happiness. God is the lowest foundation for the true saint.

In contrast, affections arising from self-serving motivations are founded primarily on self-love and a conceived relation divine things bear to self, or self-interest. This type of affection stems from a focus on benefits received or depended on, or an opinion of God's favor towards oneself as the first cause. This cannot be a truly gracious and spiritual love because self-love is a natural principle.

This difference in foundation manifests in various affections:

• Love: True love is for God's inherent nature; self-love based "love" is for conceived benefits or favor.
• Gratitude: Gracious gratitude arises from a prior love for God's excellence, seeing His goodness as part of His nature; natural gratitude is a response to kindness that suits self-love, existing even without true love for the benefactor.
• Joy: A true saint's joy is primarily in the divine beauty of things as they are in themselves. A hypocrite's joy is in himself, delighting in his own privilege, happiness, or experiences.

For true saints, their affections begin with God. For hypocrites, they begin with self. True self-knowledge, seeing one's own sinfulness, purifies true affections because they are founded outside of self, while it would destroy false affections built on self-conceit and perceived merit.

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Drawing on the sources, fasting, often combined with prayer and worship, is presented as a significant spiritual discipline with the potential to impact the course of history. A key biblical example is the church in Antioch, where leaders were fasting and worshiping when the Holy Spirit directed them to set apart Barnabas and Saul for missionary work. This launchpad moment led to Paul's journeys and the spread of Christianity.

History is filled with other examples where fasting accompanied significant events, such as Jehoshaphat's deliverance from invasion, Nehemiah rebuilding Jerusalem, Esther saving her people, and the rapid growth of churches in South Korea. Figures like Jonathan Edwards, David Brainerd, and Thomas Shepard are highlighted for their emphasis on prayer and fasting as a path to spiritual vitality and revival.

Fasting is seen as a way to express deep hunger for God's will and leading, showing that God is valued more than physical needs. However, the sources offer crucial cautions: fasting is not a guaranteed formula or a mechanical key to force God's hand or unlock revival. It must be done with genuine humility and repentance, not just as an outward ritual. We are warned against naive admiration of individuals, misapplying Scripture (like 2 Chronicles 7:14), and uncritically accepting subjective impressions without discernment. Revival is ultimately viewed as an act of God's free and sovereign grace. The call is for a renewed interest in fasting, tempered with careful discernment and rooted in a true hunger for God himself.

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