One of the main purposes of fasting (which is to abstain from food, drink or other temporal things) is to take your mind and heart off from the things of this present world and to focus them solely on the Lord and spiritual things. The main purpose in “breaking bread” or “taking communion” is to focus on the Lord Jesus Christ and what He accomplished for us on the cross of Calvary. We see this clearly in Luke 22:19-20, “And He (the Lord Jesus) took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.’ Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you’” (NKJV). So, even though one is partaking of a small piece of bread and drinking a sip of wine in the breaking of bread, we can hardly think of it as “ending a fast.”  Again, “fasting” is done so the heart and mind can be occupied with the Lord and yet “breaking bread” serves that very same purpose in that when we sit down to this observe the Lord’s Supper we are leaving the distractions of this earth for a little while in order to contemplate what it cost our Savior to redeem us to God. I conclude from this that one can be engaged in a fast of some kind and at the same time sit down with fellow believers to break bread in remembrance of our Savior who “loved us and gave Himself for us.”

In Acts 2:42 we learn that the newly formed church at Jerusalem “continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, IN THE BREAKING OF BREAD, and in prayers.” The Lord’s death on the cross was very fresh in their minds and they continually “broke bread” in response to the Lord’s request, “This do in remembrance of Me.” Initially they broke bread DAILY, as we see in verse 46, “So continuing DAILY with one accord in the temple, and BREAKING BREAD FROM HOUSE TO HOUSE.”  In time it became their practice to break bread once a week. Acts 20:7 tells us, “Now on THE FIRST DAY OF THE WEEK, WHEN THE DISCIPLES CAME TOGETHER TO BREAK BREAD…” We know that the saints also fasted at times, for in Acts 13:2-3 we read, “As they ministered to the Lord and FASTED, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’ Then, HAVING FASTED and prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them away.” In the very next chapter, we have another example of fasting, “So when they had appointed elders in every church, and PRAYED WITH FASTING, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed” (14:23). These two acts; BREAKING BREAD and FASTING, can be practiced simultaneously, for as we have seen they both are done to take our minds and hearts off from the world and to fix them on our blessed Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  (355.3)  (DO)