Prayer

In Luke 10:2, our Lord Jesus instructs His followers to be praying for God to send out people in His name to share the Gospel. As disciples of Jesus, we fall under this instruction to pray.  

Because people need Jesus, we are to pray for the Holy Spirit to be moving in the hearts of those who are lost that they might be saved (see 1 Timothy 2:1-4), and we are to pray that God would send out people who are willing to share about Jesus to those in whom the Holy Spirit is working.  

As we begin the 10:2 Focus, our first step is to pray and fast. Here is what we are praying for: 

• People in our lives and neighborhoods that need Jesus: pray for them by name that God would do the work of saving them.
• Pray that God would send us to them with willingness to share the Good News of Jesus. 
• Pray for opportunities to have Gospel conversations in our neighborhoods. 
• In alignment with Gift for Christ, pray for our missionary partners in Bowling Green, the USA, and around the world who have been willingly sent from Living Hope to proclaim the Gospel as we hold the rope! 

Fasting

“I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven.” Nehemiah 1:4 

As Nehemiah modeled, we are taking the first week of our 10:2 Focus to commit to prayer and fasting. Christian fasting is the choice to go without food (though not water) or some other life-defining activity for a specific period of time to point us to God. It is to grow our hunger and dependence on God, cultivating our love for Him and those He loves.  

Our prayer and fasting is to reflect the intense and urgent desire for God to move in a unique way to save lost people and build His Church. This is where we begin our 10:2 Focus.  

If you are unsure how to fast, where to begin, or how to do this as a family, check out the fasting resource below. Want to take the time to learn more about fasting? There is also a link to John Piper’s A Hunger for God, where he dives into fasting as a regular spiritual discipline of the Christian life. 

During 10:2, we have been intentionally praying for people who need Jesus. Now, we are taking the initiative to share the hope that we have in Christ with these people. Continue to pray for them and seek out opportunities to pray with them and have Gospel conversations.  

We want to encourage you to share Jesus right in your neighborhood. God has placed you where you live for a purpose and has sent you to your neighbors with the message of the Gospel.  

Let’s be a family of disciples making disciples by impacting our homes, our neighbors, and every generation with the hope of Jesus. During our 15 Days in the Harvest, let us be willing to seek out every opportunity to share Jesus with others.  

For more information on sharing with your neighbors, check out our new resource page on neighboring below!