8. Fast 10 Times September. 10. Perform 10 Random Acts of Kindness November

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1 John 10:10 I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. God has always had a plan for us. Scripture tells us that He knew us in our mother s womb. In John 10:10 the Lord tells us that He sent His Son with a plan for us. It says, I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. Can you imagine? God the Almighty s plan was for us to have life to the full. To the FULL! Think about that for a minute. What does that mean? He created us to worship Him, to be in community with Him, to love Him. In the coming year we are going to look at 10 different ways to make our lives full of Him. 10x10 will not only lead us to Make Disciples River to River, but to have life to the full, the way God intended it to be. We are asking churches in the conference to come together to accomplish 10 growth opportunities by the end of the year. 1. Pray 10 Minutes Every Day February 2. Read 10 Books or 10 Minutes Every Day March 3. Connect 10 Times in Conversation April 4. Share 10 Meals May 5. Tell Your Faith Story 10 Times June 6. Invite 10 People July 7. Engage in 10 Forms of Mission/Outreach August 8. Fast 10 Times September 9. Increase Giving 10% October 10. Perform 10 Random Acts of Kindness November Some of these things might cause some of us to feel uneasy. They might cause us to go outside of our comfort zones. They might cause us to change our daily routine. They might change the amount of time we spend at church or in our community. My prayer is that it causes us to change our lives. My prayer is that we would have a life so full, so full of the love of Jesus, that it transforms us. When we are transformed by Him, it gives the world a living testimony of the grace and power of our Savior.

2 Pray 10 Minutes Every Day One way you can experience fullness in your relationship with God is through prayer. Give ear to my words, O LORD, consider my sighing. Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, for you I pray. In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation. Psalms 5:1-3 Prayer patterns: A.C.T.S. A - Adoration: Deep love and respect C - Confession: An admission of one's sins with repentance and desire of absolution T - Thanksgiving: An expression of gratitude S - Supplication: Asking for something earnestly & humbly P.U.S.H. Pray Until Something Happens The Apostle Paul spoke to believers in the following passage giving instructions on how they should live out their daily lives: 1Thessalonians 5:16-18: Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks: For this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

3 Read 10 Books of the Bible or 10 Minutes a Day As we journey together over the year, seek the treasure God has given you in His word as we read the following books of the Bible: February: Psalms 150 Chapters (about 5 per day) March: Genesis 50 Chapters April: Esther 10 Chapters May: Acts 28 Chapters June: Matthew 28 Chapters July: Galatians 6 Chapters August: Ephesians 6 Chapters September: John 21 Chapters October: Luke 24 Chapters November James 5 Chapters Prayer: Gracious God thank You for Your word. Please give me a thirst for Your word that I will grow to know You more. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

4 Connect 10 Times in Conversation God has called us to be in relationship with Him and each other. The Bible has a lot to say about being in conversation with other Christ-followers. By participating in intentional conversation we hold ourselves accountable to our thoughts, actions, and words. This is an important part of a full life in Christ. James 5:16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. Galations 6:2 Bear one another s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. How can you participate? Small group Bible study Sunday School class Support group Accountability group Affinity group

5 Share 10 Meals Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Romans 12:12-13 One way to practice hospitality is through sharing a meal. In the book Contagious Christian, Bill Hybels explains that before you can lead someone to Christ, you have to barbeque first. In other words, you have to get to know them personally before you can share the life-saving message of Jesus Christ. Here are a few suggestions to start your guest list: 1. Invite any family members that are non-believers 2. Invite your hairdresser or barber 3. Invite your child s teacher 4. Invite your mail carrier 5. Invite your neighbors 6. Invite the clerk at your local grocery/retail store 7. Invite your child s friends parents 8. Invite any friends who are non-believers 9. Invite a co-worker 10. Invite your bank teller or real estate agent During the meal, you can take the opportunity to share Christ through a simple prayer. Taking time out of our busy schedules to share our lives with others is one of the most nonthreatening ways for them to see the light of Christ reflected in you.

6 Tell Your Faith Story 10 Times Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give a reason for the hope that you have. 1Peter 3:15 To witness to others is to tell your own story. To tell your story you must know your story. This outline will help you put your story in a form that is relatable while helping people see the gift of God s grace. 1. Pray that God will give you insight on what to share. 2. Prepare. God will honor the time it takes you to prepare the way you share Jesus with others. 3. Keep your story short and to the point. Many refer to it as an elevator speech. You should be able to share it in the time it would take you would ride up a tall elevator, 2-3 minutes. My life before Jesus How I realized I needed Jesus How I received Jesus How Jesus makes my life full and meaningful now The first three points are the history. They tell a person how you got to where you are today. The fourth point lets people see the power of God in your current daily life. Now what? Who needs to know your story? Everyone What do I tell? Tell your story and give glory to God! Where do I share? Wherever you might be. God will lead you to share His love and sacrifice with the world. When do I share? The moment you feel the presence of the Holy Spirit prompting you to share how Christ s love has been transformational for you. Why? So that you can be a part of Making Disciples River to River in His name.

7 Invite 10 People I was a stranger and you invited me in. Matthew 25:35 Ways to invite: 1. Send an e-vite from the church website 2. Invite a friend to a special event, speaker, or concert 3. Invite a friend to a special worship service 4. Invite a child to a mid-week program, Sunday school class, or VBS 5. Invite their parents to a meal at church or for a cup of coffee 6. Invite a family to a family-related event at church 7. Invite a friend to Sunday morning worship followed by lunch 8. Join a small group and invite a friend to join you 9. Invite a friend to a youth group activity or event 10. Invite a friend to one of the activities printed in the bulletin. Example: scrapbooking, craft club, mission trip, senior adult trip, men s breakfast etc. Tips for inviting: Offer to give your friend a ride Give them an official invitation card or flyer with details related to the event Set up a time and place to meet them so that they know where to go when they arrive Make sure all guests are warmly greeted Be sure to introduce them to at least two friends Plan to share a meal before or after the event The primary reason the church exists is to share the Gospel. We are called to make the invitation. God s promise is that He will show up.

8 Engage in 10 Forms of Mission/Outreach But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the Earth. Acts 1:8 Please use some of the four corners examples as you travel on your mission journey. Jerusalem: Our Church, Our City, Our County Volunteer at a soup kitchen/food pantry Donate items to a clothing locker Drive someone to a doctor appointment Volunteer at a nursing home Judea: Illinois Volunteer at Chaddock, Cunningham Children s Home, Babyfold, Wesley Village, etc. Participate in prison ministry Become a Hospice volunteer Work at the Midwest Mission Distribution Center Samaria: The United States Go on a mission trip outside of the state of Illinois Engage in a summer family work camp opportunity Get Early Response Team Training for disaster response Ends of the Earth: Attend an international mission trip (Contact Bunny Wolfe at bwolfe@igrc.org) Commit, connect & communicate with a missionary Participate in Making Dreams Possible endowment scholarships for Africa University Adopt/support a child through Compassion International

9 Fast 10 Times I humbled myself with fasting. Psalm 35:13 10 Powers of Fasting: 1. Fasting is a biblical way to truly humble yourself in the sight of God so the Holy Spirit will stir our souls, awaken our churches, and heal our land. 2. The Lord will give you fresh, new spiritual insights. 3. Fasting will lead to a more intimate relationship with Christ. 4. Fasting was an expected discipline in both the Old and New Testaments. 5. Fasting enables the Holy Spirit to reveal your true spiritual condition, resulting in brokenness, repentance, and a transformed life. 6. Through fasting the Holy Spirit will quicken the word of God in your heart and His truth will become more meaningful. 7. Fasting can transform your prayer life into a richer and more personal experience. 8. Fasting can result in a dynamic personal revival in your own life and make you a channel of revival to others. 9. Fasting is an act of worship. 10. Jesus implied that all of His followers should fast. For Him it was a matter of when believers would fast, not if they would do it. It takes time to build your spiritual fasting muscles. If you fail to make it through your first fast, do not be discouraged. You may have tried to fast too long the first time out, or you may need to strengthen your understanding and resolve. As soon as possible, undertake another fast until you do succeed. God will honor you for your faithfulness. Copyright 2007 Campus Crusade for Christ International. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

10 Increase Giving 10% A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the Lord Leviticus 27:30 Earn all you can, save all you can, give all you can. John Wesley If we believe that God created everything, then everything we have belongs to God. Take a minute to unpack that statement. List below what everything means to you. God s extravagant generosity to us is hard to wrap our minds around. If we understand that all we possess is a gift from Him, and that He expects us to share it, do we dare not take part? What percentage of everything are you currently giving back to God? A. I give weekly/monthly B. I make weekly/monthly Go figure.divide A by B = Your % of giving How will you respond to the generosity that God has poured out in your life?

11 Perform 10 Random Acts of Kindness Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Colossians 3:12 Here are a few ideas to get you started: Write a note of appreciation to your dental hygienist Compliment a stranger sincerely Write a thank you note to someone Text a friend to let them know you are thinking/praying for them Leave something cheery or nice for your co-workers Visit a nursing home Buy a phone card and give it to a homeless shelter Shovel your neighbor s snow-covered walk Drop off a game or a toy at a hospital Donate blood Buy a cup of coffee for the person behind you in line Offer to run an errand for a homebound person Send a teacher a note of encouragement For more ideas visit daretobeanangel.com As you reach out in kindness to your neighbors & those in your community, you will be amazed at how God blesses you in return.