Matthew 9:15 And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.”
Vision: Uniting the Body of Christ in a set-apart season to “Stop Cities” forming a “global upper-room” of worship, prayer, repentance, and fasting rooted in the fall Biblical feasts.
Purpose:
- Declaring the Worth of Jesus Christ, in the Power of the Holy Spirit, to the Glory of God the Father through an extravagant, united, sustained season of prayer
- Spiritual Renewal and Transformation of individuals and regions through Humility, Worship, seeking God’s Face, and Repentance.
- Intercessory Prayer for the fulfillment of Scriptural promises
- “Mourning” for the return of the Bridegroom (Matthew 9:15)
When we set-apart time to draw near to God, He invariably draws near to us. The 10 Days is designed to usher many believers within a given geographical area into a season of encounter with God and with one another. The result is an acceleration of God’s activity as many people and groups have transforming encounters with God. Each year we invite people to take 10 Days off from normal life to seek God’s face. Those who have said “yes” to this call often experience times of dramatic transformation in God’s presence.
Worship and Prayer are the heart of the 10 days. Believers are invited to set themselves apart for corporate worship and prayer, taking time off from “normal life”. We recommend either hosting 3 daily meetings (morning, afternoon, evening) or using a 24/7 prayer model. Evening Gatherings are often the focal point for a given day.
Fasting: Participating ministries will extend an invitation to 10 days of fasting. We recommend that believers consider a Daniel Fast (vegan fast) or a liquid fast for the 10 Days in addition to abstaining from various kinds of media.
Many Cities: The vision for this time is for many cities/regions to come together at the same time each year. In 2019, 70 cities on three continents participated in 10 Days.
Fall Feasts: 10 Days occurs during the 10 “Days of Awe” on the Biblical calendar, beginning with the Day of Trumpets and ending with the Day of Atonement. The fall feasts foreshadow the return of Christ.
Start and Finish: The 10 Day fast begins the evening of September 18th and ends the evening of Sept 28. Potentially, there can be 11 different evening gatherings.
There’s much more to the 10 Days vision and many resources that can help you organize 10 Days in your city. You can find further resources on the vision and purpose of 10 Days at 10days.net or email us at 10daysinfo@gmail.com.
How to Host an Evening Gathering during 10 Days
10 Days
While 10 Days is about an extended season of consecration for the people of God, often the evening meeting is the high point of each day, an “all hands on deck” moment in the midst of sustained worship and prayer. Here are some ideas on how to host an evening gathering.
Worship, Prayer, and Communion: We encourage three elements at every evening gathering: worship, prayer, and communion. If your group practices “closed communion,” this element can be left out.
Hosting Together with Different Leaders: This is a gathering for the Body of Christ hosted by the Body of Christ so make sure that many different leaders are utilized! It’s ideal if evening gatherings can be co-hosted by several (3 or more) different congregations or ministries.
Share about the Vision each night: It’s good to have the planning team or a local pastor share about the vision of 10 Days to help newcomers catch up on what has been happening and connect to the global movement.
Optional Elements: The Evening Gatherings may include personal prayer ministry, exhortation, preaching, evangelism, Scripture reading, baptisms, foot washing or other symbolic actions, and many other forms of worship!
Be free and sensitive to the leading of the Lord—just keep the focus on Jesus and keep loving each other!
Training: We recommend one or more gatherings prior to 10 Days with those who will be playing a leadership role to plan and get on the same page regarding vision and implementation.
Tone: Through concerted fasting and prayer together we are expressing a deep longing for God to draw near, for love, purity, and power in the Church, as well as intentionally “longing for and hastening the day” of Christ’s return (2 Pet. 3:12). 10 Days is a time of repentance, mourning, seeking God’s face, humbling ourselves, and longing for Christ’s return.
Style: We encourage every hosting group to “be themselves”. As a global body, we all have different ways of worshipping. Each part of the body of Christ is unique and has something to bring to the whole. In planning, think about what you can to help those who may not be familiar with your style or manner of worship to engage.