Revival

Over the last decade or two the word “revival” has been a buzzword in many churches and Christian communities. It is often discussed and preached on and even heard in prayer meetings where the people of God are seeking God for revival. There are many different meanings, however, conveyed by these various speakers of the word. The term has often referred to a concept that neither the Bible nor church history would recognize. When God “rends the heavens and comes down” transformation takes place in the hearts of those involved, which corporately brings about social change in a church, on a campus, in a workplace and even potentially across a town or city. The Spirit unleashes reformation to bring about a lasting and definite shift. This is what we hunger for. Revival was never meant to be for a day, a week, or simply a series of evangelistic meetings. Revival is a superhuman reality when God steps into our situations and begins to shake things up and reveal Himself in extraordinary ways that all become aware of. Revival is not God touching one individual, but when hundreds and even thousands are overcome by the awe-inspiring reality that they are in the very presence of the greatness and holiness of the God of all creation.

Campus Awakenings

A great motivator for these 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting is the fact that God has visited college campuses with this type of power and love time and time again throughout church history. In actuality, it appears that campuses have been a premier place where he has moved in this powerful way. Obviously, he has moved in churches and even in marketplace arenas, but campus awakenings are so common historically as to render our careful consideration and to motivate us to seek Him for such outpourings in our day and on our campuses.

The Emerging Generation

God loves the emerging generation! He always has and He always will. There is something in the heart of God that is tremendously moved by young adults who consecrate their entire being unto Him and seek to grow consistently in the knowledge and wisdom found in Jesus Christ. Those who forsake the ways of this world, pursue deep devotion, and embrace His commandments with fervency become marked by His steady eye. Though we all fail time and time again in faithfulness and steadfastness, these have a heart intention each time to fully recommit themselves, showing the bent of their heart towards Him, which gives Him exceedingly great pleasure. This, among many other factors, opens our eyes to God’s propensity to move again and again and awaken the student generation.

A Divine Connection

Another clear-cut historical fact is the divine connection between campus awakenings and forthcoming intensified interest in the global purposes of God. They are so linked as to force us to carefully examine the authenticity of an awakening that does not produce in the hearts of multitudes an increased missionary (or what is being called ‘Message Bearer’) passion and zeal. The theme of the individual believers responsibility to take the gospel in its power to the most unreached nations is prevalent among true spiritual awakenings. This again gives us added prayer fuel for these 21 Days. God is doing something extraordinary in the earth today. He is swiftly moving with greater power then we’ve seen in a long time. With His intense love for all humanity on this planet and His desire that not one of them perish without having the chance to hear and respond to the sacrifice and love of His beloved Son, He is relentless in His purposes.

100,000 Message Bearers

We believe He is in the process of raising up 100,000 new message bearers to go the hardest regions of the earth upon graduation as His hands and feet. Many of these 100,000 are being spiritually prepared now on campuses all over the world. Their lives in Christ are being cultivated and stretched as to produce perseverance and character. Their spirits are being strengthened and expanded by the Holy Spirit Himself. The Spirit of God is longing and waiting to move on countless campuses with awakening that will have such profound impact as to bring about in students a tremendous shift from whatever career path they were pursuing to one that centers in going and incarnating the gospel amidst a resistant and potentially hostile people group. This is clearly on the agenda of the Holy Spirit in these days and in this generation. It is our great and awesome privilege to align ourselves with such a plan and purpose and to join together across denominations, campus ministry organizations, campus affiliations, etc in becoming God’s instruments in intercession to see such an awakening break forth on our campuses and in our fellowships.

Overcoming Obstacles

We have so many obstacles today to such awakenings. The enemy is working on overdrive to distract and counterfeit biblical truth in its purity and bring about such spiritual slumber and compromise in young believers hearts that standing and contending for such an awakening is next to impossible. He has dampened and diminished the expectation and anticipation of believers to such a degree that to find pockets of the faithful who are hungry and thirsty for true spiritual revival and all that it could entail is increasingly difficult. The enemy knows full well the effect young believers will have as they are awakened to all God is and wants to do in them and through them.

*The term Message Bearer is an alternative, more relevant term for missionary among the emerging generation.. He/she is a person who commits themselves to abandoned devotion to Jesus, personal involvement in the global proclamation of the gospel, and spreading the vision of the student mission movement among their peers while still in college.

A Spiritual Overhaul

Read this prophetic word given by William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army, about

100 years ago, as he looked forward to our current generation. “Six things will dominate young people at the turn of the century: Religion without the Holy Spirit, forgiveness without repentance, conversion without the new birth, Christianity without Christ, politics without God, heaven without hell.” An elementary measure of discernment

confirms these realities becoming more and more bright at every turn in today’s emerging generation. Here we find more fuel for this season of prayer and fasting. God wants to set students free from the wrong ways of thinking about themselves and their true identity, about what it means to follow Christ, and about what pleases His heart. We need a massive renewing of our minds and realigning with truth in the church today. The only answer to see this type of freedom take place is the outpouring of the power of the Holy Spirit which is excited and energized through the prayer and intercession of God’s people. This is what we are pursuing on campuses globally. It is time for a spirituality among the emerging generation which aligns with Scripture and not with man-made traditions, which encounters the risen Christ in the fullness of who He is, which flees from the stench of compromise and slumber, which does not coddle the relativism, tolerance and political correctness of the culture, which is marked with perseverance and steadfastness, and which models the meekness and humility of Christ to the world.  This is, in essence, what these 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting are about. You are challenged to not sit on the sidelines, but jump into the very core of the heart of God. Let this season of prayer and fasting be a hinge point in your life and the life of your campus or fellowship.