‘We saw whole youth groups give their lives to God!'

When you see reports of a quiet revival in the UK, or an outpouring of God’s Spirit at Asbury University in the USA, it can certainly make you wonder: What on earth is going on?

When we emerged from the Covid-19 pandemic, a little battered and bruised, it was hard to imagine we’d be just a few years away from talking about revival…among young people…in Europe. Those words were absolutely not being put into the same sentences, never mind being reported in mainstream media.

So, what are we to make of it all? No matter where we sit on the scale of revivalist to cynic, absolute celebration or on the fence, it’s becoming almost impossible to ignore that God is truly on the move in our day.

Change in the atmosphere

We’ve seen an atmosphere shift inside the Church; people are hungrier than ever. We’ve also seen an appetite change outside the Church; people are searching for something real, authentic and supernatural. They’re hungry for truth. And we know that his name is Jesus.

So, the Church must be ready to preach the gospel like never before. The harvest is ready! That’s why I was delighted to join the Pursuit of Worship nights recently, a series of events put on by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) ahead of Franklin Graham’s upcoming God Loves You Tour at ExCeL London on 21 June.

This is the most profound response to the presence of God I have ever witnessed

The events took place on twelve dates across England and Wales, gathering mainly young people to hear the message of the gospel. I could only make six of the nights, but every one was uniquely special. God moved in profound ways. There was freedom in worship, prophecy being released, young people captivated by the gospel message when previously they could barely sit still, and even entire youth groups giving their lives to Jesus!

But among the uniqueness of each night, there was one common thread: a mass response to the gospel message. Each time an invitation was given, large numbers of young people said yes to following Jesus. Groups ranged from those familiar with church to others who had previously never been - and everything in between.

It was truly mind-blowing and, to be totally honest, quite perplexing. I have been in youth work for many years, and in times past, it was rare to see responses quite like these - never mind six nights in a row in six different cities!

Hear what God is doing

It’s not all about numbers, although there is a whole book of the Bible dedicated to them. As my friend Anthony Delaney says: “we count people because people count.” So, when just under 2,200 people gather across twelve nights in England and Wales to hear the gospel message, I think we can celebrate just a little bit. The angels do every time one person chooses to follow Jesus.

Here are three testimonies from youth leaders, in their own words, from some of the nights:

“In Colchester, we witnessed all our youth commit their lives to the Lord and step forward to be ‘all in for Jesus’! We also had with us two teenage girls that had never been to church before. They both gave their lives to Jesus and were filled with the Holy Spirit.”

“We took our youth group of 14 young people and booked a minibus for the event. Seven of our young people gave their lives to Jesus! How amazing is that!?”

“150 young people gathered in Newent, Gloucester. Our expectation was for 30! I have been a born-again believer for 31 years and this is the most profound and powerful response to the presence of God I have ever witnessed. Quite possibly - and even probably - each and every young person accepted the invitation to follow the king.”

It seems this is becoming a new normal. It’s not just Gen Zeal and the BGEA seeing this, many ministries are reporting this kind of thing. It’s breaking out across the nation, and I’ve seen it in other European countries too.

So how can we respond? Keep praying. Strengthen our faith to continue believing for this kind of thing. And move forward in preaching the gospel with greater boldness. God is with us!