Wondering about the next Great Awakening and when it will occur? Read on for insights about renewal and signs of revival. Hint: It’s already underway!
I’ve always been a student of revival. Since I was a teenager, I have studied revivals and spiritual awakenings with a voracious appetite. I’ve scoured books and listened to sermons, looking for keys to revival. And I long to be part of God’s next great move on earth.
Books like George Whitfield…Life and Times of the Great Evangelist of the 18th Century Revival (Volumes 1 & 2), Lectures to my Students by Charles Spurgeon, Movements that Change the World by Steve Addison, Hudson Taylor’s Spiritual Secret by J. Hudson Taylor, The Life of Dwight L. Moody by William R. Moody and so many more… Those have been on my reading and re-reading list for decades.
But as much as I love these, I’m tired of just reading. I want to be part of the next Great Awakening.
An Important Realization
When I spoke at Go2020 USA, I gave the closing challenge to ministry leaders. Go2020 is a global Gospel-advancing movement. That’s something everyone at Dare 2 Share, the ministry I lead, is excited about. Our vision is “every teen everywhere hearing the Gospel from a friend!”
Speaking was a great privilege. By the time I boarded the plane, my sermon was complete. I was going to preach on the five characteristics of a movement, based on Steve Addison’s book.
But on the plane, God’s Spirit convicted me that this wasn’t the sermon I should preach. After praying, He guided me to a new sermon: “3 Ways to Kickstart a Movement” (based on Acts 4:31-33).
I was ready to preach…or so I thought. After a day full of meetings and just moments before walking onstage, I realized something. My three points are already in full play, not just nationally but globally. The next Great Awakening is already here!
There was no kickstarting a movement; it had already begun. So I changed my sermon to “3 Signs a Spiritual Awakening Has Begun.” Acts is a great example of spiritual awakening. This passage contains all the elements that reflect a true, sweeping spiritual move of God.
