Home Youth Leaders Articles for Youth Leaders The Next Great Awakening: 3 Signs That Revival Has (Already) Begun

The Next Great Awakening: 3 Signs That Revival Has (Already) Begun

Here’s the passage and the 3 points I preached:

After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly. All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. With great power, the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all.”  Acts 4:31-33

3 Signs of The Next Great Awakening

1.  We are prioritizing prayer.

Just as the early church prioritized prayer, more believers are prioritizing prayer like never before. Prayer movements are sweeping America and the planet. There’s the National Day of Prayer, 24/7 houses of prayer and student-led prayer movements like See You at the Pole.

In addition, we have vibrant ministries like IHOP (prayer, not pancakes), Moms in Prayer and many more that are praying for and pushing for revival!

Do we need more prayer movements? Yes! Are we heading in the right direction? Yes! As the old revival quote goes, “Satan laughs at our strategies, mocks all our labor, but trembles when we pray.”

The first sign that the next Great Awakening has begun? We’re prioritizing prayer. If you’re not prioritizing it in your life, youth group or church, it’s time to start!

2. God is mobilizing believers.

“And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.” Acts 4:31

Mobilize means to prepare for action. It includes inspiration, equipping and unleashing. This is also happening. The movement Who’s Your One is inspiring Christian to share the Gospel, starting with the one person God puts on their hearts. But inspiration is just the first step toward mobilization. Next comes equipping.

At Dare 2 Share, thousands are downloading our Life in 6 Words app to spread the Gospel. This super-interactive digital tract is a very effective outreach tool and simple to use. As we tell teenagers, “If you can swipe and read you can share the Gospel.”

Of course, many other methods exist for sharing the Gospel. But what matters, more than the method you use, is the message. After all, you don’t go into a steakhouse for the plate. The method/app/tract is merely the plate on which you serve the Gospel steak.

But mobilization is more than inspiration and equipping. It’s also unleashing believers to act. It’s creating space for storytelling in worship services. And it’s giving people opportunity and accountability.

And this brand of mobilizing is happening at unprecedented rates. Thousands of churches have adopted the Gospel Advancing values. At Dare 2 Share we constantly hear stories from youth groups that unleash teens to spread the Gospel from friend to friend and classmate to classmate. Mobilization is also happening through events and trainings, such as Dare 2 Share Live.

We’re also witnessing the rapid expansion of the Gospel in countries that are typically closed to it. We’re planting churches, and people are dying for their faith like never before. And the blood of martyrs makes fertile ground for unprecedented Gospel expansion and the next Great Awakening.

3.  We’re maximizing unity. 

What was the result of the early believers praying and proclaiming? The answer is in Acts 4:32-33. “No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all.”

Just as the early Christians shared resources, more churches, ministries and denominations are sharing ideas, strategies and resources. This is essential to the next Great Awakening.