Is America on the Verge of Another Great Awakening?

Hello, friends, and welcome back to Nations 4 Jesus. Today I want to talk about something that has my heart racing with hope and expectation. I want to ask a question that I believe could define this generation: Is America on the verge of another Great Awakening?

There's something stirring. Something shifting. Something that feels different than anything we've seen in decades. Young people are turning to Jesus in unprecedented numbers. College campuses—long considered secular strongholds—are experiencing revival. Bible sales are surging. Worship music is dominating streaming platforms. And believers are boldly pushing back against the darkness in our culture.

Could we be witnessing the begining of the Fifth Great Awakening? To answer that question, we need to look at history—because friends, this has happened before. And remarkably, it happens with stunning regularity.

Here's what's fascinating: Throughout American history, major spiritual awakenings have occurred approximately every 50 years. The First Great Awakening in the 1730s-1740s. The Second Great Awakening from 1790-1850. The Third Great Awakening around 1900-1910. The Fourth Great Awakening—which many call the Jesus Movement—from the 1960s to mid-1970s.

And friends, here we are in 2025—exactly 50 years after the last great awakening ended. Coincidence? I don't think so. I think God moves in patterns, and I think He's moving again right now. Let me take you through each awakening, and then we'll look at the remarkable similarities to what's happening today.

The First Great Awakening swept through the American colonies in the 1730s and 1740s, led primarily by two men: Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield. Jonathan Edwards was a brilliant theologian and pastor in Northampton, Massachusetts, whose sermon "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" is still famous today. But friends, Edwards wasn't just about hellfire and brimstone—he preached with such passion about God's holiness and beauty that entire congregations would weep under conviction.

Edwards witnessed extraordinary conversions in his own church, with people crying out for salvation during services. He documented these revivals carefully, noting that the movement wasn't driven by human manipulation but by the clear work of God's Spirit. Then came George Whitefield, a young Anglican preacher from England who became the most famous person in America through his open-air preaching. Whitefield could preach to crowds of 20,000 without amplification, and his powerful messages about being "born again" reached people from all social classes.

This awakening transformed colonial America. Church membership soared. Universities like Princeton and Dartmouth were founded to train ministers. And friends, it creates a shared spiritual foundation that would later unite the colonies during the American Revolution. The awakening lasted about a decade but its effects shaped American Christianity for generations.

The Second Great Awakening began around 1790 and lasted until about 1850, characterized by powerful camp meeting revivals and the preaching of Charles Finney. Finney was a lawyer who converted to Christianity and became one of America's most effective evangelists. He pioneered the "anxious bench"—inviting seekers to come forward during services—and emphasized that revival could be promoted through human effort combined with prayer.

This awakening saw massive outdoor camp meetings on the frontier, where thousands would gather for days of preaching, singing, and prayer. The famous Cane Ridge Revival in Kentucky in 1801 drew an estimated 20,000 people—an enormous crowd for that era. But the Second Great Awakening wasn't just emotional experience—it produced fruit! It fueled the abolitionist movement to end slavery, sparked prison reform, inspired missionaries like Adoniram Judson to go overseas, and led to the founding of countless colleges and charitable organizations. Friends, when God moves, society transforms!

The Third Great Awakening occurred roughly from 1890-1910, led largely by evangelist Dwight L. Moody. Moody was a former shoe salesman with limited formal education, but God used him powerfully in urban America during the Industrial Revolution. Unlike the frontier camp meetings of earlier awakenings, Moody brought revival to America's growing cities through massive evangelistic campaigns.

Moody emphasized God's love rather than judgment, reaching working-class people who felt alienated from formal churches. He founded what is now Moody Bible Institute to train Christian workers, and his influence extended to the Sunday School movement and the YMCA. This awakening also saw the rise of the Student Volunteer Movement, which mobilized thousands of young people for foreign missions with the motto "The evangelization of the world in this generation." Friends, notice the pattern—every awakening has a missions component! When God revives His church, we become passionate about reaching the lost!

The Fourth Great Awakening—commonly called the Jesus Movement or Jesus Revolution—swept America from the late 1960s to mid-1970s. This awakening was unique because it started among young people—hippies, surfers, and counterculture youth who were disillusioned with materialism and searching for meaning. Two key figures were Billy Graham, whose crusades continued to draw massive crowds, and Chuck Smith, the pastor of Calvary Chapel in Costa Mesa, California.

Chuck Smith opened his church to hippies and young people that traditional churches had rejected. He baptized thousands in the Pacific Ocean. Calvary Chapel became the epicenter of a movement that emphasized contemporary worship music, casual church services, and Bible teaching. This awakening produced the contemporary Christian music industry, with artists like Larry Norman pioneering Jesus music. It also sparked a renewed interest in biblical prophecy and end-times teaching.

The Jesus Movement saw hundreds of thousands of young people converted, thousands entering ministry, and a complete transformation of American church culture toward more contemporary expressions. Friends, and here's what's crucial—that movement ended in the mid-1970s, right around 1975. Which brings us to 2025—exactly 50 years later.

So what's happening today that makes me believe we might be on the verge of another awakening? Friends, the signs are everywhere! Let me share some remarkable statistics that show something significant is stirring.

First, Bible sales have surged 41.6% since 2022! Think about that—in our digital age, when people can access Scripture for free online, physical Bible sales are skyrocketing. People are hungry for God's Word! Religious app downloads are up 79.5% since 2019, with apps like Bible Gateway, YouVersion, and Hallow seeing explosive growth.

Contemporary Christian music streams have increased 50% since 2019. Worship songs are dominating streaming platforms, with artists like Forrest Frank seeing viral success. His song "Good Day" reached millions of young people on TikTok, and he's been leading worship at massive events. But here's what really gets my attention: Gen Z and Millennials now LEAD church attendance in America! For the first time in decades, younger generations are attending church at higher rates than older generations. Churches across America are reporting record attendance, particularly among young adults.

But friends, something happened recently that I believe will be remembered as a pivotal moment in this awakening: the assassination of Charlie Kirk. When Charlie was tragically killed, it sent shockwaves through young conservatives and Christians across America. My own young adult children, along with countless others their age, were deeply impacted. And something remarkable happened—instead of responding with despair or rage, young people began engaging others about Jesus Christ.

Charlie's memorial service was like nothing our nation has ever seen. The worship that went on during that service—friends, you could feel the Holy Spirit moving even while watching on television! But what made it truly unprecedented was the boldness of the speakers. Government leaders—Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio—stood before the nation and openly declared their faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior.

When have we ever seen that? High-ranking government officials using a nationally televised memorial service to proclaim the Gospel? Friends, this wasn't political posturing. This was genuine testimony. And it sparked conversations about Jesus in places where faith had been pushed to the margins for decades. Young people watched their leaders be unashamed of the Gospel, and it emboldened them to be unashamed too.

We're also seeing powerful moves of God on college campuses. Auburn University, the University of Arkansas, and other schools have experienced spontaneous worship gatherings with thousands of students. These aren't organized events—students are simply gathering to worship Jesus!

Turning Point USA has been at the forefront of reaching young people with a message that combines faith and cultural engagement. Their events regularly draw tens of thousands of young adults. And the integration of the Gospel into TPUSA's messaging has created a space where young conservatives feel permission to talk openly about their faith. Young people are responding to bold, unapologetic Christianity that doesn't compromise truth.

Here's something that shows the boldness of this generation: the planned pushback against the 2026 Super Bowl halftime show. When the NFL announced a performer known for explicit, dark content, Christians didn't just complain—they organized an alternative! TPUSA, along with worship artists Forrest Frank and Cory Asbury, are both planning massive worship gatherings as a counter-events.

Friends, think about what this represents! Rather than retreating or simply boycotting, believers are offering a better option—worship of the living God instead of worldly entertainment. This kind of bold cultural engagement is exactly what we saw in previous awakenings! Christians aren't hiding—they're declaring truth publicly. Young believers are unashamed of Jesus, and they're willing to stand against the darkness in our culture.

And here's what's so similar to the Fourth Great Awakening: young people are leading the charge! Just as hippies and surfers encountered Jesus in the 1960s-70s, Gen Z is encountering Him today. These are young people who grew up in the most secular, digitally-connected, anxious generation in history—and they're discovering that only Jesus satisfies.

They've seen through the empty promises of social media, cancel culture, and identity politics. They're tired of depression, anxiety, and purposelessness. And when they encounter the reality of Jesus—not religious performance, but genuine relationship with God—they're responding with whole-hearted devotion!

Now friends, before we get too excited, let me say this: Not every uptick in religious interest is a Great Awakening. True awakenings have specific characteristics. They involve widespread conviction of sin and genuine repentance. They produce lasting fruit in changed lives and transformed communities. They emphasize sound biblical teaching, not just emotional experience. They result in increased evangelism and missions activity. And they impact the broader culture, not just church attendance.

So the question is: Are we seeing these elements today? I believe we're seeing the early signs! The emphasis on biblical teaching among young believers, the boldness in evangelism, the hunger for God's Word, the cultural engagement, the public declarations of faith by leaders—these are all marks of genuine spiritual awakening.

But friends, awakenings don't happen automatically. They require certain conditions. Second Chronicles 7:14 tells us, "If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land."

We need humble, persistent prayer. We need genuine repentance from sin—not just personal sin, but corporate sins like materialism, pride, and indifference to the lost. We need bold preaching of God's Word without compromise. We need Spirit-empowered evangelism. And we need believers who are willing to be different from the culture, not conformed to it.

And here's what's crucial: If this is a genuine Fifth Great Awakening, it must have a missions component! While the First Great Awakening laid important groundwork through men like David Brainerd's work with Native Americans, the Second Great Awakening sent Adoniram Judson to Burma. The Third Great Awakening produced the Student Volunteer Movement. The Fourth Great Awakening sparked a missions movement to unreached people groups.

If God is stirring America again, it's not just so we can have better church services! It's so we can reach the 3.4 billion people in over 7,000 unreached people groups who have never heard about Jesus! An awakening that doesn't result in missions passion isn't a complete awakening. God revives His church so we can reach the world!

So friends, what do we do with all this? First, pray! Pray for genuine revival in America and around the world. Ask God to pour out His Spirit in conviction and power. Second, repent! Don't wait for everyone else to get right with God—you start! Turn from anything in your life that grieves the Holy Spirit.

Third, boldly share your faith! The young people leading this movement aren't ashamed of Jesus—don't you be either! Fourth, support what God is doing! When you see college revivals, worship movements, or bold Christian engagement—encourage it, pray for it, participate in it! And fifth, look beyond America! If God is reviving the American church, it's so we can bless the nations. Get involved in missions!

Friends, I truly believe we're living in a unique moment in history. The 50-year pattern. The signs all around us. The hunger among young people. The boldness we witnessed at Charlie Kirk's memorial service as our government leaders publicly declared Jesus as Savior. The statistics showing unprecedented engagement with Scripture and worship. God is moving!

But here's my challenge: Don't just observe it—participate in it! Don't be a spectator to what God is doing—be part of it! This could be the moment that defines a generation. This could be the awakening that sends thousands of missionaries to unreached peoples. This could be the revival that transforms America and impacts the world!

Let me pray: Lord, we desperately need You to move again in America! We confess our pride, our materialism, our lukewarmness, our indifference to the lost. Pour out Your Spirit! Bring conviction, repentance, and transformation! Use this generation of young people to spark a movement that reaches every campus, every city, every nation! We thank You for using even tragedy—like Charlie Kirk's death—to awaken hearts. Thank You for leaders bold enough to declare Jesus publicly. Give us all that same boldness! Give us passion for Your Word. Give us hearts for the lost. If this is the beginning of the Fifth Great Awakening, please fan the flames, Holy Spirit! And may this revival send missionaries to every unreached people group on earth! In Jesus's name, amen.

Thank you for joining me today, friends. I'm more hopeful about the future of Christianity in America than I've been in years—not because of politics or programs, but because I see God moving in hearts. Watch for it. Pray for it. Participate in it!

Until next time, remember—keep your eyes on the nations and be part of what God is doing in this generation!

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