Hello, friends, and welcome back to Nations 4 Jesus.
Today, I have some incredibly exciting news to share with you—news that should make every believer's heart leap with joy! After our last episode about prayer and moving the hand of God, I want to show you what God is doing right now, in this moment, in response to the prayers of His people.
Something remarkable is happening in America. A fire is burning. And it's burning brightest among the generation many had written off as the "least religious generation"—Gen Z.
Let me share some stunning statistics with you that came out just this year.
According to the Barna Group's 2025 State of the Church project, which surveyed over 130,000 adults over twenty-five years, we're witnessing what may be a turning point for American Christianity.
Since 2019, the proportion of Gen Z men who say they have made a personal commitment to follow Jesus has risen by 15 percent. Millennial men? Up by 19 percent!
And here's what's absolutely remarkable: As of 2025, 43 percent of men report attending church weekly, compared with 36 percent of women. This completely reverses the long-standing pattern of female leadership in religious participation.
Young men—the very demographic that culture told us were "toxic" and hopeless—are flooding back to Christ!
But that's not all. Listen to this:
Bible sales in the United States surged 22 percent in 2024 compared to 2023! That's 13.7 million Bibles sold in just the first ten months of 2024, up from 9.7 million in all of 2019. And while total print book sales only increased by less than 1 percent, Bibles are flying off the shelves!
And friends, here's what's most exciting: Many of these buyers are first-time purchasers. People who've never owned a Bible before are walking into bookstores and saying, "I need one."
The American Bible Society reports that 44 percent of Gen Z adults say they are curious about Jesus and the Bible, and 21 percent say they've increased their use of Scripture in the last year.
This generation is hungry—desperately hungry—for truth, for meaning, for something solid to stand on.
And now, let me tell you what's happening on college campuses across America.
Picture this: 8,000 college students packed into an arena. Not to watch basketball. Not for a concert. But for baptisms.
Hundreds stepped into portable baptismal tanks while their friends cheered. Five hundred professed faith in Christ that night alone. This happened at the University of Tennessee just weeks ago.
The Unite US revival movement, which began at Auburn University two years ago, has now spread to more than 20 college campuses nationwide.
But here's a story that really captures what's happening. Just this past week, CBN News reported on something extraordinary at East Carolina University—one of the country's top party schools.
At the Kappa Sigma fraternity house—not exactly where you'd expect a prayer meeting—they held what they called a "Night of Hope."
Instead of the typical Friday night party, scores of young students gathered to listen to the Gospel. Evangelist Doug Elks shared John 3:16 and Romans 5:8 with them: “But God demonstrates His own love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.”
The night featured testimonies from Christian athletes, including ECU baseball player Parker Byrd, who lost his leg in a boating accident and went on to play Division 1 baseball. He told the crowd, "I had a total of 22 surgeries in 45 days. Obviously, I had my right leg amputated below the knee... honestly, a lot of you guys are probably like, 'man that's awful,' but it's the best thing that's ever happened to me."
He explained that before losing his leg, he lived as a lukewarm Christian. "It took till the accident to open my eyes to see what God could do with my life," he said.
At least 10 young men went forward during the altar call, and another 50 or so prayed with the evangelist. Former ECU baseball player Carter Cunningham prayed, "Oh Lord, I do believe there's a revival going on in our generation, that can be led right here through ECU, through the students... Lord, I just pray You can give them the boldness to proclaim Your name."
And at least two other fraternities have already reached out about holding a Night of Hope at their frat houses as well!
If this can happen in a frat house, it can happen anywhere!
So what's happening? Why is this generation—after decades of decline—suddenly turning back to Christ?
I believe several things are converging:
First, they're exhausted. For decades, secular culture has told young men their masculinity is toxic. They've told young women that marriage and motherhood is a trap. They've flooded schools with confusion about the most basic truths of biology and identity. They've characterized parents who object as domestic terrorists.
Gen Z has grown up to be the most anxious, depressed, and lonely generation in history. They've been told they can be anything they want, but deep down, they're searching for something or someone to tell them who they actually are.
Second, they're hungry for truth. In a world of relativism where everything is fluid and nothing is certain, this generation is discovering that the Bible offers something their culture can't—absolute truth that has stood for thousands of years.
As C.S. Lewis wrote, we need to let the "breezes of the centuries" blow through our minds. Truths that have endured for millennia are more reliable than the trendy philosophies invented five minutes ago.
Third, they're rebelling. And isn't that beautiful? They're rebelling against the establishment that told them God was irrelevant. They're rebelling against the emptiness of secularism. They're rebelling by turning to Jesus Christ!
And this isn't just happening in America. In Britain, the share of people between 18 to 24 who attend church at least monthly jumped from 4 percent in 2018 to 16 percent today—including a 21 percent gain among young men!
In France, the Church baptized more than 17,000 people in 2024, the highest yearly number in over 20 years.
This is a global movement of the Holy Spirit!
Do you remember our last episode about prayer? About how prayer moves the hand of God? About petitionary prayer being rebellion against the status quo?
Well, this is what happens when God's people pray! For years—decades—faithful believers have been crying out to God for revival, for awakening, for this generation. And God is answering!
Now, I want to be careful here. Not every young person buying a Bible is actively reading it. Not every student attending a campus revival event is truly surrendering their life to Christ. We must continue to pray for genuine, lasting transformation.
As Greg Stier, founder of Dare 2 Share, wisely notes: Until believers have an upward concentration on Christ, an inward consecration of heart, and an outward activation with the Gospel, we're not quite at full revival yet.
The pattern in Acts is clear: The power of prayer shakes the building. Then the power of the Spirit shakes the believers. Then the power of the Gospel shakes the city.
We're seeing the first two. Now we need to pray that these young believers take the Gospel to the streets, to their friends, to their classmates, to the nations!
So here's my question for you today: What role will you play in this movement?
Will you pray for these young believers? Will you join them, if you are Gen Z, or mentor them if you are older? Will you support campus ministries? Will you encourage the young people in your church who are on fire for Jesus?
Will you stop writing off Gen Z and instead see them as God sees them—as a generation hungry for truth, ready to be mobilized, eager to make their lives count for something eternal?
I think about my own children and the children in our churches. I think about how we've been praying for them, teaching them about the Great Commission, showing them God's heart for the nations.
And now I'm seeing God raise up an entire generation who doesn't want the shallow Christianity of comfort and convenience. They want the radical, world-changing faith of the early church. They want to count the cost. They want to make a difference.
This is exactly what we need for the Great Commission! Remember when we talked about the 3.2 billion unreached people? About how only 3.4 percent of missionaries serve in the 10/40 Window?
God is raising up a generation of young men and women who won't be satisfied with business as usual. Who will say, "Here am I, send me!" These are the ones who will take the Gospel to the hardest, darkest places on earth.
This isn't just about revival in America—though praise God for that! This is about God preparing an army of young warriors to take the Gospel to every nation, tribe, people, and language.
Listen to what the prophet Joel said in Joel 2:28:
"And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions."
Praise God! I believe we're watching this unfold before our eyes!
So what can we do?
Pray! Pray for these young believers. Pray for protection from the enemy who will try to snuff out this fire. Pray for discipleship and spiritual maturity.
Support! Support campus ministries like Youth With a Mission, Turning Point USA, Cru, InterVarsity, BCM, FCA, and others who are on the front lines of this movement.
Encourage! When you see young people passionate about Jesus, encourage them! Don't dismiss their zeal. Fan the flames!
Equip! Help them understand the Great Commission. Introduce them to unreached people groups. Show them how they can pray, give, and go.
Get out of the way! Sometimes the best thing older generations can do is step back and let the Holy Spirit work through young people in fresh ways.
I am more encouraged about the future of the church than I have been in years. Not because of programs or strategies, but because God is moving.
When young men in a fraternity house are praying for revival instead of planning the next party, God is moving.
When Bible sales are exploding among first-time buyers searching for truth, God is moving.
When thousands of college students are getting baptized in football stadiums, God is moving.
The question is: Will we move with Him?
This generation doesn't need our judgment or our cynicism. They need our prayers, our support, and our example of what it looks like to follow Jesus with everything we have.
So let's link arms with them. Let's fan the flames of revival. Let's watch what God will do when a generation decides that Jesus is worth everything!
Lord Jesus, You re simply amazing! You are working in our world, in this generation, and all to bring as many of the lost to know You as possible. Holy Spirit, please keep moving in hearts and lives. Please keep spreading truth that tears down the lies of the enemy. Please keep empowering Your Church to share Your love with the nations. We stand in awe of what you are doing in our time! In Your name, amen.
As my friend Dana said to me…how privileged we are to be able to dip our oar into the river of the movement of God, right here, right now!
Thank you for joining me today. I pray this has filled your heart with hope and stirred you to prayer. The best is yet to come, friends. Keep your eyes on the nations... and watch what God will do through this generation!
News Sources Referenced:
- Barna Group - State of the Church 2025 Report
- CBN News - ECU Fraternity Revival Story
- American Bible Society - State of the Bible 2024
- Christianity Today
- Wall Street Journal
- Axios
- Various Christian news outlets covering campus revivals
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