The Gen Z Awakening: What's Happening on America's College Campuses

Hello, and welcome back to Nations 4 Jesus. Today I want to tell you about something that has me absolutely on fire with hope for this generation. Something that's happening right now on college campuses across America that I believe is nothing short of a genuine move of God.

If you've been paying attention to what's happening in higher education over the last few years, you know that college campuses have been considered some of the most secular, hostile environments for Christians in America. The recent Pro-Palestinian, Anti-Semitic, Anti-American demonstrations really brought this to light. These are places where faith has been mocked, where biblical values have been rejected, where students have been taught that Christianity is outdated and irrelevant.

But something is shifting. Something powerful. Something that few saw coming. Gen Z—the generation that grew up with smartphones, social media, and unprecedented anxiety—is encountering Jesus on college campuses in numbers we haven't seen in decades. And they're not just quietly believing—they're gathering by the thousands to worship, getting baptized in arenas, and boldly declaring that Jesus is Lord.

And friends, just this past week, we saw even more evidence that this movement is accelerating! Let me tell you about what happened at NC State, Clemson, and Utah Valley University.

At North Carolina State University, the UniteUS gathering drew an estimated 6,000 students to J.S. Dorton Arena for a night of worship, preaching, and prayer. According to CBN News, hundreds of students responded to the Gospel and 77 were baptized that night! This marked one of the most significant campus worship events in NC State's history. Six thousand students coming out on a weeknight to worship Jesus at a major secular university!

Then at Clemson University, more than 6,000 students and community members gathered at T. Ed Garrison Arena for another powerful UniteUS event. CBN reports that hundreds "fully surrendered their lives to Jesus," and 78 individuals were baptized on site. Two major universities, two nights, 12,000 students total, hundreds of salvations, and over 150 baptisms!

And Greg Laurie's "Hope for America" outreach at Utah Valley University—the same campus where Charlie Kirk was tragically killed—drew about 7,800 people in person, with an additional 210,000 online viewers via livestream. The event was organized in just six weeks following Charlie's death and was intended as a message of hope, healing, and Gospel clarity. More than 2,100 people made professions of faith, both in person and online! Sixty-seven partnering churches across the region came together to make this happen.

Friends, this is happening right now!

Let me give you the bigger picture of Unite US. This is a student-initiated movement that started at Auburn University in 2024, and it has exploded across America in 2025. These aren't events organized by pastors or parachurch ministries from the outside. These are students—college students—saying, "We want to gather and worship Jesus on our campus."

And here's what's remarkable: According to the latest statistics from Unite US, over the last two years they have reached over 110,000 students on 18 campuses, with more than 16,000 professions of faith! And that's not even counting the events from this past week! When you add NC State and Clemson, we're looking at 18+ campuses, well over 120,000 attendees, and salvations continuing to climb.

These are arena-style gatherings where students worship, hear the Gospel, and participate in baptisms and public commitments to faith. And the fruit is undeniable.

Let me give you some specific examples of what God has been doing throughout 2025. At Purdue University in March, 4,500 students gathered for worship and prayer. Nearly half of them—over 2,000 students—confessed Jesus as Savior that night! Multiple water baptisms followed. Organizers described it as a "revival" with intense spiritual encounters.

At Ohio State University in February, around 7,000 students filled an arena for worship. Nearly 2,000 students made faith commitments in one night! Think about that—2,000 students at one of America's largest secular universities saying yes to Jesus.

At Auburn University in April—the origin campus of this movement—10,000 students gathered in a massive declaration that their campus would be a "house of prayer." Ten thousand! High-energy worship with thousands praising Jesus, declaring His name over their university.

The University of Oklahoma in September saw over 10,000 students fill an empty arena for Gospel preaching and worship. Many stepped forward to follow Jesus that night. At the University of Tennessee in October, 8,000 students prayed and praised Jesus at the Food City Center. Five hundred made decisions for Christ, and hundreds were baptized!

And can we talk about the baptisms for a moment? At the University of South Florida in October, around 7,000 students gathered for a powerful worship night. There were approximately 2,000 salvations and over 300 baptisms! One remarkable story from that night was a former Satan worshiper who was baptized onstage. From darkness to light—right there in front of thousands of students!

At the University of Cincinnati, the arena filled for praise and worship. Hundreds were baptized, and 2,000 students were connected to local churches. The organizers called it "a glimpse of heaven."

And now we add NC State with 77 baptisms and Clemson with 78 baptisms—all in a single week! These aren't just emotional experiences—these students are getting baptized, joining churches, and committing to follow Jesus with their lives!

Here's what sets this movement apart: Unite US emphasizes student ownership. This isn't a visiting evangelist coming in with a big production. This is students saying, "We're taking responsibility for reaching our campus." They're organizing the events, leading worship, sharing testimonies, and inviting their friends.

The NC State and Clemson events perfectly reflect this model—campus ministries and local believers coming together to lead their peers toward Christ. This is exactly what we saw in the Fourth Great Awakening—the Jesus Movement of the 1960s and 70s. That movement wasn't led by established church hierarchies. It was young people reaching young people. And that's what we're seeing again!

Turning Point USA has also played a significant role in this spiritual awakening, particularly through TPUSA Faith, which integrates Christian principles into campus activism. While TPUSA events aren't exclusively worship-focused like Unite US gatherings, they blend political speaking with faith elements—prayers, discussions of biblical values, and bold declarations of Christian conviction.

Following the assassination of TPUSA founder Charlie Kirk in September 2025, the organization saw explosive growth. Over 135,000 requests for new chapters came in—many of them faith-focused—and they launched "This Is The Turning Point" 2025 Campus Tour. TPUSA Faith reports what they're calling the "Charlie Kirk Effect"—a 15% boost in church attendance among young people and increased Bible sales among youth, crediting Kirk's legacy of faith-infused campus outreach.

Charlie's death became a catalyzing moment. His memorial service featured unprecedented public Gospel declarations by government leaders like Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Young people watched their leaders be unashamed of Jesus, and it emboldened an entire generation to do the same.

And Greg Laurie's "Hope for America" event at Utah Valley University—organized in just six weeks on the very campus where Charlie was killed—demonstrates how tragedy is being transformed into Gospel opportunity. With 7,800 in person, 210,000 online, and over 2,100 professions of faith, the message is clear: Hope wins. The Gospel advances. What the enemy meant for evil, God is using for good.

My own young adult children were deeply impacted by Charlie's death. Instead of responding with despair, they—along with countless others their age—began engaging people about Jesus Christ. That's the mark of genuine revival—tragedy becomes a platform for the Gospel.

But it's not just Unite US and TPUSA. There are multiple streams converging into this revival. Sean Feucht's Let Us Worship movement has contributed to the broader momentum. Greg Laurie's Harvest events continue reaching tens of thousands, now with massive digital reach—210,000 online viewers for the Utah event alone! Media outlets are noting a "countercultural turn" among Gen Z, with revivals spreading organically across the nation.

And the statistics back this up! Bible sales have surged 41.6% since 2022. Religious app downloads are up 79.5% since 2019. Contemporary Christian music streams have increased 50% since 2019. And here's the big one: 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.

So what's driving this? Why is Gen Z—the generation raised on TikTok and Instagram, the generation told that truth is relative and religion is oppressive—suddenly filling arenas to worship Jesus?

I believe it's because they've seen through the empty promises of our culture. They've experienced the anxiety, depression, and purposelessness that comes from a life without God. They're the most medicated, most therapy-dependent, most anxious generation in history. And they're discovering that only Jesus satisfies the deepest longings of their hearts.

They've tried everything else. They've tried finding identity in sexuality, politics, social media followers, academic achievement, activism. And none of it has filled the void. But when they encounter Jesus—not religious performance, but genuine relationship with the living God—they respond with wholehearted devotion!

And here's what excites me most: This isn't just about big events. These gatherings are producing lasting fruit. Students are getting baptized and joining local churches. At the University of Cincinnati event, 2,000 students were connected to churches. At the Utah Harvest event, 67 local churches partnered together to follow up with new believers. That's discipleship! That's what genuine awakening looks like—not just decisions, but disciples.

TPUSA Faith is providing resources for chapters to host Bible studies and prayer groups on campus. Students are starting their own prayer movements. Some campuses are seeing ongoing weekly worship gatherings. The revival atmosphere isn't just during the big arena events—it's continuing in dorm rooms, campus ministries, and local churches.

And these students are being countercultural in the best way. They're not conforming to the secular campus culture. They're not hiding their faith. When everyone else is protesting for political causes, they're gathering to worship Jesus. When others are seeking identity in a thousand different places, they're finding it in Christ.

This is what revival looks like—believers who are unashamed, bold, and willing to be different from the culture around them. At UC Berkeley in November, TPUSA held an event with about 900 attendees despite protests outside. Berkeley! One of the most liberal, secular campuses in America. And students showed up to declare their faith despite opposition.

This shouldn't surprise us. Throughout Scripture, God has used young people in powerful ways. David was a youth when he killed Goliath. Jeremiah was young when God called him to be a prophet—and Jeremiah said, "I'm too young!" But God said, "Don't say you're too young. Go where I send you and say what I command you."

Timothy was young when Paul mentored him for ministry. Paul told him, "Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity" (1 Timothy 4:12). That's exactly what we're seeing—young believers setting an example for the rest of us in their bold faith and unashamed worship!

Now here's what's crucial: If this is a genuine awakening, it must produce missionaries! Every great awakening in American history has sent waves of missionaries to the ends of the earth. The question is: Will this Gen Z revival do the same?

With over 7,400 unreached people groups representing 3.3 billion people who have never heard the Gospel, we desperately need this generation to say, "Here I am, send me!" If God is reviving the American church, it's not just so we can have great worship experiences on campus. It's so we can reach the world!

I'm praying that these thousands of students who've given their lives to Jesus—16,000+ through Unite US alone, plus 2,100 at the Utah Harvest event, plus countless others—will include hundreds, maybe thousands, who will become missionaries to unreached peoples. I'm praying that this generation will be the one that finishes the Great Commission.

So what can we do to support and participate in what God is doing? Let me give you five practical ways.

First, pray! Pray for these campus revivals to continue and spread. Pray for the students who've made commitments to Christ—that they'll be discipled and grow strong in their faith. Pray for protection from the enemy who will try to quench this movement.

Second, if you're a college student, get involved! Find out if Unite US or TPUSA Faith has a presence on your campus. If not, consider starting a prayer group or Bible study. Be bold in sharing your faith with your friends.

Third, if you're a parent, encourage your college-age children to participate in these movements. Fan the flames of their passion for Jesus!

Fourth, support campus ministries financially. Organizations like Cru, InterVarsity, YWAM, BCM, Navigators and others need resources to disciple the thousands of new believers.

And fifth, connect this revival to missions! Help students see that God is reviving them not just for their own blessing, but to send them to the nations.

This campus revival is part of something bigger. It's connected to the alternative Super Bowl worship events being planned for 2026. It's connected to the bold faith declarations we saw at Charlie Kirk's memorial service. It's connected to the surge in Bible sales, app downloads, and Christian music streams. It's connected to the fact that young people are leading church attendance for the first time in decades.

All these streams are converging into what could be the Fifth Great Awakening. Fifty years after the Jesus Movement ended, God is moving again among young people. And just like that movement transformed American Christianity and sent missionaries around the world, I believe this one will too!

I have to tell you—as someone who's been watching the decline of Christianity in America for years, who's seen churches close and young people walk away from faith—what's happening right now fills me with incredible hope! God is not done with America. He's not done with this generation. In fact, He might be just getting started!

My own children are part of this generation, and seeing their faith emboldened by what God is doing on campuses, by the example of leaders who aren't ashamed of Jesus, by the worship movements and prayer gatherings—it encourages my heart as a parent. This is what we've been praying for!

So here's my challenge: Don't sit on the sidelines of what God is doing. If you're a student, be part of it! If you're a parent, support it! If you're a church leader, disciple these young believers! If you're a missionary mobilizer, recruit from this revival! And all of us should pray, give, and participate in whatever way God calls us.

Let me pray: Lord, thank You for what You're doing on college campuses across America! Thank You for NC State and Clemson just this week—12,000 students, hundreds saved, over 150 baptized! Thank You for the 2,100 who responded at Utah Valley University. Thank You for raising up a generation of young people who aren't ashamed of Jesus, who worship boldly, who are willing to be countercultural for Your sake.

Pour out Your Spirit even more! Let this revival spread to every campus in America and around the world. Protect these new believers from the enemy's attacks. Disciple them into mature followers of Christ. And raise up missionaries from this movement to take the Gospel to every unreached people group on earth. Use Gen Z to finish what previous generations started—the complete evangelization of the world! In Jesus's name, amen.

Thank you for joining me today. If this episode has stirred your heart, share it with others—especially college students and parents of college students. Let's spread the word about what God is doing!

Until next time, remember—keep your eyes on the nations and watch for what God is doing in the next generation!

You can listen to this in podcast form at Spotify podcast

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!

Listen to this as a podcast at Spotify podcast

A Fire is Burning: Gen Z Revival

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

Listen to this in podcast at Spotify podcast