KEY SCRIPTURE: Psalm 85:6-7

Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee? Shew us thy mercy, O Lord, and grant us thy salvation.

RELEVANCE

(Most of these two summaries are from Vision Christian Media & Christian History Research) 

When we watch the News, we see many things that have gone awry in today's world. However, we may not see the marvellous things that God is doing—things that fly under the radar, things we should focus on. 

Outpourings of the Holy Spirit are occurring among young students across the USA. It looks like a nationwide student revival as God answers their hungry desires for a relationship through Jesus Christ. What the enemy has in store will be swept aside by the Arm of the Lord. Even some of them might be saved. How wonderful. You never know; there might be an Apostle Paul amongst them. 

• Kentucky's Asbury University had a 16-day nonstop worship service where hundreds of people were saved. 

• University of Georgia. In March/April 2024, hundreds of students from the University of Georgia were baptised in temporary fonts—the backs of pickup trucks (Utes). Ministry leader Jennie Allen said,  “So, we are preaching Jesus, confessing sin — to all these students, and it’s just so beautiful.”  She said the baptisms came after 8000 students packed a 10,000-seat stadium to hear the Word of God. 

• Auburn University, Alabama. last September, hundreds of people were spontaneously baptised in a lake at Auburn University in Alabama, as 6000 witnesses stood around the lake.

• Florida State University. Thousands of college students attended a free worship event called Unite FSU, where Jennie Allen was a guest speaker. “It’s happening again! FSU Baptisms! Hundreds, maybe a thousand students came forward to trust Jesus. We can’t explain what’s happening apart from the Spirit,” Ms. Allen posted on social media. “4,500 Florida State University (one of the biggest party schools in the nation) students confessed struggles and sin tonight. Hundreds came forward to trust Christ. Revival is here. And there is no explaining it – when it’s God!”

• Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Columbia, and Stanford. The Christian Union, a Christian youth organisation, is on an eight-week evangelism tour of some of America’s most prestigious universities. The group hopes to reach 75,000 elite students with the Gospel. The group’s founder, Matt Bennett, explained that elite students are generally less exposed to the Gospel message than college students elsewhere.

• US-Mexico border This isn't a university, but the spiritual hunger has shattered this team's goals and expectations, with around 9,000 people "having an experience with the Lord” during prayer and tent meetings in late March. Pastor Tony Suarez, creator of Revival on the Border, said his initial goal was for 5,000 people to encounter God through nightly revival meetings. Border patrol officers openly asked for prayer for them. “We were very impressed by the strong faith of the border patrol agents,”

• USA's southern frontier. This isn't a university either, but in January 2024, Evangelist Franklin Graham conducted a ten-city God Loves You tour along the southern frontier, during which around 5,000 participants gave their lives to Christ. The tour started at the Gulf of Mexico and went all the way to the Pacific, where it ended in Chula Vista, California. In the Texas Gulf Coast region, more than 260 churches are working with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association to bring these exciting evenings of music and hope to the Rio Grande Valley.

Melbourne Australia's previous revivals. Over 100 years ago, revival came to Melbourne 10,000 a night at the Royal Exhibition Building in May 1902. Did You Know There Was A Revival In Melbourne 100 Years Ago? In 1898, a petition with 15,300 signatures was sent to D.L. Moody in the USA, asking him to come and lead a crusade. He died before he could come, but in 1902, R.A. Torrey came and led a crusade at the Exhibition Building. With the population of Melbourne then 500,000, over 250,000 people came every week!

8000 people came to Christ!

The Secret of this success? All the Evangelical Churches in Melbourne worked together. They held 1700 weekly prayer groups across Melbourne! They appointed 45 evangelists to preach in every area of the city. “The Vital Elements: Unity And Prayer” (From: “Evangelical Christianity in Australia” Stuart Piggin (Oxford)

The Many Revivals In Melbourne

• 1843

• 1859 Started at Brighton

• 1879

• 1902 The Great Revival – with R.A. Torrey and Charles Alexander

• 1926 Sunshine Revival

• The 1959 Billy Graham Crusade was the largest, most successful evangelistic campaign in human history. 719,000 attended in Melbourne with 26,440 inquirers “More prayer has been made for the Melbourne and Sydney crusades than for any single event in the whole history of the Christian Church” Billy Graham 1958. 

Beyond these locations, many thousands are experiencing revival in places like Iran, Thailand, Myanmar, Algeria, India, Nigeria, Kenya and Ethiopia, to mention a few. 

God is on the move in all these places. He never slumbers nor sleeps and loves feeding the earnest heart. 

We have an amazing God who never runs out of Salvation for the lost. Praise Him, thank Him, and pray for further quickening.

Also, pray for good old Australia, which needs a massive outpouring of the Holy Spirit from side to side and top to bottom.

 Bless you all.

PRAYER

Mighty Lord, thank you for the love and accessibility of your Holy Spirit, who works so hard to bring people to repentance and Salvation anywhere He can find them. 

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