Back in the nineties, when my husband and I became christians the churches were waiting for revival. Even our small evangelical church in the south of Germany was praying for it. We had no idea how that would look like, but we longed to see many people come to Jesus. At that time, a slogan was popular in our church: "Revival
has come when you arrive to church on Sunday, and your seat is taken." We went for prayer marches through the city, prayed all night long, and sang and preached in the marketplace of our town. We invited our neighbors and friends to our church services, did "Alpha Courses" and "ProChrist" evenings alongside other evangelistic events. Revival did not happen. This resulted in a lack of passion and commitment. And at some point at least in my heart hope had faded away.
Two decades went by. In the meantime we were part of another local church. This community, too, had invested a lot in seeing family, friends and neighbors come to faith in Christ. Willow Creek was popular. The church meetings were changed into seeker friendly meetings. They integrated drama and moderated the services.
They created adventurous events for the younger generation. People ate together, worked together and supported each other. We hoped that people around us would be attracted by the joy and love we had for another. But revival was still a long time coming, and these efforts had gradually faded. People became christians, but not by the thousands. Not even close.
Ten years ago I heard that people from other countries were expecting a revival in Europe. I also heard that some of these people were moving to Germany to be part of it. I felt ashamed. Where was my faith? I had accepted to the situation and was happy to see how Christians I knew and were growing in character and depth, but I did not expect revival for a long time.
What was happening in other countries, Brazil or China, for example left my puzzled. Why was it possible that thousands of people gave their lives to Jesus there and not here in Germany.
Then we met an Australian who had moved to our area. His name was Ben Fitzgerald. He was convinced, that God would send a revival to Europe and especially in Germany. He and his team had come from many different countries expecting revival to come soon. They prayed with passion and even set up a daily alarm on their phones to pray. Many joined them. We invited the team into our house again and again and were amazed by their kind hearts and their love for people and for Jesus. There were willing to give their lives for revival in Europe. Their name expressed what they wanted to live for: Awakening Europe. I could feel that my expectation was slowly growing again. The faith of these young people was contagious.
In 2021, something new was happening. We had focused more on small groups (Lifegroups) and preached the basics of the gospel on every Sunday. New people came to our services. People were being baptized. More than in previous years. The Sunday meetings grew in freedom. Something was in the air. Not all everyone was enthusiastic about it, but we could feel a new hunger for God and a wish to give more space to the Holy Spirit. At first it was more in private, but increasingly in church services as well. People were growing in courage and passion. Many rediscovered the Word of God and wanted to live their faith more openly. Their lives were more joyful and their faith contagious. The worship times extended and many experienced God through the work of the Holy Spirit.
Unfortunately, some precious brothers and sisters left the community. This caused uncertainty. Nevertheless, most of the members were excited and grateful. Something had awakened.
Ben Fitzgerald's team, meanwhile, had taken action. They went out into the streets of our city weekly to tell people aboutJesus and to pray with those who were open. In addition, during the years leading up to Covid, they had begun to organise large events. The first in Nuremberg in 2015. Then 2016 in Stockholm, 2017 in Prague, 2018 in Riga, 2019 in Vienna. At these events many people came to faith in Jesus, many others renewed their devotion to Christ and decided to speak of the joy and power of the Gospel more freely. Many healings took place. Both at the events and in the streets where people boldly prayed for people as they passed by.
The Awakening Europe team joined our church in January 22. At the beginning they were mainly responsible for the Sunday service. Ben Fitzgerald created even more space for the presence of God and taught the church to express their worship without being intimidated by what others might think. The services became more alive. The freedom and joy in Jesus grew steadily.
With the beginning of the war in Ukraine, it became apparent that Ben was not only talking about loving people but willing to show love in very practical ways. Within days he had motivated teams to go to the borders of Ukraine to help other organisations. Those who could not join helped with their finances or prayed.
The teams distributed food and sanitary supplies, prayed and helped to organise new housing. Many of the Ukrainian Christians found a new home in congregations throughout Germany, including ours.
The church grew. It grew in love for Jesus and people, it grew in love for the word of God, it grew in a longing for God's power as in the Acts of the Apostles and it finally grew in number. I was struck by the fact that my regular seat was occupied Sunday after Sunday and I was reminded of our slogan more than thirty years ago: "Revival has come when you arrive at the church on Sunday and your seat is taken." Had revival come?
What is certain is that people are being awakened to live their relationship with Jesus more actively and to share their faith with others. We are expecting and experiencing the intervention of God in many areas of our lives. People are consistently coming to faith and join the church. There is definitely something revived in our midst. Our young people are an example to many of us in their enthusiasm for Jesus. Generosity is growing. People come to our services with great expectations for an encounter with God. Worship is freer, the Sunday services are more unpredictable. This is not always easy. A few weeks ago, our service went from half past ten until almost two pm, because we spontaneously prayed for the nations. This is challenging, not only for families with small children. But I want to be part of what God is doing. He is awakening each one of us and hopefully many more.
In the past year, the Awakening Europe team and our congregation, G5meine Kirche, have grown in unity though changes and challenges.
My old longing for revival has been reawakened. Christians in Germany have sown for generations and these seeds will bear fruit, I believe everywhere in Germany. The people in our country need hope. We Christians know that Jesus brings hope. We have experienced forgiveness and we know he can change hearts. I am very curious what it will look like in the years to come. But one thing I know: We have been given a powerful message. Let us proclaim it and pray that we may see what so many brothers and sisters have lived for before us: revival in Europe.
Keine Kommentare:
Kommentar veröffentlichen