Welcome to another Thursday UNFILTERED blog post, the only blog that laughed out loud when a woman reported: “My husband and I decided never to go to bed angry at each other. We’ve been awake since last Tuesday.”
For the last 40 years, there have been approximately 8-10 documented major college/university revivals that lasted between 1 day and 3 weeks, with most lasting 4 days to 2 weeks.
In 2023, a revival broke out at a university in Kentucky. Christians everywhere lost their minds, declaring that this was “the big one”—the end-time revival they’d all been waiting for.
When it started, I predicted that it wasn’t. And I wrote the viral article, Revival, Reformation, Restoration, and Revolution. The focus of that article wasn’t just college/university revivals, but all revivals. Sixteen days later, the revival in Kentucky started sputtering like a dying engine.
As I write this, there’s another revival brewing at a Christian college in Florida —only about 2 hours from where I live. It was kicked off by a traveling minister the school invited in.
Here’s the thing nobody wants to admit: most of these campus revivals die because the people running them don’t understand how spiritual momentum and sustainability actually work.
Think about it like baseball. Last year’s New York Yankees had Trent Grisham as the primary leadoff hitter and Aaron Judge batting third. Back in my favorite era, it was Mickey Rivers at the top and Reggie Jackson—Mr. October himself —crushing it in the cleanup position.
Grisham and Rivers can start something. They get on base, steal second, create energy. But here’s what matters. You need the power hitters like Judge and Jackson to actually drive in the runs. To finish what got started. To win the actual game.
Campus revivals keep dying for the exact same reason.
The people organizing these things find one catalyst to invite to speak—usually an evangelist who gets everyone fired up with calls to repentance and confession.
There are sparks. People get saved. There’s worship and prayer. Repentance and confession. Classes are cancelled. Christians from other cities visit to behold what’s taking place. All great. Praise God! I’m thankful for every revival like this.
But what they don’t realize is that the team has only made it to first base. And after awhile, the revival peters out, fading faster than a New Year’s gym membership.
It’s like being thrilled that Grisham or Rivers got on base, then hoping really hard that somehow the runs will score themselves. They never think about bringing in a heavy hitter like Judge or Jackson.
The thought doesn’t even cross their minds.
The Spirit of God has always used human beings to accomplish His work. Whether Peter, John, Philip, Paul of Tarsus, Timothy, or Titus. The same has been true historically with every revival and move of God.
Philip, the evangelist, went to Samaria and ignited a revival there. However, Peter and John, two apostolic workers, were sent to the city afterward to bring their unique impartation (Acts 8). Philip led off, but Peter and John drove in the runs.
Every real revival requires a catalyst. Someone to spark it. But sparks don’t sustain fires—fuel does.
You need the spiritual power hitters who can teach people the stuff that actually transforms lives for the long haul. Things like:
* How to practically live by the indwelling life of Christ.
* How to be captured by the staggering glories and beauties of Jesus Christ throughout a lifetime.
* How to permanently break destructive addictions.
* Hearing the explosive gospel of the kingdom and how to embody it.
* Discovering God’s Eternal Purpose and how to make it one’s life mission.
* How to function in an open-participatory meeting that unveils Christ and edifies everyone.
Without those experienced firebrands who can impart these spiritual realities, the revival becomes another flash in the pan. Another story of “that one time God moved on our campus for two weeks.”
Sure, conversions are great. But God’s ultimate purpose goes far beyond the salvation of lost souls.
A person who has an evangelistic gift can create a spark – which is almost always the case with campus revivals. But it takes another ministry gift to turn it into a roaring fire that doesn’t fizzle out in a few weeks (Ephesians 4:9-16) and that works God’s Eternal Purpose.
So if you’re at a school where revival seems to be happening right now, or you know any of the players involved, here’s my advice.
Stop playing it safe. Stop assuming the momentum will carry itself. Invite an Aaron Judge or a Reggie Jackson in (to stay with the metaphor). In other words, bring in speakers who can actually drive this thing home and win the game.
Otherwise, you’re just watching runners stand on base while you wonder why nothing really changed and everything reverted back to the status quo.
Until next time,
Your brother in the costly but glorious quest,
fv
Popular Resources
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