IT STARTED in 2005 - What Happened??
Posted by: prophetic <prophetic@...>
felt almost as though a 'Youth Revival' was stirring. Below is my
first account from 2005 of how it all began...
YOUTH AFLAME in MINNESOTA (2005)
-Andrew Strom.
"I just spent the last week or so in Minnesota, ministering mainly
amongst Christian youth and also some leaders - on the subject
of 'Street Revival'. A number of young people were baptized and
filled with the Holy Spirit - and others were fired up to hit the
streets. You can feel the excitement building in that place for
what God is about to do.
But what blessed me most was a phonecall that I received today.
I was told that a couple of the young men had brought a homeless
person to one of the meetings, and continued to minister to him
afterwards. Apparently, not only did he REPENT the next day, but
these young men then went and BAPTIZED him themselves and
also saw him FILLED with the SPIRIT!
I had actually taught that "anyone can baptize" - but I had no idea
that they had grasped it so well! Friends, can you imagine what
it will be like when we have a 'Youth Army' hitting the streets, with
a gospel of REPENTANCE - baptizing people in the rivers and
fountains, laying hands and praying for them to receive the Holy
Spirit, healing the sick, casting out demons - all in the streets and
Housing Projects of our darkest cities? Can you imagine an army
of teenagers doing that? -I tell you, it is already beginning. -And it
is not just the 'Youth', either. There are many ages involved in this
thing. But the youth is the critical age-group. That is where the fire
really is going to be lit. And that is also what most of the street-
teams will be made up of.
The fact is, if we challenge the youth to give themselves to a cause
worth dying for, then there is no need to ENTERTAIN or "tickle their
ears" to get them involved. They WANT to be challenged. But they
do not find today's lukewarm Christianity terribly inspiring or
'death-defying'. We are so mediocre today that we hardly offer them
any challenge at all. And that has got to change. If going to the
gangs and the "dark places" is God's mission for us in this hour,
then bring it on. It is what the youth have been waiting for. Enough
of this safe and insipid 4-wall churchianity!.."
What HAPPENED??
>From 2005 to 2007 we ministered among on-fire groups of young
people in several states of America. People were getting baptized
in water fountains and on the streets. Others were getting filled
with the Holy Spirit. There were healings and demons being cast
out. The young people themselves were doing this stuff. It was a
release of God's "youth army" - or so we thought. But slowly, in
the second half of 2007 everything began to dwindle down and
peter out. We tried everything, but less and less was happening.
In March of 2008, after much soul searching and with great
reluctance, my family and I finally left America to return home to
New Zealand. We were all very sad and somewhat devastated.
Is there a 'youth revival' in America today? I would love to hear about
it if there is. I always hoped and prayed for one - and I still have
hope to this day. A revival where "everyone is a minister" is the
only way out of today's dreary "churchianity", in my view. Bring
it on, Lord!
Special blessings to all,
Andrew Strom.