USA: Countdown to Revival

1990:

Christian ministries report that 1,300 people groups have been reached with the gospel around the world out of a potential 6,000 plus.

1992:

Following the Gulf War church denominations had already begun to each implement their own plans to reach every home for Christ by the year 2000.

1993:

It was becoming apparent that this goal wasn't possible without interdenominational cooperation. One national evangelical leader, Bill Bright, set out on a 40 day fast and by day 29 was moved to call upon fellow leaders of various denominations to seek the Lord together. By day 40 it was clear what the Lord wanted.

1994:

For the first time over 600 leaders of major denominations began to seek the Lord together in the first of many three day gatherings of fasting and prayer. The following year 3,500 participated, and the next year over 7,000.

1995:

The Spirit of the Lord began to break out in professional sports stadiums across America as Christian men from every background answered the call to gather and worship the Lord. Hundreds of thousands of men filled venues with tears, worship, and repentance.

October 1997:

Over 1 million Christian men gathered at the nation’s capital of Washington D.C. to seek the Lord and call upon His name. An awesome silence repeatedly fell upon the mall of Washington as hundreds of thousands wept aloud. This was often followed by thunderous roars of praise which filled the air as a nation stood in wonder.

January 1998:

The nation’s leaders become embroiled in one of the most divisive political battles in history, which is the result of a moral scandal that would tarnish a presidency and polarize the nation's political leaders. " I did not have sexual relations with that woman."- President Bill Clinton. The bitter saga would end with impeachment, but the poison was now in the political waters, and would dominate the American political scene for the next three years. "People are calling in, jamming our switchboards, by demanding that we take action on one side or another." - Robert L. Livingston. " I never told anyone to lie, not a single time, never."- Bill Clinton.

October 1998:

A coalition unlike any other America has ever seen, representing over 70 denominations and 400 prayer church ministries calls upon believers everywhere to seek the Lord and pray for believers by name. The Lighthouse of Prayer Movement has been launched. "Bombs and shooting and you just kept hearing these bombs go off and shooting."- Columbine high school Student.

April 20, 1999:

"When I went back outside I saw some bodies laying there."- Columbine high school Student. The violence within the culture reaches an insidious level as evil literally explodes in the Columbine high school massacre. "One kid was partially alive, I don't know, his face was blown off."- Columbine high school student. A dark tragedy shocks America.

September 2000:

The prayer and fasting movement is in full swing as the Christian leaders urge the church across America to fast and pray to seek the Lord.

November and December 2000:

At the same time an upcoming election would produce a new president. It would be an election like no other which would increase the anger even beyond the bounds of the impeachment saga to a degree that had never been seen before. The United States was a nation divided. American prayer leaders were fully aware of what the Lord was doing around the world as reports of the praying church in south and Central America, as well as southeastern and northeastern Asia - spawned revival. Within the space often years the international church saw something done that had not be realized in 2,000 years. An additional 3,400 people groups had been reached with the gospel within a very short period of time. Leaving the remaining unreached people groups in the Middle East and central Asia, in what is commonly called the 10/40 Window. Currently most of these groups are unable to be reached because of their governments attempt to prevent the gospel from coming within their borders.

The summer of 2001:

Another major initiative is launched by national prayer leaders in the northeastern United States. Prayer is offered up in regions with a history of revival. For 3 months gatherings of prayer were being held by believers and institutions of higher education, historical landmarks, and church buildings.

September 11, 2001:

It's a day that will go down as one of the darkest days in American history as militant terrorists plunged high jacked airliners into the Trade Center Towers in New York. The most famous city in the world is brought to the knees. A tragedy of unparallel proportions hits the people of the United States. The violence dominating our television storylines becomes real, with hearts broken, lives destroyed and a catastrophic loss of life unimaginable. Sorrow grips the hearts of the American people. "Tonight I ask for your prayers for all those who grieve, for the children whose worlds have been shattered." Within moments the world of the unfolding tragedies reaches Christians worldwide. The prayers of God’s people around the world from the church in China to the church across South America began to hold up the people of America to God. "We ask almighty God to watch over our nation. We pray that you would comfort and console those who now walk in sorrow". A nation in shock was called upon by the new president to pray to the Lord for help. Like answering the exhortation of an old testimony prophet, believers of every background began to pray. And along with the "Preacher to Presidents" himself. World-renowned evangelist Billy Graham, who years earlier led this then future president to the Lord, also called upon Christians who humble themselves and pray. "And from the cross, God declares "I Love You", for Easter points us beyond the tragedy of the cross to the empty tomb. It tells us that there’s hope for eternal life, for Christ has conquered evil and death and hell." Congregations across America opened their doors for prayer. For the first time in years Americans – believers and not – were returning the church to pray and seek God. The largest number of Students to every pray in American history assembled around school flag, some 5 million…. And for the first time in 40 years, prayer was being observed and unchallenged without fear in the work place.

Revival has not come to this nation yet and the final 1300 people groups have not been reached but this story is still being written by a sovereign God. His pen is the hands of surrender and the bending knees of the people purchased by blood. It’s a story that’s still being written in this very second. Let us call upon the name of Jesus. Let us believe in His love and diligently, perseveringly seek His holy heart. We will see His mighty merciful hand.

Revival has not come to this nation yet and the final 1300 people groups have not been reached but this story is still being written by a sovereign God. His pen is the hands of surrender and the bending knees of the people purchased by blood. It’s a story that’s still being written in this very second. Let us call upon the name of Jesus. Let us believe in His love and diligently, perseveringly seek His holy heart. We will see His mighty merciful hand.

...know them that labour among you... 1 Thessalonians 5:12 * ...pray for one another... James 5:6 * ...the eye cannot say to the hand I have no need of thee... 1 Corinthians 12:21 * ...there is one Body and one Spirit... Ephesians 4:4 * ...the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth... Ephesians 4:16 * ...I pray that they may be one with us so that the world will believe...John 17:21 * ...how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity...Psalm 133:1 "The purpose of life is companionship." *** "Worship is that form of companionship where we love on Him in response to His great love for us." *** "The most powerful drive in the human heart is the desire for companionship." *** "We inherited this drive from the One we were patterned after." *** "The difference between manipulation and leadership is motive." *** "Motive is purified and guided in the presence of God: Prayer." *** "Pride is a lifestyle of self-sufficiency, an attitude of self-entitlement and a motive for self-glorification." *** "Pride starts subtly and then turns into the aggressive enemy of real companionship" *** "The Cross and the presence of God brings fellowship (heart to heart), but the world offers only socializing (facade to facade)." *** "Every relationship has a foundation. The pride of public ministry has been a foundation for too many. At some point it consumes" *** "There is a difference between worshipping the idea that we worship God and actually worshipping God." *** "Why do we want to see prayer back in the schools, when it is no longer in our homes or churches?" *** "Corporate prayer around the Throne must return the center of church life if there is to be any hope for the masses." *** "Corporate prayer produces effective preaching, not preaching produces corporate prayer." *** "If we are so in the know, why do we no longer gather together to seek God, navigate through our haughty hearts to get a glimpse of God's heart and then pray in the lost?" *** "Christianity is not an enterprise, venture for self-discovery or political or civic organization. It is a Blood-bought fellowship of prayer focused on One." *** "Prayer-based friendships are the only ones that last." *** "Prayer-bathed friendships are not incidental to ministry, they are foundational." *** "Prayer is not a ministry of the Holy Spirit. It is the ministry" *** "It's one thing to tell somebody what we believe about Jesus, it's quite another to be able to introduce someone to our Best Friend." *** "We are more like Martha than Mary; More like Christian activists, than people of prayer." *** "We need unity in humility found at the foot of the Cross, not prideful uniformity that says: 'Look at us doing God's work'" "There has got to be a practical, excecutable strategy in place for us to dethrone the ministry of Hollywood in our homes and bring families and communities together via corporate prayer inspired by the Spirit. Technology is not the enemy; Our disobedient laziness is the enemy." ***