Say So: A History of Revival and Evangelism

Historical Background

Brief CE history

Wes Reagan speech, Bevis calls a meeting, Cru training, national seminars/evangelistic tools, Daytona Advance, pilot projects

After Wes Reagan’s speech they had plans, but after Bill Bright’s Bible study, they had power.

“Let the Redeemed Say So” was the 1st song in their songbook

1968 theme & this year’s theme came from Psalm 107:2

Read Psalm 107:2

Connections to present

Calls for revival — Asbury/Unite, Shane Pruitt about youth in US, Bible Society’s research on “Quiet Revival” in UK

Connections to present — Civil Rights/BLM, Columbia/Kent State

Revival passes some people over

Luke 19 — Jesus weeps over Jerusalem, “you didn’t recognize the time of your visitation”

Matthew 11:21 — cities where Jesus did miracles did not repent, but Tyre & Sidon would have

1st Great Awakening — some Congregationalists & Presbyterians missed revival and others were incredibly impacted

Why didn’t revival pass Campus Evangelism over?

3 Reasons They Saw God Do Great Things

They believed they were redeemed by the Lord.

The context

Coke machines caused write ups

Bevis thought “you came out of the water and it was up to you”

The change

They got a better appreciation of grace.

They started believing in the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

They started talking about a personal relationship with Jesus.

The word of caution

Let’s not assume we fully appreciate God’s grace already

We think we’ve fixed our theology…but if our better connection to God doesn’t lead to more conversations with the lost, then there’s a disconnect.

They believed the redeemed oughta talk about it.

Re-read verse 2; read verse 43 // You can only ponder for so long before you wanna persuade.

They quit punting testimonies to the Baptists and started using them themselves

They shared on beaches, in frat houses, in airports, at bus stops, everywhere!

They called themselves Campus Evangelism because they were out on campus doing evangelism. We can’t expect to see revival if we’re just in our offices telling students to share their faith.

They were concerned, and I am as well, that many of us have lost our hearts for the hearts of the lost.

One advantage they had that we don’t is that evangelism was normal, but for Churches of Christ, it’s a “lost art.”

Some of us would rather not lead people to Christ than admit we don’t know how to lead people to Christ.

If you’re not on campus, you need to figure out how to meet lost students.

If you’re theologically opposed to approaching strangers, you need to read the book of Acts.

If you’re unsure about how to share the gospel, you need to find someone to teach you. [me asking Josh how to sit w/ someone + going out with the BCM]

Don’t let your present pride get in the way of your potential power.

They believed the redeemed don’t need to wait for revival.

I think it would be a great mistake to see what God did through Campus Evangelism and then hope he does it again so that we can finally get evangelistic.

Evangelism ought to be a response to individual regeneration, not just congregational revival.

We shouldn’t have to wait for revival to strike in order to be faithful and faith-filled.

It says let the redeemed of the Lord say so (not the revived).

I don’t need Barna to tell me people are receptive; I have the Bible. I’ve read Luke 10:2. I’ve read the parable of the soils. I know with a sample size of 40,000 there’s gonna be some of every type.

What I love about the CE guys is that they were seeking to be more faithful without knowing the revival this would come of it.

Likewise, we don’t get to fast forward and see if we’re living in times of revival. We just get to live in the present and decide if the good news is worth sharing anyway.

What the Psalmist got, and we need to get, is that our salvation is worth sharing.

Here’s my plea…

Know that you’ve got a sinner to seek.

Who is the freshman that God is sending to campus for you?

Ephesians 2:10

There’s a freshman who doesn’t want to be on your campus, but his scholarship to his dream school fell through. Is he gonna see that God did that for a purpose?

There’s an international student who wanted to go to a college in New York, or Chicago, or LA, but they ended up on your campus. Will they meet you?

There’s a girl who’s turning to Friday nights at the bars to find her satisfaction, and she’s looking for the Living Water but doesn’t know where to find it. Are you going to seek her out, or are you going to hope she wanders into church?

Know that you’ve got a story to tell.

Know that you’ve got the Spirit within.

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever…some of us wandered in desert wastelands, our lives ebbing away…some of us sat in darkness, in utter darkness, prisoners suffering in iron chains because we rebelled against God…some of us became fools through our rebellious ways…some of us were at our wits’ end…but he redeemed us from the hand of the foe…he delivered us from our distress and led us down a straight path…he brought us out of darkness and broke away our chains…he sent out his word and healed us…he stilled the storm to a whisper…he turned the desert into pools of water and gave us a city where we could settle…he lifted us out of affliction…let the one who is wise heed these things and ponder the loving deeds of the Lord…and let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story.” [Psalm 107 paraphrase]