Believe in Your Heart

God is calling men and women, boys and girls, across the globe, into a relationship with Him by accepting Jesus as their Savior.  And, there are indications that people are responding.  The apostle Paul wrote in 2nd Corinthians 5:

(19) ...God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
20 Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God.

Several verses later, in 2nd Corinthians 6, we can find these words:
2 For He says: "In an acceptable time I have heard you, And in the day of salvation I have helped you." Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.

As you look around and hear the stories, you can conclude that God is moving in an incredible way in our midst.  Consider this from a recent Movieguide article about a survey conducted by the Barna research organization:

Over two-thirds of all American adults said they made a “personal commitment to Jesus that is still important in their life today.” This indicates a rapid increase in the last few years. In 2021, only 54% of Americans said the same.

The research group believes this indicates a “spiritual renewal” in America. The difference in number amounts to about 30 million more adults claiming to have a relationship with God.

“Undeniably, there is renewed interest in Jesus,” said David Kinnaman, CEO of Barna. “Many people have predicted the growing irrelevance of Christianity, however, this data shows that spiritual trends have a dynamism and can, indeed, change.”

And, the bulk of the action is occurring among the younger generations.  The Movieguide article, which includes quotes and material from the Barna website, states:

Most of the believers are Gen Z and Millennials. Since COVID-19, the younger generations have risen in their beliefs while older generations, especially Boomer and Gen X females, have remained flat.

Another trend Barna discovered is that younger men are more likely to believe in Jesus than women. Gen Z males’ beliefs jumped up by 15% between 2019 and 2025, while the percentage for Millennial men spiked by 19%.

What an tremendous opportunity for spiritual growth that we see here.  But, while there are references to believing in Jesus, that doesn't necessarily translate to an understanding of what it means to be a Christian.  Kinnaman is quoted as saying:

“At this time, we are seeing interest in Jesus that is growing among those who do not otherwise describe themselves as Christians, indicating that many of the new followers of Jesus are not just ‘recycled’ believers,” Kinneman said. “Along with younger generations coming to Jesus, this is another strong sign that interest in Jesus is brewing in new population segments of society.”

Movieguide states: "About three in 10 people who say they’re not Christian say they’ve made a personal commitment to Jesus. It indicates that many are open to faith but are hesitant to identify with an organized religion."  It goes on to note:

A 2022 study by the American Bible Society found that while many young people believe in Jesus or that He existed, some of what they believe about Him is biblically inaccurate. For example, about 40% of Gen Z believed that Jesus was a sinner, which is contrary to scripture.

This indicates a distinct need that those who come to Jesus and make a profession of faith need discipleship.  People will accept the Lord and say they have received Him into their hearts, but really don't have much of idea of the decision they have just made.  So, they need someone - members of the local Church - to come alongside them to teach and train and help them to really recognize what it means to be a follower of Jesus. 

Greg Laurie, Pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship and speaker on A New Beginning weekdays at 2:00 p.m. on Faith Radio, commented on the influx of young men into his church in a CBN feature article, based on an interview with CBN's Wendy Griffith.  The article says:

...more young people, especially young men, are attending church than in years past. Harvest Church, like many others across the country, is seeing Generation Z, the under-thirties, show up in much bigger numbers.

Laurie is quoted as saying:

"Yeah, without question. And usually, the people that respond to these invitations are on the younger side. I was just talking with a teacher yesterday who teaches in a public school, and she has a little Bible club on campus where the Christian kids meet. She said, 'I've never seen anything like this in all my years of teaching, 28 out of 30 of them were boys.' And that's so unusual Wendy, because hey, girl power, you girls lead the way in spiritual things and guys are sometimes passive, at best, or resistant. But there's been a complete shift," Laurie said.

The CBN piece goes on to say:

Even the New York Times is reporting that more young men are returning to church. Laurie calls it an exciting sign.

"And I think one of the reasons for it is just men have been so beaten down in the last decade or so. They're tired of being brow beaten and young men specifically being told it's bad to be a man, it's bad to be masculine. And there's been a reaction. And I think it's a good reaction," Laurie said.

We can rejoice in these promising signs, and recognize the hand of God at work.  We can also be cognizant of how God is moving in our lives.  We know that He lives in us and walks with us, so we should always be pressing in, sensitive to His leadership and obedient to His call.