As we start a new year, I am encouraged by the fact that God always wants to do a new thing. I am convinced that He wants to send a new rushing wind and fire to the urban centers of the world in places like Chicago, especially among the youth.
At present, there is a global youth culture. It is fueled by the entertainment industry which promotes rebellion, violence, and sexual promiscuity. Practices that were considered an abomination in past generations are now accepted as normal. We have become desensitized to the things that grieve the Holy Spirit. All of this has produced a hard ground, a spiritual stronghold in our cities.
No gimmick or marketing strategy is going to break through these hard areas; it's going to take the things God has always called people to when they get a desperate for a change: prayer, fasting, and intercession. Here the powerful living Word, sharper than any two edged sword is released to cut down and plow through those things which are in opposition to God. Then the Holy Spirit can move in power.
It's amazing that, even in urban areas of the Middle East, where Islam is the vast majority, the youth culture (called 'shebaab' here) is full of the same vices. Young women here seem to use head coverings to further flaunt themselves, and leather coat-clad bachelors (who consider themselves upright Muslims) make cat calls that might make a Western construction worker blush. These young people, who sit stagnant in their own mire and ignore their potential for greatness, need Jesus!
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