For example, in the 16th century at universities in Wittenburg, Geneva and Zurich professors and students began to wrestle with the fuedal decadence and doctrine of the medieval church. Guys like Luther, Calvin and Zwingli refined their ideas on the college campus and began what is now known as the reformation.
Or consider Oxford, England 100 years later in the 1730s. A couple of brothers named John and Charles and their buddy George started what they called "love feasts". They would gather with their friends, eat meals, share their testimonies and the things God was doing in their lives. One night at one of these love feasts something amazing happened. John records it this way, "about three in the morning, as we were continuing in prayer, the power of God came mightily upon us, insomuch that many cried out for exceeding joy, and many fell to the ground (overcome by the power of God). As soon as we recovered a little from the awe and amazement at the presence of his majesty, we broke out with one voice, "We praise thee o God; we acknowledge thee to be Lord."
God gave these men that night an assurance they were on the cusp of seeing God do something incredible. The next week George was ordained as a deacon in the Anglican church. You might have heard of him, his full name is George Whitefield and the day after he was ordained he preached his first open air sermon. 500 people came to hear him preach! The next day, 5,000. The day after that 20,000 people mobbed to hear the 22 year old college student preach. Soon thereafter the Great Awakening broke out, spreading across England, Wales and Scotland. It jumped the Atlantic and went up and down the East Coast of America. George Whitefield spent his life preaching outdoors about the glory of God and the need for repentance. Oh, and John and Charles saw some cool things happen too. John, whose last name is Wesley, traveled around England on horseback preaching the Gospel and the need to have a personal relationship with Jesus. He founded this church you might have heard of called the Methodist Church.
Meanwhile his brother Charles was like the David Crowder or Chris Tomlin of his day. His hymns went on to lead the English-speaking Church in worship for the next 200 years. And it all began as a college Bible Study.
Let's skip to the 1880's. Students from the Northeast gathered for the first even Conference for Christian College Students in Mt. Hermon, MA. On the last night of the conference a Princeton senior named Robert Wilder issued a call to go to the unevangelized portions of the world. That night 250 of the 356 students in attendance stepped forward and said "I'll go." Sensing something extraordinary of the Lord, Wilder traveled to 150 other college campuses issuing the same call. That year alone 2,100 students surrendered their plans to the Lord and said "Here am I, Lord. Send me." Over the next 50 years what became known as the Student Volunteer Movement sent over 20,500 people out to the unevangelized portions of the world. It was the single largest missionary endeavor in the history of the Church and it began with a humble senior in college saying, "Guys, c'mon let's go!"
Many people believe that if something similar were to happen today the result would be nothing less than the fulfillment of the Great Commission. Chew on that for a little bit. What Jesus commissioned the church to do 2000 years ago could possibly be achieved in our lifetime and with this emerging generation. Wow. It's hard to believe, but it could be true. As the author, not the superfreak, Rick James writes "No one sat down and thought up the strategy of fulfilling the Great Commission by reaching the college campus. Campus Ministry is more the result of the observation that God has chosen to use college students as his vehicle to accelerate the evangelism of the world. Reaching the college campus is his strategy to help fulfill the Great Commission."
This observation motivates us in our ministry and our colleagues. We have seen firsthand what a couple of passionate, praying college students can do to affect their classmates, families and friends. People are usually never as connected as they are when they are in college, they are never as prone to passionate, motivated movement as they are when they are in college (for better or for worse the large number of college students at the "Occupy" protests are an example) and today the world has never been as connected and easy to travel as it is now.
Dream with us for just a minute. What if it is true that this generation - which is often derided for its vanity, narcissism and sense of entitlement - is actually the generation that God will use to usher in the fulfillment of the Great Commission? How does that change the way we view them? How does that change the way we prioritize our time, talents and treasure? How does that change the way we live today? If you knew that within 50 years the Great Commission would be fulfilled how would that change your life today?
Think about it this way. Many of you probably know a Cubs fan or maybe have the bad luck or poor foresight of being a Cubs fan. As you might know the last time the Cubs won a World Series Russia had a Czar who was pretty confident things were going to go well for him (1908). The phrase uttered by every Cubs fan I've ever known is "wait 'till next year." As in "yeah, we're not going to win this year, but next year is our year because of______."
Well what if you were a Cubs fan and somehow you did know that next year was going to be the year that your beloved cubbies won it all? Would you half-heartedly follow them like you usually do, attend a few games and wince every time one of the pitchers or sluggers got hurt? No, you would be at every game you could be, you would be unafraid of setbacks, injuries or blown games because you know what the outcome will be. You are witnessing history and you will not miss a minute of it. Let's go one step further. What if the Cubs offered you a position on the team, even as a lowly water boy, would you take it? I know I would - and I'm a White Sox fan!
So it is with the fulfillment of the Great Commission. We know God is going to win. We know that no church split, no heresy or murder of missionaries or moral failure of church leaders will stop God's ultimate plan. We know that God will come out on top at the end. Not only do we know that God will win, he beckons us into the mission with him. He offers us a role on the team, and not just as a water boy, but as a vital, integral member of the team, all of us.
There has never been a generation that has had more potential to see the fulfillment of History than this emerging generation. This is why we are involved in Campus Ministry. Thank you to those of you who join us and/or others in it, and for those who aren't involved yet (either with us or any other way of being involved with any other collegiate ministry) now is a great time to get on the band-wagon and cheer on the work God is doing in and through his people.
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