Regeneration

"Awake, sleeper, and rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you." -Eph. 5:14 (NASB)

     I really only had one request of God as I boarded an airplane for Moldova almost two weeks ago. I prayed that He would show me regeneration. This was, no doubt, a selfish request, but I asked nonetheless. Essentially I wanted to see more than decisions for Christ (as much as I wanted to see those too!). My desire was to see radical repentance and faith.
     As in previous years, it was very hard to tell in the first few days of camp if we were really making any kind of difference at all. Maybe the Lord does things this way on purpose, so that we'll know that it is not ultimately us doing the work.
     We gave an invitation on Thursday night and many stayed at the chapel after the service to talk about following Jesus. This was super encouraging! Perhaps some were coming forward because it was a cool thing to do at the moment, but anyone could tell that most of the students who made a decision had been touched by the Holy Spirit.
     I took four guys aside and asked them to describe what was going on their hearts. One said, "I know I am a sinner." Through tears another said that he was so thankful for what Jesus had done for Him! It was obvious that God was moving.
     The next morning I asked my Bible study group to give testimony to what God had done the night before. Honestly I was wanting to test things a bit and see the results after all of the emotion had died down. Student after student explained with powerful articulation how God had worked in a unique way in their heart. Then one student, making a motion with her hand, said, "It was like someone grabbed my heart and said, 'Wake up!'" 
     Needless to say, I was overwhelmed and thankful that God had been gracious enough to answer my selfish prayer. In that moment he showed us all regeneration.