'We Saw Over 500 Make Decisions for Christ': Revival Hits Texas Universities

As CBN News has been reporting, widespread revival is sweeping U.S. college campuses, with thousands of students attending events, engaging in worship, and getting baptized.

That includes campuses across Texas. 

Evangelist Jay Lowder, founder of Jay Lowder Harvest Ministries, recently headlined a campus-wide event at Stephen F. Austin, a public university in Texas, where hundreds of students made decisions for Christ.

"I've been in full-time evangelism for over 20 years," Lowder told CBN News. "College students sometimes can be a difficult group to reach because they're transitionary and a lot of times not living in their normal hometown, but we literally had ... I'm not evangelist-exaggerating. We had a packed house every night, standing room only, and we saw over 500 students make different commitments to Christ."

Additionally, Abilene Christian University just hosted an event attended by 1,000, where more than 80 decisions were made. 

Lowder said there are several reasons for such an incredible response to the gospel among college students. 

"They're just looking for what's real and a real openness," said Lowder. "I actually asked people who weren't getting saved if they would leave the building because there was no room to take the sheer numbers of students that wanted to give their lives to Christ. And I think there's other factors as well. Mental health right now is a big issue among college students."

He added, "I got direct messages on social media from many students that were struggling with mental health issues, some with suicidal tendencies." 

Lowder also said that evangelism is not solely the work of professional evangelists but a calling for all believers. One example of that is how individual students are becoming catalysts for spreading the gospel within their peer groups on campuses.

"We had one fraternity alone that had 13 young men that decided to give their lives to Christ," Lowder explained. "And another cool thing that we're seeing is a lot of the believers that are on campus are becoming more evangelistic than what we're accustomed to seeing. One of the reasons that we saw so many students that were hungry for the Lord is because their friends were inviting them and encouraging them."

Meanwhile, Lowder said, while it is exciting to see God moving on college campuses, he emphasizes the critical importance of follow-up discipleship and counseling after conversion decisions.

"When somebody makes that decision to repent of their sins and put their faith in Christ, that they get adequate counseling, that somebody walks them through that and explains to them the significance of their decision and following the Lord in baptism and how to get plugged into the church and understand scripture," said Lowder.