Colombian High School Revival
We observed bullet holes riddling the concrete walls outside as our bus pulled up to the local high school in the Castilla barrio of Medellin’s violent Comuna 6. We were in a bus, which offered some immunity to the “Invisible Boundaries” of the neighborhood. Of the 500 students, many were actively prostitutes or hit men in local gangs and armed groups. This was a special day. The principle had agreed to close class for one hour, and hold a mandatory school-wide assembly in the auditorium in which I would preach the Gospel and the rest of the team would minister to the youth. Luz Mely, the woman who had been ministering in this high school for some time now, seemed to carry a sense of expectancy. Up to this point, there were only 20 believers in the entire student body, but we were believing for great things from God that day.
When we walked in the auditorium, the whole team began worshipping God all over the room. The strong presence of the Lord filled the place. As the students began filing in, we cheered loudly for them, prophetically declaring the Father’s pleasure over each one. It caught on, and soon there was an ear-splitting corporate celebration as each student entered the now sacred auditorium.
The time came for me to preach the Gospel. I passionately declared the good news of the love and power of God, and the glorious work of Jesus Christ on the cross for each student. It did not matter how vulgar or hopeless was the past they carried, Jesus saves! In the end, the entire school stood to their feet, with arms extended to heaven, and cried out to give the hearts to Jesus Christ. “Be my Savior, be my Healer, be my Deliverer, be my Dad and my best Friend!”
The entire Bethel team then came to the front, where hundreds of students flooded the front for prayer. Holy Spirit moved, bodies were healed, hearts were delivered from years of abuse and neglect. Many students wept as the love of God embraced them for the first time. At least two young men trapped in homosexuality were delivered. One of them was a prominent social leader among the students. As the love of Jesus was poured into his heart, he collapsed in the arms of Ethan, one of our team. Ethan cradled the boy for a long time in his lap as the Holy Spirit delivered him from his past.
God came with revival to that school! We found out after that some of the most violent youth in the neighborhood were radically impacted that day. Luz Mely got up in church that weekend and announced that the entire school had come to Jesus! She had been on the phone with many parents over the weekend. They had been asking, “What happened at school Friday? My kids came home crying!” The violent ones had become peaceful! Many of the youth are now attended the church there, and there are plans to plant multiple cell groups in the barrio among the youth, and to send buses every weekend to bring them to church.