Over 16,000 College Students Called to Spark Spiritual Revolution
Over 16,000 college students from around the world are on the verge of a "spiritual revolution" in Busan, Korea.
Leaders of Campus Crusade for Christ International (CCCI), one of the world's largest Christian ministries, are targeting campuses across the globe for world evangelization. And the agents for a global missionary movement are college students.
"It's like a revolution's going to happen - a spiritual revolution, by looking at you," said Dr. Joon Gon Kim, founder of Korea Campus Crusade for Christ (KCCC), through a translator. He was speaking to students from 127 countries who packed the BEXCO Convention Center during the opening ceremonies of CM2007 (Campus Mission) Monday night.
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It was the first night that the international students, who commenced the historic global student missions conference on Saturday, were joined by over 10,000 CCC students from Korea. The students from overseas welcomed the Korean students to the conference with a bow and greeting in the Korean language.
"We believe that God wants to use South Korea in a mighty way to send revival around the world," said Pastor Rick Warren of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif., in a video message.
For the past 50 years, KCCC's Kim has exhorted South Koreans to go out into the world and share the message of Jesus Christ and salvation. Accepting the challenge of the late CCCI founder Dr. Bill Bright, Kim established the first CCC outside the United States in 1958 when the country was in ruin in the aftermath of the Korean War and the Christian population was only at four percent. Today, the Christian population stands at around 27 percent and is the second largest missionary sending nation in the world. And Kim is credited by many for changing the world missionary movement.
"Korea has always taken such a lead in evangelism in the world and you can do it again," CCC co-founder Vonette Bright, wife of Dr. Bright, told the thousands of students at CM2007. "I believe from this conference, we will see the world change."
College students attending the worldwide weeklong gathering – CCC's largest student missions event – are seen as making history in the college campus mission movement and in world evangelization. CCC leaders anticipate an unprecedented mission movement ignited by college students as they aim to reach all 8,000 of the world's most influential universities. Christian movements are reportedly only on 2,000 of them.
"The world is on the verge of chaos and destruction; hate is ruling everywhere ... And Dr. Kim is so right when he says Jesus Christ is the only answer," said Vonette Bright as she called students to begin a protest of love and declare Jesus' love as the solution to the problems of the world.
"There's no greater calling and commission than to serve God's purpose, but we must serve God's purposes in our generation," Warren said in his video message.
Among those who have taken up the calling is Honey Lee, Miss Korea 2006 and third runner-up in the Miss Universe 2007 pageant. At 24 years old, she told the thousands of CCC students that one of her main visions is to expand the Kingdom of God and serve His Kingdom.
"I prayed that I'd win the Miss Universe title so that I would travel the world and share the name of Jesus," Lee said through a translator on Monday. Although she didn't win, Lee believes her third runner-up position was still a gift from God and told CM2007 students, "I'll be a faithful soldier to the Lord."
Calling the more than 16,000 students to take up a burden for the Kingdom of God, Kim shouted, "We need to bring a spiritual revolution to campuses! Let's transform the world!
"You are the hope of the future. You need to be responsible for the future."
