Revival in Czechia

A Drive Through the Middle of Nowhere

My wife and I visited my older son and his wife in southwest Virginia earlier this month. After picking up coffee from our favorite coffee roaster in Floyd, Virginia, we asked Google Maps for a route back to Raleigh.

We were put on a very obscure route where we didn’t see any signs of civilization for long periods. I’m assuming that this was the fastest route home, but maybe Maps has a sense of humor.

At one point, we had driven down the mountain for so long that I jokingly told my wife I expected to see the Gates of Hell sometime soon.

 

Eventually, we neared civilization with homes and trailers. And churches. Many churches. Some of the churches were small enough to hold only a few families, while others were larger buildings that could accommodate hundreds. Once we left the “hollers”, we saw at least one church every 5-7 miles.

4500 Miles Away

Last month, I received a reminder that “a church on every corner” isn’t the norm for many Christians around the world. In many countries, the churches are underground. In others, the churches are in rented business or retail spaces.

But God’s church is His people, not a collection of buildings with steeples, sanctuaries, and fellowship halls.

I had the opportunity to go on a church mission trip to Prague in Czechia (the Czech Republic). Our role was to help the local churches organize a “safe” camp that Christian youth could invite their non-believing friends to. Below is a picture of the Recreational centre, Šlovice, where the camp was held.

While the camp had testimonies, sermons, and times of reflection, we also played silly games and had workshops on diverse topics, like Frisbee, volleyball, painting, and English conversations. Our music was also a mix: 10000 Reasons by Matt Redman and Nails by Matty Mullins to Firework by Katy Perry and Stressed Out by Twenty-One Pilots. One of my favorite memories of the camp was of the youth all dancing together, arms around each other in camaraderie.

Perhaps half of the campers were non-believers, maybe more.

Many songs were in Czech, reminding me of the Revelation 7:9 passage where, gathered around the throne of God, will be people from every tribe, tongue, language, and nation. Everyone will be praising God in their language – English, Spanish, Italian, Russian, … and Czech. How glorious will that be!

A Nation in Need of Jesus

I have incredible admiration for the youth in the Czech Republic. One percent of their country is Christian. A teen could be the only Christian across three school classes of thirty students each. And your teachers might be hostile to Christianity.

One 20-year-old had “100,000” on his phone’s screensaver as a daily reminder that 100,000 is the number of Christians out of the 10M people in Czechia.

That broke my heart that so few Czechs knew of the love of God.

But there was hope. His screensaver reminded him daily to do something about it. Another teen prayed daily for the unbelievers at camp. Many of the youth leaders were university students, studying civil engineering, medicine, IT, and art & animation. Others had recently graduated. One was a TV reporter. God had positioned all of them to impact the youth of Czechia.

They all had chosen to take time off from their planned activities that summer to spend time at a camp where they could tell the youth of Czechia about Jesus.

I’m sure they were exhausted when they returned to work the following week. But they did it anyway because the camp was important to furthering God’s kingdom.

These beautiful young people were strong in their desire to change their country for Christ.

Reflections from the Trip

In his 1967 inaugural address, former President Ronald Reagan said, “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.” The same applies to Christianity.

In many countries, church buildings have been turned into community centers, homes, or just abandoned. Whole generations don’t know God.

In Czechia, there is the start of a revival, beginning with the youth and their leaders I met at camp.

A teen on our trip reminded me that the only thing we can bring with us to Heaven is other people. She is wise beyond her 19 years.

Philippians 2:10-11 teaches us that “at the name of Jesus, every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord, to the glory of God the Father”.

“Every” includes the 99% Czech unbelievers.

The determination of the Christian youth that I met inspired and encouraged me. I want to help them reach the 99% in Czechia.

I’m proud of the Christian youth I met in Czechia. They know their peers need Jesus. I believe they can stir up a youth revival. Pray for them.

But I need to remain faithful the rest of the year, too. “A church on every corner” lulls believers into complacency. Weekly church attendance in the United States has dropped from 42% in the early 2000s to 30% in the 2020s. I need to share my faith abroad and at home.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for the faith of the youth in Czechia. Their numbers may be small, but they have the Creator of the Universe on their side. Bring about a youth revival in their country. Strengthen and encourage these beautiful young people as they go after Your lost sheep. Let their determination encourage me to do the same.