Amid claims that Gen Z is increasingly turning to spirituality, AJ Gomez gathered with hundreds of young Christians to contend for spiritual renewal in their nation. As he listened to the stories of God at work, he felt something shift in him, too, he says
You may find this peculiar, but today in church, I realised that testimonies of God working in people’s lives scratch the same itch on my brain that is appeased by a heart-throbbing thriller or an engrossing novel. As the mic passes from pastor to testifier, whatever held my attention prior is completely eclipsed by the wild account of Jesus’ transformative work before me.
I attribute this deep affinity for hearing people’s testimony to the fact that I feel as though I don’t really have one of my own — or at least not of the biopic worthy kind. It’s that all too human tendency to deeply desire what we don’t have.
In recent years, I’ve found myself watching more testimonies on YouTube — a shift induced by feeling convicted the content I was consuming didn’t draw me closer to God. There, I discovered stories of wild encounters with Jesus during psychedelic trips and tales of men who journeyed from demonic encounters to ultimately finding truth in Jesus.
I know God has been good to me, yet I can’t deny I’ve sometimes felt, because my testimony wouldn’t depict the drama of a Saul-to-Paul transformation I’ve seen in others, it must not really be a testimony at all.
At a service called Chosen Generation, hosted by the HowToLife Movement, YWAM’s Circuit Riders, Global Network of Evangelists and The Send, I had my thinking corrected.
Over 200 young people gathered in the heart of London, within the walls of a 900-year-old church, to worship, share testimonies, and hear the gospel message. The speaker, faith-based influencer and evangelist Avery Ashdown, is originally from Orlando, Florida. She’s an upbeat, vibrant preacher who regularly shares words of faith and encouragement with over 300,000 followers on social media. Ironically, it was her testimony that exposed me to how flawed my way of thinking was. But it wasn’t necessarily the contents of her testimony that invoked this realisation, it was the way she spoke of it.
All is either the goodness of God, or an opportunity for him to reveal it
Avery acknowledged that her testimony was no bewildering series of events. Instead, her story was a familiar tale: a teenager stood at a junction with a left turn offering the road into the world and all the allures it presents, and the right turn offering the path of purpose, a walk with Jesus. She was wandering aimlessly through a life she felt lacked meaning. Then, laying on the floor of the church, she performed a brief monologue enacting the conversation she had with God as she surrendered all to him.
A chosen generation
Throughout the evening, one word became the theme for the night — revival. Preachers and testifiers spoke passionately about the revival of our nation, urging the Gen Z congregation to recognise that the responsibility — and privilege — of sparking a spiritual awakening rests with us.
The encouragement was accompanied by a gentle caution: not to idolise the concept of revival itself but to remain eager and ready to answer the call of Christ.
Among people of faith, young and old, there’s a growing awareness of the spiritual hunger being displayed by their non-believing peers. In the same week as the event, The Times reported a study revealing that Gen Z are far less likely to identify as atheists than their Gen X parents or Baby Boomer grandparents. 62 per cent described themselves as “very” or “fairly” spiritual, significantly higher than other age groups.
As the service drew to a close, the preacher extended the customary altar call to a return of silence and avoidant eye contact. Then came a different invitation — a missionary call. A challenge to rise, to step forward, and commit to being part of the generation through which Jesus brings revival to this nation. In an instant, the pews emptied. Dozens rushed to the front, some falling to their knees in tears, others lifting their hands in joy, but all united in readiness. That moment felt like a live realisation of that survey’s findings, the atmosphere was charged with expectancy and an undeniable hunger for spirituality.
Grandiosity turned gratitude
Previously, I may have ignorantly viewed Avery’s story as ‘ordinary’. Yet she spoke with Holy Ghost fire in her belly and, in doing so, unknowingly demonstrated an understanding of something I had just come to comprehend.
Her words helped me realise that testimonies are not to function as a focus on you and how drastically your life has changed, but rather to publicise the active presence of Jesus in the lives of believers - however that may manifest. Whether that be God granting you the job you’ve long prayed for, or him healing a terminal illness that doctors told you would be your end.
It turns out I do have a testimony. As a matter of fact, I have a quintillion. I was granted another one when God woke me up this morning. I type this in my living room with a plate of my mother’s roast lamb waiting for me in the kitchen. Honestly, that might be worth 12 testimonies alone, and I would be gravely offended if anyone who’s tried it didn’t leap to testify with me.
The pews emptied. Dozens rushed to the front, some falling to their knees in tears, others lifting their hands in joy, but all united in readiness
James 1:17 reminds us: “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights.” On the other side of that spectrum, Paul writes to the Corinthians boasting of his weaknesses. For he has been told in his weakness God’s power is made perfect, he pledges to delight in all the tribulations of this world, “I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties.”
When contemplated together, the sentiments of these scriptures create an intersection. One at which everything is a testimony, or the making of one. All is either the goodness of God, or an opportunity for him to reveal it. This realisation has brought me far greater peace than the perception I held prior.
I still eagerly await the day I can share a wonder-filled testimony of God’s transformative power in my life, but that is now rooted in an understanding of its true purpose - to point people towards him. In the meantime, I’ve come to, and pray I continue to recognise and appreciate, the myriad I already have to share. Today, my fully functioning hands have allowed me to type this reflection to conclusion, and your eyes allowed you to read it. Look, that’s a testimony we’ve created together.
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