OSLO, NORWAY -- I must admit I was a bit apprehensive when we first received the invitation to come to Norway. After all, the request was for the month of February which happens to be their coldest month of the year. To make things more interesting the hosts were predominately State Lutheran churches who had not tasted renewal or revival. We were concerned but after a closer look we saw God’s hand had been busy in preparation.

A few weeks before we were to arrive, the Evangelist Mark Dupont from Toronto Airport Church had visited Norway. He had prophesied that revival was coming to Norway and would begin in three of the cities in which we just happened to be scheduled to speak. Dr. Michael Brown from Brownsville Assembly of God was in Sweden in the month of December and to add icing on their cake, Craig Howell from the Brownsville intercessory team and Evangelist Dick Reuben were in Oslo, Norway, the two weeks leading to our arrival. You could not have planned such preparation. It was a God thing.

We started in Hokksund just outside of Oslo and immediately we saw altar calls reaching the back of the building. These people were hungry for more of Jesus. In Bergen we spoke at one of Norway’s larger churches. Christ Church is a Lutheran church which is definitely asking for revival. Something wonderful broke and we saw Lutheran Priests, Pentecostals, and Baptists take banners and flags and begin to worship God in reckless abandonment. Pastors danced and skipped like children as the Holy Ghost had His way with all of us. The altar calls were phenomenal.

We then moved through the south of Norway preaching in historic Lutheran communities. I preached in a Lutheran church that was build in 1500 and had never seen a move of God; but they have now. The altar calls would sometimes go all the way to the foyers, out the doors, and people would kneel outside on the porches. Over 8,500 people answered the altar calls in one month. They begged us not to leave.

It is our plans to return in September with a large team and do stadium crusades throughout Norway. We will also go into all of the schools where we can openly proclaim the gospel and give altar calls (imagine that!).

Norway is a strategic nation that has the finances and the respect to evangelize all of Scandinavian and Europe and I am convinced they will rise up and fulfill their destiny. The frozen north land is quickly changing to a land ablaze with the fire of revival. Rise up Norway!

Written by Dr. Estill Maddox, Renewal Ministries, Inc., P. O. Box 762, Pensacola, FL 32594