The greatest current news in American Christianity is happening now at Asbury University in Wilmore, Ky—a true move of God that can be called a revival or awakening. Regardless of the name, thousands of people are traveling many hours just to sit and experience the manifest Presence of God in services led by college students (Gen Z).
Humility, repentance, brokenness before the Lord, and the strong sense of God’s sweet Spirit are hallmarks of every meeting. Some have been saved; some healed; some delivered from demonic oppression but all have been blessed it seems.
One of our daughters and her family have been in this from the start and they will never be the same! Glory to God!!
Here are a few news reports you may not have seen. CBN and many other ministries have covered his extraordinary event.
24 Million Views on TIC- TOC! Here’s NBC News
The Christian Standard Article
Detroit Catholic News Response
A Very Insightful Video with Great Historical/Theological/Pastoral Context ( Thanks to Orlen Stauffer for sending this to me)
Some of My Favorite Articles
From the very first day, we were there, taking it all in—we heard it with our own ears, saw it with our own eyes, and verified it with our own hands. The Word of Life appeared right before our eyes; we saw it happen! And now we’re telling you in most sober prose that what we witnessed was, incredibly, this: The infinite Life of God himself took shape before us. We saw it, we heard it, and now we’re telling you so you can experience it along with us, this experience of communion with the Father and his Son, Jesus Christ. Our motive for writing is simply this: We want you to enjoy this, too. Your joy will double our joy!–
I John 1:1-4
–Last Wednesday, Feb. 8 at 11:00 a.m., the Holy Spirit filled Hughes Auditorium (our chapel) and has not let up. Again and again, people report experiencing God like they never have before in their lives.
–Early on, thick clouds came down and settled around our campus…I will never forget how it seemed to be the visible thick presence of Jesus settling in on us.
— The movement of God is across the generations–from 93 years old to 2 weeks old–they have shown up. College students arriving with backpacks and pillows, wheelchairs and elderly people, babies in strollers, in arms and in front packs. Children and many teenagers. And of course, at the heart– Gen Z.
–The Holy Spirit lit the wick of Gen Z, and now people from around the nation are putting their candles into the fire, experiencing the goodness and grace of God.
–Many testimonies from college students about release from anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation. Come, Lord Jesus! This generation needs this.
–Words that people keep saying to me about their experience: LOVE of God, JOY of Jesus–“I have never experienced this! I have never felt Jesus like this!” I hear this all day every day for 7 days.
–News of incoming students–constant updates about colleges pulling up at all hours of day and night. Another bus is coming! 50 arrive tomorrow. 100 expected tonight!
–No lyrics! Can you even imagine this, churchgoers? Except for two hours in our planned morning chapel services–not a lyric to be seen for 168 hours. It’s just been simple.
–Afternoon testimony time! Hearing people testify to the goodness of God with incredible testimonies often about freedom from addiction, healing of relationship, a word of blessing proclaimed.
–Food arriving unrequested, day in and day out for the ministry team. A beautiful table with flowers and scripture laid out for us, piled high with every kind of healthy snack. Homemade baked potato soup, a grandma’s hummingbird cake, scotchies, homemade cheese balls, vegetable platters, mountains of chick-fil-a, protein bars, protein drinks, fruit.
–So much food arriving for students unrequested, 50 pizzas at a time (again and again)!!!, anonymous Chick-fil-a massive drop off, a mom who made chocolate chip cookies all day in Indianapolis and drove them here in the evening
–A food truck (showing up today!)–“God told me to cook for God’s people for free, here I am!”
–The student who has felt called to create and staff a coffee station for the last 7 days. She took it on herself (she said Jesus called her to it), to make coffee for hundreds with two keurigs. She ran out of cups and prayed for more cups. She got more cups.🙂
–Mostly student worship leaders (volunteer in every way) who have led in worship from about 9:00 a.m.-3:00 a.m. every day (sometimes the full 24 hours), without stopping. Coordinated by an incredible husband & wife ministry team from Asbury who have pastored and organized these leaders with such grace and wisdom.
–Testimony by a young man named Gage from Michigan–the JOY abundant in his whole being! I will not forget his face and words.
–“May I pray for you?”, “May I pray for you?”, “May I pray for you?” A prayer team of volunteers, trained and prepared all day and into the night.
–A healing of a freshman who due to a mild cerebral palsy had never run before–running!
–SO MANY people who have shared–I was here in 1970, I was here in 1953!!!!, when God showed up. I had to come back, I had to come back.
–“Christian celebrities” unannounced and without introduction or crowd awareness in the room
— A crowd waiting to get into Hughes. Like hundreds of people waiting. Seating people 2 here, 3 here throughout the evening as others leave.
–A core team that has fully shared leadership–we have leaned in a discerned every step of the way together–trying to keep our balance on the surfboard of the wave of God.
–Asbury volunteers (and now others!) who have shown up 24-hours a day. Everyone mobilized and supported 24-hour infrastructure for crowds on a dime.
–Some point (maybe last Friday?), we saw the crowds were picking up and we started planning an evening event for what would be 3000 in literally under an hour–pivot, adapt, move, change, stretch, grow.
–The infrastructure of it all has been a text thread. I just love this. For all my spreadsheets, and organizational plans for all the administrative work we do at AU, when it comes down to it, we have had a text thread keeping us in step with each other. Literally minute by minute.
–Somewhere early in this…without talking to each other about it at first–we just stopped introducing ourselves at the mic when we gathered people (with the exception of the actual 10-11 chapel hours, M/W/F). Nameless. It just seemed unimportant to even say our names. When we coordinate so very carefully introductions all throughout the year at AU, now it has been just been about Jesus.
–We are really tired, pray for us for strength and discernment. Overall, we are a really joyful bunch. It’s hard to leave at night, even at 1:00 a.m. We have to push each other out the door. It’s like proud new parents who can’t leave to go out for that first date without the baby–we all feel tender to what God is doing in our midst.
–I have felt the prayers of hundreds, sustaining and supporting. So much encouragement and kindness. Thank you. I will remember these days for the rest of my life and how much love and grace came to us. It’s all a gift. My faith is encouraged. Thank you.
Author??
I’m hesitant to post my thoughts on what’s happening in Wilmore. A few of you may have heard about the “Revival” at Asbury University. I attended the gatherings from the first day til now. A chapel service that didn’t stop but continued spontaneously for 8 days now. It was an intimate space for students but it is now the focus of global intrigue, mass pilgrimage, and digital evaluation. I am aware that not everyone has a paradigm for this form of spirituality but I want to be honest about my own understanding.
I come from a spiritual background that has left me weary of hype in a culture of spectacle. I’ve grown tired of disingenuous representations of divine work but it is clear God is moving in a surprising and transformative way. However, when you think of “revival”, what comes to mind might not be what’s happening.
To quote Professor McCall, a theology professor at Asbury Seminary, “what we are experiencing now—this inexpressibly deep sense of peace, wholeness, holiness, belonging, and love—is only the smallest of windows into the life for which we are made.”
The movements of the spirit in western evangelicalism always exist in the middle of a cultural moment. A generous interpretation of these movements reveals unique traits for each one. For example, fervor for the great commission at the Mt. Hermon Conference, overwhelming joy in Toronto Outpouring, zeal for the lost in Brownsville Revival, acts of healing at the Kansas City awakening, and the manifestation of tongues at the Azusa Street revival. In each move of the spirit, God clearly manifests in a specific way for that generation. I find it interesting that God would mark this outpouring with:
A tangible sense of peace for a generation with unprecedented anxiety.
A restorative sense of belonging for a generation amidst an epidemic of loneliness
An authentic hope for a generation marked by depression.
A leadership emphasizing protective humility in relationship with power for a generation deeply hurt by the abuse of religious power.
A focus on participatory adoration for an age of digital distraction.
It feels as if God is personally meeting young adults in ways meaningful to them. My generation was formed differently than previous generations and so the traits of this revival are different than revivals of old. The new outpouring is not the signs and wonders nor zealous intercession nor spontaneous tongues nor charismatic physicalities nor the visceral travail. It is marked by a tangible feeling of holistic peace, a restorative sense of belonging, a non-anxious presence through felt safety, repentance driven by experienced kindness, humble stewardship of power, and holiness through treasuring adoration.
It is important to reflect on the words of Jesus ”no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, new wine must be poured into new wineskins.”
I don’t want to make the mistake of trying to fit this new work into old paradigms. The new wine cannot be understood with the old expectations of revival.
As the revival has grown, people attempt to evaluate and participate from their old expectations. You cannot keep new wine in the old wineskin; or it may cause disappointment, disillusionment and divisiveness. In humility, we must receive the new wine with an open hand without trying to force this spiritual movement into our well-intended but old expectations of renewal. We must strive to humbly participate, appreciatively celebrate, and intentionally respond to this surprising work of the Spirit with openness and hunger.
Source on Facebook by Madison Pierce
The revival that is breaking out at Asbury College is just one of many that we are going to begin to see. I woke up this morning with this repeating in my Spirit “The Joshua generation is rising up.”
A generation that has not known God or experienced His works is about to be radically saved. For years these young people have been consumed by a flood of filth and perversion but God has need of this generation. There are Davids and Esthers who have been hidden away who are about to step into the throne room.
There are Joshuas and Calebs who will not be afraid to conquer the land. Fierce servants of God, they will be ready to kill giants and claim what is theirs by right. A boldness is going to fall upon our sons and daughters that will empower them to tear down and cast out.
Elishas are dropping their plows and picking up their mantles. The saints of old are gone and God is looking to our campuses and our schoolhouses in search of those who will take their place. A call to ministry is going to fall heavily upon this generation as these young people begin to open their hearts to God and see the condition of this world.
Shadrachs, Meshachs, and Abednegos are going to refuse to bow to the spirit of this age. What was considered entertainment will now be repulsive and that which was accepted as truth will be discarded as dirty rags. Holiness will be the new standard as these young men and women begin to make a stand for righteousness.
A clashing of two kingdoms is taking place as darkness and light collide. The God who answers by fire is going to burn through this nation, consuming our sons and daughters. From the lunch room to the football field, from colleges to high schools, the Spirit of God is going to be poured out. Our churches are going to be overrun by young people seeking to be saved, delivered and filled with the Holy Ghost. This move of God will not be organized by man, this outpouring is going to be led by and controlled by the Holy Ghost. The wind of the Spirit is beginning to blow. A generation of dry bones is starting to rattle.
Facebook Source. By Simply Jecker
Asbury Services to Draw Down to Allow Classes to Resume
Read the schedule of reducing meetings here. Pray that the fire of revival is planted elsewhere!
