AFTER ASBURY, NOW WHAT?

Yesterday marked the end of open-to-the-public services at Asbury University. They will continue with evening services for students, but the 15,000-20,000 daily visitors overwhelmed Wilmore, a town of 6,000. However, the outpouring hasn't ended; it has spread to over 20 campuses, and scores of churches have been inspired to pray, call on the Lord & repent from sin. This leaves us in a once-in-a-generation moment. How should the church respond?

Some suggestions...

PRAY & CALL FOR PRAYER. An outpouring like this can't be manufactured. People have tried. But now that it's here & on our minds, it can be stewarded wisely... or foolishly. Don't try and replicate 24/7 worship services. But do call on people to pray with renewed fervency. Private prayer is essential, but corporate prayer is too. Call prayer meetings. Have simple prayer groups. My ministry is setting aside a prayer closet and inviting students to pray in shifts, 30-60 minutes at a time, for the next week. Ask God for personal & generational revival.

TALK DIFFERENTLY ABOUT JESUS. What distinguishes Asbury is a hunger for Jesus. Not a hunger for the benefits he brings. Not hunger for a movement. A hunger for Jesus. Students want Him. More of His presence & power. Let's stop talking about Jesus as a means to an end. He's more than a path to relieve anxiety, find purpose, or receive blessings. Jesus himself is the goal of Christianity. He is the sweetest name we know. He is the treasure, the pearl, the groom. Let's push one another to thirst for him like "like a deer thirsts for water." (Psalm 42:1)

EXAMINE OURSELVES. The obstacles to personal revival are sin and distractions. We repent from sin and clear out distractions. This morning I'm praying Psalm 139:23-24, "Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." And Matthew 13:22, "The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful." Let's examine ourselves and remove obstacles. Pray, God (1) convict us of sin, (2) clear out distractions, and (3) send a revival to your church, starting with me.