EXPLAINER & THOUGHTS ON THE ASBURY REVIVAL

WHAT IT IS: Asbury is a small, historic Christian college in Kentucky. After the morning chapel service last Wednesday (February 8, 2023, nine days ago) students didn't disburse to classes. Instead, they stayed, worshipped through simple songs, prayed for one another, confessed sin, and called on the Lord. Those attending report experiencing the unmistakable presence of God. The number of 24/7 worshippers has grown day-by-day so that, now, three separate auditoriums are filled with students and visitors daily. The "awakening" has now spread to a few other campuses as other students & leaders have visited & reported back, and others have been emboldened to call upon the Lord. At this point, it shows no signs of slowing down. WHY IT MATTERS: Awakenings like this are not unheard of in American history. God uses them to accomplish in weeks what normally takes years or decades - people become Christians, strongholds of sin are broken, young people are called to serve in vocational ministry, and church decline reversed. Examples include the (smaller) Brownwood revival in 1995; Asbury in 1970, the Jesus Movement of the 1960s & the Great Awakenings. HOWEVER, this is the first awakening of this kind in two generations, and many of us have been praying for this for years 🙏🎉 WHAT IT'S NOT: While no movement is beyond criticism, this awakening bears the marks of genuineness & has avoided potential excesses. It's not built on emotional frenzy or celebrity personalities. The few criticisms have come from those with an obvious political or social agenda. Leadership at Asbury has done a fantastic job stewarding what's happening. It's not emotional manipulation & wasn't planned by leaders. It's simply young Christians inspired to call on Jesus. And Jesus is honoring their requests. WHAT CAN WE DO: Pray for revival fire to spread! 🔥 Pray that God protects this movement from those who'd like to exploit it for personal agendas. Pray that believers - young and old - would experience personal revival by calling on God, repenting from sin, singing His praises, and doing his will. 🙏