Responding To The Asbury Revival

Intro

On February 3, 1970, God’s glory came down in the chapel service at Asbury University in Wilmore Kentucky, near Lexington.i This proved to be one of several manifestations of the Spirit as the Jesus Movement Revival spread across America.ii The Jesus Movement was the greatest revival that has happened during my lifetime. It included the Charismatic Renewal. I have experienced two revivals: the Jesus Movement and the Brownsville Revival. Both powerfully impacted my life. Many Christian leaders today are the fruit of those two movements.

Is God doing it again?

On February 8, 2023, God’s glory came down again in the chapel service at Asbury University. That manifestation of God’s presence continues as we speak. I went online and experienced some of the worship myself. Such a sweet presence of the Holy Spirit!

Over the last 50 years, many people have cried “Revival” when it was simply a service blessed by the Holy Spirit. I appreciate what God did in each of those meetings. But when you have personally experienced revival, you know the difference.iii This work of the Spirit at Asbury feels authentic. It certainly resonates with my spirit at a subjective level. My friend, Keith Collins, went there and then shared his experience. He talked about the weightiness of God’s glory in the meeting. Keith knows what revival is. He was actively involved in the Brownsville Revival. I trust him as a man of God who does not hype things.

On New Year's Day this year, God told me this is a year for holy optimism. I preached a message with that title in January. Of course, every year should be a year for holy optimism for God’s people. But there are times when God is emphasizes something. I believe our faith should rise to a level of great expectations for the days ahead. I hope what is going on at Asbury will stir us to press into God ourselves.

When I think of revival, I think of a move of God that profoundly impacts society. It includes the refreshing of God’s people, but it extends to a significant harvest of lost souls. It’s too early to call Asbury event a revival. But it is certainly a refreshing from the Lord and may blossom into full revival. We need more precise terminology when talking about the works of God. Revival means different things to different people. For some it is a week of scheduled evening services with an evangelist. I personally reserve the term for a move of God characterized my conviction of sin, repentance, salvation of lost people, lasting impact on the society as a whole, along with the refreshing and renewal of God’s people. By that definition, it is too early to call the moving of the Spirit at Asbury a revival, although I am calling it that simply because that is the way people are referring to it.

In Acts 3:19 Peter talked about “times of refreshing.”iv The word translated “times” is kairos. In this context, it means an “opportune time.”v Are we entering an opportune time? If so, Ephesians 5:16 tells us to be “redeeming the time [kairos].” The NIV translation is clearer: “making the most of every opportunity.” When God is moving, it is time to jump in with both feet!

A special time of refreshing is upon us characterized by the manifest presence of the Lord. Acts 3:19 says, “times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.” His presence is weighty at Asbury right now. We desire that same weight of glory where we are as well. I have definitely noticed an increase in the anointing since New Year’s Day in our own church. To ensure that manifest presence of God increases, we want to do exactly what Peter said to do in Acts 3:19: “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.” Peter was talking to Jewish leaders who needed to be converted. This verse has specific application for the nation of Israel and the end of the age. But there is a principle here that is applicable to you and me as well. To invite refreshing from the Lord, we may need to repent of some things—we may need to turn from some things that are grieving the Holy Spirit and hindering the full realization of His will in our lives. May the Lord show us what those are so that we can deal with them by His grace. May He help us to open the door wide for His manifest presence in our own lives. In His presence is fullness of joy. In His presence we are refreshed. We are empowered for holy living. We are empowered for service.