They’re calling it, “The Asbury Revival.”
It all started the morning of Wednesday, last February 8, on the campus of Asbury University in Wilmore, Kentucky. The students gathered in the university’s Hughes Auditorium for their usual hour-long chapel service. But, as it turned out, the service became anything but usual.
The service kept on going 24/7, as hours multiplied into days and now weeks without any let up in sight at this writing. What happened was some of the students continued in worship after the service was supposed to end that day. Then, something special started to happen. More and more students on the campus joined in with those still inside the service. (See a report of what took place that day published in The Asbury Collegian.)
Soon, the entire auditorium was filled to the brim with worshippers. Meanwhile, people were eagerly waiting outside in the rain for hours to get in. It’s said the line of those wanting to enter the service stretched as long as half a mile. Thousands reportedly expressed their desire to take part with fellow worshippers, traveling long distance to attend the revival.
And so, from an ordinary gathering of students sincerely and humbly worshipping God in a chapel service, a religious revival was sparked. It ignited into flames of power and praise and heartfelt prayer. Hundreds testify how they felt the Spirit moving in their midst. And the news spread out like wildfire to gain international attention.
Due to coverage of the revival on social media such as TikTok, millions of viewers have been reportedly drawn to the non-stop worship. They watched for themselves professors and local church leaders as well as students singing praise songs, raising hands or kneeling in prayer, giving testimonies, reading scripture, and worshipping God in the ongoing revival.
Since then, it’s reported that students and faculty from at least 22 other schools from various states travelled to take part in the service. It’s said at one time, there were upwards of 3,000 attendees, most of whom were out of state. As a matter of fact, the revival had grown so large that it had to expand over to additional facilities in town. On top of all that, several other schools and universities have been inspired to start their own revivals.
Where this all goes remains to be seen. But one thing appears evident: What happened is no mere coincidence. No one could have predicted this. It was a spontaneous event that soon became a spiritual movement.
For years, many believers have been calling and praying for a revival in our land, especially on college campuses. And now the Asbury Revival appears to be changing lives and leading countless persons to a personal encounter with Christ.
Since then, I’ve heard / read comments by attendees of the revival who given some amazing testimonies that can only be described as miraculous.
Many lives continue to be literally changed. Some tell how they felt the outpouring of the Holy Spirit—God’s Power. One attendee who was recently interviewed on radio said he witnessed fellow worshippers who’d experienced freedom from their addiction to porn and drugs. He saw how others were relieved from suffering mental and emotional issues.
And there’s more….Persons at the revival describe how they felt a tangible presence of God and received peace and joy and blessings like never before. Some describe how they were personally released from their struggle with bitterness and anger and received spiritual healing. Others at the revival tell of recommitting their lives to Christ. Some even decided to enter ministry.
Evidently, a revival took place that day. Interestingly, it didn’t commence with any fanfare, entertainment, or intentional outcome. Rather, it simply arose out of spiritual desire, repentance, and devotion to God through prayer. It’s no more complicated than that.
It’s worth noting that the Asbury Revival did not start with thousands of worshippers in a fancy worship center. Nor did it happen through a fiery sermon by some popular charismatic preacher. It didn’t even require a lot of money, mass marketing, or gimmicks of any kind.
It only proves that revival is generated when anyone seeking the Good News of Christ will submit their lives to him. How many it takes to bring on revival is actually irrelevant. It doesn’t necessarily mean you must have a large church building and a huge crowd to start one.
But it does take gathering sincerely and humbly in the name of Jesus no matter the number present. Jesus said if only two or three are gathered in his name, he will be there in their midst, (Matthew 18:20).What more do you need when Jesus is there?
And it starts as each person obeys God’s Word by faith, repents of one’s sins, and walks in the newness of life in the name of Christ (Romans 6:4). In effect, God sends his Power to those who strive to follow him, thus bringing renewal and refreshment, a.k.a., revival.
It goes with the literal meaning of the word “revival”—“coming to life.” It’s compared to resuscitating someone back to life. The Apostle Paul metaphorically described it as being, “dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus,” (Romans 6:8-11).
Through Christ, we are therefore enabled to experience revival. It’s something we need, not on just one occasion or whenever there is a revival service taking place. In fact, we don’t have to travel very far to be revived. Actually, what it takes is to see that we get right with God, especially at those time we’re struggling to get back to the “full measure of Christ” (Ephesians 4:13), and the Power we receive in his name.
Speaking of being revived, I am reminded of an old favorite hymn we still sing in our worship services: “Revive Us Again.” The words of the song were written in 1867 by Scottish physician, Dr. William Mackay.
As the story is told, his godly mother gave him a Bible. On the inside cover, she’d written his name and date. The Bible was her gift to him at the time he was a young man of seventeen leaving home to study medicine at a university.
But eventually Mackay, who was raised a Christian, drifted away from his faith. And he began drinking heavily. At one low point in his life when all he could think about was more money to satisfy his cravings, he pawned the Bible his mother gave him.
As time went on, Dr. Mackay happened to be treating a young patient who was suffering from a very serious fall from a scaffold. The doctor asked the young man who could be notified of his injuries. The man replied that he didn’t have anyone. He was all alone.
He did request that the doctor contact the landlady to come and visit him in the hospital. The man owed her some money and, by the way, would the doctor please ask her to bring the book. When the doctor questioned him about the book, the young man didn’t say anything more other than she’ll know what book he was talking about.
All the while during his visits with the patient, the doctor saw the man was very at peace in spite of his critical condition. Judging from his disposition, he could tell the young man must be a Christian. But Mackay didn’t want to talk about that with him.
When the landlady brought in the book to the young man it was actually his Bible. He cherished it and held it closely to him for it gave him strength even though he was getting worse. Tragically, one week later, the young man grew weaker and died.
When Dr. Mackay was summoned to his room to take care of the deceased patient’s paperwork, the nurse asked him what she wanted him to do with the man’s Bible. Since there was no relative to give it to, Mackay said he’d dispose of it.
While the nurse was tending to the deceased’s body, Dr. Mackay picked up the Bible, opened the front of it and browsed through the first few pages.
Suddenly, the doctor got the shock of his life.
William Paton Mackay (1839–1885)
Low and hold, inside the cover of that young man’s Bible was Dr. Mackay’s own handwritten name and the date signed years earlier by the doctor’s own loving mother. He surmised the young man must have purchased the Bible at the same pawn shop where he’d once left it.
Some of the pages had been worn and others loosened. He also found various verses the young man underlined. Mackay recognized these were the same verses that once were meaningful to him when he was young. No wonder the young man died in comfort and peace, he thought.
After that, Dr. Mackay was a changed man. Recalling those marked verses and those earlier days of youth brought repentance and restoration to his life. In the midst of tears, he asked God for forgiveness for all he’d done wrong.
The whole incident made such an impact on the doctor that he quit his practice and entered a seminary to become a minister in Scotland. He went on to write many hymns. But one song stands out in particular: “Revive Us Again.” It was inspired from the revival he experienced the time he discovered the Bible his mother once gave him.
I especially like the words in the hymn that says,
Revive us again; fill each heart with thy love;
May each soul be rekindled with fire from above.
Hallelujah! Thine the glory, Hallelujah! Amen;
Hallelujah! Thine the glory, revive us again.
The song is taken from Psalm 85:6,
“Wilt thou revive us again: that Thy people may rejoice in Thee?”
Whether you’re in a crowded chapel service, or gathered with just two or three others, or alone with your Bible in hand, you can be revived, too. So that through prayer and worship you shall also find the peace, joy and love that comes from the Power of God through Jesus Christ, his Son.
Good News to YOU!
Pastor Michael
P.S. Here are the Kramers singing their upbeat version of, “Revive Us Again,” https://youtu.be/K9FWq0eMqOE