Is there a revival at Asbury? If you are at Asbury, share you experience with us. If you know someone there, send them a link to this post if you would.
For the rest of us, I'd love to hear your thoughts on what revival is and isn't.
(HT: BHT Ryan)
Jesus-follower, husband, father, pastor, photographer, writer
Before you can get revived, you have to get vived! I'm afraid the latter is what many churches need.
Posted by: Denny Burk | 02/08/2006 at 07:35 PM
There's a guy preaching on that in Criswell College chapel this week.
Posted by: Denny Burk | 02/08/2006 at 07:36 PM
I'm not in Asbury, but this is what God has shown me.
Revival starts with the heart. It's seeking God daily, seeking for brokeness and faith. Then as your faith increases and you discover what the will of God is for your sphere of life, you discover individuals that need God as much as you do. It's a God-assembled community, where you rely on God's strength to do what he has called you to do.
Then those people who have you encouraged and prayed for does the same for other people, until the age gap decreases between the age your heart was revived and the person you discipled had their heart revived. And people mature in their faith earlier.
Then the nation is revived person by person, community by community, state by state, at a time. Then other nations. Then the world.
So far God has and is reviving my heart and my High School. Compared to what I feel is progress, it's awefully slow. But God didn't lead Israel through the wilderness for a week.
That's what I think revival is.
Posted by: Dan | 02/08/2006 at 08:52 PM
I am an Asbury alum. We have a long history of revivals, dating back a hundre years. However, the great revival of 1970 is the most famous. God sits down, lives are changes, and it has global effects.
Posted by: Caroline | 02/08/2006 at 08:55 PM
Revival is an act of God. Revivals cannot, I believe, be manufactured, scheduled, or otherwise made to come about. A revival is the divine perogative of God to cause a reawakening first of the church, and then the culture in which that church is found through that church's witness. The clearest signs of revival are God's people being convicted, en masse, of their wanderings from the narrow way, their repentance, their returning to the narrow way, and calling others to repentance and the narrow way of Jesus. A new call to prayer, holiness, and mission emerges among the called out of God.
Posted by: Jason | 02/08/2006 at 11:22 PM
Wow. So uh, has anybody actually BEEN to Asbury or is anybody actually there right now? You know, because it's nice that everybody wants to weigh in on what revival is... but what we'd really like to know is WHAT'S GOING ON THERE? I mean, that's what I want to know.
Posted by: Joe Kennedy | 02/09/2006 at 02:57 AM
Wow. I sound like a jerk. As usual, I don't read the whole post. Still, I'm most interested in what's going on there.
My bad, Steve and everybody else. Really. I have such a bad habit of doing that.
Posted by: Joe Kennedy | 02/09/2006 at 03:00 AM
I work at and graduated from the seminary across the street from Asbury College, and I went to the 'revival' Monday night for a little bit. Students, staff, faculty on both campuses have been praying for revival for years, but haven't we all?
Last friday, (Feb 3) was the 36 year anniversary of the big revival that started in the 70s. But now, this one going on in the same chapel has a different 'feel' to it... ( reason why I'm talking about the 70s revival so much is that *everyone* keeps comparing it to that one) In the 70s everything stopped, classes were canceled, the Spirit of God kept people in the chapel. Now however, people feel free to come and go, to go back to class and to go about their daily business... but there's always a steady stream of people in the chapel.
I've heard that about 7-8 students have given their lives to Christ... some community people have stopped by that don't know Christ and have received healing... So, God is doing something.
But... I'm a skeptic. I'm afraid for the students and the over-emotionalism of it all. Monday night when I went, there were several calls and spoken words to the people about taking what's happening in these four walls and taking it out to the streets, and out of the chapel. Time after time, someone stood up and said that.. I was waiting for it to actually happen. I felt 'revival' would begin, when they actually all got up to leave.. But, thats just me and my cynism talking.
God seems to be doing something, and as of 7:30 this morning, there's still stuff going on.
Posted by: jeana | 02/09/2006 at 06:41 AM
Search the site for the words "Christ" or "Jesus". Nada. Now read Edwards' Distinguishing Marks of true revival. Anyone can claim "God" moved them. Even the demons will testify to that.
Posted by: Delmer Magill | 02/09/2006 at 02:53 PM
Uhh, Delmer Magill?
Did you actually do what you're demanding?
College Profile -> Message from the President: "Asbury College offers a Christ-centered, quality liberal arts education."
College Profile -> Our Mission: "[...]preparing them to engage their cultures and advance the cause of Christ around the world."
College Profile -> Purpose, Faith will all also help you answer the challenges you're placing on others.
I agree that Edwards' Distinguishing Marks is a wonderful treatise. I just think you may wish to avoid shooting yourself in the foot on this issue.
I'm not associated with Asbury. I'm a west coast guy.
Posted by: Pat | 02/09/2006 at 03:22 PM
I heard Voodie Bachum give and excellent definition for revival, I think he got it from someone else but he said “REVIVAL IS WHEN GOD SUPERNATURALLY INVADES THE LIVES OF ONE OR MORE BELIEVERS IN ORDER TO AWAKEN THEM SPIRITUALLY FOR KINGDOM PURPOSE.”
Posted by: Tom | 02/09/2006 at 03:33 PM
Whatever is going on at Asbury, I don't think you can judge it from merely looking at their web site.
Asbury is just down the road from me, and I heard about the lengthy chapel service.
I will say this: Supposedly my friend's mom has been praying for a student at Asbury by name for some time. Although she had been praying for him, she had never met the student or heard of him before. One day my friend introduced him to his mom, and she told him she had been praying for him.
At the "end" of the chapel service on that first day, the student addressed the congregation, and then the chapel service didn't end, but continued on, as reported.
I don't know much about revivals, and I don't have much experience with God giving me people's names to pray for that I've never met. But with this lady I actually believe it, and it all sounds pretty wild.
Posted by: Nick P. | 02/09/2006 at 11:13 PM
This guy has an interesting e-mail from a current student regarding the revival: http://kline.blogspot.com/
Posted by: Michael Foster | 02/10/2006 at 03:39 PM