Some Thoughts On the February 2023 Asbury University Revival

Asbury Revival, Image by Cavan Carlton

Revival is something that the church desperately needs. I think we can all agree on that. And when revival is real, it spreads, though not necessarily in a super obvious way.

By now, you have probably heard about how revival broke out at Asbury University on February 8 as a result of a simple chapel service where students dared to ask, “Why shouldn’t revival happen here and now? Why should we wait for it to start elsewhere?”. It has now been going on for over a week, with multiple buildings full of worshipers 24/7, and people from multiple other colleges driving all day and through the night to experience it for themselves. Read what Asbury’s President says about it here.

On the surface level, and when you hear the testimonies of people involved, it’s awesome. I personally know people who traveled or are traveling to experience it, and they report a unique, beautiful, genuine move of the Spirit. This event hearkens back to when revival broke out at Asbury over fifty years ago, and it spread then, too. How I wish that it was possible for me to go and physically join in! But I can and will participate from my office and my church. That’s the cool thing about spiritual awakenings: you can be there physically and experience it among the worshipers, but spiritual things can’t be constrained by walls or miles.

Unfortunately…

Skepticism

Even as I first heard the news, skepticism slithered up to my heart and opened its fanged mouth. I watched it with sad eyes as it began to close its teeth around my soul. So I slapped it as hard as I could, and I’m still punching it whenever it rears its ugly head. Glory be to God.

In my experience, skepticism is often a barrier to the expression of faith. It pre-determines what’s possible and impossible based on our own finite sense of logic. It’s a protective barrier between us and the disappointment and unfulfilled expectations of this life, many of which come from lived experience that has wounded us. It points out the reality of things that we need to deal with and face while it sneakily puts our faith into a chokehold. Skepticism, if tempered in a healthy way, encourages us to question what we see and believe so we can resist being deceived (this can be a result of spiritual discernment in some cases), but all too often, our skepticism keeps us from seeing what could be, closing off the door of belief in the possibilities of what God could do. Skepticism is the enemy of vision. If this is indeed a movement of the Spirit, nothing can stop it.

That being said, I believe that if God wants to make a movement out of this generation of people (the majority of the worshipers are Gen Z students, who, unfortunately, older generations—even Millennials like me—tend to look down on), He can do it. He wants to. The very existence of this revival at Asbury is evidence of that. Other articles that I’ve read on this topic state that this young, up-and-coming generation is primed for revival because of the desperation and spiritual illness that are so often present in their daily lives. I believe it.

But What’s Next?

What will be even more important, though, is the practical results of this revival. Inevitably, life must go on. This long-term worship service will end at some point. Students will go to class. Professors will teach (according to the President of the University, classes have actually not been canceled, in an attempt to make this revival just a part of everyday life). This whole thing could end up simply being a huge mountaintop experience.

So, what about the valley? The valley is what we expect next, and its harsh possibilities feed our skepticism and doubt and make us question whether what we’ve experienced was real (I’ve been there more than once). But what if we believed that the God of the mountaintop is also the God of the valley?

In Matthew 8, right after the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus and His disciples descend the mountain, having just completed the greatest sermon the world has ever seen. What do they encounter first? A man with leprosy, begging to be made clean. Jesus stops. He sees the man and his faith. He is willing. He heals him. From there, Jesus goes on to heal many more people. He goes from preaching to entering the community and spreading the love of God and the message of salvation.

The results of spiritual awakening (as Asbury’s president is calling this event) are often far more subtle than the public displays of worship that they tend to start with, and as such, they often get overlooked because they don’t make the news. I know this because I serve in a ministry called Celebrate Recovery where revival has been taking place one broken person at a time for over four years. I’m one of those broken people who has experienced the long-term effects of revival, and I still pray for the Spirit to move in me and in those around me like it has in the past. I’ve personally witnessed the healing of marriages, the ending of addictions, the surrender of depression and anxiety, and the restoration of hope and faith. All glory to God!

Lord, Do It Again!

Real life: that’s the valley we and the students of Asbury (and every other college and outside adult that has joined in) need to be prepared for. The “high” of an ongoing worship service must translate into active ministry and transformed lives and communities, just like the beginning of the Church in Acts. Perhaps it will even shake up the sociopolitical status quo like it did back then. Wouldn’t that be a sight?

This is possible. I believe that. God has already made it so countless times. If people involved in this movement can take what they’ve experienced and set aside their fear and their spiritual and cultural inhibitions, they can do a great work in their communities while the Lord continues to do a great work within them personally. The effects can last for decades and transcend all barriers.

To make this possible, it is each of our jobs to empower this. Those involved in the in-person worship that is currently making the news need community and support. They need people to continue praying for them, encouraging them, and exhorting them. They need mentorship, intentional discipleship, and accountability. They need pride to fall and humility to rise. They need to be taught that this isn’t a one-time thing—the process of seeking holiness is a lifetime commitment. What we are seeing today is just Step One.

Lord willing, this awakening will spread far beyond what we expect and lead to a revival among a generation that has long lived in the dark. God, help us be willing to do our part, whatever is required of us, and give us faith such that this revival fire will continue to burn!