A Spontaneous Work of God at Asbury College.

You might have seen news about a revival happening now at Asbury College, which is located only a 40 minutes drive from our church. A normal midweek chapel service blossomed into an on-going prayer and worship meeting, which at this time is still going on. Their chapel is full, and God seems to be doing something special.

These are just some thoughts about revival.

One interesting fact is that the Asbury leaders shepherding this event have made it clear they are not calling this a "revival." It appears this is because that word is loaded with connotations which are unsuited to what is actually happening. The word "revival" has become identified in the public mind with screamy preaching, manipulative music, cheap theatrics, crass publicity, and lots of fake "conversions." 

I am not yet planning on going down to Asbury, because I don't want to go "see something." It's a spiritual event, not a show or a performance, and I don't want to gawk. This is similar to why I ordinarily would not attend an evangelistic rally, unless I was bringing a non-Christian. The space I would take up could be more profitably filled by somebody else. 

Where the Gospel is presented clearly and truly, faith is solicited, and the responses are repentance, renewed devotion to Christ, and personal reformation and re-direction, then a real spiritual movement is happening. This contrasts with mass meetings, in person and on TV, I have seen where there is nothing but furious music, emotion-whipping, and mass hysterics, driven by bombastic preachers. Those are false revivals.

The presence of strong feeling does not discredit a meeting. In fact, the absence of warmth and feeling toward Christ is a sign that revival is needed. Christ criticized the Ephesian church for no longer loving Him as they once did. Some Christians are far too stoic and intellectualized in their faith, maybe as an overreaction to charismania. 

If there's some emotionalism or shallow responses, those in themselves don't prove ta revival isn't real. Christ Himself had those types of reactions from His crowds! Satan put demon-possessed people into Christ's audiences, shouting out, "You are the Son of God" in order to discredit him. The test of a revival is the integrity of the messenger, the message, and the spirit in which the meeting is run. In many senses Jesus Christ was a true revivalist, and we know He had all kinds of reactions from His attendees.

Christians should live in a perpetually revived condition. We should be filled with God's Spirit every day, and renew our love for the Lord Jesus on a regular basis. We should respond to God's Word, not just know it. Sometimes the Lord stirs up a powerful spirit of renewal, blow on cooling embers of faith, and good sparks will come flying out of it. Let us hope that is the case at Asbury.