Are We Seeing Revival?

I hope so. We sure need one.

Statement from Asbury University President, Dr. Kevin J. Brown

At the completion of a regularly scheduled chapel service on February 8, 2023, at Asbury University, students lingered to pray, worship, and share. They have not stopped and, moreover, have been joined far and wide by hungry men and women across the world who desire to seek the Lord in this space. Since the first day, there have been countless expressions and demonstrations of radical humility, compassion, confession, consecration, and surrender unto the Lord. We are witnessing the Fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

We continue to seek to discern the right balance between orderliness for our university students, faculty, and staff and our campus visitors—and creating space for individuals to have a life-transforming, Christ-centered encounter.

We are also tremendously thankful for the men and women who have worked so hard and diligently to create space for this special move of God. Hosting such a significant moment comes with a cost—and the goodwill and humility of our community has been inspiring. Finally, we cannot fully express the profound gratitude we have for stewarding this outpouring in the life of our school and beyond. Ultimately, we pray that our efforts in these days point to our Savior.

— Kevin J. Brown, Ph.D.
President, Asbury University

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When I first heard that a revival had broken out at a Christian University in Kentucky on 8 February 2023, I did not fully understand what this meant.

To be sure I was hopeful.

Now I am encouraged to see the true and expected manifestations of the work of the Holy Spirit.

What does this mean?

If you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior — and you understand what this means experientially, then just multiply the power, changes, and emotions you felt in that initial season and imagine this affecting many, if not most, around you. It is as if the ground you have been standing on suddenly became Holy Ground.

This isn’t new. It is quite old in fact. What makes it so surprising today is its contrast with what has become normalized — an evil darkness of deceit and destruction where the very essence of the country we love and thought stood for goodness, righteousness, and fairness has been exposed as deeply and systemically corrupt no longer seeming to reflect the the principles of a, up to now, silent majority. We get a glimpse of this by seeing the outcome of polls asking people who they trust.

As we have continually become awakened to corruption in our institutions, through God’s grace we are also witnessing an invitation to come out of it and into his glorious light.

If this is true revival, and I believe it is, it will next show up in your neighborhood and mine. It will not be contained. However, it can, and likely will be, mocked and opposed. It threatens established power structures.

To be clear, this is not the transformation of life into happy times. It is the call of God’s people into spiritual battle, which first is a call to prayer. Pray for revival in your heart, your family, your church, the churches in your community, your city or town, your nation, and the world. Second, find others to pray with. Ask the Holy Spirit to do a work in and around you. Third, rejoice and attend a church. If the church you are attending dismisses the importance of revival, find another church.

And what if all this disturbs you?

What if it all seems crazy and unhinged? Then consider this. Perhaps you are seeking order as a way of managing your world. The problem with this is that you and I do not have enough within us to make this work out well. There is nothing wrong with admitting ignorance and confusion. We all started there. Pray and ask for understanding and then seek answers for yourself. If you have never read the Bible, you might start with one of the gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John.