Often we only realize we are experiencing historical events when we look back.
Consider the Moravians. In 1727, this group of Christians fleeing persecution in what is now the Czech Republic began a Prayer vigil 24/7. They could not have predicted that their non-stop prayer session would ultimately last 100 years and launch a worldwide mission movement.
Or take the example of John Wesley and George Whitefield. In 1738, in a New Year’s prayer meeting, where the men and others were gathered, “about three o’clock in the morning, as we instantly continued our prayer, the power of God came mightily upon us, so much so that many shouted for exceeding joy”, wrote more late Wesley in his journal. » The preachers probably did not know that in the following months they would begin traveling across the United Kingdom teaching God’s word, a campaign that would mark the beginning of the Wesleyan Revival and the First Great Awakening in the United States.
Church history has taught us to never underestimate the long-term impact when the tangible presence of God is manifested on a group of people; this understanding has led me to closely follow the aftermath of the 2023 outpouring at Asbury University.
For those who need a upgrade: A year ago this week, as a seemingly ordinary Wednesday morning chapel ended, 18 or 19 students lingered to worship and pray. Although the school in rural Kentucky had a history of revivals, few believed that this meeting would continue for the next 16 days, drawing more than 60,000 people, including students from 300 college campuses and Christians from almost all continents.
Although we have yet to see a global recovery since Asbury’s conclusion, there is much more going on than our eyes can see. I believe we have entered a period of spiritual preparation. I observed parallels between this event and a biblical preacher who also came from the countryside and who also attracted crowds: John the Baptist.
Prophesied by Isaiah as “the voice of one calling in the wilderness” (John 1:23; Isa. 40:3), John called the people to repentance and consecration. He embodied answered prayer and dedicated his ministry to proclaiming that something greater would soon follow him. Seeing evidence of these all over the world makes me wonder what next global step Asbury could have announced.
A call to repentance and consecration
From the desert, John the Baptist earned his nickname by “preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (Mark 1:4). Crowds followed him into the desert to confess their sins, be baptized, and be reconciled to God.
Likewise, crowds entering Hughes Auditorium were confronted with the state of their own hearts. Here’s how David Thomas, who was part of the core leadership team overseeing the outpouring, described it to me in an email interview:
During the early days of the Bestowal, it seemed that repentance and forgiveness were almost all we could do. All over the room, people were reaching out to each other, jostling to make the first move by apologizing, admitting their mistakes, forgiving their grievances, and explaining their misunderstandings. Hughes’ marches were populated with people on the phones sending texts of reconciliation and restoration.
Thomas’ remarks were echoed by one of the transatlantic visitors. Al Gordon, a London pastor, said he felt a weight in the air even in the parking lot.
“I felt an overwhelming feeling that I had to get right with Jesus,” he said. tell. “Before entering the chapel, I cried out for repentance, I confessed my pride and I humbled myself before God. »
Asbury students have led the way in modeling this wave of repentance. From the scene, hundreds of people shared their testimonies. Their stories ranged from simple things like, “I felt Jesus inviting me to send a message to a friend asking for forgiveness for something in our relationship that wasn’t quite right,” to dramatic transformations like that: “Three days ago, I renounced witchcraft and gave my life. to Jesus. »
Student leaders also would not allow anyone to lead worship who is not “authentically aligned with Jesus,” Thomas said. Instead of offering them, and the guest speakers who came, a standard green roomthey created a “consecration room” where they were instructed to receive prayer and ask God for forgiveness for any sins, before sharing anything from the platform.
A call to prayer
Jean-Baptiste was born from prayer, particularly that of his elderly parents. When the angel appeared to his father Zechariah, his first words were: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard” (Luke 1:13).
Likewise, there was an unwavering belief among Asbury leaders that “everything that happened in Hughes Auditorium during those 16 days was the result of prayer,” Thomas said. When people entered the small-town Kentucky space from other cities or continents, he thanked them for coming. But they would fix it. ” Do not thank me. I had come. I had to get here and lay my eyes on what I’ve been praying for all these years!
“People from all over had prayed and this story belonged to them,” Thomas said.
The global prayer temperature has increased significantly in the last year. The Asbury outpouring “unleashed a new hunger and a new hope” in the life of Pete Greig, the founder of Prayer 24/7as well as within the ministry itself, which has 25,000 prayer rooms in 78 countries.
“There is an increase in prayer,” Grieg said. “There is a deeper expectation.”
In New York, the City Church organized prayer events every morning, afternoon and evening, Monday to Friday. Her pastor, Jon Tyson, himself visited the outpouring and was deeply affected by it.
“It was extraordinary,” he said. “After studying revivals extensively, I witnessed what I had just read.”
This thirst for revival was also felt overseas. Three London churches organized all-night prayer evenings takes place every two months, where approximately 1,000 students and young adults showed up and called out to God for revival. The atmosphere is so dense with the presence of God, “you could light the air with a match” said Al Gordon, one of their pastors. Another pastor, Pete Hughes, REMARK“And we are committed to continuing until we see a revival in our city.”
A similar desire is observed on other continents. “Here in Australia, Asbury has caught the attention of many people,” said Mark Sayers, a writer and pastor of Red Church in Melbourne. In response to Asbury, the congregation opened a prayer room.
After several months, one evening, “the room was filled with the most tangible feeling of God’s presence,” he said. “No one wanted to leave. Calm, peaceful, unlike anything I have experienced in a meeting or prayer service. This moment radically changed a number of people present and greatly deepened the spiritual life of our church.
Pointing to something bigger to come
John the Baptist was always clear that his role was to designate the one who would come after him: “He must become greater; I must become less” (John 3:30). He was also fully aware that his ministry was a preparation for a movement that was to follow.
Similarly, Asbury kept Jesus at the forefront with a countercultural message of “no celebrity except Jesus.”
Asbury leaders hope their experience will one day be part of a plethora of chapters on how many people have encountered God.
“We look forward to the day when there will soon be another outpouring story that will eclipse Asbury’s,” Thomas said. “I hope this story comes from where you are: your city, your campus, your church and family, your own life. »
Executives pointed out that Asbury is the opposite of Las Vegas. The saying goes that what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. But what happens in Asbury shouldn’t stay in Asbury. Instead, they called for revival to extend to campuses, churches, streets and society.
“If the message doesn’t get to the streets, if it doesn’t get to the nations, it’s not going to get to where it was supposed to be,” Thomas said.
It’s business as usual
It is easier to recognize the beginnings of a movement of God when we are centuries apart. But what if we are in the middle of a new beginning? If God sends a worldwide revival to our generation, you and I surely don’t want to miss it.
Now is not the time to act as if nothing happened. It is an invitation to go wherever God has placed us, to prepare the way for the King. It is a call to repentance and to be honest with God in our personal lives, ministries and vocations. How do we prepare the way in the places where God has placed us? How are our college campuses, local churches, and mission organizations paving the way? For those of us who work in the marketplace and in business, what are we doing to be sensitive to God’s work?
“God is closer than we think and more ready to act than our faith often allows,” wrote Gordon, the London pastor who witnessed the outpouring. “The ceiling is thinner than our eyes can see, and at some point it will open.”
A year has passed. And it’s only just beginning. Will the global Church be ready to give way to the King?
Sarah Breuel is executive director of Revive Europe and sits on the board of directors of the Mouvement de Lausanne.
