What does the word “revival” mean to you? The dictionary defines the word to mean “renewal” and “restoration” of something, or an act of “reviving”. It can also pertain to bringing life back to someone or something perceived as being dead or no longer useful. A person, who suffers a heart attack or seizure, is revived to return to full consciousness. An old motorcycle is found under a tarp, a little TLC is applied, along with some fuel, and the engine roars to life. Its usefulness is restored.
For many Christians, the word revival generally conjures up visions of large gatherings of faithful people under gigantic tents or in huge stadiums listening, worshiping, signing, and praying for a renewed focus on God and asking for His blessings on a town, people, or country. Evangelical ministers like Rev. Billy Graham, Rev. Greg Laurie, and Rev. Oral Roberts, are just a few of the people I think of when someone mentions the word “revival”.
Despite all of my years being a Christian, until this week, I had never attended a spiritual revival event. Some of you may have heard and learned about the “Jesus Revival” going on at Asbury University and Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky. My wife and I learned about it through Senior Pastor, Kyle Idleman, from South East Christian Church in Louisville, Kentucky during his sermon last Sunday.
The interesting aspect of first hearing about this event is that my wife and I both said, almost simultaneously, we wanted to go there to see what this revival is all about. We had never before done such a thing. Luckily for us, it’s only a two-hour drive to Wilmore as we ventured there on Valentine’s Day. As we drove on campus in this very small town, we saw many people walking toward and standing outside the Hughes Auditorium chapel building waiting to enter. We quickly found a parking spot and joined the lines headed to the chapel for the 2:00 pm service.
Initially drawn to the event out of curiosity, entering the chapel and joining the 1,500 other attendees in the building, quickly moved us both out of observation mode to full participant mode with other believers. So many people singing and swaying to worship music, some people weeping as they sang, others openly repenting of their sins, and others on stage encouraging attendees in the audience to give testimonials or read their favorite scripture verses. I coined it as “organized chaos” because there was no set agenda, no order of worship; no rules being enforced other than to keep the aisles clear for safety purposes. The magnetism of being drawn into the experience of being in God’s presence was indeed palpable. We both felt it was like being engulfed in an indescribable wrapping of love, warmth and connection with Jesus, as we shared the experience with everyone else in the chapel.
We have since learned that the “Jesus Revival” is still going past its 10th day now, with thousands of people from all over America flocking to this small chapel to bear witness to God’s presence in this event. Participating in this revival has renewed the focus of our own relationships with the Lord to see where it leads us, as well as with fellow believers in America. I believe God has seen the troubles we’ve all been experiencing in our world, has heard our cries, and is taking action through this revival to “reset” the focus of our lives out of this world to better focus on His kingdom.
We hope and pray that this “Asbury Awakening” event continues to bring more and more people together to share the love and fellowship in worshiping God regardless of their individual religious preferences. We pray also the attendees will feel the presence of the Holy Spirit invading their hearts, minds, and souls to renew and strengthen their faith by worshiping in Spirit and Truth to become more fervent disciples of the Lord.
Live, Love, and Grow in Jesus!!
Blessings,
Jerry
