Monday, February 20, 2023

The Asbury Phenomenon






The 2023 "Asbury Revival" is an ongoing Christian revival at Asbury University in Wilmore, Kentucky. For a couple weeks now believers have been cramming into the large sanctuary of Asbury. It is now spreading to other churches. Brother Mann and I have been e-mailing each other about this move of the Holy Spirit. Is it another great revival? Another "great awakening"

Brother Mann has been following it more closely than I have and perhaps he will be led to write about it and keep us informed. I told him that I had been praying for such a thing for years, and for a "latter day rain," for many to be saved in this last corrupt generation that will, it seems, live to see the events of the Apocalypse. Elder Lasserre Bradley Jr. of Cincinnati Primitive Baptist Church, this past Sunday, called attention to it and also expressed the hope that it was a genuine awakening beginning to occur.

I am looking for the Lord to empower the church so that individual Christians will be "strong and do exploits." (Dan. 11: 32) Is it a real moving of the Holy Spirit? If it is, I don't want to be a mocker of it but join in it. If it is not, that too will become evident. We will see the fruit of it. Some will object to it because they feel like no revival can occur apart from their denomination, cult, sect, etc. But, let us hear Christ on the matter.

"And John answered and said, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name; and we forbad him, because he followeth not with us. And Jesus said unto him, Forbid him not: for he that is not against us is for us." (Luke 9: 49-50)

I don't want to be like the early Christians who were gathered together in a house to pray for Peter who was in prison and yet, when the angel freed Peter from his shackles and imprisonment, he went to the house where they were praying and no one wanted to believe that it was really Peter knocking at the door and calling for the door to be opened! Is the Asbury revival the beginning of the thing I have been praying about? I hope so.

"Gideon said to Him, “O my lord, if the LORD is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, ‘Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the LORD has forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites.” (Judges 6: 13 nkjv)

Those believers who will have to face the time of the Apocalypse and Great Tribulation will need for God to work miraculously on a wide scale if they are to endure it. So, let us empty ourselves so that we might be filled with the Holy Spirit and fearlessly face every persecution. Oh for another Pentecost! Another great outpouring of God's Spirit! To see many of the saints working miracles and prophesying as in the early church! Fearless martyrs! 

"Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy." 
(I Cor. 14: 1)

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