By now you’ve no doubt heard about the renewal taking place at Asbury University in Kentucky. You can read a beautiful and thoughtful account from an Asbury Seminary professor here. I love what’s happening at Asbury. And what I love about it is that by all reports it’s pure, humble, student-led, and non-hype-y.
My friend Pete Greig, the founder of the worldwide 24-7 Prayer movement wrote this on Instagram:
But after a quarter century thinking and praying about such things, and with much on my heart, for now I simply want to say just two things:
Firstly, as has often been said, when it comes to reports of revival I would far rather be gullible than cynical. As Gamaliel said to the Sanhedrin: "If this teaching or movement is merely human it will collapse of its own accord. But if it should be from God, you cannot defeat them, and you might actually find yourselves to be fighting against God!" (Acts 5:38-39, J.B. Phillips)
Secondly, we need this. What’s happening at Asbury is not everything but it is something and right now we need something to shock the system so that this generation can experience for themselves the life-changing power of God. We need repentance and holiness. We need the kind of outpouring of the Spirit on campuses that can incubate and detonate a new generation to preach the gospel with greater confidence, fight injustice with greater defiance, and transform society with greater intelligence.
Beyond human programs, products and personalities, we need God’s power, presence and perspective. In other words we need a sovereign inbreaking of the Holy Spirit.
I offer a heart, “Amen!”.
In early January, I wrote the words below on as the caption on an Instagram reel. I am posting there below (and in a slide carousel format here) in hopes that these brief and simple reflections on a move of the Spirit will awaken hunger in you.
You can’t manufacture a move of the Spirit, but you can make space for it. You can watch for it and wait for it.
Even so, you can’t make it the focus or fixate on a particular expression of it. You have to hold it loosely, or better yet, don’t try to hold it at all. Just enter in and marvel at what the Lord is doing in each season in each expression.
In that way, I imagine it’s a little bit like surfing. The ocean of God’s presence is always there. And we’re always welcomed into it. We can dip our toes in or dive in and everything in between. There is joy in the water.
But sometimes the water swells. You can’t force a wave to come. But you can get yourself ready for it. You can get your wet suit on and paddle out into the water. And when the swell comes, you have to chase it quickly and stand up boldly and ride it for as long as it lasts.
Mistakes come from trying to stay on it too long. Or trying to stand up with the swell isn’t strong enough. No wave lasts forever. Most are only a few seconds.
I think that’s like the move of the Spirit. Swells are not the norm. They don’t happen all the time. You can’t control it; you can only be ready for it. You can watch and wait for the rise of the Holy Spirit’s activity. And when you see it swell, stand in awe. And when it’s over, return to the waters of His presence with gratitude. It’s all good and beautiful.
Let’s be people who watch and wait and are ready for the swell of the presence and activity of the Holy Spirit this year.
Come, Holy Spirit!
For all our prayer initiatives at Rockharbor, including a digital “Prayer Wall”, prayer workshops, prayer meetings and more, visit: Rockharbor.org/prayer
Very well said thank you