Asbury Revival: Proceed With Caution

 

My favorite quote from Salvador Dali is simply “I don’t do drugs, I am drugs.” First, if you don’t know who this person is, click here. He lived a life of such intensity as an artist and I will circle back to why I like this quote so much and what it has to do with my blog.

The Asbury revival has been on the forefront of many social media feeds, news stations and more. At the time of me writing this blog, I read a Facebook post that said “We are 2.3 miles away from Asbury revival and there’s already a line. State trooper told us over 20,000 people were at the revival yesterday….He said he’s never seen anything like this before!!”

As I write this, I realize there have been many older folks that have seen revivals over years. Personally the “revival” that stands out to me the most is the Brownsville revival in Pensacola, FL. I was a young youth pastor shortly after it began on Jun 18, 1995. Seeing this revival unfold, there were a lot of questions raised. Many of the same questions I raise today with regards to the Asbury revival. I guess you could view this blog more so as questions and concerns being a pastor that has been around the block a time or two.

Let me clarify. Never will I downplay a move of God. What is happening in Asbury could and more than likely already has seen some fantastic moves of God. I have no doubt people’s lives are being changed. However, there are concerns. Allow me to explain.

1. What died? This is a legitimate question. For something to be revived, something has to be dead or dying. You don’t revive a battery that is full. A doctor won’t put the defibrillator paddles on person who’s heart is already functioning well. The question really turns inward. What died or is dying in your life or church that you need a revival? For the vision of Ezekiel in the valley of dry bones, it was evident what needed to be revived. To experience a revival one must come to grips with the fact that something has or is dying. Whose fault is it that something died or is dying? Your pastors fault? Your church’s fault? Can’t find a good daily devotional? Troubles of life? What happens when you experience revival at Asbury or your church and all things become new? How will you maintain that? It boils down to we have a task…a personal responsibility to remain in Christ and find our fulfillment in him. 

2. Speaking of the Ezekiel in the valley of dry bones, have you picked up on the resounding theme found in Ezekiel 37:5-6(NIV) “This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’” 

The “I” light on your dashboard should be going off. It’s only God’s presence that will usher in revival. If a revival is truly taking place it will be initiated by God. I have sat through many teachings of these pastors or staff pastors that were employed at these churches where revival broke out. Sadly, many (not all) used the “I” statement a lot but unfortunately the “I” they used was not pointing to God but rather their works. 

3. It started with a profound message. This is a sentiment at the start of most revivals. The same holds true for the Asbury revival. I took the time to listen to the message given at the start. I would not downplay what was stated on February 8, 2023. What I would humbly submit is that it is a common message. There are many phrases repeated from many a pastor on any given Sunday like “I don’t want you to leave this place until you experience God”. If your like me, you heard that said many times at the end of a service. The phrase “We are the generation that….” Or “God is going to do something today” (that’s my personal favorite but I will refrain from the snarkiness). Bottom line is that if more people listened to what their pastor is preaching on any given Sunday, this message would have been nothing new. However, it is what this crowd needed to hear at this time. Perhaps it was the age demographic or perhaps extenuating circumstance on the campus…whatever it was I am safe in saying the Holy Spirit used those words to stir people that were at that service. 

I would add that if a message like the one given stirred the heart of a seasoned believer as if it was some great revelation…your gas tank was pretty empty and I am glad you were there to fill up.

3. Revival chasers: I have to be honest, this is one that gets me every time. This occurred when the Brownsville revival broke out and it happened with the Toronto Blessing (sounds like WWE Pay-Per-Views) and many others. You get the folks who will drive hundreds if not thousands of miles to experience the revival (or should it be called an awakening? Perhaps I will save that for another blog). These are people that want to experience this moment for themselves. This really isn’t in and of itself a bad thing but here in lies the problem. These folks come home and tell many in their church about it and even go to great lengths to replicate it. Pastor…if that is you…shame on you. You need to hear from God for what he has for your church not some outpouring in another region. We saw this all the time during Brownsville. Pastors would start dressing different, worship leaders tried to look and sound like Lindell Cooley and that local church lost it’s true identity. 

I would go as far as to state (and I know this will be uncomfortable) be careful trying to mimic the revival in Asbury. One Baptist journalist stated “Some who were present at the beginning of the current revival say it began in a mood of contemplation and a search for connection, repentance and calling. This revival is not preaching laden. On the contrary, it seems almost preaching averse.” Remember the words of the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 1:21(NIV) “For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe.” Worship is good and necessary but I wonder what Finney, Spurgeon and others would think. 

It sounds like I am really down on revivals but I am not. What I am down on is hype and spiritual abuse. My hesitancies lie with who is tied in with this and there is nobody that hopes I am wrong about this more than me. 

What I do believe is that it is the roll of every believer to stay excited and engaged in their walk with Christ. I personally will not chase a revival but have experienced many revivals in my own life. The life of following Christ is and always will be exciting, humbling, awe-inspiring and new. There will be moments of feeling like I am in a desert. One cannot live on the mountain tops alone. I dare say my walk with Christ becomes all the more when he visits me in the valley and desert. Remember that phrase by Salvador Dali? “I don’t do drugs, I am drugs?” Certainly not a Christian sentiment but a phrase just as bold that I live by is “Stop chasing moves of God and become a move of God.” If I may be so bold, perhaps a personal way of putting it is “I don’t chase moves of God, I am a move of God”. 

God bless what is happening in Asbury but please proceed with caution. 

1 John 4