Is this the beginning of a nation-wide revival?
Asbury University Chapel
At the time of writing this article, Asbury University is in 153 hours of non-stop revival and Lee University is in its 34th hour of non-stop revival. It's been 50 years since the last revival of both of these campuses.
Feb. 3, circa 1970, the famous Jesus movement swept across the nation. In search of refuge, many drug addicts and street people came to find Christ. Former druggies, hippies and "flower children" became labeled "Jesus freaks" for their non-traditional views of church. Characterized by salvation, and experiencing God personally, the Jesus movement led to thousands upon thousands of salvations in the 70s.
Now, some 50 years later, both Asbury and Lee are experiencing the beginning stages of revival.
I continue to dream and pray about a revival of holiness in our day that moves forth in mission and creates authentic community in which each person can be unleashed through the empowerment of the Spirit to fulfill God's creational intentions. ~John Wesley
Asbury University
What started as a typical Wednesday chapel has turned into an outbreaking of the Spirit. Hundreds of people today are coming from other cities, colleges and states to attend the longest chapel service the university has seen since the 1970s.
Hayley Anderson, a student attending Asbury University has been frequenting the revival services since the beginning. "It was just a typical Wednesday morning like any other chapel that we've had," Anderson stated. "I was skeptical at first if I'm being honest. I strictly went down there just out of curiosity initially."
Upon attending the ongoing Wednesday service, Anderson found that it was in fact a genuine move of the Spirit. "I've never experienced anything like this...I could feel such a strong presence of God."
Worship, prayer, reading of scripture and repentance are the themes of this revival. "I was in there today and they did a moment of confession where people could stand up and say 'Jesus I confess..' then everyone else would say 'Jesus's blood forgives'...it has been very eye-opening how all of us are broken and are struggling with something."
When asked about what her message of revival would be, Anderson stated, "It is something only God can orchestrate."
Revival is when God gets so sick and tired of being misrepresented that He shows Himself. ~ Leonard Ravenhill
Lee University
After attending the Asbury revival the weekend prior, students returned to Lee University stirred. Dr. Kevin Nordby, professor of theology, was teaching a class when students began talking about the revival at Asbury.
Upon discussion, the students asked Nordby, why that same revival could not happen there. They took a poll to decide whether or not to leave class early to go and pray. After a unanimous vote, students along with Nordby entered Stone Chapel to pray at around 10 a.m. Since then, students began pouring into the chapel, eager to pray with their friends.
After hearing about the revival Ashley Morrell, a recent graduate of Lee, went to the chapel that evening. "I have never experienced something so pure. It is truly a one mind and one accord movement."
Rob Fultz, a 2001 Lee alumnus and current campus pastor has been leading the charge. "We are praying. We are reading scripture. We are worshipping. Largely it has been non-production oriented," Fultz stated. "It’s been completely organic up to this point. My role as campus pastor is to really help monitor and stay sensitive to where things need to go."
Christian Edwards is a current student attending the university and one of the students who attended Dr. Nordby's class the day revival began. When asked what was happening within the chapel, Edwards stated: "People are being filled with the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking of tongues for the first time. People are coming with all sorts of needs and desires and they are being met at the altar. And now it’s spread to members within the community. The first 24 hours was primarily young people. Now there’s been an influx of all generations. We’re all in one-accord."
"It started with no agenda," Morrell stated. "In the bible belt, we are always yearning for revival, but it came in the most simple way. It's so simple. He [God] responds to hunger."
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