The phenomenon happening at Asbury University in Wilmore, Kentucky, has been sweeping the Internet and causing excitement among Christians all around the world. I arrived in the US last week to travel to the meetings and see what has been taking place and found myself instead, at nearby Samford University where the revival fires had spilled over.

The revival meetings at Asbury, which sparked spontaneously during a regularly scheduled chapel service on February 8, 2023, have been compared to similar revivals in the past and have attracted as many as 20,000 people in a single day.

In the BTJ Bible study series, Chasing Revival, we look into the details of revivals from the past to identify the characteristics that we can compare to the present. One of the things clearly revealed in Chasing Revival is that Jesus takes center stage.

“The presence of God is so thick,” says one pastor regarding the Scottish Hebrides Revivals, “that it’s difficult for anyone to take the stage. And really we don’t need to take the stage or take the mic when the presence of God is so powerful – nobody needs the mic.”

 

In both Asbury and Samford, no one took the microphone. The presence of God fell on each person and a spirit of confession and repentance swept through the chapel. Like the revivals found in modern day China, there were no special programs, smoke machines, strobe lights, Powerpoint presentations, or gifted charismatic speakers.

Many of the hallmarks of revival found in Asbury have marked revivals throughout history.

For those interested in revival, how it comes and what it looks like, CHASING REVIVAL can be a great Bible study consisting of a 62 day Bible study, 9 part video series, and coordinating handbook.

The 9 part video series is available for free by clicking here: