Dear Elim Grace,

I am sure many of you have heard about what is being called the “Asbury Revival”. On February 8th, a group of students at Asbury University in Wilmore, Kentucky spontaneously decided to stay after a chapel service to spend time in prayer. That meeting never ended but is ongoing as of today, impacting not only Asbury and its students but also seems to be spreading to other campuses. Additionally, hundreds if not thousands have begun to visit Asbury to see what the Lord might be doing.

Since we as an Eldership are in conversation and prayers about this, as I sure many of you are, it seemed good to me to share with you some thoughts I shared with them this morning:

1. There shouldn’t be any rush. I’m not following what’s happening via social media. Social media leads us to a rush of judgment, response, reaction. I’m “pondering these things in my heart,” asking, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening”; I’m following it through livestreams and a few eye-witness accounts of trusted sources. Historically, God has moved spontaneously in Asbury at multiple times and, for the most part, the renewing has lasted 1-2 weeks. We’ll see what God sovereignly chooses to do this time.
2. I will be praying God protect what He is doing there from the enemy who much enjoys sowing weeds/tares at times like this. I will also ask Elim Grace to pray for its protection Sunday.
3. I will be praying and asking God to make His river bubble up here at Elim Grace. If He’s opening up the heavens and sending times of refreshing upon His people, why not ask for it here? Asbury is being marked by a few unique things, among them worship of Jesus. EVERY song is about Jesus, exalts Jesus. The loudest thing in the room is the voices themselves. There’s a beholding of His glory and an awe before His presence in worship. There’s a deep reverence. These are all things we’ve experienced in drops or in glimpses at Touch Down. Perhaps, God will grant us more than a drop. While watching the livestream, my heart was bursting and I was nearly in tears.
4. As I’ve openly confessed, I’m prone to cynicism when the word “revival” begins to be thrown around. But in this case I have not found cynicism arising in my heart. Rather, I have been both quick and slow to believe. Quick to believe in that my spirit jumped within me as I watched, listened, prayed during the livestream; I am saying, “Yes, Lord, may it be!” Slow to believe NOT in that I don’t believe God can do it or God is in it, but only in that I’m watching how this is stewarded or led, and right now prayer, confession, repentance, worship of Jesus, and the Word of God are being held in the highest esteem.
5. My definitions: Renewal is when God touches an individual heart and life, a singular or small group of people (like a campus). Revival is when God moves more broadly upon His church/people (like a region). Awakening is when God moves beyond the church and out into society (like a nation). In all cases, it is the long term fruit that God seeks.

We will be praying for Asbury in our Sunday services, but I encourage you to take a minute now to pray for them, for God’s protection, for God’s wisdom, for God’s glory to shine bright in the face of Jesus Christ. And, if your heart is being stirred by a spiritual hunger for renewal and revival here in Oswego, then take a minute and pray that God may grant us a measure of His rain.

Pastor Jonathan