By Kyle Stinnett
Editor@grandgazette.net
Asbury University has a long-standing tradition of fostering a vibrant spiritual atmosphere among its students. Founded in 1980, the university has prided itself in equipping students to impact the world for Jesus. This tradition has culminated in the latest revival that has spread throughout the campus, a revival, unlike anything Asbury has seen before.
The revival started in the chapel where the presence of God suddenly overcame students. At 10 a.m., the regular service started, which usually ended around 11 a.m. In the chapel, powerful prayer was lifted up, songs were sung, and the love of God was shared. As of the writing of this article (Tuesday, February 14), it hasn’t stopped. This energy only grew as it spread throughout the campus with testimonies shared among students about their newfound, renewed passion for Christ. A phone interview with the school’s operator stated, “This is Holy Spirit lead! There were no speakers and this wasn’t planned!”
While the revival began in the chapel of the school, it has now spread to classrooms and meetings, changing the culture and people of the school. Spiritual growth was being discussed not only by professors to students but across the campus amongst a variety of individuals. These spiritual conversations have led individual hearts and minds to grow closer to God. Reports from other news sources state that the campus began to fill with more and more energy that could only be attributed to the divine presence of the Holy Spirit.
This revival has unified Asbury’s campus and brought together students from various backgrounds to worship Jesus. It has allowed students to represent their faith in powerful ways throughout the campus as over 3000 people have flocked there.
At a conference in Castle Rock, Colorado, that began on the same day as what is being known as the “Asbury Revival,” similar things were being said and spoken. Attendees spoke of a profound sense of unity and togetherness. On Friday night, Lou Engle, gave a powerful message about prayer and fasting.
This led to an outbreak of the Holy Spirit hitting the conference on Saturday afternoon. A woman shared a testimony about being at the Rock Church in Castle Rock, Colorado, where her husband who had passed away was twirling down the aisle as she spoke and revival broke out. After sharing her testimony, the Holy Spirit showed up and took over the service. Three speakers were scheduled, but none of them got to share what they had prepared. One attendee said after the service, “What just happened? That lady shared her testimony around 2 p.m. and then next thing I know we’re all down in the front getting an encounter by God, and it’s 5:30 p.m.!”
The following Sunday, someone contacted the Grand Gazette from Auburn, Alabama, and stated that revival was also breaking out in their hometown this past week. “We heard about the revival in Asbury and were about to leave when someone in our group said, ‘Why don’t we just have one here?’ So we did!”
Is this the beginning of a great revival like the Great Awakening in the 1730s and 1740s?
If this intrigues you, Kremmling Community Church will be hosting its quarterly regional worship night starting at 5 p.m. on March 12.
