Sensation at Ashbury University
Asbury University in Kentucky is being reported in the news, not just by the Christian Press, but mainline media like the Washington Post are reporting headlines like “Religious revival meeting at Asbury University going strong after more than a week.”
The British newspaper the Independent said, “Christian university’s chapel service turns into days-long prayer ‘revival’ after it goes viral on TikTok.” That is true; the post on Tik Tok has now reached over 33 million and counting. Interestingly, there is no preaching evangelist with cliché white shoes and no charismatic personality standing at the front. It began one ordinary morning chapel; students went to classes as usual but then felt a compelling, persuasive desire to walk back to the chapel and seek God.
They left their classes and started to gather, singing worship songs, confessing and praying. The prayer meeting is not particularly led from the front; worship songs are spontaneous as waves of student voices echo around the great hall.
I’ve sat for a while and watched it on YouTube unfolding. Small groups gather across the 3,000 seated hall, sharing stories of how God has changed their lives. Now other universities are joining in; many have travelled to Asbury to catch the fire of what is taking place, returning to their campuses to start their own prayer gatherings. Prayer is the single most important activity a church can engage in, yet prayer meeting attendance can be the lowest churchattended church activity.
My Christian walk was massively changed by a small prayer group I joined as a fidgety youth, and it was given the title of the “Youth Prayer Committee,” catchy, I know. We were responsible for praying for the youth club in our little church. As we met, our hearts were profoundly softened, our prayer times grew longer, and we organized all-night prayer meetings.
The beauty and wonder of prayer was shaped and carved in my heart; three months later, we saw our youth club double in size. We must not underestimate what is happening at Asbury. I’ve been in ministry for over 35 years, half of that as a youth worker. It is no simple task to encourage students to pray once a day, let alone for days and days.
This is the work of the Holy Spirit, prompting and encouraging a young generation to make a difference. I’m reminded that the great Welsh Revival of 1904 started with a group of young people praying in a small chapel; this moment was the beginning of seeing tens of thousands of people believe pubs closing across Wales. Sadly, a minister of that church looked in through the window of that prayer meeting but never joined in. Social media is our new window to the world. Let’s not look in; let’s join in and see what can happen.
As Pete Grieg of 24/7 prayer wrote, when it comes to reports of revival I would far rather be gullible than cynical. As Gamaliel said to the Sanhedrin: “If this teaching or movement is merely human it will collapse of its own accord. But if it should be from God, you cannot defeat them, and you might actually find yourselves to be fighting against God!” (Acts 5:38-39)