Revival?

Sometimes questions assume premises that have not yet been established. Everyone is debating whether or not what is taking place at Asbury University is genuine revival or not. Precious few, if any, have given a compelling definition of revival to begin with. One of the greatest writers of our time, Ian Murray, tackled that question in his book Revival and Revivalism. I confess to having not read that particular work to my shame. While the Bible talks both about individual and corporate revival, usually we tend to try to define the term by historical events in our own time frames.

Which brings us back to Asbury. Is it a revival? I have no idea. Is God’s Spirit at work there? Of course He is. He’s also at work at Western Kentucky University. He’s at work at the Outback Steakhouse in Louisville. He is at work everywhere, convicting the world of sin, bringing life from death, strengthening the body. Revival, if it means anything, must mean an unusual outpouring of the Holy Spirit. The trouble is, how do we know how much is unusual?

It is possible that those who are skeptical of Asbury are absolutely correct. Maybe the whole thing is a ginned up emotive explosion of spiritual cotton candy. It might be a dangerous decoy, feeding the warped prejudices of the student body. And the Holy Spirit might still be at work. I know a guy who had an abominable view of the church. He was Arminian to the core and was known to publicly dispute against Reformed theology. Worst still the stench of Pelagianism clung to him as he maintained that it was possible for a believer to live on this earth sin free. He also led what virtually all revival skeptics happily call the First Great Awakening. His name is John Wesley.

To be sure the sounder of the Methodists was George Whitefield. The greatest mind among the titans of that awakening belonged to Jonathan Edwards. Each of them, however, like John Wesley, were crooked sticks that God saw fit to use. This is not to excuse any errors permeating whatever is going on at Asbury. Nor is it to excuse Wesley, Whitefield or Edwards. Rather it is to remind us that if God would use men to bring revival, He would use men with bad theology, and sin.

The more important question at Asbury isn’t “Is this a genuine revival?” The question is, “Has this person been brought by the Spirit from life to death?” And, “Has that person been led to walk more closely in the footsteps of the Redeemer?” Suddenly it’s not one tribe trying to take credit for a revival and the other tribe straining to cast doubt. No one has or will enter into the kingdom because they were at a revival, nor enter into the fire that never dies because they were at a false revival. Rather, we enter the kingdom because we have been revived, and by His grace confessed that we are false.

Is it revival? I haven’t a clue. This much I know- the Spirit is at work, today and always.