I am sure you have heard of the recent happenings at Asbury University in Kentucky. Over 50,000 visitors with more to come have claimed a revival has broken out. Now – I would be happier than a pig in the mud. I pray it is true revival. Nevertheless, I have a bit of skepticism about. With the “He Get’s Me” movement starting up, the nuanced buzzword of calling this an outpouring… well there have been several in recent years like the Bethel movement, Hillsong, the Vineyard, and many like them – all part of the New Apostolic Reformation that have embraced the Kundalini false god awakening.

I voice only a Scriptural and prayerful concern “ Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” 1 John 4:1

And also like Paul has said as recorded in 1 Thessalonians 5:21 “but test everything; hold fast what is good.”

Like I said – I am sure some are sincere and others are looking for an experience… my fear is it is leading to the worship experience and on the mountain top without taking any roots. Biblical revival starts with repentance and sorrow for sin against God. If the Holy Spirit is in the revival – conviction and truth, judgment and righteousness will lead more than emotion and experience, ecstasy and peace. Oh, sure enough peace will come after conviction and repentance and trusting in Christ…. However, if peace and love manifest without the afore mentioned, is it a work of the Holy Spirit?

John 16:7-15  Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.

Let me close with the following devotional from Rylisms that caught my attention while I was pondering the Asbury Revival of 2023:

The Church of Yippee Yahoo

“Fake Messiahs and lying preachers are going to pop up everywhere.” (Matthew 24:24, The Message)

There is much talk these days about mighty revivals that are happening here and there, now and then — yet nothing seems to be changing really. In an objective analysis, these heated moments are limited in scope, short-lived in notoriety, and superficial in influence. It’s the difference between a geyser and a river. Geysers are fun and spectacular; but rivers sustain life.

These outpourings come suddenly, and fade quietly away after enough people have handled the wares. The roll call continues to grow — Kansas City, Toronto, Pensacola, Brownsville, and Lakeland (and I add Asbury ’23) . What city will the circus visit next? Where next will the Church of Yippee Yahoo be holding a meeting?

Is this revival? Really?

It looks more like a super-sale where scores line up and wait for the doors to open, and then rush the table to get the deal of a life-time, and then make sure that everybody else knows every detail of how they managed to do so. After a short sensational burst, the sales begins to wane.

Latecomers find the sales tables in a mess, with remnants scattered here and there; odd items of unmatched clothes, and few ties that won’t go with any suit. Soon the whole affair is discarded, as the shoppers scour the ads for the next Big Sale.

Is this the best we can do? Here and there; now and then? What we need is a true and lasting move of God’s Spirit across the land, unsensational and without fanfare; one that turns men’s hearts in repentance and faith, and unleashes a work of grace that repairs the breaches and heals the broken.

And when that happens we really will say, “Yippee Yahoo!”

Know that I truly am praying for revival before the rapture and Jesus’ arrival and I am also truly praying we will be able to discern the difference between a felt moment flash of spirituality verses a long term lasting life change that comes from the Holy Spirit.

Pastor D.L. Barnett