It’s hard to believe that the Outpouring began over 200 days ago. As Asbury students (and the world) know, February 8, 2023 was a day that has gone down in our history as the day that chapel never ended. Many of my friends were there when it first began, skipping their 11a.m. classes, and then their noon classes, and so on. I, however, was taking a nap. One of the only days that I skipped chapel was Feb. 8. A headache and a morning full of tests did not make for a great combination. I will never forget waking up around 2:30 p.m. to a text from my friend that said, “Hey…Chapel is still going on”.
I remember quickly putting on my shoes and running to Hughes, as later, tens of thousands of people would also do. I think, as many students probably relate to, I really had no idea what was going on. I was just there to see what was happening. I still don’t think I can fully explain what happened – and I think that is OK. It’s alright to say you don’t know.
But now, another school year has begun, and we are still known as the home of the Outpouring in many circles. I wonder how many students applied here just because it’s where the Outpouring took place. I can’t tell you how many times, this semester alone, I have seen strangers across the street or in the semicircle taking pictures of our campus. And I don’t see it stopping anytime soon. Questions are still being asked, encounters are still being processed, and it is still being talked about.
As we continue to reflect on and process what happened here last winter, let’s make sure our focus remains on the One who deserves all of the credit and all of our praise.
When I did a quick Google search of “Asbury Revival 2023,” there is a section on the side of the page that says: “Cause: Undergraduate students remaining in Hughes Auditorium after weekly chapel services for spontaneous worship and prayer.” I don’t know about you, but I really don’t like being identified as the cause of a Holy Spirit movement.
Of course, the Lord used the people who were in Hughes on Feb. 8 to carry out his plan for His work. But, honestly, I truly believe that if not one person had shown up that day, the Outpouring still would have begun. While it may have seemed spontaneous to us (and to Google) it was not a shock to God. And that, my friends, means He is the One to praise.
It all comes back to Jesus. Yes, we were a very willing, open, and welcoming community for those few weeks. There was incredible Christlikeness on this campus. Students got up that morning, went to chapel as usual, and remained there for days. Some even spent their nights on the Hughes floor. But it was the Lord who woke us up that day. It was the Lord who brought His Spirit unto Hughes and unto us so that we might reflect His hospitable love to the people flocking towards our school. Nothing that was done in those weeks was anything of our own power. Reflecting on Revival requires an attitude of humility.
There are ways to continue working through the events of the Outpouring, absolutely. There is a time to pray, praise, and process. There is not, nor will there ever be, a time to point fingers at ourselves as the cause or glorify Hughes Auditorium.
I am not a fan of being asked about Revival as if I were some sort of celebrity. We aren’t celebrities. We’re witnesses. Witnesses to the amazing things the Lord did in us, through us, and around us.
So, now that we are back on campus and talk of the Outpouring is starting up again, let us put down our cameras that are turned toward Hughes and turn our eyes upon Jesus instead. Let us continue to process, and not prolong. Let us walk around knowing that we have the same Spirit that was in our chapel inside of us. Let us be content in saying “I don’t know,”rather than attempting to explain away a work of God. Let us worship Jesus and not the Outpouring.
Post-Outpouring: Worshiping Jesus and not the Outpouring
It’s hard to believe that the Outpouring began over 200 days ago. As Asbury students (and the world) know, February 8, 2023 was a day that has gone down in our history as the day that chapel never ended. Many of my friends were there when it first began, skipping their 11a.m. classes, and then their noon classes, and so on. I, however, was taking a nap. One of the only days that I skipped chapel was Feb. 8. A headache and a morning full of tests did not make for a great combination. I will never forget waking up around 2:30 p.m. to a text from my friend that said, “Hey…Chapel is still going on”.
I remember quickly putting on my shoes and running to Hughes, as later, tens of thousands of people would also do. I think, as many students probably relate to, I really had no idea what was going on. I was just there to see what was happening. I still don’t think I can fully explain what happened – and I think that is OK. It’s alright to say you don’t know.
But now, another school year has begun, and we are still known as the home of the Outpouring in many circles. I wonder how many students applied here just because it’s where the Outpouring took place. I can’t tell you how many times, this semester alone, I have seen strangers across the street or in the semicircle taking pictures of our campus. And I don’t see it stopping anytime soon. Questions are still being asked, encounters are still being processed, and it is still being talked about.
As we continue to reflect on and process what happened here last winter, let’s make sure our focus remains on the One who deserves all of the credit and all of our praise.
When I did a quick Google search of “Asbury Revival 2023,” there is a section on the side of the page that says: “Cause: Undergraduate students remaining in Hughes Auditorium after weekly chapel services for spontaneous worship and prayer.” I don’t know about you, but I really don’t like being identified as the cause of a Holy Spirit movement.
Of course, the Lord used the people who were in Hughes on Feb. 8 to carry out his plan for His work. But, honestly, I truly believe that if not one person had shown up that day, the Outpouring still would have begun. While it may have seemed spontaneous to us (and to Google) it was not a shock to God. And that, my friends, means He is the One to praise.
It all comes back to Jesus. Yes, we were a very willing, open, and welcoming community for those few weeks. There was incredible Christlikeness on this campus. Students got up that morning, went to chapel as usual, and remained there for days. Some even spent their nights on the Hughes floor. But it was the Lord who woke us up that day. It was the Lord who brought His Spirit unto Hughes and unto us so that we might reflect His hospitable love to the people flocking towards our school. Nothing that was done in those weeks was anything of our own power. Reflecting on Revival requires an attitude of humility.
There are ways to continue working through the events of the Outpouring, absolutely. There is a time to pray, praise, and process. There is not, nor will there ever be, a time to point fingers at ourselves as the cause or glorify Hughes Auditorium.
I am not a fan of being asked about Revival as if I were some sort of celebrity. We aren’t celebrities. We’re witnesses. Witnesses to the amazing things the Lord did in us, through us, and around us.
So, now that we are back on campus and talk of the Outpouring is starting up again, let us put down our cameras that are turned toward Hughes and turn our eyes upon Jesus instead. Let us continue to process, and not prolong. Let us walk around knowing that we have the same Spirit that was in our chapel inside of us. Let us be content in saying “I don’t know,”rather than attempting to explain away a work of God. Let us worship Jesus and not the Outpouring.