[Please join me in praying for the nation and world on Tuesdays this year.]
“Jesus replied to them, “I am the Bread of Life. The one who comes to Me will never be hungry, and the one who believes in Me [as Savior] will never be thirsty [for that one will be sustained spiritually].”
(John 6:35 AMP)
Pastors Jack and Terri Brown wrote the following:
“On February 20th (2023), we attended the Asbury Outpouring. I have been praying, pondering, and processing it ever since, trying to understand what we experienced and what the Lord is doing during this season. The outpouring of the Lord at Asbury University began on February 8th (2023). It was attended by students from at least 200 campuses, as well as tens of thousands of visitors.
“Jack and I have been praying for revival for a long time. I don’t say this to take some kind of credit, but to point out that this is something we have been longing for and even studying. Still, I don’t think I was prepared for what we experienced.
“As we approached the Asbury campus, there were cars and people everywhere. No one was directing visitors where to go, so we circled the campus and found a line of people winding around, maybe a half-mile long. Our son and his family (whom we were visiting) dropped Jack and me off, then went to find a place to park. We didn’t know where to go, so we stopped and prayed, ‘Where do we go, Lord?’ I heard Him say, ‘It doesn’t matter, I am here to meet with you.’ We approached a circle of about 150 people. There were young people in the middle of the group, passionately leading worship with a guitar and drum box, singing with their whole hearts unto the Lord. They would pause, another young person would read a passage of Scripture, then they would take us back into worship. They would pause again, and this time a young person would give a short exhortation, and then right back into worship. Some were weeping, some were passionately worshiping, and some were observing, but no one was ignoring what God was doing.
“We eventually found seats in one of the overflow buildings, Estes Chapel, which is Asbury Seminary’s chapel and right across the street from Hughes Hall. This chapel was completely full with probably 500 people. In fact, while we were on Asbury’s campus, every overflow auditorium was full.
“Here is what Jack and I saw:
- The worship was focused on Jesus.
- The worship team was focused on worshipping. Although they were leading, they made no effort to tell others how to worship.
- The congregational singing was passionate and unified. No one tried to raise their voice above the others.
- When they asked for those who had a Scripture to come read it for the Call to Worship, many young people got up and, often through tears, would read God’s Word. The leader would then declare, ‘This is the Word of God,’ and the crowd responded, ‘We believe it!’
- The testimonies were faith-building demonstrations of God changing lives. I sensed people were being set free from hardness of heart, bitterness, anxiety, and fear.
- There was amazing hospitality and kindness.
- There was nothing for sale. No books, no t-shirts, no music. Even the food trucks were giving away snacks and water.
- No one asked for an offering, nor did I see a place to give an offering.
- No one was introduced by name. It truly was a nameless and faceless gathering.
- When people shared from the stage, it was short and concise, so as to not distract from the main focus – Jesus.
- The call was for radical humility, radical hunger, radical obedience, and transparency.
- There was no attempt to manufacture any fervor or emotion in the worship or sharing, nor did we see any suppression of fervor or emotion.
- We saw pure and simple devotion to Jesus.
“Jack and I have been blessed to be in many services where one could sense the presence of God. When faithful people unite, humble themselves, welcome Holy Spirit and yield to Him, He is gracious to come. The way I describe it is: we pursue the Lord, and He answers. This was different. At Asbury, it felt as though He was pursuing us, and we answered. This was God’s idea. He was pursuing us: those who were hungry, those who were worn out, the resistant, the skeptical, the young, yes, but also the old.
“It has become one of my core prayers that we won’t be satisfied with the fires we can create, but hunger for the fire only He can send. Only He can send the wind, the fire, and the rain!
“As I was praying recently, the Lord showed me a picture of a person coming home after working very hard; they didn’t even know what time it was. As they entered their home and opened the door, they instantly smelled the fragrance of something baking in the oven, like fresh bread. Then they immediately realized how hungry they were. I think this is a picture of many today. They have been working hard, some secularly, others in the church. Though they may not have discerned it was God’s time for an outpouring, at the fragrance of Jesus, they realize how hungry they are; they realize what they need.
“Many who have been touched by the Lord at Asbury didn’t even realize how hungry they were for HIM. Some who have been touched were seeking but didn’t know what they were seeking was Him. They may have tasted some stale bread or religion offered by the church, but hadn’t known their hunger was for Him.
“I believe this is a first wave. God is releasing His fragrance, allowing hunger for Him to stir all over the world. We will see more. Miracles, signs, and wonders. For those of us who think we know how God will visit us, He is giving us the opportunity to repent for our judgments, and to surrender our expectations. He is giving us time to lay down our attempts to manufacture movements and yield fully to His good plans.
“Many have asked me, ‘What do we need to “do” to bring this to where we are?’ It is a reasonable question. However, I sense that a better question would be, ‘What do we need to BE?’
“I sensed we need to be:
- Humble
- Repentant
- Surrendered
- Transparent
- Available
- Obedient
- Willing to lay down our traditions and sacred cows.
- Loving
- Kind
- Hungry
“We came away from Asbury thinking this is what pure and simple devotion to Jesus looks like.”
– Pastors Jack and Terri Brown pastor The Table Church in Colorado Springs, CO
Pray with me:
Father, thank You for what You have begun on campuses and other settings in our nation. Your passion to redeem and heal is obvious as we watch these events. It is equally clear that there is a deep hunger in the hearts of many for You; others do not yet realize it’s You they are hungry for. Show them. Let them smell the bread.
Prepare the hearts of Your people for what is coming. Prepare us to serve, to be ready for the inconvenience of revival. Challenge and help us to lay down our preconceived ideas of what we think revival will look like. Deal with any religiosity or pride that could stand in the way of what You want to do. The Pharisees of Christ’s day looked in Your eyes, listened to You speak, and watched You work, yet did not recognize You. Our prejudices and preconceived ideas can blind us. Please do a work in us that keeps this from happening.
Help us to soften our wineskins, making them flexible and ready for new wine. Remind us that no one or group has a monopoly on truth. We are all learning and transforming spiritually. Show us what needs to change, even if it was shaped by something You did in the past. We humbly and confidently ask You for these things, in the name of Jesus. AMEN