Colleges Across the Country See Spirit-Filled Revival Inspired by Asbury University
Pray this revival movement would spread!
On February 8, a morning worship service on the campus of Ashbury University turned into an overnight prayer session and then an ongoing revival that has yet to cease as of this writing.
Word spread quickly on social media about the impassioned worship and prayer, and soon people were flocking to the little town of Wilmore, Kentucky — population 6,000 according to The Washington Times — to join with the worshippers.
In the days since, revival has spread to the campuses of Lee University in Tennessee, Cedarville University in Ohio, Oral Roberts University in Oklahoma, and the University of the Cumberlands in Kentucky, among others.
“It can be traced back to movements at Asbury. Students present at Asbury on Thursday night received intentional prayer from Asbury faculty and students which encouraged them to come back and organize the worship night on Monday,” Cumberlands Campus Minister Jacob Ratliff told The Christian Post.
An ongoing prayer and worship gathering on the campus of the Christian university began on Monday and has continued all week. Ratliff said that while he would “hesitate to call it a revival at this point,” he confessed to indeed “seeing significant evidence of the Lord’s work at UC.”
“We have been encouraged by our students’ desires to see Christ exalted. They have organized two worship gatherings that have been impactful for our campus and local community,” he told the Post.
The minister described the original gathering on Monday had “a clear sweetness of the Lord’s presence.”
“Students are continuing to meet regularly and encourage one another through a group chat called the ‘Acts 2:42-47’ group aimed at encouraging prayer and Christian unity,” he explained. “We are aware of two new believers as a result and pray for much fruit in days to come.”
Although there has been skepticism as to the genuineness of the revival or its theological merit in some circles, many are noting that members of Gen Z, our current crop of college-aged kids, are yearning for truth, meaning, and comfort in today’s dark world.
Just consider what these young people have been living through as they have concluded childhood and are heading into early adulthood. We have often written here at Elizabeth Johnston Ministries of the imperative to consider the world we are leaving behind for our children, yet it seems that as the world appears dark and confusing to these young people, they are reaching out for Christ.
It always brings glory to God to worship, pray, and praise His name before the world, and we are sincerely praying that many will come to Christ and that this movement would encourage a much greater revival to sweep across the nation.
It is truly what we sorely need.