The complaints against God’s activity on the earth remain the same, from generation to generation. Here are several denunciations that are being voiced against the dozens and dozens of campuses and communities who (after the order of Asbury) are being stirred to do (Psalm 27:8) and “seek the Face of God” :

TOP 10 DENUNCIATIONS of the CURRENT “ASBURY AWAKENINGS”

1. The students and others in these assemblies spend too much time just singing songs.

2. Those who come to these gatherings are just bandwagon Christians being stirred to emotionalism.

3. You don’t have to go to their gatherings to get God.

4. The gatherings themselves aren’t built on repentance.

5. The superstar preachers are wanting to co-opt the gatherings.

6. Some sinners in these gatherings are attempting to justify their sin.

7. None of the communities who are gathering are bringing forth fruit from their repentance.

8. If what’s happening in them is of God, these students need go out and feed the poor or heal the sick.

9. The Lord has called us to wait (with prayerless, critical spirits) and inspect the outcomes.

10. The Bible tells us there is no revival at the end of the age.

If we are willing to expend the energy to scrutinize others’ experiences with the Lord, every jot and tittle of scripture bids us to apply the same scrutiny to our own souls. The failure to do so is extremely consequential: “Woe! Judgment is coming to you, self-righteous experts, because you shut off the kingdom of heaven in front of people; for you do not enter yourselves, nor do you allow those who are in the process of entering to do so.” (Matthew 23:13) [AMP]

Below are 10 probing questions for those who are harboring such accusations against the “Asbury gatherings”:

10 QUESTIONS FOR THOSE VOICING CYNICISM RE THE AWAKENING MEETINGS

A. How are you praying in love for these students, their generation, and their communities? 

B. How are you reaching out to these “errant” groups? Are we merely called to be detached skeptics and critics?

C. To which of these students who are having authentic encounters with the Lord are you prepared to say, “This isn’t real. You’re falling for a delusion.”??? Seriously. What is your criteria for what their testimonies look like at any given point in time?

D. How are you (really) praying for your own communities, families, fellowships? 

E. Give us Biblical precedent for denouncing what’s going on (whatever “it” is)? 

F. Is the whole Church called to denounce what’s going on on these campuses simply because what’s happening in the lives of thousands of these kids doesn’t fit your pre-packaged definition of “revival”; a term that has no clear definition in the Bible anyway?

G. How does this critical spirit square with the (Matthew 12:20) Spirit of Jesus? “He will not break a bruised reed or extinguish a smoldering wick, until He brings justice to victory.” 

(For those who also say revival will not happen at the end of the age…)
H. How many people do you want to see be saved in your family? in your workplace? in your region? How many are allowed to be saved before you shift your eschatology? 25%? Half? Every one of them? 

I. Are you prepared to say with precision and certitude that there can positively be no “revival” (again, whatever your definition of revival is) in any community anywhere in the world because of 2 Thessalonians 2 v.3?

J. Can you show us where the Lord instituted a moratorium on Luke 10:2? “Then Jesus said to them, ‘The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”

For many critics, the questions about the Asbury awakenings may betray deeper personal and theological objections to God’s activity on the earth. As in every generation, these attitudes can keep us from much needed, life-giving encounters with the God of Abraham, Moses, the prophets, Jesus, and the apostles…

TOP 10 EXCUSES THAT KEEP US FROM RESPONDING to the LORD’S SUMMONS to “SEEK HIS FACE”

1. The Lord is already always with us. We’ve got all of Him that we’re ever going to get.

2. God doesn’t need our prayers to get Him to move in our communities.

3. We just need to know our Bibles more. Everything the Lord wants to say is already written in the Bible.

4. We just need to be out doing more things for God.

5. The lifestyle change that’s attached to “seeking the Face of the Lord” is too costly and cumbersome.

6. My “seeking His Face” isn’t going to change anything in my world. The darkness in our world is just going to get worse and worse.

7. Talking about “talking to God, and hearing His voice” is really only a bunch of emotionalism and hype.

8. March Madness, vacations, politics, movies, family etc…

9. We have real work in the Church to run.

10. I’ve seen this kind of “revival-ish” enthusiasm before. It’ll die out.

“We played the flute for you, and you did not dance. We mourned to you, and you did not lament.” (Matthew 11:17)

Father, in the hour of Your visitation, don’t let our skepticism, small theology, or status-quo determine the outcome for our souls, our families and our community. Deliver us, deliver our groups, and our communities from the religious spirit of cynicism, pride and exactitude. Give us “eye-salve”. Give us the gold refined in the fire. Give us a hunger that will burn through all our natural resistance. Give us Yourself, Father!

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JSB • March 13, 2023