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i came across this picture earlier today on the internet. Regrettably i don’t know who took the picture, so i am unable to acknowledge them as the source. But i do know that it was a traffic sign placed by state troopers on a highway outside of Wilmore, Kentucky. Safety concerns have developed regarding the town of Wilmore, with its population of 6,000 people. It’s the home to Asbury University and Seminary.
You are probably aware that something has been taking place for the past couple weeks on this campus of 1,600 students. Some would call it a revival; others would call it an awakening. i’ll leave it to the theologians to decide what to call it. (However, for the purpose of this post, i’ll use the term “revival” since that is the way it has been publicly referenced.) What i do know is that on February 8th young men and women began to sense the Spirit of God moving in their hearts. Dr. Kevin Brown, the president of the university has said, “We are experiencing an historic moment at Asbury University. Since our regularly scheduled chapel service on February 8, there have been countless expressions and demonstrations of radical humility, compassion, confession, consecration, and surrender unto God.”
As news spread about what was taking place, people began to flock to Wilmore from as far away as Hawaii. The infrastructure of the town has been overwhelmed by the magnitude of visitors resulting in the safety concerns … and the traffic sign. And it’s the statement on the sign that has gotten me to thinking – “Revival Over Capacity.”
My first reaction is – i hope so! If it truly is God’s activity – which i believe it is – then to a great degree, it will be beyond our capacity to fully understand or define. Let’s face it – His thoughts are not our thoughts; His ways are not our ways.(1) The testimonies from students and faculty indicate that this activity did not flow out of the preaching of a big name preacher or the leading of a famous worship leader or band. It flowed as a result of a movement of the Spirit of God in and through ordinary young men and women. i don’t use the word “ordinary” pejoratively; as a matter of fact, i use it with the full acknowledgement that God most often works through ordinary men and women to accomplish His purpose.
Think about the group that was gathered in the upper room that day two thousand years ago. It was an unremarkable group in the eyes of most of the city’s residents – fishermen and carpenters with a few other ordinary people thrown in. They were simple folk; they were from Galilee.(2) That’s partly what drew everyone’s attention. Even the religious leaders who attempted to refute what was taking place were surprised by the fact that these were “ordinary men who had no special training” – other than the fact they had been with Jesus! (3)
It is telling that the very first thing that happened after the Holy Spirit arrived that day was that people from fifteen different language groups and three continents who were gathered in Jerusalem heard the disciples praising God in their own language – simultaneously. The disciples were not yet preaching the Good News; they were praising God for what He had just done in their own lives and in their midst. Theologians have debated for almost two thousand years as to whether the disciples were divinely and instantaneously enabled to speak in those different languages, or if the people’s ears were simultaneously attuned by the Holy Spirit to hear in their own language. Or was it a combination of both? Regardless, it was quite a feat! It was beyond the capacity of everyone – except God. And the fact that it was the first evidence of the Holy Spirit’s presence reinforces the primary purpose for which He was sent – to draw all people to worship God and bring glory to His Name.
Though that initial multitude was gathered in Jerusalem, the activity of God through His Holy Spirit was not to draw everyone to Jerusalem; rather, it was to move in such a way that His Gospel and His Spirit spread to the ends of the earth.
So, how do we pray about what we have seen in Wilmore, Kentucky and on the campuses of several other schools in recent days. We pray for a fanning of that flame. We pray for a movement of God that is not limited to one campus or one place. We pray for a movement that spreads across the globe – in the hearts of His people that leads to the salvation of the lost.
So, after further reflection on the question of whether revival is beyond our capacity, i must say – i hope not! The apostle Peter pointed those who gathered that day in Jerusalem to the prophecy of the last days as recorded by the prophet Joel in their Scriptures. Joel was writing that the day of the Lord’s return would be heralded by the pouring out of the Spirit of God. This should not seem strange or contrary. They were witnessing the fulfillment of the beginnings of that prophecy.
The day was coming when all of this would be fulfilled, but on that day, they were seeing a glimpse of it. As the people looked and stared at a group of Galileans, they would have been incredulous. The announcement that the Holy Spirit who Joel was writing about was now being poured out upon these Galileans would have been incredible to the Jews, because they thought God’s Spirit was only given to a few select people.(3) But here were one hundred twenty of the followers of Jesus – men and women – enjoying the blessing of the same Holy Spirit who had empowered Moses, David and the prophets. The last days had dawned with the arrival of Jesus – and they would come to a climax with His return. The arrival of the Holy Spirit affirmed that they had entered into the first days of the harvest – the last days as foretold by the prophets.
Joel says that one feature of the last days will be the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on people of every kind – men and women, young and old, high and low. God's people will be clothed with power; they will receive power. And the main effect of this power seems to be bold, prophetic speech. Believers of all kinds are going to be so gripped by the Spirit of God that they see the greatness of Jesus and the purpose of Jesus with extraordinary clarity, and speak it with extraordinary boldness. The people were seeing that take place before their eyes – from Galileans no less.
And i pray, that is what we are witnessing today. i pray that we don’t squelch it with criticism, caution or cynicism. Or attempt to put our fingerprints on it with a man-made imitation. Rather, i pray that we will all demonstrate the open-heartedness – and open-handedness – of the students at Asbury – to see a movement of the Spirit of God in and through our lives. And that it might be a movement that can only be described as “revival over capacity!”
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Portions of this post have been taken from my book Until He Returns, chapters 5 and 6.
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(1) Isaiah 55:8-9
(2) Acts 2:7
(3) Numbers 11:28-29
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