Asbury Revival 2006: Testimony

[jcr4runner]

Hello Jay,

My daughter, Kate Rutt, is a senior at Asbury. She called me this past Monday, February 6 and told me she had returned from student teaching to find the classrooms and dorm empty and everyone in the chapel where revival had again broken out. She was calling on her cell phone as she excitedly rushed to the chapel. She said she had been praying for this for the past 3-1/2 years. I reminded her that when we had first visited the campus that I had deteched a glow there from God's Spirit and a commitment by the administarion to be receptive to that previous revival of 1970 happening again. I had only hoped that it would happen during her stay there. Her call confirming that had, has to have been the best possible news she could have called me with. And even better, Asbury wasn't charging any extra for the opportunity!! How good it is know that even though I am getting more and more concerned about the directions that our nation is taking in its conducting of itself on the world theater, that God is still ready to work with us and to stoke revival amoung us. May this be a start of a course correction to get us back on the path of following the heart of Jesus in a more authentic manner.

Best regards,
Ken Rutt

[jcr4runner]

"I WAS AT the ASBURY REVIVAL"
-by Tom 'The Hawk'.

It is rather difficult for me to express to each of you in words what
occurred on my visit to Asbury College this past Friday but I will
try. The words that come to mind are overwhelmed, unpretentious,
amazing, awesome, unnerving, and simplistic, yet powerful.

Thursday night I had a group of people over at the house
worshipping the Lord. The intention was for several of us to go to
Asbury the following evening.

I live about three hours north of the college and so we would leave
after I got home from work.I called my wife and told her to pack us
an overnight bag in case we needed to stay the night.

It's funny how we are sometimes reluctant to go somewhere
outside of our area, thinking things like, "Why do we have to go
to _____ to see or experience God or His working?" or "If God is
doing that there He'll do that here too." Funny how we'll travel
hundreds and thousands of miles and even cross the oceans to
see an event like the Super Bowl or the Olympics and yet have a
difficult time going three hours down the road to see if God is there.
Makes you wonder about where our priorities lie.

Asbury is just south of Lexington, KY, and as we approached
Lexington the snow began to come. Fortunately we were only a
few minutes away.

We arrived at the college and I thought that the building where this
was happening would be obvious. I figured there would be a bunch
of people around it and the cars would be parked all around there.
Boy, was I wrong! Instead it looked like a normal Friday night on a
college campus - not much activity at all. I didn't know if that was
normal or simply due to the snowfall.

We drove around for a while trying to locate the building where this
was taking place and finally went down a driveway that looped in
front of a number of buildings. Andy spotted the building we were
looking for but there was no place to park on the loop, so we
parked the car out on the street.

As I entered the hall I was totally overwhelmed by the presence of
God. I don't really know how else to explain it. It was totally
unexpected and I was absolutely overcome in my spirit. I remember
putting my hand to my heart and Andy asking me, "What?" I
simply replied, "I'm overwhelmed."

I couldn't believe it! It was unlike anything I had expected!

As I stood there I looked at the huge words over the front of the hall,
which read, "HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD". Truly this was a holy
place. There were only about two dozen people there. There was a
stillness in the air and such a wonder, "How can this be?" It was
real and yet very unnerving. The living God is here!

Andy told me he was going to go up front to pray. I told him to go
ahead. I felt somewhat frozen to where I was. I then noticed a
couple of people praying down front, a couple of us standing, and
the majority of the people just sitting there. I fell to my knees and
began to pray.

After some time one of the men down front read a scripture about
blind Bartemaeus. A couple of people got up and sang some songs
of praise and worship to the Lord. I decided to go ahead and sit
down in one of the chairs that I was praying behind. When I did I
realized why most of the people were sitting.

As I sat there I began to feel His love come over me. It was so
overwhelming that all I could do was to weep and weep and thank
Him over and over again. We were all just basking in His love.

The singing stopped and I would go from sitting to reading to
praying to sitting to praying to reading and so on. All the while
people are coming and going. Another couple comes in and sits
down across the aisle from me. They are both overcome by the
Lord and begin the weep.

Another lady got up and began to play the piano. She didn't sing -
just played music. I don't know why but as she played it was as if
the Lord was drawing nearer and nearer to us. It was so intense for
me that I remember asking Him to stop because it was simply too
much for me to bear. He then said to me that this was just a drop
in the bucket compared to His Fullness and that if He came in His
Fullness it would be more than anyone could bear!

I don't know or really understand the whys and how of all of this. I
just know that I had an experience, no, an encounter with God. His
love for us is so powerful and so overwhelming that it is hard for me
to adequately describe. All I know is that He has such a great love
for all of us. I now know that there is nothing, nothing, nothing,
ABSOLUTELY NOTHING that can separate us from His love. If we
could all only realize how great a love He has for us and receive
that just once in our lives we would never forsake Him or flee from
His presence. Draw us Lord by your great unending and
unchangeable love.

After some time, I went to Andy and told him we needed to go. He
asked me why and I said that if we didn't go I don't know if I'd ever
leave. God's presence was so powerful and yet so unnerving. How
could this be and yet it was.

I don't know if this is revival or not but I am revived as a result.

We left the hall, but that's not the end of the story. When we got
into the car we looked at the clock and realized we had been in
there for three hours. It seemed like just a short time and yet we
had spent hours with our Lord. It was as if time had stopped and
we felt like two very fortunate men to have enjoyed these moments
with our Lord.

As we drove home I was overcome once more by His presence. I
began to weep again and speak of His great love for us. Andy too
had encountered God and had a renewed fervor to pray for our city
and for His love to be poured out upon our community.

I don't know what all of this means or where all of this will lead but
there is something about prayer that definitely moves the hand of
God. Saints of the living God cry out to Him night and day and He
will hear the cries of His people. He does not turn a deaf ear to the
prayers of His people but is faithful and true to answer each and
every one according to His will and by His great love.

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication,
with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and
the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard
your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Amen!

[jcr4runner]

I have an extensive revival web page at:

http://forerunner.com/forerunner/X0582.html

I updated it recently with news about Asbury 2006 and soon people began to send a few testimonies.

One email mentioned this site:

http://65.108.220.179/

I initially thought something was amiss when I saw Asbury mentioned in the same breath and the Kansas City "prophets" and the so-called "laughing revival." I thought it was interesting a few years back when the faculty at Asbury banned the laughing revival. They were accused of "quenching the spirit" and "betraying their heritage."

I strongly resisted the Kansas City movementt and Toronto's laughter phenomenon because I am a revivalist and distinguish between true biblical revival and "revivalism." I knew that these two movements promoted all the same abuses and excesses of "revivalism."

The article on Toronto is quite good. Although it initially treats it in a positive, balanced tone, it soon cuts to the chase and describes exactly what was wrong.

http://65.108.220.179/toronto2.html

Like the author, I too was open to Rodney Howard-Browne and even attended several of his meetings in Lakeland. But I soon saw gross carnality and heresy rife within the laughing revival movement. One of the leaders of the Melbourne renewal had to leave town due to his rampant adultery even in the midst of a supposed "wave of the spirit."

Another of the leaders of the Melbourne renewal left his church in the messy aftermath of that "revival" to become a full-time evangelist and changed his name to Forerunner Ministries.

Ironic.

But most important to me was the fact that the "false" renewal movement caused me to go deeper and search for answers with hope for my own renewal. One of the things that I discovered was that all the Great Awakenings in American history were initially Puritan or "Neo-Puritan" in nature and were led by Calvinists who held to one of the great Reformed Confessions. Salvation is an act of a sovereign God -- not a decision or a promotional event caused by man. Even the great Arminian preacher John Wesley was challenged by the teachings of Reformed theology. In stark contrast, today's revivals are led by hyper-Arminian preachers who essentially teach "decisional regeneration."

I haven't read the rest of the articles by Andrew Storm and no doubt we won't agree on everything. Hopefully, he will come to the inevitable conclusion that Neo-Puritanism is synonymous with true revival.

But his article is very similar to my 1993 position paper on the laughing revival. I post that here as well. This paper was actually used in one city to warn pastors about the spurious nature of this "revival" and was effective in quenching the flames of this "strange fire."

I encourage people to check out the article by Jeff Ziegler, "Revival and Spiritual Awakening," for a thorough overview of the history and theology of true Revival.

http://forerunner.com/forerunner/X0606_Revival__Spiritual_A.html

- Jay Rogers

http://forerunner.com

[jcr4runner]

Revival — It’s no laughing matter
Position paper number four
By Jay Rogers

Media House International, P.O. Box 362173, Melbourne Florida, 32936
This paper may be copied without permission for distribution anywhere.

Pre-awakening occurrences have sometimes included clamorous phenomena during evangelistic meetings. These have included — cries and shrieks in response to the conviction of the Holy Spirit, shakings, tremblings, falling down under the weight of God’s glory — and, yes, sometimes uncontrollable laughter. We are reminded of the revivals in the hills of rural Kentucky, such as the Cane Ridge Revival Meeting in August of 1801. The scenario is a six-day camp meeting attended by 20,000 people, a remarkable gathering since this occurred in the sparsely populated frontier. Among the thousands who were affected was a young skeptic, James B. Finley, who wrote this account:

“The noise was like that of Niagara. The vast sea of human beings seemed to be agitated as if by a storm. I counted seven ministers, all preaching on stumps, others in wagons and one standing on a tree which had in falling, lodged against another.... Some of the people were singing, other praying, some crying for mercy in the most piteous accents, while others were shouting most vociferously. While witnessing these scenes, a peculiarly strange sensation such as I had never felt before came over me. My heart beat tumultuously, my knees trembled, my lips quivered and I felt as though I must fall to the ground. A supernatural power seemed to pervade the entire mass of mind there collected.... I stepped up on a log where I could have a better view of the surging sea of humanity. The scene that had presented itself to my mind was indescribable. At one time I saw at least five hundred swept down in a moment as if a battery of a thousand guns had been opened upon them and then immediately followed shrieks and shouts that rent the very heavens.” (Mendell Taylor, Exploring Evangelism, Beacon Hill, 1964, p.142.)

This was the beginning of the Second Great Awakening from which many great personalities emerged in the 1800s: Charles Finney, Peter Cartwright, Harriet Beecher Stowe, the Methodist circuit riders and the Baptist revivalists. The spiritual manifestations described by Finley were also prevalent among the Puritans of the 1500s and 1600s, and during the First Great Awakening of the 1730s and 1740s, and among the Pentesostals of the early 1900s.

But historic revival is more than a case of the giggles. In fact, there may be spiritual manifestations without accompanying revival and spiritual awakening. The charismatic renewal movement has often emphasized the same phenomena we are now seeing in the “laughing revival.” But these manifestations should not be thought of as being synonymous with historic revival, simply because they have sometimes accompanied revival.

True biblical revival is to be distinguished from evangelism. Revival may be defined as the recovery of the Lord’s testimony in a given generation in the Church. This recovery implies that the Truth of the Word of God has been tarnished or lost. Indeed, our anemic 20th century evangelicalism desperately needs revival. Charles G. Finney said: “Revival is nothing more than a return to obedience to the Word of God.” Miracles, salvations, healings, signs and wonders may be part of revival, but these do not define revival.

True revival is defined by: (1) Recovery of the Law-Word of God in the church and society; (2) Tremendous judgment of sin in the church and society; (3) Societal transformation (A.W. Tozer said: “Revival changes the moral climate of a community”). These characteristics have been borne out by historical fact and were recorded in the writings of past revivalists such as Charles Finney, John Wesley, George Whitefield and Jonathan Edwards.

I see none of these characteristics in the so-called “laughing revival.” Some view the current manifestations as a “pre-awakening” stage, but I dissent. While I am forever prayerfully watchful for signs of spiritual awakening in our nation, I have decided that this current movement is spurious. But let me clarify: I do not stand against the “laughing meetings” because I believe they can never be valid. Nor do I doubt the validity of the testimonies of those who have been profoundly affected by these meetings. (I was one of them in Lakeland, Florida in 1993.) I stand against the “laughing revival” because it is being promoted in the context of lawlessness and false doctrine.

Preaching of grace while ignoring the Law of God The preaching of forgiveness and grace is meaningless without an understanding of judgment and the wrath of God. How can we be saved without first knowing that we are sinners? What good does a life preserver do for a man who doesn’t understand that he’s drowning? It’s not just a “Vineyard thing” but I’ve noticed that chief among the enemies of the Law of God seem to be preachers from the Vineyard movement, such as Randy Clarke, promoter of the Toronto Vineyard’s “laughing revival” movement.

In Clarke’s meetings, he makes frequent reference to “not wanting anyone to feel under condemnation” and “not wanting anyone to feel guilty.” If we have, in fact, sinned, then isn’t guilt and condemnation the result of our rebellion against God? I’m not singling out the Vineyard and Clarke in particular, this error is rife in the charismatic and evangelical movement. We are so afraid of the preaching of the threats and terrors of hell and the guilt of sinners, that we’ve settled for a watered-down, deficient message.

How does this compare with the revival preaching of past centuries? Take Jonathan Edwards’ “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” for example. This sermon was first preached to a congregation in Connecticut in the 1700s:

“The God that holds you over the pit of hell, much as one holds a spider or some loathsome insect over the fire, abhors you, and is dreadfully provoked: His wrath towards you burns like fire; He looks upon you as worthy of nothing else but to be cast into the fire; He is of purer eyes than to bear to have you in His sight; you are ten thousand times more abominable in His eyes than the most hateful venomous serpent is in ours.... And there is no other reason to be given, why you have not dropped into hell since you arose in the morning, but that God’s hand has held you up. There is no other reason to be given why you have not gone to hell, since you have sat here in the house of God, provoking His pure eyes by your sinful wicked manner of attending His solemn worship. Yea, there is nothing else that is to be given as a reason why you do not this very moment drop down into hell. O sinner! Consider the fearful danger you are in: it is a great furnace of wrath, a wide and bottomless pit, full of the fire of wrath, that you are held over in the hand of that God, whose wrath is provoked and incensed as much against you, as against many of the damned in hell....”

How does this compare to the cotton-candy, milque-toast preaching that we hear in the laughing meetings? We are fortunate to live in an age when we can look down the corridors of history and see Jonathan Edwards standing at the other end with his oil lamp burning bright — a wise virgin — crying out to 20th century Christians: “Buy for yourselves oil, that you might see through your darkness!” We would do well to listen to his warnings, but sadly, Edwards would not be welcome today in the laughing meetings.

How does Jonathan Edwards’ preaching compare to the psycho-babble and “inner-healing” seminars offered by modern charismatic churches? We are so concerned with warm fuzzy feelings that we have neglected to hear about the terror of the Lord, the judgment seat of Christ, God’s sorrow over our sin, repentance as a prerequisite to salvation, the necessity of holiness in order to please God, and the Cross of Jesus Christ. The “laughing revival,” with its message of cheap grace, is producing “Me”-centered Christians, and selfish, “blessed,” feelings-oriented “converts.”

Antinomianism (literally, “anti-law”) Antinomianism is a position which states that since Christians are saved by grace alone, we are no longer bound to obey the moral Law of God. Antinomianism denies all standards for Christians. There is an idea among many evangelicals and charismatics that the moral Law of God cannot be applied as a standard of holiness for Christians. To their credit, the Vineyard denomination has made some recent attempts to give their “signs and wonders” movement some historic orthodoxy. Hopefully, this will include a correct teaching on the moral Law of God. Antinomianism is, unfortunately, still abundant in the movement.

A salvation message which does not require repentance and holiness as a visible, measurable result of saving grace is damnable heresy (Romans 6:1,2; Ephesians 2:10; James 2:14-26). Yes, tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God, but this implies that something happens to them between point A and point B — repentance!

The trampling of the Law-Word of God is an underlying crack in the foundation of the “laughing revival.” If churches build on a foundation that does not include repentance and holiness, the resulting structure will be so weak and flawed that it will be unable to stand on its own. When the Spirit of the Lord comes with a true revival of the Law and with judgment, the structure will crumble. This is exactly where the “laughing revival” is headed.

Concluding reservations The “laughing revival” is not a really a revival at all in the historic sense, but a series of nightly charismatic meetings which emphasize the gifts of the Holy Spirit over and above correct exposition of biblical Truth. These phenomena are not unique to our generation. In fact, Edwards and Finney often sought to suppress the more vociferous manifestations because they found that Truth could often become squelched by the hysteria. In our present day, it is not the manifestations themselves which are suspect, but the lack of correct doctrine among those promoting this movement. It is doubtful that such meetings, lacking a foundation of historic orthodoxy, can result in revival and spiritual awakening.

[jcr4runner]

"OLD WELLS, FALLEN MANTLES and NEW FOUNTAINS"
~by Michael Edds.

I moved to a major U.S. city in June 2000 to assume the position as Headmaster for an interdenominational Christian High School. The school was new but had severe problems. Prior to my arrival, a teacher had been arrested for a serious crime. Upon my arrival, the incident had become front-page news in the city. To say the least, I was shocked at the magnitude of the problem and the work that needed to be done. I became angry with God and questioned His direction.

Late one night I could not sleep. I was exhausted from the stress of the challenge before me and still angry with God. Around 2 am, I got up to sit on the couch and pout. In spite of my upset state, anger and disgust, the Presence of the Lord settled in the living room. God did not even pay attention to or address my complaint. Instead, His presence was so strong that I physically trembled. He spoke these words, "Old Wells, Fallen Mantles, and New Fountains." He instructed me to get my Bible. By that time, I too had set aside my complaint. His Presence was so great that I did not know if I could survive it.

I opened my Bible to Isaiah 35: 3-7: "The eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as a hart, and the tongue of the dumb shall sing, for IN THE WILDERNESS SHALL WATER BREAK OUT and streams in the desert. AND THE PARCHED GROUND SHALL BECOME A POOL and the thirsty land SPRINGS OF WATER."

Next followed Isaiah 41:17, "When the poor and needy seek water, and
there is none, and their tongues fail for thirst, I the Lord will hear
them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them. I will open rivers in
high places, and fountains in the midst of valleys: I will make the
wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water."

I was directed to verse 19 of [Isaiah 43]: "Behold I WILL DO A NEW THING. Now it shall SPRING [BURST] FORTH . Shall ye not know it?"

The Lord was moving so quickly through the scriptures that I could hardly keep up. His presence was incredibly strong. I felt like I was floating. Leaving Isaiah, the Lord took me to Joel 2:23: "He will cause to come down for you the rain, THE FORMER RAIN AND THE LATTER RAIN IN THE FIRST MONTH." Then Joel 2:28 was given which states: "It shall come to pass afterwards that I WILL POUR OUT MY SPIRIT ON ALL FLESH. Your sons and daughters shall PROPHESY, YOUR OLD MEN SHALL DREAM DREAMS and your YOUNG MEN SHALL SEE VISIONS."

Finally, Genesis 26:18 finished the scriptures that the Lord was rapidly giving me: "AND ISAAC DUG AGAIN the WELLS of water which they had DUG IN THE DAYS OF ABRAHAM HIS FATHER."

The Lord revealed the meaning of this vision:

The Early Church experienced the fullness of God. They had the fullness, the gifts and revelation of the Holy Spirit. They were full of boldness, power and anointing. God turned the world upside down through them. The dead were raised, the blind received sight, the possessed were set free, the sick healed and the Gospel was preached to the poor. The anger of Hell was violently aroused. The more the devil persecuted and killed them, the more they multiplied and spread. So Satan changed his tactics. By 300 AD Roman Emperor Constantine made Christianity the official religion of the Empire. What Satan could not do through persecution, he accomplished through promotion, position, power, prestige, acceptance and prosperity. They SOLD OUT! The Church backslid and the all humanity fell into the brutality of the Dark Ages.

The purpose of each Great Awakening or the bursting forth of a spiritual well was to restore an element of truth that the Early Church possessed back to the church. Luther restored 'the just shall live by faith'. Wesley, Whitefield, Edwards and the First Great Awakening restored repentance, inward holiness and "Christ in you." The Second Great Awakening with Barton Stone at Cane Ridge in the West and Francis Asbury in the East brought restoration in society through evangelism, missions, and great social renewal such as abolition, child labor laws, and suffrage movement. The Third Great Awakening of 1857 restored the power of prayer. Azusa Street Outpouring of 1905 restored the infilling and gifts of the Holy Spirit. The Lord stated that He was going to reopen all of the "old wells" of revival in order to restore TOTAL truth to His church.

Fallen mantles of ministry and anointing that rested upon the great men and women of God of old would be picked up and placed on godly men and women today to finish what was started long ago. They are the "Isaacs" that will revisit the old wells of revival and reopen them. The mantles of ministry did not die nor were they buried with Asbury, Wesley, Stone, Amanda Berry Smith and others. They have only been "on hold" until a generation would be born that could relate to them and pick them up. Isaiah 58:12 refers to them: "And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places, thou shall raise up the foundations of many generations, and thou shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of paths to dwell in." The Lord said, "What once was shall be again."

Malachi 4:5 prophecies that "I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And He shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse." He said this was not just a generational reconciliation between the old and the young. It is a restoration of His people to the Faith once delivered to the Saints, the Faith of our fathers. The Lord said He was tired of the apostasy, deadness, programs, personality cults, plans and politics that have nearly destroyed His church. He is going to restore HIS church by returning the "Faith of our Fathers to their children (descendants) and the children (descendants) to the Faith of our Fathers." The old wells will BURST forth and the fallen mantles will be picked up. This will be a "suddenly". Isaiah speaks of it occurring in the desert places and on the barren heights. In other words, it will happen in the most unlikely of places. The Lord continued His interpretation of the vision by explaining to me that "NEW FOUNTAINS" would gush or break forth also.

Something that has never occurred in any Great Awakening or in any historic move of God will exploded upon the scene in our day. Joel 2:23 speaks of God sending the former rain (the Old Wells of revival) and the latter rain (The New Fountains) in the SAME MONTH!!! In other words, all of the moves of God and fallen mantles from Pentecost until now will be reopened and picked up and combined with a totally new thing from God. It will literally shake the church and the world. HE WILL RESTORE A CHURCH WITHOUT SPOT OR WRINKLE! He will not allow the church to go out defeated. HE WILL ARISE FOR HIS OWN NAME'S SAKE!

God has been preparing a "Joseph Generation" that has been enrolled in the " School of Dung." In this schooling, they have endured the pain of rejection, slander and isolation. The 'Word of the Lord' has tried them severely. They cry out, "God why? All I wanted to do is serve you. All seems to have 'gone to hell in a hand basket'. It seems just the opposite of what You promised. I am lonely, the organized church thinks I am crazy, a fanatic, out on a limb. They have rejected me and hated me because of my love for you. WHY, OH LORD?"

God has been preparing and perfecting these Josephs in the darkness and in the prison houses of loneliness and isolation for a day and hour that they will be unleashed as a secret weapon on the kingdom of darkness. He has allowed all of these things to happen to them for their good. He has prepared a people that He can trust with His power, gifts, and anointing. In holiness, humility and boldness they will fulfill His plans in our day. They will give HIM the glory. They will give HIM total control of the coming Great Awakening. The door of their prison house of utter loneliness and rejection is about to open. Their "word" is about to come. That word is "the King has need of thee." In a moment, they will be ushered from prison to position. In a moment, they will fully understand their long and severe sufferings. In a moment, they will be brought out into the light of God's divine destiny for them. God will use them to lead the Coming Great Awakening.

Along with this final Great Awakening is coming Divine Judgment. Isaiah 35:4 declares, "Your God shall come with vengeance, even God with a recompense." God is going to overthrow the abuse and control of man in His church. He's going to take back the 'ship' that has been turned into a luxury liner and restore her back to her original state: a ship of war. HE IS GOING TO TAKE BACK CONTROL OF HIS CHURCH!!! The Church is HIS bride, not someone else's. Additionally, this nation is going to be greatly shaken.

The First Great Awakening preceded the American Revolution. Before the Second Great Awakening began at Cane Ridge, Kentucky, a massive epidemic of Cholera occurred. In its early days, the Third Great Awakening saw every bank in the nation collapse. This awakening was followed by the greatest disaster in American History when the nation was ripped apart and 600,000 Americans perished in the horrific War Between the States. A great earthquake hit California at the same time as the Azusa Street Outpouring. He is going to shake the Church and this nation. Only that which is of Him will be left standing.

A great hunger for repentance, seeking God, seeking holiness and seeking truth has exploded within the "Joseph Generation". They have studied, researched and sought out the Old Wells of revival. They intensely hunger for God to do it again! They cry out, "Just one more time, oh Lord!" Programs, politics, personalities, manipulation, and plans in the church sicken them. THEY MUST HAVE GOD! They MUST be in His presence! They are meeting in the homes, in the fields, in the woods, in their prayer closets and any place that they can totally seek His face. Their despair has turned into an all-consuming hunger that says, "Give me God or let me die." GOD HAS HEARD! He is about to reopen the old wells of revival, He is picking up the fallen mantles and placing them on men and women, and He is about to do a new thing!

Every Awakening has incurred the wrath and persecution of man. When the Presence and holiness of God confronts mankind, they must make a decision for or against Him. When they choose to reject Him, they lash out and fight against His messengers. In the mid-1700's, the Baptist in Colonial Virginia were beaten, imprisoned, and killed for preaching the Gospel. The Methodist circuit riders were jailed, tarred and feathered, beaten, abused and martyred for the message of God. The reason there is little persecution against the Church in America today is that there is so little of the Presence and Message of God to confront mankind. The world has heard how to get rich, how to prosper, how to have self-esteem, and to feel good. They have not heard the message, "Repent or perish." They have not heard the anointed Word of God that demands a decision. Be forewarned, The Final Great Awakening will usher in a wave of persecution against the true Church of God. Old wells of Revival are on the threshold of being reopened. Fallen Mantles of ministry are being picked up. New Fountains are rumbling beneath the surface and about to burst forth. Frank Bartleman (chronicler of the Azusa Awakening) once said, "To understand what God is going to do, we must understand what He once did." The most incredible move of God will suddenly explode upon the scene!!

Judgment and a great shaking are coming to the land and to the church. Persecution of the Isaacs and Josephs, the true saints of God will occur. However, they will be covered with such zeal and boldness, they will be like the Fathers of old: "And they loved not their lives even until death." (Rev 12:11) God will harvest a holy remnant from this generation. He will have a church that is without spot or wrinkle, a pure bride for His Son. Be encouraged. Lift up your heads. Your God has come! "The King has need of thee!"

~Michael Edds.
<http://www.destinyquests.com/>www.destinyquests.com

<mailto:michaeledds@aol.com>michaeledds@aol.com

This is a picture of the recent move of God at Asbury College in Wilmore, Kentucky:

http://forerunner.com/asbury/asbury.jpg

There have been eight awakenings at Asbury since 1905. Many of these awakenings have swept the nation and the world, especially the 1950 and 1970 Awakenings. May this be the beginning of the reopening of this "old well" of revival for the ninth time. May it sweep around the nation and world again!!!

[jcr4runner]

Subject: I became a Christian at the 1970 Asbury revival
Date: Tue, 13 Jun 2006 13:43:20 -0500

Hi Jay,

I ran across your website as I was searching for information on the 1970 Asbury revival. I remember the day revival broke out just like it happened yesterday. I was a sophomore in high school at the time attending Jessamine County H.S. We didn't have school that day due to a snow storm. I recall my brother came running into the house very excited about something. I went inside to find out what was going on. He was a student at Asbury college and my father was going to Seminary across the street at Asbury Seminary at this time.

My brother in between gasps of breaths had told us that revival has just broken out at the college and wanted my parents to come and witness the power of God's spirit there. I don't think I really knew at the time what that really meant but as excited as he was I knew it must be something pretty special. My father went over to Hughes to witness the event while my Mother had my younger sisters to take care of. Some time later, I don't recall exactly but about an hour or so I decided to wonder over to Asbury to see what was going on. We lived about just a few blocks away actually just behind the Seminary. I didn't go in at first and I think it was because I saw someone from my high school outside smoking a cigarette at the time. The guy wasn't a friend of mine but we were acquainted so we spoke and were asking each other what we knew about what was going on inside. After some discussion and feeling pretty smug about ouselves what we thought most probably was a joke we decided to go inside and see for ourselves what was happening. What happened next is something I'll never forget as long as I live.

The second we stepped inside Hughes auditorium I felt a presence like nothing before. It was so powerful that I looked at Mark, the guy who went in with me and we both were so awed by the feeling we couldn't speak. I think our purpose was to walk in there and try to disrupt the happenings. The Holy spirit had different ideas. We decided to quietly walk up to the balcony of the auditorium and watch what was going on from up there. There were several students in line on the stage waiting to give their testimony. One after another confessing how they wronged somebody or how they pretended to live a Christian life but in actuality were leading sinful lives. The testimonies were so powerful on how just moments ago they asked Jesus for forgiveness and the power of the Holy spirit changed them in an instant wanting to confess their sins and declare to everyone how they felt. This was so genuine from one after another. I was so captivated by what was taking place I just didn't want to leave. At some point Mark, decided we should go downstairs. We were in the lobby of Hughes and we started quizzing each other on what was taking place and how it related to ourselves. We agreed neither of us were Christians and even though we could feel the Holy spirit there we weren't ready to make any change in that regard. But I just wasn't about to leave, I didn't want to leave this incredible feeling I had. I don't recall if Mark walked in with me into the auditorium or not but I sat down on one of the back pews just watching as person after person kept giving their testimony. There was cries of joy, several people at the alter praying with other friends and faculty praying over them. The alter was filled and it stayed this way for over a week.

It was some time in the evening that some Seminary students came over and sat beside me and started talking to me. They knew me since I would hang out over in the dorms just to have something to do. The guys knew I wasn't a Christian and one of the guys asked me straight out if I was ready to give my life over to Jesus. I don't honestly recall saying yes but I was persuaded to go with them to one of the classrooms downstairs and talk with them. One of the guys asked me if I wanted to be forgiven of my sins and I feel to me knees and said yes. After a prayer from someone I prayed the sinners prayer and wept. It was just moments after I did this that a couple of kids from town came to the window outside and knocked to see what was going on. I told them I was just forgiven of my sins. I remember their reaction was like hey, that's cool! If you knew the guys you would know that was far from typical.

As the revival progressed I witnessed several live being transformed. There was never anything like this to compare it to. Lives were changed instantly from what were some very hardened people. From this revival, many of us would go and speak to other churches. Asbury students would go out on witness missions to other colleges and see thousands saved. Mark, also came to the Lord during this time and we both shared our testimonies at a nearby church together.

The 1970 Asbury revival was just too incredible to describe but it was the most remarkable event I've witnessed in my life.

I just thought I'd share that with you. My Mother, just passed away 4 weeks ago and we were cleaning out her house and I came across a 1970 Asbury college revival reel to reel tape. Unfortunately the tape is falling apart so I was trying to find out if there was a way to get another copy. The Asbury College History department put the tape out at the time. If I can't find it I'll buy one of the VHS tapes.

God Bless!

Don Ludden

[jcr4runner]

I remember when I first started working with The Forerunner newspaper in the summer of 1989. We had this running discussion of "What is Revival?" It was my contention that it was useless to encourage hope and prayer for revival when most have no clue as to what the true revival is. I also think that if most Christians who claim they want revival and spiritual awakening REALLY knew what they were asking for, they would not be interested.

There is no explanation or definition as to what is meant by "revival" or "spiritual awakening" -- Doubletalk and meaningless jargon is thrown about.

"God wants to shake our nation again with the thunder of His presence."

Meaning what exactly?

It's ironic to me that Christians are calling for a renewal of a vision to reclaim a subjective, personal, overly emotional, highly selfish and pietistic form of religion. This has affected some church denominations to such a degree that they now celebrate homosexuality. I suggest that pietism actually led to sexual deviancy in these ministers.

I am not being cynical and skeptical. I am hopeful that there will be a Great Awakening in American and in all nations. I am fully aware that whenever I become vocal against the dangers of pietism that I am perceived as someone who would "squelch revival." I am hopeful that those who promote their pietistic ideas of false revival will themselves be squelched.

Here is an example: Some young people are involved with a prayer movement in northeast colleges such as Harvard, Yale, etc. The prayer of these students is for spiritual awakening for that region. This has been a dream of mine for many years. But what is being promoted?

If we look at the state of Massachusetts, we see the most godless, liberal state in America. An "Awakening" would be evidenced by Christians successfully outlawing civil homosexual unions. It would mean Christians working hard on a daily basis to reverse every evil institution that hell has reared to mock God in the last 150 years.

It's so easy to have an emotionally warm pietistic prayer meeting. In fact, most of these "concerts of prayer" and "revival" meetings I have attended are full of self-congratulating and self-promoting ministers who are doing nothing to confront the spiritual poverty 100 feet outside the doors of their church building. The message of the cross is missing. It's easy to pray, it's hard to confront evil at hell's gate.

One of my best friends in Boston is working full-time as a consultant to groups who are working to outlaw homosexual unions. Ironically, although she is a charismatic evangelical, the groups who support her work are all Roman Catholic. She tells me that few Protestant evangelical groups want to get involved in this battle. The sentiment is often: "We need to pray against the enemy and engage in spiritual warfare" -- which means effectively to do nothing.

The sad fact is that these people don't have "fire in their bones." They have a pietistic form of religion that esteems introspection and emotional comfort.

- Jay Rogers