Did I read somewhere that this month marked the first anniversary of the Asbury revival? For just over two weeks an almost endless meeting flowed out from a regularly scheduled chapel service at Asbury University, in Wilmore, Kentucky. Students stayed in the auditorium to pray, after the morning meeting on February 8th, 2023. They then continued to pray and praise into the evening, although some eventually headed home, the overnight low in attendance was still estimated to be about fifty people. The meetings continued with approximately 15,000 people worshipping daily, and some 60,000 people (or more) were reached over the two week period.
People started to travel to visit the so-called revival. I say ‘so-called’ as the term can be highly provocative to some people; the outpouring, the renewal, the extended prayer gathering, anyway, whatever you call it, these visitors made numerous eye-witness reports which clearly brought into focus some identifiable common areas – thankfully.
Five key observations were often repeated in their reflection.
The simplicity of the meetings. Corporate worship, waiting on God, then a practical Bible message, with clear application and plenty of space to respond.
The simplicity of the worshipping musicians. A minimalistic band set-up, sometimes led by just two people. The use of accessible and repeatable songs.
The simple relevance of the Bible teaching. More practically challenging, than academically informative.
Space. Whether in actual quiet or using simple songs, there was time given for people to reflect, push-in, respond, open their hearts to God, and receive prayer from each other.
Time. It was said to be hard to fully identify when one scheduled meeting ended, and another began. Time became irrelevant.
Obviously as people visited and talked about what was going on, the inevitable question was raised. “Can we have this in our church?”
And the honest answer is, “No.”
Read again those common and repeated comments,
unrestricted time,
simplicity and repetition in the worship,
space to respond.
Most Sunday services can’t offer that! Though, my heart would love to see a revolution in our approach to corporate worship and especially the function of praise – please read my book, School of Praise, to
hear my heart on this, as I remain in prayer for a lasting praise revolution to sweep across our congregations. We need to value the importance of creating spaces where we spend less time on our pre-planned song-lists, only to then regurgitate the latest songs from YouTube. If only we could stop, to take a breath, to step back, and deeply breathe in the inspirational Holy Spirit, and then to worship simply ‘in spirit and in truth’ – simple, though not necessarily easy.
Let’s be honest, it’s far easier to photocopy chord sheets, or use a digital tablet with access to over a 1000 songs, than it is to allow the wind of the Spirit to fill our sails of praise. Though, believe me once you’ve transitioned to the realm of ‘spirit and truth’ the reverse becomes true. Predetermined song-lists and making sure everyone in the band is one the ‘same page’, becomes far more exhausting and distracting, and ultimately damaging to honest Spirit-led worship.
I have witnessed on a handful of occasions when the band have been so faithful in being ‘in spirit and in truth’, that their failure to be in tune didn’t quench God’s activity. Memorable was an evening in Clacton-on-Sea, a group of us had turned up to support a faithful prayer huddle longing to launch an affiliated and official Healing Room. While my mind was bothering about how poor the keyboard sounded and how dated the songs were, I also noticed that I was holding onto my chair with both hands, knowing that if I were to let go, I’d be instantly on the floor under the power of the Holy Spirit. That proved to be an extraordinary night, the prophetic flowed with stunning accuracy, and there was much ‘carpet time’ had by many under God’s gracious anointing. Los Olmos prison Buenos Aires, a high security facility housing some of Argentina’s worst offenders. Yet through the outrageous courage of a local Pentecostal minister who applied and was accepted as a prison warden, ‘revival’ broke out with almost 50% of the inmates radically saved and spiritually transformed. Though I had to sign a personal liability waiver form to enter the place and give the inmates permission to lay hands on me – I would not have missed it for the world. The opening praise was thunderous and at times borderline militant. In this bleak windowless building, amidst broken lives being restored, their praise was powerfully celebratory, even though the musical accompaniment was out of sync and out of tune – it was nevertheless, gloriously out of this world!
As a worship leader of limited musical ability, for thirty years I’ve been massively blessed and supported by highly skilled worshipful musicians, most of whom played by ear and were more than happy just to follow me and trust I was discerning wisely. It’s what we need, skilled worship-minded musicians and gifted worship leaders. Whereas most of the time our designated worship leader is just a leader of songs. And sometimes it’s not necessarily their fault, but it’s a lack of healthy spiritual and musical support that reduces even a gifted minister into partaking in a spiritually impoverished environment. Few of us rise to the calling of being a glory carrier – even Moses needed Aaron, Hur and Joshua to fulfil their faithful duties to see the eventual breakthrough and victory. Team is important! An anointed and gifted team.
Most congregations long for more Sunday children’s workers, for volunteers in the crèche, the refreshments and the welcome team. Yet at the same time the names on the worship rota just gets longer and longer. Some churches audition. How would you do that? Get people playing by ear? How would you assess their spirituality or their understanding and hunger for praise?
I love the story from my Argentine friend, Victor Lorenzo. He was one of many pastors of a megachurch in Buenos Aires. One morning in the office an assistant pastor came in looking a little puzzled. At 3 in the morning the senior pastor had phoned him up and asked him to pray. He prayed, though not entirely sure what for, and after 20 minutes, the senior pastor thanked him and put the phone down. Strange? Stranger was the following morning, when another assistant pastor came to work with the same story. He also had been woken up at 3am by the senior pastor with a request for him to pray. After the third time this happened, my friend went to the senior pastor’s office and asked him why he was doing this? The senior pastor explained that he could interview all his staff to find out how they were doing and to ask after their personal spiritual walk. He was sure he would hear some wonderful answers. But he decided it would be quicker and more authentic to ring them in the middle of the night and listen to them pray!
If we long to see the days of the 1904 Welsh Revival, or of Brownsville, Pensacola in the late 1990s, or Asbury 2023...
Then have we got a wineskin that can host such fervour for prayer, praise, and heartfelt ministry?
Can we preach shorter and more practical sermons?
Have we the ability to nurture greater intimacy in corporate adoration?
Can we help facilitate the space for reflection and response?
Before any revival breaks, we need to be honest now in answering these questions.
Culture. As a Brit, I know culture is a biggie! I was asked to facilitate a ‘Holy Spirit’ time of ministry this month in my newly adopted home of Colombia. The meeting started over an hour late, due to traffic and just… well, culture. The opening praise had no detectable song-list structure, but it was facilitated by a gifted, guitar playing, worship leader, accompanied by a percussionist. This expression of worship lasted over an hour, moving seamlessly from celebration to heartfelt adoration, there were no books or projected words, and even when other ministry started to break out the songs of adoration continued. The meeting was planned to finish at 9.30pm. By 9.40pm I may have been in a position to call a halt, remember – I am still a Brit. But no one was wanting to go home! God had more to do, and everyone present was happy to receive all He had. My wife and I eventually got into our car at about 11pm, and we were one of the first to leave!
My dear British friend Richard, loves to say, “Follow the river, not the clock.” UK church culture, especially with the responsibilities other ministry teams have on a Sunday morning, makes that instruction almost impossible to honour in order to honour the needs and ministries of others.
Our culture, the clock, family responsibilities, even lunch, lack of ability (beyond that we’ve already prepared for), physical weariness, spiritual lukewarmness, prior commitments… all these and plenty more restricts our availability to God’s sustainability for spiritual zeal and perseverance in prayer.
As a teenager, I remember in one church meeting being introduced to an African worship song, we were encouraged to sway and clap, and everyone seemed genuinely excited that something fresh had arrived. Though it definitely didn’t stay! Then later in a different context some visiting Brazilians led our worship. Again, we rejoiced in the freedom these South American’s had, what a breath of fresh air, why couldn’t we worship like that? Exactly, why? Then at a rather boring Brethren style open worship gathering, an elderly lady read from a Psalm, which talked about making joyful noises and clapping, she added, suggesting that perhaps our worship could be more like that. ‘No!’ I annoyingly thought to myself because you’d be one of the first to complain. And sure enough within months she and her husband left as they detected the worship band getting louder.
The church seems to be plagued with the desire to want more, yet simultaneously unwilling to adapt or change to help host the new. Welcome to your world. Frustrating? You bet! So, what’s next? More of the same, or a serious grown-up revaluation in order to exercise some risk-based faith to see more of God’s glorious transformational presence?
Finally - The Much Needed Postscript
I don’t want this blog to be empty rhetoric, or even an unjust critical swipe at the local church. I’ve been in church leadership for over 35 years – finding fault in local church ministries is easy, a cheap jibe, rarely is it effective, yet sometimes it can be seriously damaging. So pragmatically, let’s get real. Sunday mornings generally serve a purpose at an attractive ‘family-church’ level. If they are the values and priorities you agree with, then be pleased, and embrace them along with their relative limitations without complaint. The elusive ‘more’ most probably requires an alternative space. So, please don’t let midweek Bible studies be reduced to mini-Sunday services, prioritise the ministries of prayer, praise and prophecy, stretch people, equip people, and empower people. However, we still need to find that much needed additional space, once a week, or once a month, to long for His Tabernacle habitation, don’t assume the presence of ‘the cloud’; pray, praise, wait, weep, hunger, until the musicians have to give way under the weight of His descending glory. Don’t bring a song-list, don't bring Sunday-morning-thinking, don’t even rehearse, don’t keep eclipsing or neglecting His Spirit, basically, don’t get unnecessarily in the way – rather, be open, uncluttered, vulnerable, and zealous.
Oh, and bring some snacks, just in case it’s an all-nighter!
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