Time to weigh in on the revival du jour that has sent the Charismatic apostate church into a tizzy...

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You cannot peruse Christian media today without report after report from Asbury College in Kentucky. It seems the NAR white whale of revival has "broken out" there like some viral plague according to all reports. People are reported being "broken" and "wanting to learn how much Jesus loves me." This apparently started weeks ago when after a Friday service, people stayed in the chapel rather than going to the local Denny's for "fellowship." This desire has apparently not left the chapel since and has started to draw people in from the outside to witness the latest outbreak of revival and to bask in the glory, so to speak.

So, what are we to make of this as discerning Christians? It is obvious to state that we are not physically there, but we did not need to be in Toronto or Pensacola to see that they were purely demonic in nature. One did not need to be in Lakeland Florida to see that Todd Bentley was a satanic charlatan. Yet combined, these false revivals drew tens of thousands of followers, so it remains fairly important to tread lightly when discerning truth from error. On the one hand, we certainly do not want to be on the wrong side of a true move of God. Discernment however is not judging between what is right and wrong as much as it is between what is almost right and what is right. So, while there are plenty of signs of things appearing right, let us look diligently at both sides.

Let's start with the elephant in the room no one ever talks about. This is not a revival. Perhaps revival is one of the most abused words in Charismania. It is pursued with great zeal and idolatrous obsession by the NAR., dominionists, and great swaths of apostate, purpose driven churchianity. The main problem with this idol is it is focused on the world becoming revived, not the church. The world cannot be revived however as it was never alive to begin with. Now, dominionists resolve this conflict by pretending that the Founding Fathers were all Evangelicals in covenant with God, when they clearly were far from it. No beloved, revival comes from within the church itself. The bible however does not promise a great end times revival but rather a great end times apostasy, which is well underway.

So, what then is happening at Asbury? All reports and video evidence appear to show a genuine move of the spirit. People want to stay in chapel and seek the Lord more. More prayer, more worship, more of the word. This is all very good if the chapel is a positive source of good theology. Pressing in for example to Hillsong worship and Stephen Furtick theology would not be good. While the reports so far seem to be positive, there are some warning signs. The Asbury website does indicate they follow the belief of "soaking" in the spirit, which is of course not good theology. Looking past their endorsement of female teachers over men, there are two things on the spring semester calendar which give pause. One is contemplative worship, which is nothing more than Eastern Mysticism, a la IHOP and Mike Bickle. The second is just labeled as "Engaging Culture", which sounds very NAR-like. Again, so the surface evidence may appear fine, but a little digging reveals potential problems. Can genuine Christians seek God in settings such as this? Absolutely and the last thing we would want is to interfere with such.

That said however, what do we really have here which is being blown up to such great proportions by the apostate Christian media machine? We have a small Kentucky bible school that teaches things like soaking in the spirit and contemplative worship suddenly decided they wanted to stay late after a regular worship service. Then much like their IHOP neighbors, they didn't want to leave. Commendable on an individual basis? Sure, but the powers that be started branding it as a revival and reporting it out as such. The Charisma News' of the world ran with the story and then we started to hear the grandiose stories that frequent these types of events. Suddenly everyone is being healed but there is not one single sustained medical report as such. God is not shy beloved. What better way to show who He is then to allow for proof of healing for the unbelievers? Instead we hear vague tales of healing like shortened legs being miraculously grown out like Todd White does at Korn concerts. Please. I saw one attendee said that she had miraculous bone growth in her teeth and while I am sure that it truly helped her, does anyone in Asbury Kentucky have cancer? Why not take this great presence and march straight into the Emergency Room? I am afraid we know the answer why.

When the apostate church gives up their seeker friendly schemes, we can believe revival has come. When she gives up her purpose driven foundations, we can believe that revival has come. When churchianity gives up the great tithing scam and truly relies on the Holy Ghost to prompt believers to give, we can believe that revival has come. When the church turns their back on heresy such as Hillsong, Elevation, and Bethel music and teachings, we can believe that revival has come. When the church stops pretending that the Republican Party is righteous or that your voting record has anything to do with salvation, we can believe that revival has come. When the church gives up on their itch scratching teachings such as prosperity, word faith, little gods, false signs and lying wonders, gemstones, angel feathers, glory clouds, gold dust, and clairvoyant prophecies, then we can believe that revival has come.

The final point for today is regarding the fact the small churches across this land could very easily be experiencing the same commitment to the Lord that the students at Asbury are dealing with right now. The difference is we would not hear about it. They would not be marketing it. Why? Because they would be so worried about contaminating it. It was tweeted out this week that Todd "kick them in the face" Bentley is rushing to Asbury and has urged his followers to do likewise in order to "catch it" and that he was going to "soak in it." The response from Asbury was to claim that while he was not invited to speak, they could not stop him from coming. Except you could, couldn't you? If you cared about this alleged revival, shouldn't you protect it? Shouldn't you fend off the wolves who will gather around you? You see, you may think that you are involved a great and mighty work of God but why are brazen wolves such as Todd Bentley drawn to it? The word is that other wolves from across apostate churchianity will also be going to Asbury College. So, if this is a great revival, it is not going to last much longer. The wolves are on the way and the shepherds claim there is nothing they can do about it.

A true revival of God does not need a marketer. It does not need a sales force. It does not seek to brag or boast, even if it believes it is for the Lord. God gives the increase anyway. When you start screaming, "look at me" you draw all attention to yourself. I feel bad for the individual students who genuinely are seeking God because they are about to be inundated by professional wolves and followers of those wolves. Remember, Bentley encouraged his followers to go as well! This leaven will spread throughout the batch and one day we will watch videos from Asbury, like we do today from Toronto, Pensacola and Lakeland with utter shock and dismay. All because some college kids genuinely wanted more of God and instead the powers that be turned it into revival, and that drew the wolves. And now there is nothing they can or intend to do about it.

Reverend Anthony Wade - February 14, 2023

Authors Bio:
Credentialed Minister of the Gospel for the Assemblies of God. Owner and founder of 828 ministries. Vice President for Goodwill Industries. Always remember that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.