The fires of revival continue to burn at Asbury University in Kentucky and numerous reports reveal the Holy Spirit has ignited several other flames that are now burning brightly at other universities and colleges around the country.
As CBN News has reported, the revival at Asbury University in Wilmore, Kentucky, is now on its 10th day as thousands of people continue to make the spiritual pilgrimage to this town in hopes of encountering more of God.
Just 249 miles to the south, a revival at Lee University in Cleveland, Tennessee is well underway. Local news reports indicate the Lee revival has now been ongoing since Monday.
‘Spontaneous Worship and Prayer’
There are also reports of spontaneous prayer and worship among the students at Cedarville University in Cedarville, Ohio, and at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama.
Cedarville University President Thomas White shared five short video clips of the revival at his school Tuesday night.
“Tonight a large number of students gathered again to pray, read Scripture, testimonies, and to worship Jesus for about two hours! We had 2 more students saved tonight. Tomorrow night we are sending our students out to other Universities to share the Gospel,” he wrote. “Keep praying for wisdom and a genuine movement of the Lord! The last video is from students who stayed around to keep worshipping. They were still there when I left about 11 pm!”
In an email to the Cedarville faculty and staff earlier this week, White wrote, “We are so thankful for how God is working on our campus in recent days.”
The university’s president explained it all began on Monday during Cedarville’s morning campus chapel service while he led the students in studying Psalm 86 in the Bible’s Old Testament. White then described what happened next.
(All photos courtesy: Cedarville University)
“I planned for us to pray as an application of David crying out to God and then sing a song before continuing with the sermon. During that song, the first person to come to the altar to pray was a faculty member. He was followed by students, one after another. As I walked back up to the stage, I knew the sermon was over and God was moving,” he said.
“Before long, the altar was packed, with students down some of the aisles. We stayed even after the time for chapel had ended. We don’t do this very often because we value the important work that takes place in classrooms across campus at 11 a.m., but as I looked down at students with tears of repentance dripping from their cheeks while other students put arms around them to pray, I knew we needed to stay. God was doing something special.”
On Tuesday morning in chapel, when the speaker gave the invitation for students to “come to the altar and lay down any idols preventing them from moving closer to God,” and many responded to the gospel call, according to White. Students, staff and faculty agreed to meet together that evening.
White said Tuesday evening’s service began at a slower pace.
“We prayed through the Lord’s prayer. We sang one song, heard a few testimonies, and prayed through the Beatitudes. In the first thirty minutes, I think we only sang that one song. I expected students might leave with less music, but not only did they stay, the numbers grew,” he said. “At the beginning of our next song, I saw a young lady with tears streaming down her cheeks come to the altar on my left. Then another in the middle and another to the right came. I’m not a charismatic, but I felt the presence of the Lord in the room. It was palpable.”
“Some students continued to linger, praying and singing. I noticed a young lady with a beaming smile waiting to talk to me. Her first words were, ‘I was saved tonight.’ That makes four reported professions of faith this week. Praise God!” White continued.
Instead of having chapel on Wednesday night, Cedarville students who were called to do so, took the gospel message to share at other colleges and universities.
White said he doesn’t know exactly what the Lord is doing, but he wants to stay humble before the Lord and allow for God to move while at the same time avoiding any “exaggerations” of what’s taking place.
“Are we having a revival on campus? I think it is too soon to declare that. Maybe we are seeing a unique outpouring of the presence of God, and maybe we just experienced a few days of special worship,” he explained. “We must keep the marks of genuine revival before us. We should see confession of sin, repentance, salvations, Jesus being exalted, and the Word of God being held high.”
“We must maintain a humble posture with no exaggerations as to what is happening, seeking to avoid fabricating something through emotional events on one side and hindering the work of the Spirit through skepticism or not encouraging the right opportunities on the other side. A genuine work of God must be organic,” White noted.
“We don’t know what to do next or what will happen next, but let’s prepare our own hearts to be ready just in case God graciously moves in our country,” he continued. “Ultimately, this is not about any person or Cedarville, so let’s make sure we stay humble and give all credit to God. We desire that Jesus Christ be honored above all! ”
‘The Holy Spirit Is at Work’
Meanwhile, just 177 miles to the south of Cedarville University, there are reports of the Holy Spirit moving at Samford University, a private Christian school located on the outskirts of Birmingham, Alabama.
Friday morning, Kevin Blackwell, the assistant to the school’s president posted an email to the Samford student body from President Beck A. Taylor, Ph.D., about students and employees gathering for “spontaneous, organic, student-led worship” that has been happening for the last 48 hours in the school’s Reid Chapel.
“Having spent some time yesterday with those worshipping in Reid Chapel, I can testify that the Holy Spirit is at work in and among our student body,” Taylor said. “What’s happening isn’t contrived, programmed, or scripted. Nor is it performative or disingenuous. Students and others see it as an opportunity for the Samford campus to find unity in Christ, to encourage one another to faithfulness, and to extend the love and grace of Jesus to everyone.”
“Similar movements are occurring at other college campuses. Although what’s happening now at Samford is unique, I also have no doubt that God is working in similar ways at places like Asbury and Lee Universities, among others. I’ve also read about similar activities at some high schools,” the Samford University president noted.
“As we allow the Spirit to move among us, let’s resist the temptation to label what’s happening, or to put it into some kind of a neat box. I’m convinced that God is doing a new thing here, and all we’re asked to do is to remain faithful to God’s calling,” Taylor said.
“Our theme this year is HOPE. Our hope can be found in the person and work of Jesus Christ. As we worship Jesus today, let’s allow hope to abound in us so that we can spread God’s hope throughout this campus and the world,” he concluded.
Blackwell also posted a video clip of a Facebook Live of students and employees worshipping together Thursday in the Reid Chapel on the Samford campus.
In another Facebook post, Blackwell noted “God was up to something.”
“Last evening a student walked into Reid Chapel and began softly playing worship songs on the piano. Soon a few students heard the music, walked into the chapel, and began to worship along with this student. Several students heard about what was happening in the chapel and joined in,” he wrote. “For over 7 hours students gathered in Reid last night and well into the morning worshipping, praying, sharing testimonies, and reading Scripture. It was totally organic and student led. At 2:00am there were 150-200 students in the chapel seeking God’s face and praying for revival on our campus. Word is they are planning to return this afternoon. Keep praying for Samford. God is up to something!”
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