John the Baptist was always clear that his role was to point to the one coming after him: “He must become greater; I must become less” (John 3:30). He was also keenly aware that his ministry was a preparation for a movement that would follow. In the same way, Asbury kept Jesus at the forefront with a countercultural message of “no celebrity except Jesus.” Asbury leadership hopes that their experience will one day be part of a plethora of chapters about how many met God.

We often only realize that we are living through historic events by looking back on them.
Consider the Moravians. In 1727, this group of Christians fleeing persecution in the modern-day Czech Republic began a 24-7 prayer vigil. They couldn’t foresee that their non-stop prayer session would ultimately last for 100 years and launch a global missions movement.
Or take the example of John Wesley and George Whitefield. In 1738, in a New Year’s prayer meeting, where the men and others were gathered, at “about three in the morning, as we were continuing instant in prayer, the power of God came mightily upon us, insomuch that many cried out for exceeding joy” later wrote Wesley in his diary.” The preachers likely had little idea that in the ensuing months, they would start traveling across the UK teaching the word of God, a campaign that would mark the beginning of the Wesleyan revival and the First Great Awakening in the US.
Church history has taught us to never underestimate the long-term impact when God’s tangible presence comes upon a group of people; this understanding has led me to closely track the aftermath of the 2023 outpouring at Asbury University.
For those who need a refresher: One year ago this week, as a seemingly ordinary Wednesday morning chapel ended, 18 or 19 students lingered to worship and pray. Though the school in rural Kentucky has a history of revivals, few likely believed that this meeting would continue for the following 16 days, drawing over 60,000 people, including students from 300 university campuses and Christians from almost every continent.
While we have yet to see a global revival since Asbury’s concluded, there is more going on than our eyes can see. I believe that we have entered a season of spiritual preparation. I’ve observed parallels between this event and a biblical preacher who also hailed from the countryside and who also drew a crowd: John the Baptist.
Prophesied by Isaiah as “the voice of one calling in the wilderness” (John 1:23; Is. 40:3), John called the people to repentance and consecration. He was the embodiment of answered prayer and devoted his ministry to proclaiming that something greater would soon be following him. Seeing evidence of these elements all around the world provokes me to wonder what next global move Asbury might have heralded.
A Call to Repentance and Consecration
From the wilderness, John the Baptist earned his nickname by “preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (Mark 1:4). Crowds followed him into the desert to confess their sins, get baptized, and reconcile themselves to God.
In a similar way, crowds entering Hughes Auditorium were confronted with the state of their own hearts. Here is how David Thomas, who was in the core leadership team stewarding the outpouring, described it to me in an email interview:
For the first few days of the Outpouring, it seemed that repentance and forgiveness were almost all we could do. All over the room, people were making their way to another, tumbling over one another to make the first move of offering apologies, owning mistakes, forgiving grievances, and explaining misunderstandings. The front steps of Hughes were populated by people on their phones sending texts of reconciliation and restoration.
Thomas’s remarks were echoed by one of the transatlantic visitors. Al Gordon, a London pastor, reported feeling a weight in the air even in the parking lot.
“I was met with an overwhelming sense that I have to get right with Jesus,” he recounted. “Before I stepped into the chapel, I was crying out in repentance, confessing my pride, humbling myself before God.”
Asbury students led the way in modeling this wave of repentance. From the stage, hundreds shared their testimonies. Their stories would vary from simple things like, “I sensed Jesus inviting me to text a friend asking forgiveness for something in our relationship that was not quite right,” to dramatic transformations such as, “Three days ago I renounced witchcraft and gave my life to Jesus.”
Student leaders would also not allow anyone to lead worship who was not “authentically right with Jesus,” said Thomas. Instead of offering them and the guest speakers who came a standard green room, they created a “consecration room” where they were asked to receive prayer and ask for God’s forgiveness for any sins, prior to sharing anything from the platform.
A Call to Prayer
John the Baptist was born out of prayer, specifically those of his elderly parents. When the angel appeared to his father, Zechariah, his first words were, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard” (Luke 1:13).
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The power of God on display throughout all history, in all of creation, will be seen by all on that great day of judgment! Dear Christian, the power of God may not be known exhaustively but it is surely revealed by God sufficiently. When the door is shut no more may enter. The power of God draws men and women to the feast today. The power of God shuts the door at the end. The power of God keeps it shut. As you see the day of the Lord’s return drawing near, do not harden your heart and thereby store up God’s wrath, but prepare your souls to meet Him.  Christ is coming in power!

And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.
Matthew 25:10
Can you describe the power of the Almighty God? Scripture teaches that God is infinite, eternal, and unchangeable in His power. How can a human writer describe the infinite, eternal, and unchangeable attribute of God? We must confess we cannot do it exhaustively or comprehensively. Nevertheless, God has condescended to finite man to give us a sufficient description of His power in the Scripture.
God tells of His power in Psalm 147:5, “Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite.”
God calls us to ascribe to Him all power to Him for He alone is powerful, “for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever Amen.”
God demonstrates His power to us throughout history.
Noah and his household were kept alive in the worldwide flood while all around Him perished. Abraham and Sarah had a child when Abraham was 100 years old. The cattle of the Egyptians died while the Israelites cattle was kept alive. With the Red Sea in front of them and the Egyptian army behind them, the children of Israel were protected from behind by God placing darkness between them and the Egyptians. In front, God divided the Red Sea that they might walk over on dry land. Moses responded by singing, “Thy right hand, O LORD, is become glorious in power: thy right hand, O LORD, hath dashed in pieces the enemy.”
Through the whole of Scripture, God’s power is revealed.
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You may have considered all of these questions before. You may not have ever considered any of these questions before, but they are certainly worth considering before condemning the position the church of Jesus Christ has held for a couple millennia.

For many evangelicals, the leaked draft decision last month felt like the culmination of many prayers, tears, hard conversations, and difficult decisions at the voting polls. Now that Roe has fallen, the most vulnerable will now have a chance to be legally protected in some states and the pro-life movement will have some headway into the culture.
For many of our neighbors, the overturning of Roe and Casey is a sign of an upcoming theocratic takeover filled with fundamentalist extremism. A woman’s fundamental right to choose, which we have been told is paramount, is now under assault.
As Jonathan Haidt has pointed out, we are not getting better at debating and we have little to no tolerance when it comes to embracing tough conversations. Social media, institutional overreach into politics, and polarization are all factors, but I wonder if another contribution is something we have lost along the way.
Jesus asked over 300 questions to his friends, disciples, adversaries. He was fully God, fully man and knew full well the answers, yet he asked many questions.
With that I have 60 questions for any Christian who identifies as pro-choice. These are not meant to be dismissive, snarky, or rhetorical. They are much more helpful than calling an entire segment of people “bigots” or “baby murderers.”

Are all humans made in the image of God?
How do you think Genesis 1:27 can speak into the abortion discussion?—And God created man in His image, in the image of God He created him, male andfemale He created them.
Is a fetus a “potential human life” or a “human life with potential” (if you don’t intentionally end it)
Is the life that is being ended through abortion worthy of protections?
How can Proverbs 6:17 help us think about abortion?—“The LORD hates those who shed innocent blood.”
Is life within the womb innocent?
What do you think of the fact that there is entirely new, separate human DNA in the fetus at the moment of conception?—medlineplus
What do you think of Jeremiah 1:5 telling us that a person exists even before that person’s birth
Is the life within the womb human?
When does a person deserve rights?
What is an abortion?
Have you ever seen an abortion?
Do you think the pro-choice / pro-abortion position aligns more closely to a Biblical worldview than the pro-life / anti-abortion position?
In America, it is illegal to kill a bald eagle, carrying a maximum fine of $250,000 or two years in prison. And the law extends to the eggs of the bald eagle, making no differentiation between a living bald eagle and a pre-born bald eagle. Why should a bald eagle egg have more protection than an unborn baby?
Does the Bible provide us reliable wisdom on how to think about abortion?
Did you know that followers of Jesus have been distinctly pro-life and anti-abortion since the 1st century A.D.?—Justin Taylor’s Did the Early Church Oppose Abortion?—For instance, the Didache 2.2 (c. A.D. 85–110) commands, “thou shalt not murder a  child by abortion nor kill them when born.”—Another non-canonical early Christian text, the Letter of Barnabas 19.5 (c. A.D. 130),said: “You shall not abort a child nor, again, commit infanticide.”
How do you think God is most glorified through the various abortion methods? (Vacuum Aspiration, Abortion poison pill, Dilation & Evacuation)
What do you think your view on abortion testifies to how God views children?
How does God view children?
When should abortion be legally allowed?

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