In ministry you meet a lot of cool people. And since I have been in this work for more than three decades I have met many. Some have been awesome preachers from across the world. I have met Christian musicians that have so much talents. I have also met some writers and other speakers. So many of them have left an impression on me.
One of those that I met about 17 years ago was a writer named Margaret Feinberg and her husband Leif. We first met when my family was visiting Washington DC. It was during the time right before The Community Fellowship was started. We were in DC to visit National Community Church and wanted to hear their pastor, Mark Batterson, speak and experience their worship service. He wrote the book In a Pit With A Lion on A Snowy Day.
We had no idea that Batterson was not in town or speaking that weekend. But Margaret Feinberg was speaking. Since then we have connected a few times, and she has always been a great encouragement to me. She also spoke at our church many years ago. You ought to go find one of her books, and you see for yourself… books like Scouting the Divine or Hungry for God or Taste and See or several others.
I say all that to share with you today what Margaret experienced in Wilmore, Kentucky at Asbury University. My prayer for our church, for me and family, and for you is revival. May we experience a move of God that changes us and others. Here is what Margaret Feinberg shared:
I didn't write you last week, because I felt compelled to go to Asbury University in Wilmore, Kentucky. If you haven't heard, on February 8, students remained after a chapel service for more worship and prayer. This sparked a round the clock worship and prayer with people soon coming in from around the United States and world.
After two days of delayed flights and a battle with sudden sickness, I arrived on Friday morning to thousands standing outside Asbury's Hughes Auditorium waiting to get in. What I saw inside the auditorium was spectacularly unremarkable. ...keep reading :)
One of the biggest markers of this outpouring is what's not there. It lacks so many markers of the Americana church--celebrity, trendy songs that leverage emotion for a response, flawless production--even words on the screen.
Instead, it's a stripped down gathering with five main components. Students leading worship from every genre, many 20+ year old worship songs and hymns. Students reading Scripture. (Followed by more worship). Students telling what Jesus is doing in their lives. (Followed by more worship). Prayer and confession for our broken lives and world. (Followed by more worship). An invitation to follow Jesus.
Then the pattern of worship, Scripture reading, testimony, prayer + confession, and invitation begins again.
What God has been doing at Asbury is already spreading to other campuses including Cedarville University, Lee University, and Samford University.
The first morning I sat in overflow for an hour before the chapel began. Those in the room were so spiritually hungry, and yet gratitude hung in the air like 10,000 delicate bubbles.
Strangers stood up and read Scripture. A song started from a lone voice. Soon everyone joined in. A person shared a piece of wisdom. Then another Scripture. Nothing was scripted, it just flowed as natural as a spring breeze.
For me, the Scripture that swirled in my mind was 1 Kings 19:18, that describes the "7,000 others in Israel who have never bowed down to Baal.”
Sometimes, friends, it can feel like you're the only one. That the world has gone sideways and the Americana version of church has lost its mind.
But God has 7000 others (a number symbolizing completion, wholeness), faithful believers who are famished for God--hungry for His kingdom, His righteousness, His Spirit, His holiness.
You are not alone.
I caught a glimpse of them this week.
May the call to worship, scripture, prayer and repentance, stories of Jesus working in our lives, and the invitation to follow Jesus spread across our nation and world in such a way that all we can say is, "Only God!”
I love you, and I pray for the Holy Spirit's outpouring on you today, right where you are.
In humble prayer,
Margaret
You can learn more about Margaret on her website at https://margaretfeinberg.com/
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