Exactly What Happened at Asbury Revival? Interview with Zach Meerkreebs
By Alex Murashko
More than two months after the Asbury Revival began, people are still trying to wrap their heads around exactly what happened at the private Christian University in Kentucky for 16 days beginning on February 8.
Ministry leader Zach Meerkreebs, who preached the sermon which “launched” the 24/7 time of worship and prayer, is one of those people continuing to process what many people are calling a move of God, and yes, revival.
“My own experience was that I had to go back to work on the 27th, that Monday (4 days after the closing public session at the campus auditorium),” Meerkreebs told Think Eternity recently. “It just felt like whiplash. I was processing such a significant moment in my own life and such a significant moment in my family's life.
“It was also such a powerful, significant moment for the students who I've been working with informally in their lives. There's multiple students that my wife and I have been discipling for years now that happened to be key leaders in those 16 days. We were just moving so fast.”
CBN commentator Benjamin Gil wrote that what transpired at Asbury was: “Humble repentance before the Father. Passion to worship Jesus. Hunger for God's Word. The peaceful presence of the Holy Spirit. The hallmarks of the Asbury Awakening.”
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Others, mostly vocal skeptics, were not as convinced about what happened. They questioned the validity of calling the event a revival. However, Meekreebs said he witnessed students being transformed in a way that some people could easily tag “revival.”
“The campus had encountered Jesus in lots of different ways,” Meerkreebs said. “Some students were at one end of the spectrum, ready to step forward, filled with the Spirit ready to preach to thousands like Pentecost. Some people really just wanted to go back to fishing [back to what they were doing before]. Some people may have been overzealous and maybe needed to process a little bit better.”
At Asbury, he adds, “There are students and not only students, but professors and athletics coaches, that have experienced something so profound, they want to be able to discuss and pray with someone.”
Meerkreebs has since transitioned from the work (that he had to go back to) at Envision, a Christian Missionary Alliance ministry to touring colleges since the outpouring at Asbury and other campuses.
“It's a lot of coffee or meals and conversations,” he said. “There are profound stories of people who on February 8 didn’t even know Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior. On the 23rd, they gave their lives to Christ, experienced the Holy Spirit, and maybe even participated in the powerful ministry of prayer. Within 16 days, they went from unsaved to ready to go to the nations or go testify in churches or whatever it is (they feel called to do).”
Meerkreebs cautions that it's quite possible for people to simply move on from intense spiritual experiences because that’s what is tempting. Even for himself.
“Because of how profound and powerful Asbury was, culture says let's just get going, get moving and take advantage of this (moment),” he said. “For example, say ‘yes’ to as many interviews as possible. Say ‘yes’ to writing those books. Say ‘yes’ to speak there and there.”
Moving slow and waiting upon the Holy Spirit is something that transpired during those 16 days and “created space for us to experience what we did,” he said. “Sometimes, when I meet with college students or other people while pastoring, and they experience something profound I use the terminology like ‘Let’s make sure we mine the depths of that and not just go 5-feet down to see what you discover.’ We should push all the way down, deep and respond to all that God has for us.”
Although Meerkreebs is still processing, he has many takeaways. There was not a solo, heroic leader at the Asbury outpouring, he said.
“There was a team that was powerfully being used. Members were complementing, submitting and cheering each other on,” he said. “We also learned a lot about what this next generation desires. They don't need production, they don't need sparkles. They don’t need stylish preachers. They want authentic and analog. Simple, honest and real.
“This generation is super lonely and isolated.” What was evident at Asbury for 16 days, was that “they just love being in the presence of God and with each other, which sounds like a pretty good thing, right?”
And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. — Acts 2:42
Alex Murashko is a lead writer for Thinke. He highlights Christ followers within the media industry at Media on Mission. Find Murashko on various social media sites such as Twitter and Instagram.