Author: Kevin

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A Tale of Two Foundations

Two buildings are pictured below. Both of them are famous, but for very different reasons.

Construction on the Leaning Tower of Pisa (pictured left) began in 1173, and the tower began to sink as second floor was being built in 1178. The reason was pretty simple: the 3-meter foundation was placed on unstable soil.

The construction was halted for about 100 years due to war, which allowed the soil to partially settle and saved the tower from collapse. Engineers began building again, making the rooms on one side of the tower taller than the other. This gave the Leaning Tower of Pisa a curved shape, but it didn’t solve the problem—the lean of the tower kept getting worse, making it a danger to the public. Numerous attempts were made to stabilize this structure over the years—some of which actually worsened its condition.

It took over a decade of work to get the tower stabilized. The final project began in 1990 and was completed in 2001. Seventy tons of soil had to be removed in order to adjust the angle of the building and keep it from falling over.

The Taipei 101 Tower, located in Taiwan, is an astounding 1,667 feet tall. The building was the tallest in the world upon its completion in 2004.

The foundation of the Taipei 101 Tower is just as impressive as the building itself. The soil directly underneath the tower is actually inadequate to support the massive structure. But geologists discovered a layer of solid bedrock about 260 feet underneath the soft earth. The builders placed 382 concrete piles deep in the soil—each pile weighing somewhere between 1,100 to 1,460 tons. They poured 30,000 yards of concrete on top of these piles to form the foundation of the Taipei 101 Tower. Creating this foundation took 15 months.

The Leaning Tower of Pisa, built on a poor foundation, began to sink after only the second floor was built. The Taipei 101 Tower, built with a proper foundation, has 101 floors and has easily withstood both earthquakes and typhoons. One tower is famous for being an architectural blunder; the other stands as a testament to modern ingenuity. The right foundation makes a big difference!

Jesus used the foundation analogy in one of his most well-known parables:

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”

Matthew 7:24-27

This parable is part of a message most commonly referred to as the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7). Multitudes had come to hear this amazing teacher and worker of miracles. Jesus shocked His listeners by telling them that superficial self-righteousness was not acceptable to a Holy God (Matthew 5:20). He went on describe a way of life that can only come from a renewed heart.

Jesus ended His sermon with an illustration that simultaneously delivers a promise and a warning. Those who believe and apply what they hear will benefit eternally. Those who disregard His message do so at their own peril.

Think about it this way: according to Jesus, we are all building something–our lives. Every decision you make, every relationship you begin or end, every habit you develop–it all ultimately adds up to the sum that is your life.

But what we build is only as good as the foundation it is placed upon. And the right foundation, according to Jesus, can be summarized in one word: obedience.

Jesus is not saying that we earn our way into heaven by following His commands. Instead He means that those who have truly put their faith in Him will be inclined to obey Him. None of us obey perfectly, but trusting Him as Savior brings a new nature and a desire to make Him Lord of our lives.

Jesus urged his listeners to choose their foundation carefully. Not all foundations are equal, and not all will survive the test. And let’s be clear: regardless of what/where you build, your foundation will be tested.

Trials, for example, will test your foundation. All of us will inevitably face a severe test in our lifetime. It may be something like the death of a loved one or a life-threatening illness. Life will eventually take something that’s dear to us, forcing us to face the fleeting nature of anything we cling to in this all-too temporary world.

Time will also test our foundation. The days and months will pass by relentlessly. Blink and a decade will pass by. Blink again and you’ll be in the final years of your life. We will either look back on a life that was well-lived through obedience to Christ or on a series of regrets, missed opportunities, and wasted time.

Finally, and most importantly, eternity will test our foundation. One day our time on this earth will come to an end. We will face God and enter into eternity as people who have prepared wisely or as those who have lived foolishly.

Following Jesus, just like building a solid foundation, is not easy. But there’s something much more difficult than following Jesus: the consequences of disobedience. Notice how Jesus describes the fate of the foolish builder’s house in verse twenty-seven: “and great was the fall of it.”

You have a choice. You can be like the wise man who built his house on a solid foundation or like the foolish man who built on the sand.

Choose wisely!

Pictures of The Leaning Tower of Pisa and the Taipei 101 Tower are both courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

The Asbury Revival: my thoughts

Before you read this, let me tell you just a little about myself (just in case you have stumbled upon my blog for the first time). My name is Kevin. I’m a Southern Baptist Pastor. Before that I was a missionary in the Philippines. I believe the Bible is God’s Word and is “truth without any mixture of error” (just as our statement of faith says). I’m 50 years old, so I’ve seen the rise and fall of different people, churches, and movements in Christianity.

I’m not a Calvinist, but I have benefited greatly from some Calvinist authors and also have dear friends that are Reformed. I consider myself a “cautious continuist” in my view of the gifts of the Spirit. I am cautious because I see a lot of blatantly unbiblical practices in hyper-charismatic churches/ministries. But I am a continuist, meaning I don’t see any biblical reason to think the gifts of the Spirit ceased at a certain point of time in the Christian church.

If any of the above means you don’t think my thoughts are worth reading then you are free to move on to another blog (or YouTube video, or tweet). Just letting you know a little bit of my background.

Anyway, here goes:

I remember watching a documentary on the 1970 Asbury revival years ago (I can’t remember if it was while I was in seminary or in training to be a missionary). One particular interviewee commented on the amount of restraint that was exercised in those meetings. In other words, they weren’t characterized by charismatic excess or chaos. It looked like a pretty amazing movement that had a lasting impact on those who experienced it.

Now, over 50 years later, something similar seems to be happening again. A group of students felt God leading them to stay in the chapel after service on February 8th. More students gathered, and the spontaneous prayer/worship meeting hasn’t stopped since. Thousands have now come to spend a few hours worshiping God.

I began seeing the reports of this a few days ago. I was encouraged because there is no flashy venue, no big-named preacher, no marketing, and no agenda other than glorifying God.

I’m also encouraged because the movement seems to be spreading. Similar meetings are happening at Samford University, a Baptist school located near my hometown.

I haven’t been to Asbury. I wish I could go, but it’s just not practical for several reasons.

But people I have great respect for have been able to go see it for themselves.

A former seminary classmate visited for a couple of days and said it had a profound impact on him (he mentioned it in a Facebook comment). He’s a solid, theologically conservative man that pastors a church in Arkansas.

Then my friend Jason told me he planned to go. I have known Jason now for over 30 years. He is one of my best friends in this world and one of the godliest men I’ve ever met in my life.

I asked Jason to write something about his experience. This is what he had to say. 

Jason’s Testimony

Whether what is happening at Asbury is a “revival,” an “awakening,” or a “refreshing” is hard to say. It depends on who you ask. I rather liked what the speaker said during my visit – “We are here for Jesus. What this is called doesn’t matter. Jesus will name it, and we really don’t care what He calls it.”

A few would even say it’s nothing but emotionalism and fleshly exuberance. Well, I was there on Friday, February 17th, 2023, and I have to vehemently disagree. It was seriously one of the most profound experiences of my life. I can only pray that it’s the start of something more sweeping, and not an isolated event. But it is very real. It’s hard to understand just how real it is by watching videos online or reading reports. God’s presence is there in an uncommon and powerful way.

I’ve been following Jesus for 30 years, and mark it as a unique experience in my faith journey thus far. And, no, I’m not in the least bit reluctant to call it an experience. An experience of the manifest presence of God. And an experience on a very, very, very small scale of what worship in heaven is actually going to be like.

Let me be more specific. In my years as a believer, I have experienced God’s presence. I have experienced the joy of the Lord. And I’ve experienced being spiritually “fired up.” I went expectantly, but guessed that my visit to Asbury would encompass something along those lines. I only hoped it would be some kind of a “fresh touch” from God that I would thank Him for, and then come back home and get back to “life as usual.”

I was absolutely not prepared for what happened when I walked into that sanctuary.

The presence of God in power was immediate. It was not something that you had to “work yourself into.” As I walked through the doors of Hughes Auditorium, the 1,500-seat room was filled to capacity (literally – they were only letting us in as seats became available). The worship team was singing “Revelation Song,” and there was a reverence and a gentleness that, ironically, almost knocked me over (metaphorically speaking). It was like walking into a cascade or a waterfall of God’s presence, and I had barely made it to my seat before tears were involuntarily beginning to stream down my cheeks (I was embarrassed by this and worked to wipe them away…in retrospect, I should have unashamedly let them flow).

The best way I’ve been able to describe it is to say that I felt “Love.” Overwhelming and gentle love. But also powerful and dynamic love. Is it that I felt loved by God? Or that I felt love for God? Or that I felt love for others? Yes to all of the above, but it was more than that. I am trying to put into words the indescribable here, but it was “tangible love.” It was a love that I perceived in the moment as THE…THE overarching and governing principle of the Kingdom of God.

And from there we just worshiped. 1,500 people who were mostly oblivious to anyone else in the room, absolutely caught up in heavenlies, giving JESUS His due. I spent a blessed, unbroken 2.5 hours in this atmosphere, which shifted back and forth between gentle, reverent worship, and loud, exuberant, joyful celebration. None of it guided or manipulated by any human hand, but the ebb and flow was directed by the Spirit. And while the focus was purely Jesus, there were times in which the fact that we were all there unified and engaging this as a single body rose to the fore of my awareness.

And that 2 and 1/2 half hours? I am being completely truthful – I honestly felt as though I had been there maybe 20 minutes.

Someone says, “OK, great. You had an experience. But what now? Is that all you have to show for your trip to Asbury? An experience?”

Well, first of all, it was not “just” an experience. I met with God. That is never “just” an experience. But as for its lasting effect? We will have to see. I don’t know yet what God wants to do with it in my life.

After leaving, I drove into Nashville, TN and stopped for the night to get some sleep. I rose early to drive the last leg of the journey back home and found myself again wiping away tears and in a state of deep, deep reflection. It wasn’t until I approached the exit to my home that I realized I had been processing what happened at Asbury for the entire 2-hour drive.

And as I sit here at midday, I continue to reflect, still somewhat overwhelmed and astonished. And ready to let the Lord bring forth for whatever fruit He intends from all of this.

-Jason

My Assessment

Here’s where I stand right now:

I do believe this is a genuine movement of God.

I do not have any reason to believe otherwise—especially after hearing from someone I know and trust who has been there to experience it.

I’ve also seen other written testimonies from people that I believe to be credible–people that are grounded in the Word of God.

The Critics

Part of the reason I’m writing this post is to respond to the critics of the Asbury revival. The 1970’s movement had critics, so I suppose we should not be surprised to see the same thing now. But one important difference is that critics can now blast their complaints all over blogs and social media with the touch of a button.

I understand the desire to be cautious—I am about as skeptical as they come regarding the foolishness that now passes for the work of God in the modern-day evangelical world.

There are also a lot of questions we just don’t know the answers to:

How long can this keep going? How many other university campuses will be impacted? What will the long-term result of this movement be?

I understand those questions. I’m wondering myself.

But most of the complaints I have seen are petty at best or Pharisaical at worst. The criticisms have fallen into three general categories:

1. Guilt by association.

It goes something like this: “A false teacher attended so it must not be of God.”

First and foremost, none of these false teachers have been given any kind of platform in the Asbury meetings. The one false teacher I know of that attended just came, took a few photos for his social media pages, then eventually left.

Secondly, didn’t Paul say that wolves would be drawn to the church (Acts 20:29)? Didn’t Judas follow Jesus through his whole earthly ministry?

2. It should not happen this way.

One example of this is complaining about the absence of evangelical preaching in these meetings.

I get it—I am a preacher. I have devoted a significant part of my life to the holy art of biblical exposition and proclamation.

But this movement seems to be primarily about God’s people gathering for worship, prayer, and Scripture reading. I have a hard time finding fault with that!

Ben Witherington, a professor at Asbury Seminary, explained it this way:

Revivals in the Wesleyan tradition are not mainly evangelistic crusades or missions.  They are not mainly about converting unbelievers of whatever sort.  They are about renewing and refreshing those already committed to Christ, what one reviewer called ‘intensification’ of one’s faith and commitment to God. 

You can read his whole article here: The Asbury Revival Rolls On.

3. Hearsay.

This third and final category is the one I am finding most disturbing. It goes something like this:

“Asbury is allowing unrepentant homosexuals to lead worship.”

This, of course, is a very serious charge—a charge that should be backed by solid evidence.

But these criticisms are usually based on random tweets or videos by homosexual activists who have made their own commentary with their own agendas. None of them, to my knowledge, speak for Asbury University.

The school, in fact, has put its convictions down in writing. Here’s an excerpt from the Asbury University Statement on Human Sexuality:

A faithful interpretation of Scripture affirms the principle that sexual purity honors God and that all forms of sexual intimacy that occur outside the covenant of heterosexual marriage are sinful distortions of the holiness and beauty for which God intended.

The school has made its stance clear and I haven’t seen any compelling reason to question their sincerity.

These three criticisms or complaints are not exhaustive. They aren’t meant to be. I’m simply giving you a sample of what I have been seeing on social media.

Final Thoughts:

I’m not telling you to pack your bags and head for Kentucky. I’m not going to do that. I’d love to, but I can’t.

I’m definitely not telling you to throw discernment out the window. I regularly tell my congregation to study and test everything I tell them against the Scriptures.

But I am thankful for this movement. I’m especially excited to see what might happen if a new generation of students commits themselves to the Lord with reckless abandon.

To those with discernment blogs, YouTube channels, etc.:

Some of you put a lot of time and effort into your research. You produce some amazing content about false teachers, etc.

Keep doing it. We need you.

It’s fine if you want to take a cautious approach about what’s happening in Asbury.

But please don’t destroy your credibility by being critical without good cause.