4/20/2024 0 Comments Psalm 24 clean hands pure hearts![]() ![]() Put simply, if you want the kingdom, it starts with undivided devotion to the king. Purify my heart and give me clean hands, because I want to ascend this mountain and enjoy the beauty of your presence.” And, at times, I’ve longed for them more than I’ve longed for your presence. I’ve really longed for your presence, but there are other things I’ve longed for, too. This purity starts with honest confession: “Lord, if I’m honest, I’ve been divided. And this us what I saw in Asbury - Gen Z encountering Jesus, their hearts being purified, becoming undivided in their devotion, desiring the presence of God above all else. The theologian Chuck DeGroat says we need to “re-imagine holiness not through the lens of perfectionism but through the lens of our utter oneness with God.” Holiness starts with undivided to devotion to Jesus, which then leads to transformation of character into the likeness of Christ. I would describe that as the fruit of holiness, but the root of holiness is right worship, and the root leads to the fruit. When we talk about holiness, our minds often go towards moral purity and righteous living. The language best used to describe this purity of worship is holiness. Everyone was talking about the sweet presence of Jesus. People weren’t talking much about signs and wonders. There weren’t huge demonstrations of power at Asbury. If that move was about the Church rediscovering the power of the Spirit, this move is about the Church rediscovering intimacy with Jesus. It in included the Wimber conferences, the birth of New Wine and Soul Survivor, and the well-known Toronto blessing. There was a move of God in the UK during the 80s and 90s that became known as the Charismatic Renewal. Perhaps the defining feature of this Asbury outpouring was tangible sense of God’s presence. The result was a purity of worship I’m not sure I’ve seen before. ![]() The room for snacks and nibbles for the VIPs gave way to a room of spiritual encounter and a place of preparation. The green room, so common at festivals and churches, gave way to a consecration room. This was a room of confession and repentance. The mindset was that they couldn’t lead other people into the presence of God if they weren’t right themselves they knew they were about to lead others up the mountain of the Lord, so they wanted, in the words of Psalm 24, clean hands and a pure heart. I’ve seen what the thickness of God’s presence looks like, and I’m longing for itīefore these young leaders stepped onto the stage, they spent half an hour in a consecration room with some intercessors and prophets praying over them. They didn’t want to step outside of the presence of God even for a bite to eat. There were stories of students bringing in their mattresses, packing lunches and dinners because they didn’t want to leave the sanctuary. If you read stories of the Hebridean revival, the Welsh revival, the Azusa Street revival, it all sounds so familiar people becoming obsessed with the presence of God. I feel like I want to be intellectually fed.” These are comments you hear in consumer Christianity. ![]() I didn’t hear anyone say: “I’m looking forward to the teaching. No: “When’s this going to wrap up? I’m bored of singing”. The worship went on and on - and I didn’t hear any complaints. No one was mesmerised by production or presentation people were mesmerised by the presence of Jesus in the room. They started songs at the wrong pace, occasionally in the wrong key, but none of it mattered, because the presence of God was so thick. The worship leaders were 19 and 20 year olds at the beginning of learning their craft. At one level, it was totally underwhelming. I would love to articulate what was going on in the room but any attempt to capture it fully with words would be insufficient. And I believe we can learn some vital lessons from what God has been doing at Asbury. So let’s get ready I believe some very exciting days lie ahead of us. I feel a little bit like that Hebrew scholar I feel like we’re on the edge of something. I believe the dam is about to break. But when CNN, Sky News and the New York Times are describing something as “the nation’s first major spiritual revival in the 21st century”, that should cause our faith levels to rise.Īs a Church, this isn’t a moment just to celebrate what’s taken place in Asbury, and what is spreading across universities in the US. In moments like this, it’s easy to get excited. I think there’s a dam that’s literally about to break.” Within two weeks, over 50,000 people from all over the world descended on this tiny town called Wilmore, hungry to encounter Jesus. One of the professors said: “I think we’re on the edge of something. Two weeks before revival broke out at Asbury, there was a prayer meeting at the university. Restoring the age-old ministry of spoken blessing.Kevin Sorbo: ‘Hollywood booted me out for being a Christian’. ![]()
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