ASBURY REVIVAL 2023: Wally’s perspective, looking ahead

Fellow Asburian Warren “Wally” Latham brings good perspective with a glance in the rearview mirror. I appreciate his carte blanche to share his work with you here – –

What will come out of this Asbury Revival/Awakening? Only God knows, but God certainly knows. A hint of what this revival may produce is revealed in what came out of the 1970 revival. The immediate results were repentance, conversions, healings, callings, spiritual gifts, deep love and a deep call to holiness.

But what happened over the next 50 years as those Baby Boomers moved out of Wilmore and across the nation and around the world sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ? God only knows how many churches were planted, how many medical clinics and hospitals built, how many meals served to hungry people, how many schools founded, how many NGO’s founded to support ministries all around the world, how many teachers, pastors, missionaries, evangelists, apostles, prophets, how many apostolic movements, mission societies, and more. How many people have been won to Christ through these thousands of ministries? Only eternity can tell.

While I was not in the 1970 revival, I was there soon thereafter and was greatly impacted by the work which continued for so many years. Several new ministries were born during our ministry. The most recent was the founding of the Seminario Wesleyano de Venezuela, the birth of the Methodist Church of Venezuela, the founding of the 5 Wesley Medical Centers and so much more. All of these find their roots in the 1970 Revival.

This is just in one country impacted and shaped by what God did in what Dr. Robert Coleman called “One Divine Moment.” Imagine how many more stories like this can be told of Kenya and Costa Rica, India and Egypt, Colombia and Thailand, Pakistan and Mexico, Tonga and Estonia, and dozens more.

No one could see the future in 1970…except God. No one can see what will be produced by this Revival in the next twelve months, ten years or 50 years. While we cannot predict all the ways God will use this, we are absolutely sure he will. And Jesus will continue to be glorified.

Further, we know God is in this raising up a new generation of Christian leaders, many who will give 40, 50, 60 or more years to sharing the Good News of Jesus.