The pastor at the centre of the revival at Asbury University in Kentucky just over two years ago, has written a book about what he witnessed during the 16-days of non-stop prayer, worship, repentance and testimonies.
Zach Meerkrebs was the pastor in residence who had a front row seat at the spiritual outpouring that captivated the world and set off a chain reaction on American college campuses that is continuing across the nation today.
His book is titled: Lower: Igniting Spiritual Awakening Through Radical Humility.
He shares how radical humility ignited the revival on the small Christian college campus, and why it is an essential tool for building a closer relationship with God.
HOW THE ASBURY UNIVERSITY OUTPOURING BEGAN
It all began when Pastor Meerkreebs ended his sermon at a regularly scheduled chapel service on February 8, 2023.
He challenged the students: “Do not leave here until you experience the love of God so that you can pour it out.”
Several students remained, praying and worshipping, and others joined them until a crowd formed that grew to over 65,000 and covered the campus and small Kentucky town of Wilmore.
As the worshipping and praying continued for more than two weeks, even the mainstream media began reporting on what came to be known as the Asbury Outpouring.
PASTOR’S ANSWER TO THE BIG QUESTION: WHAT SPARKED THIS REVIVAL?
In Lower, Zach Meerkreebs attempts to answer his own question: What sparked this revival?
He shares personal stories, testimonies from Asbury, Scriptures, wisdom from other Christian writers, and key insights he has received in quiet moments with Jesus.
They point to the path to radical humility and a deeper friendship with God.
He reflects that: “As we go lower in our pursuit of humility, we can steward spaces prepared for a move of God and shine Jesus to all those who are watching.”
He called participating in the Asbury outpouring the “honour of a lifetime,” noting he sometimes tears up because he misses the experience so much.
“We saw healings, we saw freedom, we saw deliverance,” he told CBN News.
“We saw people get out of wheelchairs. We had a basketball player who did not know Jesus at the beginning of the week, gave his life to Christ midweek, and by that night had prayed for someone and their tumours disappeared.”
“That’s what happens when the presence of God moves into a place.”
“You really don’t have to exert yourself a whole lot besides just steward and curate meetings between God’s Spirit and God’s people.”
PASTOR’S JOURNEY FROM GROWING UP JEWISH TO BECOMING A CHRISTIAN
Pastor Meerkreebs also tells of his powerful back story of growing up Jewish and converting to Christianity.
“I grew up Jewish and I had not experienced the humility of God until I heard about the incarnation of Jesus,” he recounted to CBN News.
“Like, the very fact of Jesus’ incarnation, Him coming from the throne room into the world, just crazy humility.”
It is that radical humility that has made an impact on the preacher, as he admitted to early struggles with pride when he first came into the church.
That was completely shattered during the miraculous events at Asbury.
“I didn’t want to write the book on specifically the outpouring at Asbury, but I could write about this thing that I think was so foundational and so intriguing about the outpouring.”
“That was Jesus’s humility and humble response to the humility of a couple of students and a couple of people that would just wait and linger,” he said.
“What we just experienced was what God will do when we go low in humility. He’ll fill the space that we vacate.”
PASTOR REFLECTS ON HIS “UNBELIEVABLE” SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCE AT ASBURY
Reflecting back on those 16 days at Asbury, Zach Meerkreebs called the spiritual experience “unbelievable.”
Whether participants were 19-year-old college students or 60-year-old professors, he said the events were remarkable for all who took part.
“It gave me hope,” he said, noting one of his friends said at the time that the students, faculty and community were “experiencing New Testament Christianity.”
“This was like early church Christianity.”
“People were randomly giving thousands of dollars to people in need, people were being healed, people were being added in number daily, people were preaching in boldness.”
He believes all of this was centred on radical humility — an act he believes is deeply counter-cultural in today’s me-centric world of scrambling to post on social media to get ‘likes.’
“If we empty space, if we go low, we vacate space, then God can fill it.”
“We say: God, empty us of ourselves so you can fill us with your Spirit.”
In conclusion he pondered what might happen if the American church became known most for its humility — a characteristic he said could transform the world as it reflects Jesus’s being and nature.
Photo: Daily Citizen (Pastor Zach Meerkrebs at bottom left)
