New Reports of Revival, 21 Baptisms at Purdue - Evangelist Chastises Critics, 'God Is Moving, It's Just Starting'
As the flames of the Holy Spirit continue to spread across the nation, there are new reports of young people answering the gospel's call. And one noted evangelist says he believes "it's just starting."
As CBN News reported, it all started as a spark on the campus of Asbury University, where thousands of Christians gathered for two weeks of Spirit-led worship, prayer, and repentance. The outpouring has since touched the hearts and minds of young people on both Christian and secular university campuses, churches, and youth events.
One place where the outpouring is being felt is Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. At a recent meeting, 300 students came to join the Collegiate Day of Prayer simulcast from Asbury in Wilmore, Kentucky. Dr. Malachi O'Brien posted to Twitter on Wednesday that the students brought in a pool for what they thought would be three baptisms – instead 21 people came forward to be baptized.
#asburyrevival TESTIMONY
— DrMalachi.eth - (Dr. Run) - Marathon Every Day (@malachiobrien) March 8, 2023
️Just received this in a text
At Purdue University CRU and Greek IVCF got together to watch and pray with the CDOP simulcast at Asbury … 300 students came! … they brought a swimming pool because they were going to have 3baptisms… instead they had… https://t.co/QIBS6P0EqF pic.twitter.com/U3webQiLot
In an email to CBN News, Pastor Dave Shockey of the Purdue Christian Campus House gave even more details about what happened on the Boilermaker campus.
"A week before the National Day of Prayer, some of our student leaders were thinking about going to Asbury, but felt like God asked them do stay at Purdue and do an event here. They asked me what I thought, and we've hosted prayer and worship events a bunch of different times for the NCDOP (National Collegiate Day of Prayer) over the years. We quickly pulled together an event," Shockey recalled.
"Several ministries at Purdue joined together for the night especially Campus House (my church), Greek InterVarsity, and Chi Alpha who decided to cancel their big meeting and join the collaborative prayer and worship event. We had students from a lot of other churches and ministries there as well including Cru, BYX, and Stewart cooperative. We also had some pastors from Indianapolis join, as well as 420 ministries in Indy who led worship for the first half of the night," the pastor explained.
(Photo by Dave Shockey/Purdue Christian Campus House. Used with permission)
"We had a couple of students who'd recently met the Lord through our Alpha ministry want to get baptized so we had scheduled part of the night for their baptisms," he continued.
"The night was focused on reflecting and praising God for how good he was. We talked about baptism and baptized the students who had planned to be baptized. Made an invitation for any others who wanted to be baptized and a line started to form. We baptized about 8-10 more people and had to pause so we could keep worshipping and praying. Students shared testimonies and praises. Other students led corporate repentance and prayer," Shockey recalled.
"It was really sweet, but baptisms just didn't stop. By the end of the night, we'd baptized at least 21 people but we're not completely sure the whole number because many pastors and leaders from different congregations were baptizing their people," the Campus House pastor said.
"It was a wild night. All said and done we prayed and worshipped for more than 4.5 hours and God moved," he concluded.
"It's Spreading"
Don't think the revival is continuing? Just ask evangelist Nick Hall. He recently told Charisma News (CN) during an exclusive interview that the revival is not gone, "it's spreading."
"God is moving. It's not over. It's just starting," Hall said. "I only left Asbury because I felt like I had to bring it home."
Like Hall, many people who visited Asbury felt rejuvenated and renewed by the Holy Spirit. They understood the urgency that this outpouring is not meant to die—it is meant to spread, according to the CN.
"Literally that day we changed our plans for an event in downtown Minneapolis," Hall explained. "I'm calling my charismatic friends asking them to mentor me now, help me understand all the miracles I'm seeing... because the Holy Spirit is just so on the move."
Hall and his Pulse ministry held an event in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota. More than 600 people showed up at the impromptu worship service that ran 53 hours and was filled with repentance, healing, literal addictions being broken, and marriages being healed, he recalled.
"I'm just seeing this breakout everywhere," Hall told the CN. "You can't end revival, revival isn't owned by anyone, and it didn't start by anyone. It's a move of God, and if anything, on Thursday night, there was a release of what God had started and it had already spread."
In a video message posted to Facebook on Monday, the evangelist is encouraging all churches to go see the Jesus Revolution movie because he believes "it's a playbook" for how God wants to send revival to the U.S. again. He said our busyness and our plans are in the way of revival.
"God is at work," Hall shared. "And when God is at work, you just have to stay attuned, and in tune with the Spirit. And just keep your sails up to say, 'God, Would you move. Would you have your way. Would you do what only you would do.'"
"I believe this is a revival moment," he said. "I believe it's just starting. I believe we are on the brink of more. And I think everywhere people are hungry, God is willing to move."
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