We wrote yesterday about the revival at Asbury University, not confined to Asbury anymore, nor limited to Asbury students. People are flocking to the small college in Kentucky from around the world. Why?

As I have been reading Genesis this year, I’m struck by Jacob’s sense of place:

Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it.” And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.” So early in the morning Jacob took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up for a pillar and poured oil on the top of it. He called the name of that place Bethel, but the name of the city was Luz at the first. (Genesis 28.16 – 19, ESV)

Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him. And when Jacob saw them he said, “This is God’s camp!” So he called the name of that place Mahanaim. (Genesis 32.1, 2, ESV)

But what Jacob didn’t know is that God was in those places because Jacob was in those places! God is certainly at work at Asbury, but I don’t need to travel there to see him. God is at work in Monument, Colorado, too, and wherever you are.

⁷  Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence?
⁸  If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
⁹  If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
¹⁰  even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me.
¹¹  If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,”
¹²  even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you. (Psalm 139.7 – 12, ESV)

And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, for “In him we live and move and have our being.” (Acts 17.26 – 28, ESV, emphasis mine)

Bob, have you heard about the 11-day revival that broke out at Asbury University? Yes, of course. Then why haven’t you written about it? Mainly because I know nothing about it nor have I ever been part of such an event.

However, since it is my practice to write when I get the same input from two or more disparate sources, I’m writing about it now, as it is coming to a close (see the article above). What input?

First, perspective. I think John Stonestreet on BreakPoint captured the right attitude. (This excerpt also contains links for more info if you’re hearing about this for the first time.)

It’s rare (and rarely good) when a Christian college chapel makes the evening news. But a service that began last Wednesday at Asbury University in Wilmore, Kentucky is still going, and news outlets have noticed. Now “The Asbury Awakening” is attracting visitors from all over. As one observer described:  

When I arrived, I saw hundreds of students singing quietly. They were praising and praying earnestly for themselves and their neighbors and our world—expressing repentance and contrition for sin and interceding for healing, wholeness, peace, and justice.   

Nearly 300 years ago, Jonathan Edwards offered five marks of a true work of the Holy Spirit. A true revival elevates Christ, opposes sin and Satan, prizes the Bible, distinguishes truth from error, and manifests love. So far, so good. Please pray for the students, leadership, and visitors of Asbury University, that what we are seeing there will spread and grow, renew the hearts of God’s people, and heal the wounds of our troubled land.  – An Awakening at Asbury, BreakPoint, February 16, 2023

Amen. I too pray that what’s going on at Asbury will spread.

But the spectacular revival at Asbury is NOT what I want to write about. While I was researching previous such events, I found a reflection preached at Wheaton College on the 10-year anniversary of their 1995 revival. The reflection ended with this insightful paragraph:

The revival of 1995 was indeed a remarkable work of God in the hearts and lives of His people on campus—one that prepared many to live lives of devotion to Christ. But wouldn’t it be wonderful if we truly never needed another revival? What if, instead, we would be faithful in the little things, giving attention to personal relationships, and finding freedom and healing and wholeness on a daily basis in this Christian community? – The Revival Remembered, Dr. Stephen B. Kellough, emphasis mine

The same sentiment was captured by The Babylon Bee in its own satirical way [If you’re not familiar with the Babylon Bee, the following paragraphs are entirely fictitious, designed to make an important point.]:

Experts have uncovered a new phenomenon in the revivalism industry: a “revival” that occurs every Sunday where God’s people gather to worship and receive the means of grace.

“Believers have long drawn their spiritual sustenance, courage, and strength to make it through another day from revivals – but this new ‘Weekly Revival’ may make the Christian walk that much more scalable, repeatable, and consistent!” said revivalism expert Jonah Mothbottom in response to the recent and widespread adoption of these new weekly Sunday meetings.

Holy Spirit expert Jackson Pasteur has weighed in as well: “While we still maintain that Christians should wait for the rush of a real once-in-a-lifetime revival to help them power through their lives in the power of the Spirit, these weekly revivals may be a useful stop-gap while they’re waiting for God to sweep them off their feet with ‘the real thing.'”

Experts caution that while the weekly revivals could be useful as a temporary means to help Christians in their walk, the Sunday revivals would not be a valid long-term substitute for overwhelming week-long emotional experiences at college chapels. – Experts Discover Strange New ‘Revival’ That Occurs Every Sunday For Some Reason, February 17, 2023

I like the Wheaton reflection’s emphasis on “daily” better than the Bee’s “weekly,” but the ideas are the same. While we wait for the spectacular, we miss the opportunity to follow God today. To hear from him today. To talk with him today. To confess sins today.

We tend to like the spectacular, and many will travel great distances to the right “place.” I think I’ll say more about that tomorrow.

In the meantime, instead of waiting for revival, maybe we should just practice “vival.” You don’t need reviving unless something is wrong, yes?

Mark a life of discipline and live wisely; don’t squander your precious life. Blessed the man, blessed the woman, who listens to me, awake and ready for me each morning, alert and responsive as I start my day’s work. When you find me, you find life, real life, to say nothing of GOD’s good pleasure. (Proverbs 8.33 – 35, MSG)

Oh, the joys of those who do not follow evil men’s advice, who do not hang around with sinners, scoffing at the things of God. But they delight in doing everything God wants them to, and day and night are always meditating on his laws and thinking about ways to follow him more closely. They are like trees along a riverbank bearing luscious fruit each season without fail. Their leaves shall never wither, and all they do shall prosper. (Psalm 1.1 – 3, The Living Bible)

Before we wrap up the account of the two men trying to out-cheat each other, it’s always intriguing to look at what must be the most dysfunctional blended family ever. By contrast, we sat down to dinner a few days ago with a delightful family with six children, ranging in age from 16 down to 6. All well-behaved, but still…a lot of kids! I reminded them of Jacob…

We left Jacob having just married Leah, instead of Rachel, then Rachel one week later. Leah has four sons:

When the LORD saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren. And Leah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Reuben, for she said, “Because the LORD has looked upon my affliction; for now my husband will love me.” She conceived again and bore a son, and said, “Because the LORD has heard that I am hated, he has given me this son also.” And she called his name Simeon. Again she conceived and bore a son, and said, “Now this time my husband will be attached to me, because I have borne him three sons.” Therefore his name was called Levi. And she conceived again and bore a son, and said, “This time I will praise the LORD.” Therefore she called his name Judah. Then she ceased bearing. (Genesis 29.31 – 35, ESV)

Continuing into chapter 30, Rachel pulls the handmaid trick (compare Sarah and Hagar, Genesis 16), and Bilhah has two sons: Dan and Naphtali. Two can play this game, so Leah sends in her handmaid, and Zilpah produces two more sons: Gad and Asher. Then Leah has two more sons, one involving wifely rivalry and mandrakes(!): Issachar and Zebulun. (See Genesis 30.1 – 18).

Finally, Rachel:

Then God remembered Rachel, and God listened to her and opened her womb. She conceived and bore a son and said, “God has taken away my reproach.” And she called his name Joseph, saying, “May the LORD add to me another son!” (Genesis 30.22 – 24, ESV)

I find it fascinating that after waiting so many years for a son, Rachel doesn’t give thanks, she asks for another! We’re never satisfied, are we?

But back to Jacob, at this point he has 11 sons by four different women. That had to be an interesting household! And the problems will continue, as we’ll see soon.

If you have relational challenges inside or outside your family, it’s good to remember that there’s most likely someone in the Bible who went through worse than you!

Better to live in a tent in the wild than with a cross and petulant spouse. (Proverbs 21.19, MSG – But Jacob did live in a tent in the wild AND with four sometimes cross and petulant spouses!)

Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity! (Psalm 133.1, ESV)

My Navigator friend Bill Mowry sent a ministry update the other day which made me happy and sad at the same time. He talked about Rick, someone he had invested in years ago (actually, Rick was discipled by someone Bill had discipled – that’s the way it’s supposed to work). Anyway, Rick is now in a position of influence in a particular denomination (still as a layman), and brought in Bill to do “Alongsider” training for a number of church leaders. Bill believes, as do I, that all Jesus followers should be praying for people they can come alongside to help them follow Jesus.

You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others. (2 Timothy 2.1, 2, NIV)

Here’s Rick’s assessment of the training:

Thanks so much for everything today! I could not have asked for it to go better. So many people were talking with me about how they want to follow this up with something at their church, whether it’s starting a discipleship group or meeting one-to-one. What was interesting is that so many talked in a way like, “Why didn’t I know about all this stuff before now?” They had a bit of an epiphany experience. I can’t wait to see what happens when all these folks get back to their churches. The day was a shot in the arm for disciplemaking that we really needed. (emphasis mine)

I’m happy that Bill was able to sow good seed. I’m sad that many of these faithful believers, good church people, were hearing these concepts for the first time. I’ve written about this problem before. When will pastors understand that we’ve got to do more than just run Sunday morning services?

Four years ago I shared a concept that seemed to resonate with some folks at a denominational convention: should churches see themselves as general contractors who build houses or should they be more like trade schools that train the carpenters, plumbers, and electricians to build houses?

So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service… (Ephesians 4.11, 12, NIV, emphasis mine)

Continuing our meditation on “What I want is NOT all that matters,” I shared the Lady Mary story with my friend Josh who is with a nonprofit that ministers to youth leaders. His question was, “How would you describe the theology of that attitude? Maybe, a theology of suffering?” Thinking of the conversation I’d just had with the pastor in yesterday’s blog, I replied, “A theology of obedience.”

In addition to John 14.15, which we cited yesterday, this passage from Paul’s letter to the Romans expresses well what our attitudes should be:

And do this, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed. The night is almost gone, and the day is at hand. Therefore…

• let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and
• put on the armor of light.
• Let us walk properly as in the day,
  • not in carousing and drunkenness,
  • not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality,
  • not in strife and jealousy.
• But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and
• make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts. (Romans 13.11 – 14, LSB, bulleted for clarity)

These are clear commands, and they are things that can be done! Obedience. I suggested he tell the kids, “Repeat after me…

‘What I want is NOT all that matters!'”

So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. (Genesis 3.6, ESV)

I was really impacted by the line in the movie that I shared last Friday:

I’m afraid I’m too old-fashioned to believe that what I want is the only thing that matters. – Lady Mary to a movie director in Downton Abbey: A New Era

I shared it in a conversation with a pastor who is struggling with some parishioners who don’t seem to believe that some things are right and others are wrong. “We just want to follow Jesus!” But, as the pastor pointed out, following Jesus is about obedience:

If you love me, you will keep my commandments…Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. (John 14.15…21, ESV)

We could paraphrase Lady Mary slightly to make the quote stand alone:

What I want is NOT all that matters.

The Apostle Paul said there a lot of things that don’t matter but what does matter is…

…keeping the commandments of God. (1 Corinthians 7.19)

I shared the Lady Mary story the next day with someone involved in youth ministry, and he had an intriguing response. We’ll look at it tomorrow.

There are always many lessons from big games, and this year’s Super Bowl, played Sunday, was no exception. Kansas City, down 10 points at the half, not giving up, even when their star quarterback, Patrick Mahommes, reinjured his ankle. Patrick’s perseverance.

I want to focus this blog on the losing quarterback, Jalen Hurts, who played like a winner, had way better stats than Mahommes, tied the game with five minutes left, and never got another chance. Jason Gay of the Wall Street Journal captured the lesson with his fabulous article, Philadelphia’s Jalen Hurts: In Defeat, an Appreciation. The article opens this way:

I’ll admit this isn’t the ordinary move—an appreciation of the losing quarterback on the morning after the Super Bowl. The usual drill is to rudely step over the losing team, and wrap our love and superlatives around the champions. Within minutes of the confetti drop, the loser is relegated to history. By sunrise, it’s like they didn’t exist.

But I want to write a bit about Philadelphia’s Jalen Hurts, because he didn’t play like a loser at all Sunday in Arizona. He played like someone who very much deserved to win—until he and the Eagles didn’t. 

In the somber postgame, Hurts made a comment that signaled what this 24-year-old leader is all about. 

“You either win or you learn, that’s how I feel,” Hurts said. 

It’s a remix of a famous Nelson Mandela quote—I never lose, I win or learn—and I think every coach in America just took out a pen and copied that down. You either win or learn. In how many locker rooms will that bit of healthy wisdom be deployed in over the coming month? I’m going to drop it on my own children after youth soccer losses. – Jason Gay, February 13, 2023

Win or learn. That will preach.

Hurts could have been bitter. He played the better game. Mahommes himself said about Hurts’ performance:

The way he stepped up on this stage, ran and threw the ball and did whatever his team needed to win, that was a special performance. I don’t want it to get lost in the loss. – Patrick Mahommes, winning Super Bowl quarterback about Jalen Hurts, who lost.

Jalen Hurts expanded on his “win or learn” philosophy:

The beautiful part about it is everyone experiences different pains, everyone experiences different agonies of life. You decide if you want to learn from it. You decide if you want that to be a teachable moment. I know I do. – Jalen Hurts

Can we turn life’s disappointments into teachable moments? I hope so.

…After a little while the bystanders came up and said to Peter, “Certainly you too are one of them, for your accent betrays you.” Then he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, “I do not know the man.” And immediately the rooster crowed. And Peter remembered the saying of Jesus, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly. (Matthew 26.74 – 75, ESV)

When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” (John 21.15, ESV)

So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. (1 Peter 5.1 – 3, ESV)

Peter failed…but he learned…and taught.

We saw a couple of days ago how Jacob (aided by his mother) deceived Isaac and cheated Esau out of a blessing. In Genesis 29 and 30, we see Jacob up against the master-cheater, his Uncle Laban. What goes around comes around…

So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. (Matthew 7.12, NIV)

Jacob’s mission, like the servant’s in Genesis 24, was to get a wife. Like the servant, he meets Rachel at a well, and agrees to work for Laban for seven years for Rachel:

So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed to him but a few days because of the love he had for her. Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife that I may go in to her, for my time is completed.” So Laban gathered together all the people of the place and made a feast. But in the evening he took his daughter Leah and brought her to Jacob, and he went in to her. (Laban gave his female servant Zilpah to his daughter Leah to be her servant.) And in the morning, behold, it was Leah! And Jacob said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? Did I not serve with you for Rachel? Why then have you deceived me?” (Genesis 29.20 – 25, ESV)

Oops. The deceiver is deceived. And deceptions and cheating between these two go on. Stay tuned.

Therefore, putting away lying, “Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,” for we are members of one another…Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need. (Ephesians 4.25, 28, NKJV)

After Jacob lies to his father, Isaac, stealing Esau’s blessing, Esau is a bit miffed and is ready to kill Jacob. So Jacob’s mother, Rebekah, hustles Jacob off to her family to find a wife (see Genesis 27.41 – 28.5).

The first night on the road, Jacob has his famous “Jacob’s Ladder” dream in which God reconfirms the covenant:

And he dreamed, and behold, there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. And behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it! And behold, the LORD stood above it and said, “I am the LORD, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring. Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and in you and your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed. Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” (Genesis 28.12 – 15, ESV)

Two things are important here: the first is that the covenant must be confirmed to each generation. It’s not enough that God said he would bless Abraham (beginning with Genesis 12.1 – 3), then Isaac (Genesis 26.1 – 4). Jacob must have his own encounter with God – just like each of us.

Second, I can’t help but notice that God’s promise to Jacob has no “if” clauses. Compare God’s encounter with Abram in Genesis 15. On the other hand, Jacob’s response is one big “if” clause:

Then Jacob made a vow, saying,

• “If God will be with me and
• will keep me in this way that I go, and
• will give me bread to eat and clothing to wear,
• so that I come again to my father’s house in peace,

Then the LORD shall be my God, and this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God’s house. And of all that you give me I will give a full tenth to you.” (Genesis 28.20 – 22, ESV emphasis mine, bulleted for clarity)

Jacob has a lot to learn, it seems. Don’t we all?

We’ve been thinking about holy moments the past few days, but the Bible reminds us frequently that since Genesis 3, people often choose unholy moments instead.

Back to Genesis, we begin the story of Jacob who lies to his father to get Esau’s blessing. These are not nice people! Dr. David Wyrtzen, pastor and seminary professor, writes a 5-day-a-week “Dave’s Daily Devo.” It’s good although, just like this blog, it’s not a substitute for your own daily reading and time with God. Anyway, Dave wrote this the other day about characters like Jacob:

Several years ago I was teaching the Moldovan staff for Campus Crusade, now called CRU. Living in a country dominated for fifty-one years by Russian communism, they had hardly been raised on standard children’s Bible stories. My assignment was to give them a master’s level course—An Introduction to the Old Testament—and reading the text was a top priority. About the second day of the crash course they came to me, “Why are you having us read all these dirty stories about such morally corrupt characters?” – Dave Wyrtzen, February 3, 2023

“Dirty stories about such morally corrupt characters…” Here’s a sample from Genesis 27, the sordid story of Jacob’s deception. He didn’t just bring in the game (goat) dressed as Esau and let Isaac draw his own conclusion. He outright lied

So he went in to his father and said, “My father.” And he said, “Here I am. Who are you, my son?” Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau your firstborn. I have done as you told me; now sit up and eat of my game, that your soul may bless me.” But Isaac said to his son, “How is it that you have found it so quickly, my son?” He answered, “Because the LORD your God granted me success.” Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Please come near, that I may feel you, my son, to know whether you are really my son Esau or not.” So Jacob went near to Isaac his father, who felt him and said, “The voice is Jacob’s voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau.” And he did not recognize him, because his hands were hairy like his brother Esau’s hands. So he blessed him. He said, “Are you really my son Esau?” He answered, “I am.” Then he said, “Bring it near to me, that I may eat of my son’s game and bless you.” So he brought it near to him, and he ate; and he brought him wine, and he drank. (Genesis 27.18 – 25, ESV)

Jacob, the deceiver, father of the twelve tribes of Israel, didn’t have such a great start. Yet look how God introduces himself to Moses:

And God said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” (Exodus 3.6, ESV)

Stay tuned. Jacob, the deceiver, is about to come up against the master cheater! But first, he encounters God.