The 3 - February 12, 2023

This week's edition of The 3, with three stories of relevance to the Christian community, includes some background on what is being termed a "revival" at a Kentucky university that went non-stop after a chapel meeting last Wednesday.  Also, a Jacksonville church is calling on members to affirm the Biblical viewpoint of sexuality and the sanctity of marriage.  And, a former Georgia police officer who affirmed the Biblical definition of marriage on his personal Facebook page has resigned after receiving opposition.

Asbury students gather non-stop for revival meetings

For some on the campus of Asbury University in Wilmore, KY, it may have seemed to be a normal Wednesday morning.  But, when God shows up - in His own way, according to His timing, He begins to do what He does - loving people and changing lives.  MinistryWatch reported:

On the morning of February 8, a seemingly normal chapel service took place at the campus’s Hughes Auditorium. It included a message about confession and repentance, according to reports. After the service was over, a group of students stayed behind to continue worshiping. Then more joined them.

The article quoted from Asbury Theological Seminary Vice President of Formation Matt Barnes, who stated this on Facebook: “God began pouring out his love among the students in a profound way. The students continued praying and worshiping even though chapel had concluded..." The MinistryWatch article said:

Asbury December graduate Elle Hooper told the Asbury Collegian, “I am one of many who have been praying for this since my freshman year. To be here and witness to this is life-giving.”

The Christian Post reported on what God has been doing on the campus; its report included comments from Alexandra Presta, the Executive Editor of the Collegian; it stated:

“I had left for a few minutes but then felt called to return. Since then, it hasn't stopped. It's been a mix of worship, testimony, prayer, confession, silence,” she explained, calling it “a full experience of the Holy Spirit.”

Presta estimated that as many as 1,000 people have come to the revival gathering since it started, noting that while “some have come and gone,” there are others who “have slept on the floor and continued to praise God nonstop.”

Jacksonville church issues statement on Biblical sexuality, requires members to affirm

The Church should be bold to declare what we believe; there should be no ambiguity regarding salvation, sin, holiness, and other areas where the Bible speaks clearly.

The Blaze website reported on a church in Jacksonville, FL where members, in order to retain membership, are being required to affirm their view on sexuality from a Biblical viewpoint.  The article said:

Last October, leaders of First Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Florida, developed a statement that recognizes exclusively traditional Christian beliefs regarding marriage and sexuality.

"As a member of First Baptist Church, I believe that God creates people in his image as either male or female, and that this creation is a fixed matter of human biology, not individual choice," the first half of the statement reads.

"I believe marriage is instituted by God, not government, is between one man and one woman, and is the only context for sexual desire and expression," the statement concludes, citing passages from Genesis, Matthew, Corinthians, and Romans to support that teaching.

The Senior Pastor of the church is Heath Lambert, who conducted a Q&A session about the statement.  The article reported:

Lambert and others hosted a question-and-answer session to address concerns regarding the statement. One woman who attended the meeting with "her partner" claimed that the statement erases the "existence" of "LGBTQ+ people."

But, the pastor rightly believes that sharing about God's standards is the loving thing to do, stating: "It is the ultimate demonstration of hatefulness for Christians to know about sin, to know that sin will separate sinners from God forever, and yet refuse to call sinners to repentance," adding, "On the other hand, it is the love of Christ to point out sin and call people to faith in Jesus."

Police officer in GA resigns after backlash against post on marriage

Jacob Kersey was a new police officer in the city of Port Wentworth, GA, outside of Savannah, according to an article at The Daily Signal, but he ran into trouble when he posted 20 words affirming the Biblical view of marriage on his personal Facebook page.  The article stated:

Kersey’s supervisor asked him to remove the post after someone complained.

When the young officer refused, he was placed on paid administrative leave. Kersey was ultimately given a choice by his command staff: Either agree not to post views that could be seen as controversial or face losing his job. Ultimately, Kersey made the choice to resign, explaining that he refuses to abandon his religious convictions.

In a Daily Signal podcast transcribed on the website, Kersey said:

"...I knew immediately that there’s no way that I could back down. Especially after standing up and encouraging people, saying, “Hey, stand up for what you believe. Don’t be silenced. Don’t let cancel culture cancel you. Share your story.” And I’ve been saying that for years.

And then when it happened to me, at first I was like, “I don’t know if I want to do this or not. There’s going to be a lot of naysayers.” But at the end of the day, I knew what I had to do. And I believe part of that was the Holy Spirit coming in and in the moment letting me know, “Hey, you have to do this.”