At times, hushed whispers of adoration. At other times, exuberant praise and joyous refrains. Hughes Auditorium at Asbury University, in Wilmore, Kentucky, was host to an extraordinary visitation of the Holy Spirit for upwards of 370 hours — more than 15 days. This was a time of lingering and renewal that most had never experienced.

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Though I spent less than a minute in Hughes Auditorium the day I arrived, the presence of the Lord was so tangible, I burst into tears.

That it was Valentine’s Day — a day on which love is traditionally celebrated — seemed especially significant to me. The holiday named for a martyr whose love was radically Christ-centered has devolved into one that has expanded the definition of love into carnal, ungodly, even evil forms.

God seems to want the day — and the definition of love — back. This outpouring at Asbury was sparked by chapel speaker Rev. Zach Meerkreebs, envision leadership coordinator for  the Christian and Missionary Alliance. Meerkreebs, who spoke from Romans 12:9–21, was continuing a series focused on love in action. He challenged students to look at those seated near them and ask the simple, if awkward, question: “Do you love me?” This oft-used English word is actually overused and imprecise, but the Greek word in Romans 12:9 is agape, which can be defined as “seeking the highest good for the other.” The rest of the passage upon which Meerkreebs was speaking illustrates what love in action might look like:

Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor; not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer, contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation. Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men. If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. “But if your enemy is hungry, feed him, and if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good (Romans 12:9–21, NASB).

It’s a daunting list. An impossible list. And a picture of love in action that may be unknown to many, including Christians.

That love was unknown to Meerkreebs as a youngster. “Some of you guys know my story,” he said. “In my childhood, I experienced what my perpetrator … the person who abused me, called ‘love.’”

Meerkreebs’ willingness to allow the Lord to use his story to touch others resonated. “Some of you guys have experienced radically poor love. Like evil love, selfish love. And I would say today, we should not even give it the honor of calling it ‘love.’”

Instead, Meerkreebs called upon the Lord to bring pure love. “If there’s people in this room that literally feel the weight of that perverted thing that one person called ‘love,’ Holy Spirit, move through these rows,” he prayed.  “Move through these rows and love on these people. Jesus, if there’s people who have experienced hypocritical love in the church, heal them to show them Your true self.”

This love, the pure love of Jesus Christ, empowers revival, according to Derek Prince, who wrote of this in Seven Steps To Revival — Volume 1. As Scripture puts it: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35 ESV).

Meerkreebs told the students: “You cannot love until you are loved by Jesus, … 1 John 4, 7 through 20, says we love because He first loved us.”

Agape love is marked by Christlike behaviors, such as preferring others over oneself, loving one’s enemies, and humility. Exactly as the Romans scripture enumerates.

Yet this kind of love is not self-generated. In fact, anything of self will extinguish, suffocate, and murder agape. As Prince points out in Seven Steps To Revival — Volume 1, self-humbling is a mark of agape.

Meerkreebs put it this way:

Stop striving. Stop wearing this heavy burden of, ‘I gotta love because I’m a Christian.’ … You gotta love because you’ve tasted and seen the goodness of God. … You have been loved. You have to continue to put yourself before Jesus and be loved by Him so you can love others.

I can’t get rid of preference without the love of Jesus making me want to give up preference. I can’t forgive my enemies. I can’t forgive my dad who abused me except if I’m loved by Jesus. I can’t forgive those churches that did me wrong until I am experiencing the love of Jesus.

But our puny, human attempts at humbling ourselves are doomed to fail outside of the Lord’s grace. As Prince explains, righteousness — being in right relationship with God — cannot be achieved by rules, trying hard, or good intentions. Righteousness comes from God by faith in Him (see Phil. 3:8–9).

Meerkreebs captured the idea this way:

But what is the source of your love? White-knuckling it, trying really hard? Or is it the love of God for you? What is the purpose of your love?… Is it to get love in return from the person that you’re giving love to? That’s not this love we’re talking about.

And who are, what are you becoming through this expression of love? If you’re loving someone and not becoming more like Jesus in that love, then I would go search what that love really is. … Some of us need to sit in the love of God. Some of us need [to] taste and see and experience the power of the Holy Spirit.

Because if you want to become love, if you really want to become love in action, you start by prostrating yourself before the love of God. … You can’t earn your way to heaven. You can’t blow people’s hair back by your love and your leadership. You have to experience the love of Christ in your life. …

Do not leave here before you learn about the love of God; experience the love of God so you can pour it out. Pour it out. Pour it out. And He will fill you back up.

Asbury, the world needs this kind of love. … Syria and Turkey need this kind of love.

Your mom and dad need this kind of love. The teammates on your team. The people on your floor.

Wilmore, Kentucky. Lexington, Kentucky. The United States needs this kind of love.  

They need a bunch of Christians [experiencing] the love of God so they can pour out the love of God. Not through their own efforts and not through their own knowledge, but because they are filled with this love. … Become the love of God by experiencing the love of God.”

This is the invitation to which Meerkreebs called the students of Asbury University on Feb. 8, 2023. When he left, though, he apparently felt his address was less than the best, reportedly texting his wife: “Latest stinker. I’ll be home soon.”

In the way that only He can do, the Lord upended Meerkreebs’ expectations. The King of kings chose to tarry with those who chose to tarry with Him. In this way, love poured into, through, and out of those students and all who entered into the holy invitation.

This is what I experienced in Hughes on Valentine’s day — the circle of godly love of which the Apostle John spoke. Love beginning with God and flowing to us, and flowing back to God and out to our brothers and sisters in the kingdom and beyond (see 1 John 4:7–21).

Will you accept the holy invitation?

Lord, in agreement with Rev. Meerkreebs, we pray as we worship: May we experience more of Your love to be poured out to love others, to become love in action. When You produce fruit in us and in students across the world, we pray specifically for the seniors, that as they prepare to go, they will be filled with the love of God, so that they can pour out the love of God. Choose to do a new thing in our midst. Revive us by Your love. Amen.

Share your story about the Lord’s love below.

New York City–based Joyce Swingle is an intercessor and a contributing writer for IFA. With her husband, Rich, also a contributing writer for IFA, Joyce shares the gospel of Jesus Christ around the world through theater, speaking, writing, and film. Prior to going into full-time ministry, Joyce worked for about 20 major magazines and now works in pastoral ministry and Christian counseling. Photo Credit: Jeremy Story.