7th June: Revivals
Above - Statue of John Wesley
Speaker: Chris Laws
The 20th century is the first since Wycliffe to have had no awakening. Historically revivals have uplifted society, and inspired missionary enterprise. What is there for preachers and Christian workers to do when the Spirit moves in mighty power?
NOTES
REVIVALS/ AWAKENINGS
Saints are revived, and multitudes of unsaved converted, given new life.
Awakenings – a better term. Describes the effect on believers and unbelievers.
Unbelievers are as sleeping, dying men. Believers are often slumbering. Suddenly eternity is real, near.
Revelation 6.2 “Behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.”
This is Christ, named in chapter 19 as “King of kings, and Lord of lords.”
He rides forth conquering souls – this is His grand mission.
Theme taken up by John Bunyan in Holy War.
God made a beautiful Creation, and man fell. Every single person is now against Him.
There is “none righteous, no, not one…there is none that seeks after God” (Rom 3.10-11).
Satan and sin have ruined all God’s work. Will God allow them to win?
In Christ’s hand is a bow, and He shoots sharp arrows of conviction, to take people captive from Satan’s clutches.
He wears a crown. He rules everything in this world.
Most of the time His government/providence invisible. Sometimes His hand is seen, as in today’s pandemic.
World rebellion is all around us. Arrogance, snubbing God, scorn, Gospel is downtrodden.
But Christ is the King, commander, conquering souls.
Conversion is a work of God, which uses human instruments.
Paul plants, Apollos waters, but God gives the increase.
The preacher urges people to repent and believe, and God draws some to Himself.
So with revivals.
Not organised by men but a sovereign work of God. Not a mass crusade, “Let’s hold a revival.”
The work of years in weeks. Gospel preaching is accompanied by a powerful work of the Spirit.
Often started by a disaster – an epidemic, a financial crash.
Usually brief, but have lasting results, unlike many mass crusades.
Not mass hysteria, but have profound effects on whole nations for years to come.
SCRIPTURE EXAMPLES
We tend to think of revivals only as part of church history.
Many examples in Scripture.
The Church started with a revival at Pentecost. 3000 awakened, alarmed and converted in a single day.
Peter explained this was God pouring “out his Spirit upon all flesh.”
By Acts 4 it had increased to 5000, then an explosive spread of the Gospel.
Acts 8: great persecution of the church at Jerusalem “and they were all scattered abroad…”
They “turned the world upside down” (Acts 17.6). But in the OT also.
Hezekiah “opened the doors of the temple, and repaired them” (2 Chron 29.3).
Called all Judah and Israel to the Passover.
Many laughed his messengers to scorn, but a huge congregation assembled.
Hezekiah gave the congregation 1000 bullocks and 10,000 sheep.
“So there was great joy in Jerusalem: for since the time of Solomon…there was not the like in Jerusalem” (30.26).
Josiah purged the land of idols and repaired the temple (2 Chron 34).
Hilkiah the high priest found a book of the law of the Lord given by Moses.
Great preaching occasion: “All the inhabitants of Jerusalem…and all the people” listened to the Word of God.
Passover kept; 3000 bullocks and 30,000 sheep.
Ezra returned to Jerusalem from captivity with 50,000 people.
“The people gathered themselves together as one man to Jerusalem” (Ezra 3.1) to listen to the Word.
Later “All the people wept, when they heard the words of the law” (Nehemiah 8.9).
They “stood and confessed their sins” (9.1)
Jonah famously went to Nineveh, a proud, immoral city of 2 million.
“The men of Nineveh…repented at the preaching of Jonah” (Matt 12.41).
No great organisation – just one man with an unwelcome message.
Not all converted, but they repented sincerely – “brought to such a repentance as prevented their ruin” (M Henry).
REVIVALS IN CHURCH HISTORY
In the Middle Ages superstition and Roman Catholicism prevailed.
1300s Wycliffe and poor preachers taught the Gospel. Morning Star of the Reformation. Died 1384.
Reformer, seminary professor at Oxford, translated the Bible from Latin (Vulgate) with associates.
Rejected Catholicism, declared heretic.
1400s His followers, the Lollards were ‘Protestants’ ahead of time.
1500s Reformation, 1517 Luther. Sudden unveiling of a long hidden Bible. Justification by faith.
Never such widespread concern for spiritual things since NT times.
Revival on a massive scale. One monk against RC church and empire.
Changed the face of Europe.
1600s Puritans. Bunyan, Owen. Baxter at Kidderminster: on the Lord’s Day you might hear 100 families singing psalms and repeating sermons as you passed through the streets.
1700s Great Awakening 1740. Atheism, every trace of Christianity eradicated from science.
Whitefield, Wesley. Thousands converted. Descriptions of groups on roads converging on the towns.
1790s Missionary movement, Judson, Carey – Bible into 35 languages.
1815-1842 In USA on average 40-50,000 professions per year.
1859 SECOND EVANGELICAL AWAKENING
Race for riches, Wall Street collapse, wheels of industry still.
Little room in NY, 1st prayer meeting 6, next 20, after 6 months 10,000. Schools suspended for daily worship.
100,000+ converted in USA in 4 months. Total both sides of the Atlantic approaching a million.
Ulster, 100,000 conversions. Maze racecourse 500; meetings up to 20,000.
Scotland, 20,000 on Glasgow Green. 40,000 attending prayer meetings.
Wales, in 2 years 100,000 converted (10% of population).
England. CHS “times of refreshing”.
He used Surrey Gardens Music Hall (near our mission) – up to 10,000
Lord Shaftesbury turned down pleas to become Home secretary, used Exeter Hall for evangelism.
Tom Barnado, Hudson Taylor, Muller in Bristol.
1900s first century since Wycliffe with no awakening (except Welsh revival of 1904). Nothing for 150 years. Why?
HINDRANCES
1. No singleness of aim. “The churches…do not make the conversion of the ungodly their one grand aim”. Today “no adequate idea of the one great work to which every child of God is called” (HC Fish).
This is Christ’s mission. It brought Him into the world, and He has committed it to us.
The early disciples planted churches in almost every part of the known world.
2. Love of ease, money, pleasure, honour. Slothful believers. “Inactivity in the church may prevent a revival.”
Rededication is needed. Huge effort is needed in revivals.
Whitefield crossed the Atlantic 13 times, Wesley rode 100,000 miles.
3. No distress over prevailing ills. “As soon as Zion travailed she brought forth children.”
Begin with the heart. Cannot expect revival without putting away all known sin and lukewarmness.
“They shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn” (Zech 12.10) for dishonouring His name.
No mourning for sin means we are unfit to bring up the young in the faith.
4. Lack of Gospel preaching. “A prevailing defect in preaching is that it is not aimed at the conversion of men.”
Luther preached justification by faith. The world was ignorant of it – so today.
5. Inadequate prayer – Pentecost began in the upper room. “That one day changed the moral face of the globe”.
6. Worldliness. The world has been let into the church.
CONCLUDING REMARKS
1. Temporary in duration, but enduring in effect.
Vernon Higham spoke often of the 1904 revival whose effect was still felt when he began to pastor.
2. Wide in effect. Society at large uplifted. Missionary endeavour. Universities.
Great mental tides of men.
Our study on hypercalvinism showed that God uses human instruments. If we are not ready, He will not use us.
Not all churches were visited by revival power in 1859.
If revival comes, will we be ready?
Isaiah 44.3: “I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground.”
