you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you...
TRANSCRIPT
Restore us again, O God our Saviour … will
you not revive us again, that your people
may rejoice in you? Show us your unfailing
love, O LORD, and grant us your salvation.
…taken from Psalm 85:5-7
Maybe we do recognise something is wrong,
but we misdiagnose the reasons
and blame culture or society…
Thesis:
“We must gather … a
deeper impression of our
own responsibility … the
great obstacles to the
revival of God’s work are,
no doubt, to be
sought in the Church…”
Sprague p.661832
Thesis:
“He is not feltamong His people,
and what is worse,
we don’t care … we
must cultivate a holy
dissatisfaction with
our desperate
condition”
B H Edwards
Restore us again, O God our Saviour … will
you not revive us again, that your people
may rejoice in you? Show us your unfailing
love, O LORD, and grant us your salvation.
…taken from Psalm 85:5-7
“God bending down to
the dying embers of a
fire just about to go
out, and breathing
into it until it
bursts into flames”
Christmas EvansWales 1820’s
“Days of heaven upon
earth ... It is God coming
near His people a
visitation of His Spirit,
giving them
a glance of His
everlasting glory…”
J Edwards,cited MLJ, p.103-4
“a community saturated with
God … the going out of God
among His people … in
revival the fear of God lays
hold upon a community
moving men and women -
who up until now have had
no concern for spiritual
things – to seek after God…”
Duncan Campbell,Lewes 1952
“…a remarkable increase in the
spiritual life of a large number of
God’s people, accompanied by
an awesome awareness of the
presence of God, intensity of
prayer and praise, a deep
conviction of sin with a
passionate longing for holiness,
and unusual effectiveness in
evangelism, leading to the
salvation of many unbelievers.”
B H Edwards
“… there is an
intensification of
elements that are
present in the ‘normal’
life of the Church.
Everything is done at a
different level”.
B H Edwards
“My mission is first to the
Churches. When the
Churches are aroused to
their duty, men of the
world will be swept into
the kingdom. A whole
Church on its knees is
irresistible”
Evan RobertsWales, 1904
In the run up to a Revival:
Often an ignorance of God’s so dealing with His
Church throughout history… or cynicism towards
them … a spirit of worldliness among professing
Christians … who seem to think of nothing else
but the acquisition of wealth … worldly promotion
… and leading a fashionable life…
WB Sprague(p.49-50)
In the run up to a Revival:
A spiritual weakness
among Church leaders.
1742, Cambuslang.
McCullough, the ale-
minister.
In the run up to a Revival:
“We had been praying for and expecting some
such precious blessing, but were taken by
surprise, so sudden, powerful and extraordinary
were the manifestations of the Spirit’s presence”
Archibald Robinson,Ulster 1859
“We prayed for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit
upon ourselves and upon the surrounding
country. This was the one great burden and
object of our prayers. We held right to this one
thing … we kept right on praying
until the power came …”
James McQuillan,Ulster 1857-8
In the run up to a Revival:
Ulster 1859,
an estimated 100,000
people converted
In the run up to a Revival:
“The meetings became marked by a deeper
outgoing of the soul to God in prayer than ever,
and a passionately expressed desire for the
salvation of men was a dominant feature.
Towards the close of 1906, there were
indications that the LORD was about to move in
our midst once more…
Joseph Kemp,Edinburgh. 1904/5
In the run up to a Revival:
“ … the attendees at the 7am prayer meeting on
the Lord’s Day increased, and the meetings
were marked by a deep spirit of prayer. This
was followed up by the same spirit [of prayer] in
the week night meetings…”
Joseph Kemp,Edinburgh. 1904/5
In the run up to a Revival:
“When God intends a great
mercy for His people, the first
thing He does is set them
praying”
Matthew HenryComment on Zech.12:10
In the run up to a Revival:
During Revival:
Revival begins with a vision, and with a
new sense of Jesus Christ … It begins with
the revelation of Jesus Christ Himself, and
a sense of the nearness of the Master”
Douglas BrownSpeaking at Keswick Convention, 1922.
“…within a matter of days, the whole
neighbourhood was awakened to spiritual and
eternal realities. Work was largely set aside as
people became concerned with their own
salvation, of the salvation of friends and
neighbours. In homes, barns, loom sheds, by
the roadside or the peat stack, men could be
found calling on God”.
Duncan Campbell,Barvas, 1949
During Revival:
“…there was nothing humanly
speaking to account for what
happened. Quite suddenly,
upon one and another came
an overwhelming sense of
the reality of the awfulness of
the Presence, and of eternal
things. Life, death and
eternity seemed suddenly
laid bare”.Joseph Kemp,
1905, Charlotte Chapel, Edinburgh
During Revival:
The prayer continues…
“It was a Pentecost season
indeed. Sometimes whole
nights were spent in prayer.
Often we would be filled,
overwhelmed with the Divine
Presence, crying out: ‘Will
God indeed dwell with man
on earth? How dreadful is
this place, it is none other
than the house of God, the
Gate of Heaven!’ ”cited in John Gillies
Memoir of George Whitefield, p.34
During Revival:
“…as we were continuing in
prayer the power of God came
mightily upon us, insomuch
that many cried out for
exceeding joy, and many
fell to the ground”Journal of John Wesley
31st December, 1739
During Revival:
“What can I say about our
prayer meetings? They
used to begin at 7.00 am,
but that was felt to be far
too late in the day for the
great business that had to
be transacted before the
throne of grace...
During Revival:
… The meetings now begin
at 6.00 and go on for
almost 7 days a week, with
occasional intervals to
attend to household duties,
and bodily substance.
Some of you who are
strangers here may smile,
many of us did, but we do
not smile now …
During Revival:
… It is that continuous,
persevering, God-
honouring, weekly
campaign of prayer that
has moved the mighty
hand of God to pour upon
this favoured people the
blessings of His grace in
such rich abundance.
During Revival:
And if ever you should be
asked the secret of this
Church’s great spiritual
prosperity, you can tell
them of the prayer
meeting.”
Joseph Kemp,1905, Charlotte Chapel
During Revival:
Holiness
During Revival:
All things here below
vanished and there
appeared to be nothing of
any considerable
importance to me but the
holiness of heart and life
and the conversion of the
heathen to God …
During Revival:
All my cares, fears and
desires which might be
said to be of a worldly
nature, disappeared … I
exceedingly longed that
God would get himself a
Name among the
heathen.”
David Brainerd.
“Above all, he is faithful to His God and to
his conscience; he cannot be bought or
bribed; his strength is a character sanctified
by communion with the Invisible”
Rev. T Pritchard, on Evan RobertsN. Wales Guardian, 14/04/1905
During Revival:
“Lord, make me as holy
as a saved sinner can be”
Robert Murray McCheyneDundee, 1839
During Revival:
Conviction of sin
“…as prayer continued, a spirit of heaviness
and sorrow for sin came down upon the
congregation … someone began to weep and
soon all were weeping. Man after man would
arise and confess His sin, breaking down and
weeping … in perfect agony of conviction. ”
Blair & Hunt,The Korean Pentecost, 1907
During Revival:
“…there was nothing to be
heard from one end of the
town to the other, but the
cries and groans of people
in distress of soul”
Thomas Charles,Bala, North Wales, October 1791
During Revival:
“I find a good many people
under the deepest exercise
of soul, crying out most
bitterly by reason of their
unbelief and their sin …
During Revival:
not so much from fear of
punishment, as from a
sense of the dishonour
done to God. Some
suffered such agony they
would faint under the
burden”
John Hamilton,Cambuslang, 1742
During Revival:
“…the awful presence of God brought a wave of
conviction of sin, that caused even mature
Christians to feel their sinfulness, bringing
groans of distress and prayers of repentance
from the unconverted. Strong men were bowed
under the weight of sin, and cries for mercy were
mingled with shouts of joy from others who had
been raised from death to life”
Duncan Campbell,1949, Lewis.
During Revival:
Joy
“they rejoice in Jesus Christ.
The purest joy in the world is
joy in Jesus Christ. When
the Spirit is poured down,
His people get very near and
clear views of the Lord
Jesus …
During Revival:
They taste that the Lord is
gracious, His blood and
righteousness appear very
dear to their soul. They sit
under His shadow with
delight, and lean on Him as
their Beloved …”
Robert Murray McCheyneSermon: The Cry for Revival
During Revival:
“the town seemed so full
of the presence of God …
it was never so full of
love, nor of joy … and yet
so full of distress as it
was then”
Jonathan Edwards,Northampton, 1735
During Revival:
“the outbursts of the joy of salvation
were more powerful than previous
revivals”
at Beddgelert,Wales, 1817
During Revival:
Priority of Worship
“The whole town and neighbourhood was
aroused. Many did not retire the first night at
all, and for several days, great numbers were
unable to attend their usual vocations, but gave
themselves unceasingly to the study of the
Scriptures, singing and prayer. And for the first
month, with about 3 exceptions, I did not get to
bed before dawn, such was the anxiety of the
people for pastoral instruction and consolation.
James McQuillanUlster 1859
During Revival:
“…the revival goes on, and I
cannot leave the building until
midnight, and sometimes 1
o’clock in the morning. I have
often closed the service
several times, and yet it would
break out again, quite beyond
the control of human power”
Joseph Jenkins,Wales, 1904
During Revival:
“The service began on Sunday 27th February,
and didn’t close until the following Friday morning”
1814, Tuckingmill, Cornwall
During Revival:
“The service began on Sunday 27th February,
and didn’t close until the following Friday morning”
1814, Tuckingmill, Cornwall
During Revival:
‘In revival, time doesn’t matter’ Duncan Campbell
Worship in the manifest
presence of God
During Revival:
“It pleased God to bring
an awfully solemn sense
of divine things over the
minds of men … there is
far more solemnity in the
house of God”
Robert Murray McCheyne,1839, Dundee
“the thing most remarkable
was the spiritual glory of
the solemnity … the
profound reverence that
overspread every
countenance”
Of a Holy Communion seasonCambuslang, 1742
During Revival:
“the whole place was at that moment so awful with
the glory of God – and one uses the word ‘awful’
deliberately - the holy presence of God was
so manifest. The preacher himself was
overwhelmed and had to withdraw…”
Rhys Bevan Jones,Anglesey, 1904
During Revival:
“The Churches were
full and the solemnity
of these services was
awe-inspiring”
Duncan Campbell,Lewis 1934
During Revival:
“…perhaps the most
outstanding feature in
this part of Harris was
the awe-inspiring
presence of God”
Duncan Campbell,Harris, 1949
During Revival:
“How terrible is
this place! It is too
terrible for me, my
flesh is too weak
to bear this
weight of glory”
David Morgan,1859, Wales
During Revival:
“The usual time for the dismissal came, but
they were heedless about the hour of the night.
The day brightened the heavens, the morning
star was succeeded by the rising sun, but still
they remained, praying, praising the Lord”
James McQuillanUlster, 1859
During Revival:
Speed
“…when the Holy Ghost comes
in power, more will happen in
an hour than will happen in
fifty or even a hundred years
as a result of your exertions
and mine …”
MLJ p.210
During Revival:
“God has seemed to go out of His usual way in
the quickness of His work, and in the swift
progress made by the Holy Spirit in His
operations in the hearts of people. It is
wonderful that persons should be so suddenly,
yet so greatly changed … in a very little time,
the former things have passed away and all
things have been made new”.
Jonathan EdwardsNew Hampshire, 1740’s
During Revival:
Renewed confidence in the
Gospel, and in the Scriptures
as the Word of God
“The uninhibited and compelling urge to
preach the Gospel was a basic characteristic
of all those involved, whatever other gifts they
may bring…each felt deeply the absolute
priority and unique authority of preaching in the
Power of the Holy Spirit.
Brian H EdwardsOn the 18th Century Awakening
During Revival:
At four (in the afternoon) I
hastened to Kingswood. At a
moderate computation there
were about 10,000 people to
hear me… all was hush when I
began, and God enabled me
to preach for an hour with
great power …The fire is
kindled in this country, and all
the devils of hell shall not be
able to quench it”
Whitefield’s Journal, Sunday 25th February, 1739
During Revival:
“I have observed at such times
an awful and breathless
stillness pervading the
assembly, each hearer
bent forward in the posture
of rapt attention”
Robert Murray McCheyne1839, Dundee
During Revival:
But not just in preaching:
In all companies … on whatever occasions persons
meet together, Christ was to be heard of … our
young people were wont to spend time in telling of
the excellency of the dying love of Jesus Christ,
the glory of the way of salvation, the wonderful
free and sovereign grace of God, His glorious work
in the conversion of the soul, and the truth and
certainty of the great things of God’s Word”
Jonathan Edwards, Narrative, p.14
During Revival:
Evangelism &
Church Growth
“the fearful bending of judgement day came into
my mind, and I was filled with compassion for
those who must bend at that judgement, and I
wept. Following that, the salvation of the human
soul was solemnly pressed upon me. I felt
ablaze with the desire to go through the length
and breadth of Wales to tell of the Saviour, and
had it been possible, I was willing
to pay God for the privilege of doing so…”
Evan Roberts,Wales 1904
During Revival:
“It is an easy and delightful
thing to preach the gospel
here in these days… Divine
truths have their own infinite
weight and importance in the
minds of the people”.
Thomas Charles,Bala, North Wales, October 1791
During Revival:
Great Awakening (Jonathan Edwards, 1734):
estimated 25,000 from New Hampshire
1859 Welsh revival: membership in
WCM rose by 36,000
During Revival:
1904 Welsh revival: membership
in WCM rose by 24,000
(3rd Feb.1905, reported in North Wales Guardianthat Church membership had risen by 74,000 in a year
and some estimate that 160,000+ added 1904-6)
During Revival:
The most conservative estimate on
1859 Ulster revival is 100,000
During Revival:
West Yorkshire, 1794 (revival under John Moon &
Alexander Mather in Sheffield), Methodist circuit
saw attendance rise by 2,000
(with reports of hundreds being converted in a single meeting)
During Revival:
1799, Penzance, Methodist recorded show a
500% increase in membership
St. Ives, saw church membership rise by 300%
During Revival:
1814: Redruth, 5,000 in a few weeks
Tuckingmill, 2,000 converted in a single
week-long meeting which began,
Sunday 27th Feb. 1814.
During Revival:
1830: Midlands, under James Caughy.
Liverpool saw church attendance rise by 12,000
with similar figures for Nottingham (inc. William Booth), Huddersfield, Goole, Sheffield, York, Chesterfield, Birmingham
During Revival:
1907, Edinburgh, Joseph Kemp,
membership
rises from 35 to 609
During Revival:
1921, East Coast (Lowestoft),
estimated 30% of the region converted
in 2 weeks.
During Revival:
Giving
“…a thank offering was made among God’s
people for His signal mercies. The times
were hard, and my people were far from
wealthy, yet the sum contributed was £71.
This was devoted to missionary purposes…”
Robert Murray McCheyne1839, Edinburgh
(c.£30,000)
During Revival:
“…the creation of the new spirit of Christian
liberality; a forward movement of a philanthropic
and missionary enterprise, of which Sabbath
Schools, the Orphan Society; the China and
Zenana Missions were lasting fruits…”
cited by I K Paisley,The ’59 Revival
During Revival:
Persecution
“at Marylebone I was pushed from my pulpit,
attacked with a sword, one pelted me with
excrement, and another climbed a nearby
tree and shamefully exposed his
nakedness…”
George Whitefield
During Revival:
“[Whitefield has been called] a vagrant
enthusiast, a limb of the anti-Christ … there are
such lies, slanders and ridiculous stories that
have been spread about to prejudice people
against the work of God”
James Robe,Cambuslang, 1742
During Revival:
Impact on Society…
Impact on Society:
1859: Maze Racecourse attendance, less than
500, because thousands attending the
preaching in Comber, Co. Down.
Homes that I have had under observation for
some time have undergone a complete
transformation by the parents having been
brought to a better life through the Revival.
The children throughout my district are kept
in a much more clean condition, and it can
be confidently said that in my line,
things are decidedly slack.
Impact on Society:
A couple of cases that I was visiting, and in
which I thought I should have to prosecute, it
is no longer necessary to watch, owing to the
improvement brought about by the
conversion of [the parent(s)]…
NSPCC worker Wales 1906cited in ‘Rent Heavens’, RB Evans p.67
Impact on Society:
“the revival has left the taverns vocal
with lonely grumblers”
James Caughy1830 Birmingham
Impact on Society:
Convictions for drunkenness in
Glamorgan, released by Chief
Constable of Cardiff:
1902: 9298
1903: 10528
1904: 11282
1905: 8164
1906: 5490
1907: 5615
“The decrease in drunkenness has undoubtedly been most marked where the revivalists have had the greatest following”
Impact on Society:
Impact on Church
(militant)…
Impact on Church (militant):
“I have gathered from
enquiry that not one in
every 50 of those who
assumed a profession of
religion … has relapsed
into the world”
Thomas Jones,1859 Wales
“On every occasion care was taken to instruct
the people in the true and unchangeable
principles of religion. They are cautioned against
resting in a mere outward religion. They are told
that mere excitement is not conversion, and that
an awakening of the conscience to a sense of
guilt and danger doesn’t always result in a
change of heart …”
Thomas Jones,1859 Wales
Impact on Church (militant):
“The Church is most indebted to revivals for
the increase of both her numbers and her
graces … in many cases the Church was barely
in existence, and has been saved not only
from total extinction, but has been enlarged by
great accessions to its numbers and influence
…
Impact on Church (militant):
… how much is the standard of Christian
character, of humility, of zeal, of devotion, of
everything that pertains to practical godliness,
yet to be elevated in consequence of these
glorious effusions of the Holy Ghost! What an
immense number will have been brought to the
table of the Lord, and will have been enlisted
actively in His service …
Impact on Church (militant):
… and will count it an honour to wear
themselves out in His cause, who, but for
revivals of religion, might have continued to
turn their backs upon the Saviour, and even
have openly opposed the interests
of His kingdom”
WB Sprague p.207
Impact on Church (militant):
Impact on Church
(triumphant)…
Impact on Church (triumphant):
Revivals minister directly to the
joy of heavenly inhabitants…
Impact on Church (triumphant):
Revivals minister directly to the
joy of heavenly inhabitants…
1. Saints who died before their family
became Christians
Impact on Church (triumphant):
Revivals minister directly to the
joy of heavenly inhabitants…
1. Saints who died before their family
became Christians
2. Angelic rejoicing
Impact on Church (triumphant):
Revivals minister directly to the
joy of heavenly inhabitants…
1. Saints who died before their family
became Christians
2. Angelic rejoicing
3. The LORD God Almighty Himself
“The Father is glorified in the display of that love
and wisdom in which the plan of
redemption originated…
the Son is glorified in the honour which hereby
comes to his mediatorial work, and especially
the efficacy which is thus proved to belong
to His atoning blood;
“…the Holy Ghost is glorified in the effectual
energy of his operation on the heart: in
changing stone to flesh, in new-creating the
whole man. Here is power, wisdom, mercy,
faithfulness, holiness, every attribute of God
brought out in a living, I had almost
said, palpable form…
“…if Jehovah rejoices in his own glory, and if that
glory is illustrated in the conversion of even a
single soul, what shall be said of his rejoicing in
view of a revival of religion, much more of all the
revivals which will have taken place when the
whole number of the ransomed of the Lord shall
be gathered home”
WB Sprague p.217
Restore us again, O God our Saviour … will
you not revive us again, that your people
may rejoice in you? Show us your unfailing
love, O LORD, and grant us your salvation.
…taken from Psalm 85:5-7