History of Revival

HISTORY OF REVIVALS.  

 

The 18th Century Awakening:

Can we learn anything in 2007 from the revivals of old?

 

Evangelicals feel frustrated because of all that has been going on in society in recent years. English and American evangelicals in 1730 felt much the same way. Years of political and social effort had not succeeded in bringing reform. Amazingly though within a decade they experienced what is now called "The Great Awakening," during which time their nations' political and social cultures were radically impacted by Christian values. How was this possible?

 

CHARACTERISTICS  FOUND IN THE REVIVAL

 

Prayer. Evangelicals in the 1700s learned that corporate prayer was a prerequisite for outpourings of God's Spirit. The revivals in many places were preceded by days of prayer and fasting. Jonathan Edwards believed that corporate prayer was more effective than just the combined prayers of individuals.  Prior to Pentecost we can see the evidence of this so look at this verse.                                              Act 1:14 These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brother.

   Can you see that they were united in prayer?

Leadership. God raised up leaders to guide the movement. Jonathan Edwards was the theologian of the awakenings and his writings were a powerful influence even until the end of the following century. Jonathan Edwards was no stranger to revival. When he was just twelve years old (in 1715) the church his father, Rev. Timothy Edwards, pastored experienced a “remarkable stirring and pouring out of the Spirit of God resulting in an unusual number of conversions (for these days) and many more awakened to the condition of their souls.” He wrote in his History of the Work of Redemption that whenever true Christianity  seemed to be on the verge of extinction, "God granted a revival and sent some angel or prophet or raised up some eminent person to be an instrument of their reformation."  George Whitefield was a dramatic and powerful orator, able to deeply move audiences with his sermons. John Wesley was an administrative genius who established an extremely effective small-group structure of "class meetings" which kept the revival fires burning..

Doctrine. Revival preachers back then focused on the great Reformation doctrines of justification by faith and the atonement. They emphasized God's judgment and then his grace.

Emotionalism. The revivalists unashamedly appealed to people's emotions. They felt that their listeners' problem was not a lack of knowledge but a need to take action. They abandoned the formality of notes and preached as the Holy Spirit led.. Harry S. Stout says, Whitefield preached as though there were no tomorrow. A contemporary reported, "Sometimes he exceedingly wept, stamped loudly and passionately, and was frequently so overcome, that, for a few seconds, you would suspect he never would recover; and when he did, required some little time to compose himself." After Whitefield preached at Northampton, Edwards' wife, Sarah, wrote, "It is wonderful to see what a spell he casts over an audience by proclaiming the simplest truths of the bible. I have seen upwards of a thousand people hang on his words with breathless silence, broken only by an occasional half suppressed sob." Edwards also wept during Whitefield's sermon..

5. Music. They found that a powerful anointing came through Worship music, because singing hymns in praise of the Lord stirred people’s hearts.

6. Open-air meetings. Whitefield preached in open spaces where large crowds could gather. Wesley took the message to jails, inns and ships, as well as outdoors. They did not just gather in holy huddles behind closed doors.

7. Persecution. At times these preachers faced fierce opposition from hecklers, gangs of attackers and the press.

8. Testimonies. Reports of revival in other places often sparked new outbreaks as lay people who had been there first shared firsthand accounts of what the Holy Spirit was doing.

9. Holy Spirit. The 18th-century revivalists expected the Spirit to manifest His presence in powerful, visible ways. Edwards believed that the Spirit could be discerned, that he moved a congregation "by a mighty invisible power," and he sometimes caused a "visible commotion." This happened in the 18th-century awakenings. During a lecture in 1741, for example, a Scottish minister asked, "Where is the fruit of my poor labours among this people?" At this some of his parishioners cried out, in the most public manner, of their lost and undone condition, saying, they now saw hell open for them, and heard the shrieks of the damned and expressed their agony not only in words, but by clapping their hands, beating their breasts, terrible shakings, frequent faintings and convulsions; the minister often calling out to them, not to stifle or smother the convictions, but encouraged them." At a communion service during the next year in Scotland attended by some 30,000, "some of both sexes, and all ages, from the stoutest man to the tenderest child," a participant, wrote about how the people present "shake and tremble, and a few fall down as dead."

10. Social action. A greater concern for the poor and downtrodden often resulted from these revivals. Jonathan Edwards taught that it was the Christian's duty to be charitable. Whitefield devoted a great deal of his energy to an orphanage he founded in Georgia.

We can conclude that the 18th-century  Christians experienced a deep and powerful spiritual renewal  which can be more effective in transforming a culture than political action.

Revival leaders of that time often faced fierce opposition. On several occasions rioters climbed into trees behind Whitefield's pulpit to "shamefully expose" themselves or urinate in his direction. Wesley often had rocks thrown at him, and was sometimes mobbed and beaten by gangs incited by jealous parsons, or squires. Edwards was hounded by liberal detractors in the press. His own church ejected him form its pulpit, partly because of the high evangelical standards to which he called its members. As a result, Edwards spent most of the last eight years of his life exiled to a lonely mission church on the frontier. Stories of revival helped spread revival. Edwards and the church in Northampton were inspired and perhaps influenced by news of the revival in Holland and Germany. News of the Great Awakening in America deeply affected Christians in Cambuslang, Scotland and there was a revival  here in the area where I live, for Cambuslang adjoins my the town of Rutherglen . Cambuslang  at that time numbered around 200 families, mainly farmers and miners. The area had been without a minister for some years, but in 1731 William M'Culloch, then aged forty took over the parish . He had grown up in Covenanter country, surrounded by martyrs' graves, and longed for God to move again upon the land. His labours almost ended in despair. The congregation was in such poor spiritual health that he did not feel it right to celebrate Communion for three years. A friend urged him to devote himself to intercessory prayer for a deeper work of God's Holy Spirit. News of the 'Great Awakening' in America gave impetus to such prayer and to a closer study of the Bible. Then, a devastating hurricane followed by months of famine in 1740 brought the people to brokenness before God.
        The next year George White-field arrived in Edinburgh, preaching the gospel with such power that many cried aloud. Fourteen from Cambuslang found their hearts "melted down and overboiling with tears". Back home the thought of revival consumed them day and night.
      In February, 1742, M'Culloch sent the people home, charging them to "fall on their knees before God, and with all possible earnestness, as for life itself, to beg of Him His Holy Spirit to renew and change our hearts and natures, and to take no comfort in any thing till we get it".
      They were not kept waiting long. Within days a young woman cned out in the church: "Christ says to me He will never leave me or forsake me!" The effect was electric, with many weeping and others crying aloud for joy, and M'Culloch needing three hours to counsel the enquirers.
      Now the Holy Spirit was really at work. Complete households fell under conviction of sin. People would burst into tears in the street. One young woman, noted for her timidity, preached under the anointing of the Holy Spirit to a large crowd with compelling power. A visiting minister wrote of how some that were previously notorious sinners had now the meekness of the Lamb. On Tuesday, July 6, 1742, White-field came to Cambuslang at midday and preached at two, six and nine o'clock. For about an hour and a half there were scenes of uncontrollable distress, like a field of battle.    People were being carried into the manse like wounded soldiers. "Such a commotion was surely never heard of especially at eleven at night," he wrote to a friend. "It far out-did all I ever saw in America."
All night in the fields could be heard the voices of prayer and praise.
     News spread throughout the country and by the time of Whitefield's next sermon in July the crowd numbered upwards of 20,000.  Whitefield wrote to John Cennick "Such a universal stir I never saw before. The motion fled as swiftly as lightning from one end of the auditory to the other. You might have seen the thousands bathed in tears; some at the same time wringing their hands, others almost swooning and others crying out and mourning over a pierced Saviour."
       During these and other meetings men and women trembled and wept and some fell down as dead. Joy as much a part of this work as was sorrow over sin. Many believers found themselves so moved by a sense of the Saviour's love as to be lifted almost into a state of rapture. The phrase 'joy unspeakable and full of glory' occurs frequently in the Cambuslang records and undoubtedly depicts the experience of many, among both the new converts and the established Christians.
      The results of the revival were considerable. M'Culloch himself, limiting his estimate to his own parishioners, speaks of over five hundred genuine conversions, but hints at hundreds more among the many visitors. Within seven years it was estimated that church attendance in the Glasgow area had risen to 35 percent of the population. From Cambuslang the flames spread to other places, with well-documented moves of the Holy Spirit at Kilsyth, Muthil, Torryburn and Nigg. 

              In mid-November 1741 Rev. Nicholas Gilman of Durham, N.H. began reading aloud daily to his parishioners from Edwards' revival had begun in Gilman's church. Whitefield's Journals had a similar effect. Ministers . were responsible for first sharing the news, but it was the lay people who took the message and ran to their neighbors.  They realised the impotance of taking the message of the gospel out there and sharing it with others.Unlike awakenings in previous centuries, the 18th-century awakening moved forward primarily  because  laymen took the call to evangelise seriously, not ministers. Even Edwards, the awakening's first great leader, said the momentum came from below, especially young people, whose "lay testifyings" produced a "great noise" that was heard throughout the region..

True Biblical Revival always re-establishes the Supremacy and Glory of Christ as the primary focus of the Church, “Will You not revive us again, that Your people may rejoice in You?”(Ps 85:6).                   

Sources :       Gerald McDermott, National & International Report, Dec. 14, 1992.                                                                                                                            

                         Revival Library

                      http://www.jesus.org.uk/ja/  Revival Fires.

 

The Toronto Blessing and Brownsville Laughing Phenomena is this genuinely the church in renewal? Is God at work in this?

 

It appears to me that there is much confusion throughout the church relating to the Toronto blessing and the so called “Holy Laughter” Movement from Brownsville. So I would like to try and be as objective as possible as I look from the outside at what is and has been happening in Toronto and Brownsville. Maybe I should start by saying that my church has strong links with Toronto Airport Christian Fellowship so maybe stating I am on the outside looking in is not 100% true.

   I was probably nearly as sceptical as the next person when I heard of the goings on in Toronto back in the mid- 1990’s. Church was orderly and giving due respect to an Almighty God. Oh, yes I was Charismatic in thinking, I believed the gifts of the Spirit were for today,  I had heard something about past Revivals and would state that I longed to see Revival in the Church, but  I was very wary of the Toronto Blessing and Brownsville, I had heard too many  Christians criticizing the goings on.  Anyhow about four  to five  years ago a friend from the Independent Pentecostal Church I was then part of, infact, my husband was at that time acting as Pastor of that small church asked me to go along with her one Saturday night to Glasgow Elim for a Renewal Service. My husband stayed at home to prepare his sermon for the following morning. For a couple of months I went along every Saturday night with friends, I found the Spirit was revealing lots to me, then one night my husband decided to come along too. At that time my husband referred to himself as Pentecostal with a small ‘p’. oh yes he had, had an experience of the Spirit some years back, infact it was after that he enrolled in Bible School, That first night, had Raymond running out to the car park for a few minutes, he had never seen church quite like this. He came back in for he felt the Holy Spirit drawing him in. I had been baptised in the Spirit, some years before hand, but we lacked the knowledge that there was a much closer place to be in our relationship with God. Back then I couldn’t say that my prime object in life was seeking after God. Oh, yes I had got to the stage where I wanted to serve Him, to tell others about Jesus, even pray for healing at times, and although I saw healing in the atonement I believed God might heal them as I prayed, I knew nothing much of taking authority in Jesus Name over circumstances. I thought I knew who I was in Christ, but I saw myself as a forgiven sinner, a worm and no woman, yet I believed that if I was truly walking in righteousness there was victory in Jesus, and believe that positionally all things could be under my feet, but so often I would swallow Satan’s lies that I wasn’t good enough to claim the victory in Christ.. However, God was turning both of us around, doing a new thing in us and we found we were attending this church every Saturday and Sunday night. As mentioned beforehand Raymond had been pastoring the other fellowship, but he was really holding the fort until someone else was free to fulfil the position, so almost two years ago we felt it was time to move on and we became members of Glasgow Elim.

     What was happening in this church?  The, then Senior Pastor Kevin Peat had paid a visit to Toronto back in the 1990’s, himself a little sceptical. After all, like me he was from a Brethren background, but the Holy Spirit changed all that. He came back from Toronto and renewal started in the Glasgow Elim Church, so you might ask what was happening in the Glasgow Church?  Well, the presence of God was and is very strong within the church and there is a very strong revelation of the Father’s Heart of God within the Church. You may ask if people were falling down, having outbursts of laughing, groaning, tears, twitching or manifesting the Spirit in some other way?  Yes they were and still are at times, but God is increasing our hunger for Him. We are becoming a House of Prayer with at least one prayer meeting on every day and although we go into intercession for others much of the prayers are about seeking the face of God. The church is very involved in reaching out to the community. We are a church that makes the druggies and the homeless welcome, infact we see people coming to the Lord every week. Eight children were saved a couple of Sundays back. So this is a church that welcomed the Toronto Blessing, or to be more correct welcomed all that the Holy Spirit had for it. I’m not claiming that we have arrived, far from it, but right now the church like many churches throughout the world is positioning itself with a new hunger for God, people desire to come closer to Jesus and they come by way of the cross of Jesus and yes there is lot’s of repentance stage by stage along the way before we can move on.

    Yes, I have been slain in the Spirit, too many times to count, have even shaken with the Spirit, moved like a pretzel with the Spirit, wept at times and experienced the so called laughing phenonemen. So I do see the Holy Spirit at work in those things? My answer is most definitely. Are their imperfections within the Toronto blessing? I would be putting my head in the sand if I tried to say there wasn’t after all there are people involved, but I personally believe that any problems that have arisen have happened because people have sought experience instead of seeking Jesus.  As for Toronto Airport Fellowship they have sent people out to other corners of the world , the pastors and leaders travel and minister to others. I have met the Senior Pastor and he is a man who loves God. Many people in the church worldwide are unaware of  the way their Heavenly Father loves them,  they are not orphans, they are adopted into His family. We are His children and He loves us so much, He desires to bless us and not to harm us, that does not mean that we won’t go through tough times, we may do but Father God is by our side. Also, many have a poor understanding that they are part of the cherished bride of Christ. Jesus loves us with a passion. He is constantly interceding for us with the Father. He pours out His Spirit on us and draws us towards Himself.                                                                                                                                                                                                           Psa 63:1 O God, You are my God;

        Early will I seek You;

        My soul thirsts for You;

        My flesh longs for You

        In a dry and thirsty land

        Where there is no water.

Psa 63:2 So I have looked for You in the sanctuary,

        To see Your power and Your glory.

Psa 63:3 Because Your lovingkindness is better than life,

        My lips shall praise You.

Psa 63:4 Thus I will bless You while I live;

        I will lift up my hands in Your name.

Psa 63:5 My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness,

        And my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips.

Psa 63:6 When I remember You on my bed,

        I meditate on You in the night watches.

Psa 63:7 Because You have been my help,

        Therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice.

Psa 63:8 My soul follows close behind You;

        Your right hand upholds me. ……………

 

I know a greater peace in my spirit than I have ever known. I know God as my healer and my provider.

 

Mat 6:33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

 

Does my faith always arise to the occasion, nope, have I got it all of pat no, I am a work in progress, but I know I am growing up in Him. It’s taking a while I got saved at the age of seven and I still have a long way to go. This one thing I Know I love Jesus Christ and He loves me.

Look above at Revival History.During these and other meetings men and women trembled and wept and some fell down as dead. Joy as much a part of this work as was sorrow over sin. Many believers found themselves so moved by a sense of the Saviour's love as to be lifted almost into a state of rapture. The phrase 'joy unspeakable and full of glory' occurs frequently in the Cambuslang records and undoubtedly depicts the experience of many, among both the new converts and the established Christians.

    There is unspeakable joy in Jesus and it can bring with it uncontrollable laughter at times. Our church was called to prayer and fasting Monday, through to Wednesday this week and last night at the Watchman meeting  at end of it, I found I went into a state of laughter, that was the first time in a couple of years that I was so overcome with laughter and it was just out of joy. I love Jesus and my desire is to know Him more and to share His love others, to see people move into the fivefold ministries and take the full gospel message to the people out there. I seek after God, I want to walk in faith and share the Gospel and the Father’s Heart of God with others.

 

Act 4:31 And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.

 

   

     Act 13:52 And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

 

 

Rom 15:13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

 

All scriptures taken from NKJV..

Great Healing Revivalists

Evan Roberts the Great Welsh Revivalist and His Work -Phillips

What is revival about?

Revivalists  surely would say,
"Submit your all to Jesus today,"
For revival  we need to gather in one accord ,
And we should be truly seeking to encounter God.

The Lord rewards those coming in hunger and thirst,
Who seek his face wanting to make him first,
So let us fix our eyes upon the Lord Jesus,
He wants to be the sole object of our focus.

Don't just seek to know more about God,
Though that in itself is worthy and good,
Through Jesus we can come to know Father God,
In a very personal way that is so good.

God loves us and beckons the church to come home,
His arms are outstretched beckoning us to come,
The bride of Christ are being prepared for His return you see,
He wants us to lose our selfish ways and stop thinking it's all about me.

Revival can be personal and corporate can't you see?
It all starts in the hearts of you and me.
So let the quest to draw closer to Jesus fan the flame,
Going deeper, drawing closer to Jesus let that be our aim.

And let us be ready to obediently answer his call,
For to go our own way is to surely fall,
So Holy Spirit fall upon your people today,
Refine us in your fire this very day.

The Lord wants to see unity in the body of Christ,
You may have questions but in Jesus place your trust,
A squabbling church is not of God's making,
Your heart and mine are what matters so let them awaken.

It's all about Jesus and coming closer to him,
Seek the Lord while he may be found,
He is jealous for us the bride to come as lovers of him,
We need to listen for his voice and get to know it's sound.

For his sheep hear his voice and follow him,
They do not go astray and go their own way,
Our hearts will be revived as we draw closer to him,
So let's focus on the Lord Jesus Christ today.



Irene McGough 2009

Are we going to go into a winter of discontent?

 

 We are in danger of entering a winter of discontentment,

Many Christians at the moment are feeling disillusioned,

And there are many feeling angry at God and disgruntled,

 We as believers are not walking united in one accord.

 

 Some having run with the recent outpouring are disappointed.

For it all seemed to come to an end at the end of Lakeland,

But it was God, who stirred a hunger in you for more of Him,

He wants each one of us to keep pressing on in to Him.

 

 The people of God are imperfect and leaders may fall,

Now more than ever He wants us to press in and give Him our all,

He calls us now to humble ourselves and fast and pray,

And He wants us to enter the secret place and here what He has to say.

 

 For real revival always, always starts with an awakening in our hearts,

He wants us to learn from the mistakes made in the past,

We must be well grounded in the Word and in relationship with Him,

We need to spend time in His Presence and at His feet learn.

 

 But we must never give up for God has promised to pour out His Spirit,

 And all over the world hearts of God’s people are being stirred,

For we are going to be made ready for the return of our King,

So for now let us in one accord our dear Saviour’s praises sing.

 

 It is time for the body of Christ to spend time seeking His face,

He wants us His bride to start giving Him His proper place,

We need to put aside discontentment and turn our eyes on to Him,

For true long lasting revival can only come when it’s all about Him.

 

 So, we God’s people need to repent right now for allowing the enemy in,

He is very subtle and comes like a thief trying to kill steal and destroy,

But when we become disillusioned we go head first into sin,

And the Lord Himself says to us, “Come to me and I will restore your joy.

 

 

 I have never left you I have always been there for you, I just gave you a taster,

My people you were not ready, you will be purified and then comes the power,

A mighty new wave of the Spirit is on it’s way and I do not want you to miss it,

You will no longer walk in your own strength but in the might and power of the Holy Spirit.

 

 So , don’t give up, do not enter the valley of despair for fresh joy comes in the morning,

Even through your times in the valley seek my face and you will be rejoicing,

Fix your eyes on me, for I will guide you right up to the top of that mountain,

And my dear friends I assure you that you have a future hope that is certain.”

 

 

 Irene McGough October, 2008

   Revival fires continue to be kindled even if they have dimmed slightly in places, Lord make us be ready to be set totally ablaze with your precious Holy Spirit.