SermonIndex Audio Sermons
SermonIndex - Promoting Revival to this Generation
Give To SermonIndex
Discussion Forum : Scriptures and Doctrine : Revival

Print Thread (PDF)

Goto page ( Previous Page 1 | 2 | 3 )
PosterThread









 Re:

The Great Awakening of 1857-1858

America Prior to the Revival

In the twelve years before the Third Great Awakening (also known as: The Revival/Awakening of 1857-1858; The Prayer Revival; and The Businessmen's Revival), the religious life in America was on a decline. It was a time of prosperity, and people were seeking riches rather than God. The churches were losing people, and worldliness was creeping in. (Orr 7)

A number of Christians who had become concerned over the materialism that pervaded the land, and the fact that the young were growing up without God, began to pray that God would break the love of money over people's lives and send another revival to the nation. "Concerts of Prayer" began to spring up throughout the United States of America and Canada. (8 and 12)

This materialism was broken in many lives by the Bank Panic of October 1857.

Due to the long, hard winter of 1856-1857, transportation and trade transactions were delayed. The spring brought some relief, but by the end of summer, businesses had begun to collapse. Before September, the Ohio Life Insurance and Trust Company of Cincinnati, with a branch in New York City, failed, causing "a shock to public confidence." (13)

Some banks refused to redeem their promissory notes, while others suspended operations altogether, including eighteen of New York City's leading banks. (14)

"On the 14th of October, 1857, the extensive banking system of the United States collapsed, a far-reaching disaster bringing ruin to hundreds of thousands of people in New York, Philadelphia, Boston, and the industrial centers of the nation." (14)

The Panic caused rich men to go broke literally overnight. Suicide and murder increased, as well as "the number of unfortunate women who roamed the streets in the cities." (14)

Yet experts later agreed that the panic by the banks was unjustified. The Secretary of the U.S. Treasury said that New York's banks "had never been sounder" and even at the worst time had plenty of funds to meet the strain. (14-15)

Some felt that the Bank Panic was Divine judgment against a nation that had made mammon their god. Samuel I. Prime, chief editor of the daily New York Observer, felt "as long as men transact business on unsound principles, they will be punished. The law of trade, as well as of God, necessitate the penalty." (18)

J. Edwin Orr, however, states that the Revival was not caused by the Panic. The prayer meeting which became the focal point of the Revival began three weeks prior to the Panic. Within two months, the crisis was over, and it took another two months before the Revival "officially" began. (21-21)


Revival in Hamilton, Canada West

By 1857, prayer movements were growing in Ontario. In August or September, Walter and Phoebe Palmer, a Methodist physician and his wife from New York, came to hold what turned out to be very successful meetings. Returning to the States, they were delayed in Hamilton. On October 8th, the next day, the Methodist ministers convened a prayer meeting at which sixty-five people attended. The greater number of these people pledged themselves to pray for an "outpouring of the Holy Spirit." That night, Phoebe Palmer felt that God was about to move. (26)

On the evening of the 9th, a larger crowd met in the basement of the John Street Methodist Church. Twenty-one people were converted.

The following meetings were made up mostly of exhortations and testimonies. Many testified of conversion, while those who were already Christians testified to an entire dedication of heart and life to Christ.

The New York Christian Advocate and Journal reported on November 5, 1857, about the "Revival Extraordinary" in Hamilton in Canada West, where twenty to forty-five professions were being made daily, and one hundred were made on the previous Sunday. They wrote:

"The work is taking its range . . . persons of all classes. Men of low degree and men of high estate for wealth and position; old men and maidens, and even little children, can be seen humbly kneeling together, pleading for grace. The mayor of the city, with other persons of like position, are not ashamed to be seen bowed at the altar of prayer beside the humble servant." (27)

The spontaneous revival in Hamilton soon swept the entire community and a large part of the nation. All denominations reported a rise in membership over the following years.

The Canadian Awakening of 1857 sparked the Third Great Awakening in the United States.


Prayer for Revival

"Longing for Revivals" was published in May 1857 by the "New School" Presbyterian Church. This was an appeal to corporate prayer which had been written some tome before it was finally published.

"This longing for revivals we cannot but consider as a cheering indication of the noblest life . . . Next to a state of actual revival is the sense of its need and the struggle to attain it, at any sacrifice of treasure, toil, or time. We trust that the period is not distant, when this state of actual, general, glorious revival shall be ours." (48)

The Presbyterians were not alone in their longing. The Baptists and Methodists were also calling their members to cry out to God to send another awakening to the land. By early 1857, many were praying "that the popular addiction to money-making might be broken." (48)

When the bank panic broke the love of money over many lives, the intercessors focused their prayers on revival.

Prayer meetings increased in numbers and frequency amongst almost all denominations. Theodore Cuyler, pastor of Nineteenth Street Church, New York, said in November 1857, that he was "struck with the earnestness of petitions for the descent of God's Spirit on out city churches." (50)


The First Signs of Awakening in America

Fulton Street in New York City is said by most people to be the beginning of the "Prayer Meeting Revival." Charleston, South Carolina, was, however, already experiencing a revival in the middle of 1857--among its slaves!

Black slaves had their own churches with mostly white leaders. One of these many congregations was found in Charleston with Dr. John L. Girardeau as its minister. Anson Street Presbyterian Church had forty-eight black members and twelve white. In 1857, they began a prayer meeting, petitioning God to send "a spiritual awakening," and waiting for the outpouring of the Spirit." (40)

One evening while leading in prayer, Girardeau felt as if a surge of electricity struck his head and gone through his entire body. He then stated: "The Holy Spirit has come. We will begin preaching tomorrow evening." He dismissed the church, but no one left. "Immediately he began exhorting them to accept the Gospel." By the time he was able to re-dismiss the congregation, it was midnight. (40)

Every night for the next eight weeks, he preached on "sin and repentance, faith and justification, and regeneration" to crowds of 1,500 to 2,000. Many whites as well as blacks were converted. They later joined the various congregations in the city.

The new revival scenes were not limited to the black churches. In the autumn of 1856, Charles G. Finney, one of America's most prominent evangelists, began preaching in Boston and remained there until the following April. He wrote in his Memoirs: "The work was quite extensive that winter in Boston, and many very striking cases of conversion occurred." (Rosell 560)

The Boston correspondent of New York's The Independent reported of these meetings: "Members of other churches in the city soon began to come in considerable numbers; then from the neighboring towns; and finally from distant places in New Hampshire and Maine, came ministers by the scores, private Christians by the hundreds if not by the thousands, to hear the word, and catch some of the sacred influences that evidently attended it." (560)

Churches in Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Iowa, California, Conneticut, Virginia, in New England as well as other states reported "spiritual outpourings." (Orr 59) Nor were they contained to one denomination. Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians, Episcopalians, Lutherans, and most of the other denominations all reported an increased interest throughout 1857.

When Finney returned to Boston the following winter, the nationwide interest for revival was pretty much underway, so that he could later write:

"This was in the winter of 1857 and '58; and it will be remembered that it was at this time that a great revival prevailed throughout the land in such a tremendous manner, that for some weeks it was estimated that not less than fifty thousand conversions occurred per week." (Rosell 561-562)

and:

"In this revival I had conversation with a large number of the higher classes in Boston, especially those that attended Episcopal worship. But I suppose we shall never know in this world anything like the number savingly affected during this great revival in Boston." (570)


Fulton Street and the Revival

In the middle of September 1857, in New York City, a tall man "with a pleasant face, and affectionate manner . . . shrewd and endowed with much tact and common sense" (Orr 52-53) began passing out handbills that read:

"How Often Shall I Pray? As often as the language of prayer is in my heart; as often as I see my need of help; as often as I feel the power of temptation; as often as I am made sensible of any spiritual declension, or feel the aggression of a worldly, earthly spirit . . . In prayer, we leave the business of time for that of eternity, and intercourse with God."

And on the reverse:

"A day Prayer-Meeting is held every Wednesday from 12 to 1 o'clock in the Consistory building of the North Dutch Church, corner of Fulton and William Streets. This meeting is intended to give merchants, mechanics, clerks, strangers and businessmen generally an opportunity to stop and call on God amid the perplexities incident to their respective avocations. It will continue for one hour; but it is designed for those who find it inconvenient to remain more than 5 or 10 minutes, as well as for those who can spare a whole hour. Necessary interruption will be slight, because anticipated. Those in haste often expedite their business engagements by halting to lift their voices to the throne of grace in humble, grateful prayer." (54)

The man was Jeremiah Lanphier, a 48-year old businessman turned lay city missionary, and he was beginning the prayer-meeting on behalf of the North Dutch Reformed Church. Shortly before noon on September 23 he opened the doors of the church. Out of a population of over a million, only one man showed up for the beginning of the meeting -- Lanphier!

At 12:30, he heard the footsteps of one man climbing the stairs. Within a few minutes, a total of six men had joined Lanphier to pray. The next Wednesday brought 20; the third week was attended by between 30 and 40 men.

The meetings were so encouraging that it was decided that they should meet daily. The next day, the crowds had again increased. By the following Wednesday, October 14, the day of the crash, "over 100, many of them not professors of religion but under conviction of sin and seeking an interest in Christ" were attending. (54)

By mid-November, the two lecture rooms had to be used, and both were filled. According to Winkie Pratney, within six months time, these noon-time prayer-meetings were attracting over 10,000 businessmen who were "confessing sin, getting saved, [and] praying for revival." (157)

A Boston journalist gives a picture of what the early meetings were like:

". . . The meeting is begun at twelve o'clock precisely, and it closes exactly on the hour [1 P.M.]. The room is full and crowded, and the interest appears to increase from day to day. It began with a modest meeting held once in the week. But attendance and benefit seemed to demand the more frequent observance of the privilege: now it has become a daily service. With the pressure came a larger attendance and a more spirited service. The probability is that the meeting will be adjourned to the church. Any one comes in or goes out as he pleases. It is the rule of the place to leave at any moment. All sects are here: the formal, stately Churchman and the impulsive Methodist who cannot suppress his groan and his "amen;" the sober, substantial Dutchman and the ardent Congregationalist, with all Yankee restlessness on his face; the Baptist and the Presbyterian, joining in the same chorus and bowing at the same altar. Not one woman is present in the meeting, and the singing from 200 male voices is really majestic." (Orr 70)

By mid-February, Fulton Street was holding three simultaneous, standing room only prayer meetings on three floors. This caused editor James Gordon Bennett to begin exploiting the prayer meetings in his New York Herald. Soon, his rival, Horace Greeley gave friendlier editorials in his New York Tribune. In April, Greeley dedicated an entire issue to the Revival. Other papers across the nation quickly followed suit.

In a two columb editorial on March 20, the New York Times had this to say about the revival:

"The great wave of religious excitement which is now sweeping over this nation, is one of the most remarkable movements since the Reformation . . . Travelers relate that on cars and steamboats, in banks and markets, everywhere through the interior, this matter is an absorbing topic. Churches are crowded; bank-directors' rooms become oratories; school-houses are turned into chapels; converts are numbered by the scores of thousands. In this City, we have beheld a sight which not the most enthusiastic fanatic for church-observances could ever have hoped to look upon;--we have seen in a business quarter of the City, in the busiest hours, assemblies of merchants, clerks and working-men, to the number of some 5,000, gathered day after day for a simple and solemn worship. Similar assemblies we find in other portions of the City; a theatre is turned into a chapel; churches of all sects are open and crowded by day and night." (4)

The same editorial offers this insight into the thinking of the day:

"It is most impressive to think that over this great land tens and fifties of thousands of men and women are putting to themselves at this time in a simple, serious way, the greatest question that can ever come before the human mind--'What shall we do to be saved from sin?'" (4)

As the noontime prayer meetings increased, attended predominately by the male workers of the city, the effect in the city was tremendous. Many ministers began having nightly services in which to lead men to Christ. A chain reaction of church after church began to hold morning, afternoon, and evening meetings for both prayer and the counseling of those concerned about their souls.

The same scenes were soon reported from all over the nation, from New York to California, Florida to Maine. It affected judges and college students, businessmen and housewives. At times, schools had to close in order to pray and seek God.

People across the nation prayed, and churches filled.

Though it peaked in 1858, it did not stop there. Throughout the Civil War, camps had great revival meetings--over 150,000 were converted in the Confederate army alone. (Orr 237) It also crossed the oceans. In Britain, close to a million people joined the churches due to the revival that swept that land.

This revival was a layman's revival. Though ministers helped to counsel people, it was the laypeople that carried it.


Stories from the Revival

In order to show the power and effect of the Revival on the people of the various communities, the following incidents are given:

Edwin Orr relates the story of a visiting merchant to New York City who was selecting goods when noon came. "He requested the city wholesaler to work through the noon hour" so that he would be able to return to Albany by the evening riverboat. "He was resolutely told, 'No! I can't help that. I have something to attend that is of more importance that the selling of goods. I must attend the noon-day prayer meeting. It will close at one o'clock, and I will then fill out your order.'" They both attended the meeting and the visitor was converted.

When he returned to Albany, he immediately began a noonday prayer meeting in the state's capital. (55-56)

Charles Finney tells of a traveler in a Boston prayer meeting who got up and said: "I am from Omaha the capital of Nebraska. On my journey east I have found a continuous prayer meeting all the way. We call it about two thousand miles from Omaha to Boston; and here was a prayer meeting about two thousand miles in extent." (Rosell 563)

There is also the story of a European cargo ship, which was boarded by the harbor pilot while sailing into New York harbor during the Awakening. The Christian pilot began telling the captain and crew what was happening in the city. This so caught the attention of them all, that before they had docked, the majority of the crew had become Christians. (Christian History 33)

At a prayer meeting in Kalamazoo, Michigan, a request was read: "'A praying wife requests the prayers of this meeting for her unconverted husband.' A burly man stood up and blurted, 'I am that man. I have a praying wife and this request must be for me. I want you to pray for me.' No sooner had he sat down than another man arose with sobs and tears to claim, 'I am sure that I am that man, and I want you to pray for me.'" Within a few minutes, three other "unconverted husbands" had stood and asked for prayer. (Whitaker 71)

In the Christian Equippers International's Spirit-Led Evangelism textbook's section on revival, they gave this story from the 1858 Revival:

"A schoolboy in class became so troubled about his soul that the schoolmaster sent him home. An older boy, a Christian, went with him, and before they had gone far led him to Christ. Returning at once to school, this new convert testified to his teacher: 'Oh, I am so happy! I have the Lord Jesus in my heart.' These simple words had an astonishing effect; boy after boy rose silently and left the room. Going outside, the teacher found these boys all on their knees in a row along the wall of the playground. Very soon, their silent prayer became a bitter cry; it was heard by another class inside and pierced their hearts. They fell on their knees and their cry for mercy was heard in turn by a girls' class above. In a few moments, the whole school was on their knees! Neighbors and passers-by came flocking in, and, as they crossed the threshold, they all cam under the same convicting power. Every room was filled with men, women, and children seeking God." (B6)


The Results of the Awakening

Churches benefitted greatly from the Revival. At its peak, there was an estimate 50,000 converts per week. During a two year period, 10,000 were joining churches weekly, and Sunday schools flourished. (Orr 77)

The Awakening of 1857-1858 brought over one million new converts into the American Church, and revived the over four million members present before the Revival. The new life within the churches was shown most dramatically by the resurgence of evangelism.

Under the First Great Awakening, George Whitefield and Jonathan Edwards sparked a mass movement of evangelism. This was also seen during the Second Great Awakening under the ministries of Charles Finney, Peter Cartwright, and others. These two movements were mostly led by the ordained clergy. Under the Third Great Awakening of 1858, it was the laymen who moved out to evangelize. The famous D.L. Moody began his ministry during the Revival, yet he was never ordained. Even though he founded a Bible college and pastored churches, he always remained a layman.

This new wave of evangelism became a "specialized evangelism," where specific groups were targeted, whether they be lawyers, sailors, the poor, drunkards, or prostitutes. (310)

It wasn't only the churches which benefitted from the Awakening. Businessmen began to pay off honest debts, and "places of debauchery and taverns by the hundreds" closed down. There was also an increased concern in helping the needy and destitute, with great growth in volunteer work, and the financing of the work. (315-316)


The Conclusion

Though the Revival of 1857-1858 is barely remembered by secular historians today, it was probably the greatest of the three Great Awakenings experienced by the United States of America.




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Works Cited

Anfuso, Francis, and Gary M. Beasley. Spirit-Led Evangelism. South Lake Tahoe: Christian Equippers International, 1986.

Orr, J. Edwin. The Event of the Century: The 1857-1858 Awakening. Wheaton, IL: International Awakening Press, 1989.

Pratney, Winkie. Revival: Principles to Change the World. Springdale, PA: Whitaker House, 1983.

"The Religious Revival." The New York Times 20 March 1858. (no author listed)

"The Time for Prayer: The Third Great Awakening." Christian History Summer 1989: 32-33. (no author listed)

Whitaker, Colin. Great Revivals. London: Marshall Pickering, 1990. Rev. ed.



 2008/3/20 21:18









 Re:

THE TWO SECRETS OF REVIVAL
-by Andrew Strom.


-How to actually experience 'personal Revival'.


We have discussed many aspects of "Reformation" and structural change needed in the church. But the two secrets of Revival that we are about to look at, have very little to do with these kinds of "outward" things.

Merely changing the structures will achieve very little in itself. It is like re-arranging the "boxes" or the outward shell. It is like trying to form a new wineskin but forgetting about the 'new wine' that goes in it.

So it is high time that we talked about obtaining this NEW WINE from God. That is what true Revival is all about.

Some of you will have read about these "2 Secrets" before. But please read this article anyway, because I am going to be applying them in a way that goes beyond what I have written in the past.

The two key questions that we will be covering in this article are: (1) How do I get into a state of "Personal Revival", and (2) How do we get from there into a state of "Corporate Revival"?

As many of you know, I have been studying Revival history now for many years. I have looked at Revivals from recent decades and Revivals from centuries ago. And after all this research, I have found that the secrets of Revival seem to boil down to 2 main things.

These things are: (1) Extremely deep REPENTANCE, and (2) A kind of "wrestling, agonizing" prayer - crying to God for the "OUTPOURING" of His Holy Spirit.

These two things have been the secrets to countless Revivals down the ages - and I fully believe they will be so again. That is why there is NOTHING more important that we need to be discussing right now.

ACTUALLY "EXPERIENCING" DEEP REPENTANCE

You have probably heard of Frank Bartleman's statement from the 'Azusa Street' Revival: "I received from God early in 1905 the following keynote to revival: 'The DEPTH of revival will be determined exactly by the DEPTH of the spirit of REPENTANCE.' And this will obtain for all people, at all times."

I can affirm that all history backs up Bartleman's words here. And I can also tell you that if you want to get into a truly "Revived"state - or a state of "personal Revival" - then DEEP Repentance is one of the keys.

What we often find is that Christians have turned away from a lot of the "obvious" sins, such as lying, stealing, adultery, etc. But there are other things that they are aware of in their lives that are not right. It is dealing with these "other things" that can be the key to a far greater intimacy with God.

Do you know that God HATES all sin, and that when you get close to God then your heart will HATE sin just like He does?

So let's get "practical" with this. Here is what you need to do to deal with these things at a DEEP level: Firstly, get off by yourself with God. You need a couple of hours or more in a quiet place alone with Him. Secondly, ask and plead with God to "shine His light" into your heart. -To show you any unclean thing, whether it be unforgiveness, lust, speaking against people behind their backs, holding grudges, little "white" lies, etc. Ask God to show you how HE FEELS about sin. Ask Him to shine His light deep inside you and show you things that you need to confess and renounce and ask forgiveness for. In some cases, you may need to go to a brother or sister and apologize to them or even make restitution. Make sure the repentance goes to the DEEPEST LEVEL possible. Confess each sin specifically to God, turn from it and ask God to cleanse you. With a lot of people it is these so-called "MINOR" SINS that are holding them back.

Here is one last quote on this subject from Evan Roberts of the Welsh Revival: "First, is there any sin in your past with which you have not honestly dealt,- not confessed to God? On your knees at once. Your past must be put away and cleansed. Second, is there anything in your life that is doubtful - anything you cannot decide whether it is good or evil? Away with it. There must not be a trace of a cloud between you and God. Have you forgiven everybody - EVERYBODY? If not, don't expect forgiveness for your sins..."

This issue of TRULY forgiving those who have hurt you can be a big one. It is important to be BRUTALLY HONEST with yourself. Is there still "bad feeling" deep inside you towards certain people? Is there a trace of bitterness when you speak about that person? We all need to get before God and repent and RENOUNCE all unforgiveness from deep within us. Going through this whole "deep repentance" process is the first key to personal Revival.

KEY # 2 - "WRESTLING, AGONIZING" PRAYER

When you study history, you soon notice that there is a specific type of prayer that you see in Revivals again and again. When I first began to study past moves of God I quickly realized this, because I came across it so often. This special type of prayer is an ESSENTIAL ingredient of Revival.

The old Revivalists used to speak of having the "spirit of prayer". They spoke of weeping, agonizing, pleading, wrestling, 'travailing' in prayer. The whole reason that these Revival preachers were so anointed and saturated with the presence of God was because they had truly broken through, right into His very throneroom in prayer, and had spent much time communing with Him there. This type of praying has always been one of the most important keys to true Revival.

Charles Finney said, "Unless I had the spirit of prayer I could do nothing... I found myself unable to preach with power and efficiency, or to win souls..." George Whitefield said: "Whole days and WEEKS have I spent prostrate on the ground in silent or vocal prayer..." Frank Bartleman wrote: "At night I could scarcely sleep for the spirit of prayer... Prayer literally consumed me." And D.M. McIntyre wrote: "Before the great revival in Gallneukirchen broke out, Martin Boos spent hours and days and often nights in lonely agonies of intercession. Afterwards, when he preached, his words were as flame, and the hearts of the people as grass."

As history shows, the church can only expect true Revival when a remnant of God's people get DESPERATE - desperate about the backslidden state of the church, desperate about the lukewarmness within them and all around them, desperate about sin and compromise, desperate about the fact that God is not GLORIFIED, that He is not truly LORD of His church, that His words are mocked and largely seen as irrelevant by a dying world. Revival will come when God's people truly humble themselves, when they replace their "positive imaging" ('Rise up, you people of power", etc), with the reality of James' lament: "Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He shall lift you up" (Ja 4:9-10).

As was said of Evan Roberts: "He would break down, crying bitterly for God to bend them, in an agony of prayer, the tears coursing down his cheeks, with his whole frame writhing." And John Wesley asked: "Have you any days of fasting and prayer? Storm the throne of grace and persevere therein, and mercy will come down." Brothers, sisters, we need to get DESPERATE in our praying!

HOW TO "WRESTLE" IN PRAYER

Now, it is very important to realize that this type of prayer is not just for "special" people or leaders. It is absolutely one of the keys to "personal Revival" for every one of us. The Bible makes it very clear that the "effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man" is available to us all.

And history shows that "wrestling Revival prayer" can actually be TAUGHT to Christians. This comes through loud and clear in the book 'Anointed for Burial', which is Todd and DeAnn Burke's account of the mighty Revival in Cambodia in the 1970's. It occurred when God had already been moving there for some time. Todd wrote: "Referring to Genesis 32, I told them how Jacob WRESTLED with the Lord until He blessed him. 'If we expect power and blessing from the Lord, we are going to have to be willing to wrestle with Him in prayer and fasting, in self-denial, in taking up our cross,' I said. Then I shared with them from a devotional book by Hudson Taylor, "An easy-going, non-self- denying life will never be one of power." With that, everyone began to wrestle in prayer, and before long, the blessing came."

When these people broke up into prayer groups and began to "wrestle" with God in prayer as Todd had taught them, the result was actual "OUTPOURINGS" of the Holy Spirit. (ie. The Holy Spirit descending upon whole groups of Christians just like in Acts, with incredibly powerful results). It was an amazing time.

Notice that these Christians were actually TAUGHT to "wrestle" with God in this way. And they simply went and did it!

Early in the 1904 Welsh Revival, Evan Roberts taught the children of Moriah to pray this simple prayer: "Send the Spirit to Moriah for Jesus Christ's sake." Later, he developed this same concept for his general meetings. -Because it was vital that people plead with God to "send His Spirit" down upon them.

After all, this is exactly what Pentecost was all about. It was the 120 in the upper room, crying out to God for ten days, and then God "sending His Spirit" like a mighty rushing wind, and filling them to overflowing. In the past 50 years, there have been many powerful Revivals in which God outpoured His Spirit in a similar way. When God "outpours" His Spirit like this, it is far more than a person simply being baptized in the Spirit. -It is a general "outpouring".

In fact, an "Outpouring of the Holy Spirit" is the essence of what Revival truly is. And just like Pentecost, the result is that many become FILLED with the Holy Spirit, and many others become greatly CONVICTED of their sin. True Revival is the Glory of God coming down. It is His Spirit being "POURED OUT" in a specific place or upon a specific people. We need to 'wrestle' with God to see such an outpouring occur in our day.

Now, before you can 'wrestle' with God in prayer, here is what you need to do:
(1) Become DESPERATE to see God GLORIFIED in the earth;
(2) Cleanse your "hands" and your "heart" so that you can truly enter into the throneroom of God;
(3) Plead with God to outpour His "spirit of prayer" upon you;
(4) Nurture His "fire" in your heart, so that you can 'agonize' in prayer before Him.
(5) When you do pray, be very SPECIFIC in 'wrestling' with God to outpour His Spirit upon YOURSELF or upon a specific group. -We all need this fresh infilling.

If you can do these simple things, then TODAY is the day when you can begin to "wrestle" with God in prayer. Do not delay. This could be the key to seeing you transformed by "personal Revival" and coming into a far deeper communion with God.

IN SUMMARY:

Having studied Revivals now for over 20 years, I am convinced that the road to "personal Revival" is really the same as the road to 'corporate Revival'. The major keys have always been "deep repentance" and 'agonizing' prayer.

Our motives for seeking God must never be selfish ones. We should be seeking Him for His own sake, not for what He can "do for us". It is to see HIM GLORIFIED that we ask these things.

So, my friends, all I can do is urge you to get into a quiet place and give yourself to heart-searching repentance and "agonizing" prayer until you see a massive "BREAKTHROUGH" in your Christian walk. We all need to be filled with His Spirit again and again. Since I was 17 years old, I would attribute almost every spiritual breakthrough in my life to these two 'Revival' secrets. They have truly revolutionized my life.

So what about "Corporate" Revival - where God's Spirit is poured out upon whole communities and cities? Well, what God will often do is what He did at Pentecost. -He will take His "Revived" ones and use them to bring Revival to others. In other words, if God can find a GROUP of people who have gone through "personal Revival", then He can use them to speak Truth and carry His anointing into whole areas. -And to PRAY for further outpourings.

So what does God need to find in the earth today? Simply GROUPS of "Revived" Christians who can begin to preach repentance and pray for God's Spirit to be outpoured. It all starts with people who have been "Revived".

As A.T. Pierson wrote, "From the day of Pentecost, there has been not one great spiritual awakening in any land which has not begun in a union of prayer, though only among two or three; no such outward, upward movement has continued after such prayer meetings declined."

 2008/3/23 20:50









 Re:

Quote:
These things are: (1) Extremely deep REPENTANCE, and (2) A kind of "wrestling, agonizing" prayer - crying to God for the "OUTPOURING" of His Holy Spirit.



Quote:
Charles Finney said, "Unless I had the spirit of prayer I could do nothing... I found myself unable to preach with power and efficiency, or to win souls..." George Whitefield said: "Whole days and WEEKS have I spent prostrate on the ground in silent or vocal prayer..." Frank Bartleman wrote: "At night I could scarcely sleep for the spirit of prayer... Prayer literally consumed me." And D.M. McIntyre wrote: "Before the great revival in Gallneukirchen broke out, Martin Boos spent hours and days and often nights in lonely agonies of intercession. Afterwards, when he preached, his words were as flame, and the hearts of the people as grass."



Quote:
So what does God need to find in the earth today? Simply GROUPS of "Revived" Christians who can begin to preach repentance and pray for God's Spirit to be outpoured. It all starts with people who have been "Revived".

 2008/3/23 21:03





©2002-2024 SermonIndex.net
Promoting Revival to this Generation.
Privacy Policy