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The Cries of Anguish
Leonard Ravenhill

Leonard Ravenhill (1907 - 1994). British-American evangelist, author, and revivalist born in Leeds, England. Converted at 14 in a Methodist revival, he trained at Cliff College, a Methodist Bible school, and was mentored by Samuel Chadwick. Ordained in the 1930s, he preached across England with the Faith Mission and held tent crusades, influenced by the Welsh Revival’s fervor. In 1950, he moved to the United States, later settling in Texas, where he ministered independently, focusing on prayer and repentance. Ravenhill authored books like Why Revival Tarries (1959) and Sodom Had No Bible, urging the church toward holiness. He spoke at major conferences, including with Youth for Christ, and mentored figures like David Wilkerson and Keith Green. Married to Martha Beaton in 1939, they had three sons, all in ministry. Known for his fiery sermons and late-night prayer meetings, he corresponded with A.W. Tozer and admired Charles Spurgeon. His writings and recordings, widely available online, emphasize spiritual awakening over institutional religion. Ravenhill’s call for revival continues to inspire evangelical movements globally.
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This sermon emphasizes the urgent need for a revival in the church, calling for a deep seeking of God rather than just seeking miracles or prophecy. It highlights the necessity of a personal encounter with God, the importance of being on fire for God, and the critical role of surrendering everything to Him. The speaker urges for a transformation in individuals to become vessels of God's holy fire, impacting their families, communities, and the world.
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And the Lord whom ye seek. Now let's get this straight. Why did you come to this conference? Did you come to see miracles? Did you come to hear prophecy? Why did you come? Did you come to meet God? The Lord whom ye seek and I'm seeking God. I'm not seeking miracles as good as they are or prophecy. I'm seeking God. You say America needs God. No, she doesn't. She needs, the church needs God. If the church gets God, America will soon feel it. You know, it seems everybody's broken in America, but the church isn't broken about it. The one thing that alarms me in America and England is that there is no alarm in the church. Most of you can't handle the light you've got now. Why should you hear more? And I believe God is holding back until like that thing David wrote this morning, Lord, I can't live another day without the fire of God. You need the fire of God to pray. You need the fire of God to see visions. You need the fire of God to recognize there's no help for us. I don't want to cry as I've done so long like David in Psalm 80, O thou that dwelleth between the cherubim. Lord, don't stay there. Come down here. We need God here. Does it matter if it breaks your heart today? You're going to have a million millenniums in eternity. There'll be no sorrow there. You can't patch up your prayer life when you get to the judgment seat. You can't sacrifice when you get to the judgment seat. You can't weep when you get to the judgment seat. It's all between here and there. This period we're in now is a dressing room for eternity. That's all it is. You need God this morning. Some of you disobeyed God all the week and this is the day, the valley of decision. You'll go back more after today than have you done in your life unless you obey God. As I said to you more than once, I'm troubled every morning I wake up for this simple reason. I live in a world, I live in a world that has lost its way and a church that has lost its voice. That voice has to come. You think the devil isn't a clever guy? How he tricks people. He never shows them the end. He just shows them the beginning. The church has never faced the challenge it faces now. God's going to give us a new breed of men and every time in that prayer meeting I would say this Lord at the judgment seat, don't stand there in your majesty and read the record of my poor life and say son I had many things to tell you but you couldn't bear them. You were too occupied. Your ears were catching other voices but not mine. That's why that damnable tv has to get out of the way. You're hearing more about men than you hear about God. You're getting more vision that's television than you are about the vision of the almighty God. That's all got to change. I believe many of you are going to a new lease of life from this meeting. You'll be amazed when you wake up. You'll be amazed how the bible speaks. You'll be amazed how the holy ghost speaks. You'll amaze how all your incest and other things are withered. Do you want to disappoint God? I don't want to disappoint God. I disappoint some people I'm sure but one thing I want to for Lord I don't want to disappoint you and I don't want you to be disappointed in me. Once you've seen that throne, these thrones don't matter. Was it in a year that King Uzziah got kicked off the throne? That Isaiah saw the throne of God? Who did he see on the throne? Read the 12th chapter of John. The vision he saw in Isaiah 6. I saw one hand lifted up and it's glory filled the temple. He saw Jesus. That's what it says in the truth and you know when you see Jesus like that you'll be blinded to everything else in the world. I can read Hebrews 11 every morning and it knocks me on the floor in tears. By faith, not by organization, not by money, not by scholarship, by faith. I don't want a warm heart. I want a heart on fire and if you don't keep fire going it goes out. He says still let me guard the holy fire. Then he says this awesome thing enlarge in flame and fill my heart with boundless charity divine. So shall I all my strength exert and love them with a zeal like thine and turn them into a pardoning God. You see he's not asking for a theological definition. He says I want a fire. Listen if our God is a consuming fire and he is. If he takes a residence in you, you'll burn till you die. God won't die in you and all he's asking you this money is to let the walls down, let the fire in. I can't live in calmness anymore. I can't live in blindness anymore. I can't be indifferent to a dying world. Every preacher who has lost the fire you should be on your face down here. You used to burn but you got so busy with organizing the fire has gone out. Come on. Say God consuming me everything that's un-Christ like. Consuming me everything which hinders. God is brooding over us. Don't insult the Holy Ghost. That's revival. When you can't sit through the meeting you feel you've got a burning cancer. If I don't get to the cross now I may die before the meeting's over. He stood at the door in revelation said if any man will come, I don't care how backs in you are, how disobedient you are, there's enough fire in the Holy Ghost to burn up every bit of dross in you. Every bit of unbelief, every bit of failure, every bit of coldness. God needs a torch of holy fire in your house. He wants a fire in you to read the word of God to your family. He wants the fire of God your neighbours will know. Yes, Father, come, come afresh. Come in power. Glory to God. Thank you, Father. Yes. Yes. What does it matter? Surrender everything. Oh, you say to some of you, I'm sure at this moment, to some of you, this is chaos. I'll tell you it's music in the ears of Jesus. Lord, let these men bring life where there's death. Bring freedom where there's bondage to drugs and prostitution. Dear God, many of our people go to church every Sunday. It's only a custom. They don't want God. Find some people that want God. Find some young men in Hong Kong who've been to hell and back. They're just about worn out. But Lord, you lift the beggar from the downhill and make him a prince unto God. It's purging you and stamping you and claiming you for his own. You'll never be the same after this morning. I won't. Some of you have held out on him for five or ten years and this morning he's got right in your life. Listen, you can give Jesus a lot of joy this morning for the simple reason he's coming for a bride. He's not coming for a widow. He's not coming for a church in his lousy condition, which is poor and wretched and naked and blind and don't care how rich it is. We refuse to let the devil throw the dust of time in our eyes and blind us to eternity. It's either going forward or backward after this. We refuse to go backward. It's a late hour. Lord, you either come in mercy or come in judgment. Dearly beloved, live on the Bible as you've never lived on it before. Eat it. Tell God every day, make the book live to me. Make the scriptures become alive. Let them captivate my mind and my interest. Let them become first. Let business become second. Let friendships become second. Get deep into the word.
The Cries of Anguish
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Leonard Ravenhill (1907 - 1994). British-American evangelist, author, and revivalist born in Leeds, England. Converted at 14 in a Methodist revival, he trained at Cliff College, a Methodist Bible school, and was mentored by Samuel Chadwick. Ordained in the 1930s, he preached across England with the Faith Mission and held tent crusades, influenced by the Welsh Revival’s fervor. In 1950, he moved to the United States, later settling in Texas, where he ministered independently, focusing on prayer and repentance. Ravenhill authored books like Why Revival Tarries (1959) and Sodom Had No Bible, urging the church toward holiness. He spoke at major conferences, including with Youth for Christ, and mentored figures like David Wilkerson and Keith Green. Married to Martha Beaton in 1939, they had three sons, all in ministry. Known for his fiery sermons and late-night prayer meetings, he corresponded with A.W. Tozer and admired Charles Spurgeon. His writings and recordings, widely available online, emphasize spiritual awakening over institutional religion. Ravenhill’s call for revival continues to inspire evangelical movements globally.