The Stages of Revival

I have been a student of revival for several decades. I've spent a good part of my life in the study and research of historical revivals. My PhD dissertation was on the revival of religion under Wesleyan Whitfield in the 18th century.

I've traveled extensively to historical scenes revival throughout this country and in Great Britain. God has called me to a revival preaching ministry and he has enabled me to write 18 books dealing with the subject of revival. I carry a daily burden of prayer for revival in our day.

I have personally seen God move in a meeting where the dew drops of heaven were falling and there was a stir in the tops of the mulberry trees. I've seen entire churches gripped with the awful presence of God. I say all this before I bring you this message friends because I want you to know how seriously I take the subject of revival and it is my prayer that someone within the sound of my voice will too be gripped with revival fever and pursue an earnest study of historical revivals and pray for it every day.

It's critically important that we learn about revivals, what they are and what they are not, so that if God should visit us with a heaven-sent revival, we'd be able to recognize a true revival of religion against a spurious one. Listen friends, insane laughter and twitching heads of people roaring like lions and barking like dogs is not revival but a sideshow of human carnality. Many can be misled by a false revival and do great damage.

Only a handful of ministers today are deeply familiar with historical revivals and many would oppose one if it came for they would not recognize it. Many opponents of revival in former days were good men who were ignorant men in regard to revival. I was speaking with two young men just this past Sunday in church on the topic of revival and they were somewhat interested in it but admitted they were not familiar with what revival really was and few are.

A revival is not a series of evangelistic meetings where a sign is placed out front in the church advertising a revival. A revival is not loud preaching, loud praying, loud music and histrionics. That's a modern attempt at evangelism.

No friends, a true revival is a sovereign work of grace. A man cannot produce it on any human level. The wind blows where it wills in the salvation of souls and so too it is with a move of heaven-sent revival.

I remember what Stephen Olford told me about revival. He said that we cannot produce revival. It's a sovereign act of God but we can set ourselves for when the revival winds blow.

I like that and it's true friends. We can do what we can through prayer and intercession and repentance and seeking God's face. Although we cannot force God to come in a spiritual awakening, we can certainly gain his ear and plead with him to shower us with divine effusions of his grace in a powerful revival.

Psalm 110 declares, thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power. And that's a good description of God showing up in revival friends. A revival is when God takes the field and all our human props and resources are kicked out from beneath us.

All we can do is be humbled and bowed under the holy presence of the almighty. I was in a meeting years ago where God was moving in a powerful revival. All you could do was just sit there and weep.

His holy presence was so near and overpowering. A church revival is when programming and human resources are set aside and Jesus re-establishes his prominence and preeminence in his sanctuary. There's a God consciousness that's overpowering and conviction of sin.

Sometimes during revivals the worst sinner in town will be saved as a trophy of grace and his or her testimony spreads like wildfire throughout the town. Look at how the woman of Samaria became an instant evangelist after her encounter with Jesus Christ, which totally transformed her sinful life. In my study and writing on revival, I've learned there are stages to a true move of grace upon the subjects of a revival, whereby individuals' lives are completely transformed by the grace of God for his great glory.

These individuals go through several stages, beginning with their first conviction of sin and being awakened to their lost condition, to actually coming to Christ savingly and then their behavior afterwards. This is the area which I'd like to camp out this evening, friends, as we study the process of revival in people in the midst of a spiritual awakening. When I wrote my 1,200-page definitive biography of George Whitefield, I could trace these very aspects through those revivals under him.

The same can be said about the Second Great Awakening as I research the life and ministry of Asahel Nettleton. I can see the same golden thread throughout other historical revivals, whether it be the Welsh Revival of 1904 under Evan Roberts or the Lewis Revival of 1959 under Duncan Campbell. There's common denominators to be found.

This is true of the 1859 revival that spread through the United Kingdom, and this is where I want to take our study from tonight, friends. I will use an eyewitness account of the 1859 revival in Ireland and Scotland as seen through the eyes of a minister from Scotland by the name of Johnston. Whether I'm related to him or not, I'll know when I get to glory.

This Reverend Johnston aptly describes the stages of a revival as seen in the subjects of a revival. I will quote him as we proceed, and I want us to take notice of how God deals with an awakened sinner, how he brings a person through deep conviction of sin and alarm to become a seeker of him and a beggar for mercy. Then I want us to witness the spiritual transformation of a convert from the revival and how they demonstrate their newfound Christianity.

This is an exciting bit of history which I'm bringing before us this evening, friends, and it is my prayer that the same God of revival in former days will come again in his glory and grace and pour out his blessings and revival upon us for our day. My message this evening is entitled The Stages of a Revival. Let us begin our study now.

This is an account of a visit to Ireland and Glasgow in December 1859 by the Reverend J. Barber Johnston. These are his words. For the sake of order, I shall give under different heads what struck me.

First, their deep conviction of sin and danger. When the comforter has come, said our Lord, he will convince the world of sin. This is the only way to give true comfort to sinners.

No preaching of peace, peace will do. The prodigal must be brought to himself and see his wanton misery before he will determine to return to his father. The whole need not a physician, but they who are sick.

The Lord begins his great work then by sending home arrows of conviction to the heart. Thus those long careless and stout of heart fall wounded before him. They awake out of their long sleep of carnal security to see themselves posted onto hell.

They feel as ready to be swallowed up by the pit of destruction. The terrible sense of the awful guilt of their sin presses upon their awakened consciences. They can no longer resist the strivings of God's spirit.

They can no longer close their eyes to the momentous concerns of eternity. It was in the house of God where the greatest number were awakened. Extraordinary scenes were seen there.

I believe during the height of the revival, they found it necessary to have carriages regularly in attendance to carry the stricken ones to their homes. Hundreds of those who before that were enemies of the Lord fell wounded under the power of his word. Thus in many cases the deep inward conviction was accompanied by outward prostration.

I was much struck the first day I was in Belfast with the remarks of one who had seen many of the cases. He said it was as if a man were stripped naked and laid upon red hot bars of iron. The stricken ones seemed as if in hell, arisen in agony, blind to the outer world and utterly helpless until God granted deliverance.

You could never forget such a sight and could only stand by in silent awe, wondering at God's work. The next feature that presents itself as characteristic of those in whom God is working is their instant and earnest cry for mercy. There was nothing that struck me more than this.

Sinners under this awakening were made to see that salvation is so momentous and urgent that they could no longer think of delay. It really took the first place with them. I cannot bring this out in too strong colors and certainly I cannot overrate its importance.

I saw many while I was preaching dropping their heads upon the book boards and heard them weeping bitterly and crying even then for mercy. I was struck with the case of a man who'd been trained for the ministry but had fallen from the way of holiness and was engaged in another profession. One day he heard an old man speak upon that text.

Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? God forbid. The words went home like an arrow to his heart. He left the meeting deeply affected.

Shall I continue in sin, said he, that grace may abound? God forbid. He retired at once to his chamber and literally wrestled with God till the breaking of the day, pleading with him that his sin might be put away. A flood of light and love at last came, which so overwhelmed him that he cried out, Lord, stay thy hand.

Thy poor weak servant can hold no more. Notice next their peace and joy in believing. Everyone who has visited the Senior Revival has noticed this as very remarkable.

Many have marveled that this joy should soon so follow the sorrow. This is in tire accordance with the whole method of salvation and the work of the Spirit of God in conversion. The sinner is lost and ruined in himself, but help is found for him in Christ, in whom all fullness dwells.

The sight of all that belongs to himself, which the Holy Spirit gives him, produces the alarm and extreme sense of danger. But the sight of all that belongs to Christ, which the Holy Spirit also gives him, at once produces joy and peace, a sweet assurance of forgiveness and acceptance with God. Then he rejoices in the Lord Jesus with a joy unspeakable and full of glory.

And we find it very prominently under this revival. The light breaks in upon a sinful one, and he sees himself in the deep pit and miry clay. He is fast shut up and condemned on account of sin.

He cries out, therefore, in agony of spirit to the Lord Jesus for mercy. Christ is his only hope. The Lord draws near him in his sorrow, as he has promised to do, and brings him out of the pit and sets his feet upon a rock and puts a song of praise into his mouth, that with gladness he may tell all what the Lord has done for him.

Those who have visited Ireland have been wont to say that such joy and peace of the converts could be easily distinguished in a public meeting, and it's quite true. Now notice the next progression, the change that has taken place in their lives. Their faith gave them peace in Christ, but it also purified their hearts and enabled them to overcome the world.

We must see, therefore, that this work has been unto holiness, or it must be spurious if it does not lead converts to deny themselves and take up their cross and follow Christ. It is but a vain deceit. It is by the testing its fruits that we shall see that this work has indeed been from above.

We find the clearest and most interesting evidence that the converts have been begotten unto newness of life, so that their old sinful ways are forsaken and new principles of action brought to bear upon their lives. The first night I landed in Belfast, I heard of a liquor merchant who, under the power of the truth, had given up his liquor traffic and turned to another trade. Another declared he heard with different ears.

The Bible was not the same to him. Preaching was not the same. Praying was not the same.

All was new. Numberless cases could easily be given to show that this revival had been precious fruit unto holiness. Now we turn to this last aspect, their earnest concern for the salvation of others.

They no sooner found Jesus that they run, like the woman of Samaria, to tell others about him. It's not enough with them to find peace for themselves. They long to introduce others to the same joy.

How unweariedly they will wait with such hours, waiting much and praying upon their knees, beseeching lost sinners with tears to come to Jesus. How they delight to tell of his love, his willingness to receive them, his mighty power to save. I will stop there, friends, with our account of the revival from the Reverend Johnston of Scotland.

What a powerful testimony to grace revival is. It should inspire each of us to drop to our knees and seek our God, that he would be pleased to hear our prayer and to come down and visit our nation once again with a powerful spiritual awakening that could shake this country from coast to coast. Oh, great God, do what you've done in former times for us today.

Let us pray.