Histories of Revival
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
I must confess, again, that before coming to this church I hadn’t studied much about Revival. Of course, I had heard about, read little pieces on the subject, … but that was as far as it went, - I hadn’t put my heart into it. I suppose, to a certain degree, that is all it was, - just a study, - … and I never considered to have it on my agenda to set aside specific time to pray for revival as we do on a Monday evening, and as we are considering on Sunday evenings. I now consider it part of my responsibility as a Christian to address God regarding the subject of another visitation of the Holy Spirit upon God’s people. That is what we call true Revival. Martyn Lloyd-Jones teaches us, as we look at Joshua 4:21-24 to ‘come back to the stones’, 21 And he spake unto the children of Israel, saying, When your children shall ask their fathers in time to come, saying, WHAT MEAN THESE STONES? 22 Then ye shall let your children know, saying, Israel came over this Jordan on dry land. 23 For the LORD your God dried up the waters of Jordan from before you, until ye were passed over, as the LORD your God did to the Red sea, which he dried up from before us, until we were gone over: 24 That all the people of the earth might know the hand of the LORD, that it is mighty: that ye might fear the LORD your God for ever. WHAT MEAN THESE STONES? This brings us back to the history books on Revival. And I have searched for information that would tell us where the people of God were brought to, and how God answered their prayers in the most miraculous way. Indeed, mention the word ‘miracle’ and it automatically conjures various types of thoughts within different Christian communities. Mention a ‘miracle’ to a charismatic and they get all dizzy and light. Mention a ‘miracle’ to one of us old-fashioned evangelicals and we’d run a mile, “Oh, those things don’t happen any longer. The age of miracles has finished.” But is not the God Who healed the leper and gave sight to the blind still not in control today? The God, Who by the convicting, convincing and converting power of the Holy Spirit demonstrated at Pentecost, still not able to work in the same way today. The Purpose God has for Revival has remained the same. It is to the glory and honour of His Name. The Purpose God has for D.G. 2 Revival is the same as when He drew the children of Israel out of Egypt; it’s the same purpose He brought them from captivity in Babylon; God’s purpose never changes, and the Purpose God has for Revival remains that glory and honour is brought to His most holy Name. It is not that an evangelist or an evangelistic society make a name for itself or make millions pushing its agenda. The Purpose God has for Revival is simply this Rev. 21:3 He will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And then there is another thought, just before I bring to you some accounts of Revival. The People God uses in Revival. He used a great hero of mine, C.H. Spurgeon. Spurgeon preached the old-fashioned Gospel of Saving Grace and He preached the Word of God faithfully to over 7000 of a congregation every week in the heart of London. He saw tremendous numbers saved, from all different backgrounds. John Wesley and George Whitefield travelled all throughout England and preached the pure unadulterated Gospel that Christ Jesus came to save sinners. These great preachers, - and many more like them, - had no gimmicks, no publicity stunts; they just got on with the business God had called them to. But we can’t all be like Spurgeon, Wesley, Whitefield and the like. Is it viable to believe that God can come into a small fellowship like we have here in Pathhead and initiate a work of revival that will bring glory and honour to His Name and souls will be saved? Just consider two fishermen, unknowns in their day; here is how the Bible records, Acts 4: 13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus. Two ordinary people, yet they were taken and moulded by the Holy Spirit, and thousands upon thousands were saved as a consequence. Their lives have touched countless numbers, - they have influenced more people than any other writer, pop star, politician, emperor, etc, etc.. John when he penned Jn. 3:16 D.G. 3 could never have imagined the impact that it would have down through the centuries. You see, what I’m trying to say is yes, God uses the Whitefields and the Spurgeons and the Wesleys, but He uses far more the ordinary Christians like you and me. We’ll never have a book written about us, … but as long as our names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. Here is what we find these ordinary people doing; here is the constituency among whom God was working and stirring up for the Glory of His Name, Acts 4: 31 And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness. 32 And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common. 33 And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all. Have you ever heard of John Livingstone of Kilsyth (Shotts), Evan Roberts, David Morgan from Wales, James McQuilkin from the wee village of Connor in Co. Antrim NI, John Elias (Wales)? ACCOUNTS OF REVIVAL: The Revival At Kilsyth Messenger: William Chalmers Burns "It is astonishing to see how the awakenings under McCullough and Whitefield at Cambuslang and James Robe at Kilsyth and that under John Livingstone at Shotts are all linked with the mighty days which were to follow once again in Kilsyth and later in Dundee and Perth. Revival fires spread; the relating of what God has done in the past or what God is doing now in other places encourages others. "Thus, in order to understand what followed at Kilsyth, we need to recall with William Burns something of the scene at Shotts on that memorial day, June 21, 1630. "It was Communion Season in Shotts, also, and thousands of believers had come from all parts to meet with their Lord. Among those who had been asked to speak was a relatively D.G. 4 unknown young preacher named John Livingstone. He was astonished and pleaded with his elders that he was not capable enough to do so. "At last, however, he consented. The night before he was to speak he could not sleep, and so he spent the whole intervening hours in mighty intercession, with an overwhelming sense of his utter weakness. When the time came for him to address the huge gathering, his courage failed him and he tried to escape his duty by fleeing away, like Jonah. "When he had crossed the fields and had almost lost sight of the church building, which stood on an elevated position, suddenly there came a voice from heaven saying, "Have I been a wilderness unto Israel? - a land of darkness?" (Jeremiah 2:31). "Rebuked by God, like the Old Testament prophet, he returned to face the large crowd. He preached from Ezekiel 33:25,26: "Wherefore say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Ye eat with the blood, and lift up your eyes toward your idols, and shed blood: and shall ye possess the land? Ye stand upon your sword, ye work abomination, and ye defile every one of his neighbour’s wife: and shall ye possess the land?" "He then took his listeners to the 36th chapter for those precious promises in verses 25 and 26: "Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh." "Towards the close of the message, rain began to fall, and as the people began to take cover, he cried, "IF A FEW DROPS OF RAIN SO EASILY UPSET YOU, THEN WHAT WILL YOU DO IN THE DAY OF JUDGMENT WHEN GOD RAINS DOWN FIRE AND BRIMSTONE UPON THE CHRIST- REJECTORS?" "He then pleaded with them to flee to Christ, "the City of Refuge." John Livingstone never finished his sermon! The power of God came down upon the multitude. They were literally slain as in the field of battle. Hundreds cried out in great soul agony, as if the very Day of Judgment had come. FIVE HUNDRED WERE CONVERTED ON THE SPOT. D.G. 5 "The moving story of the Kirk of Shotts is to this day one of the solemn and glorious memories in The Land of the Heather - a land teeming with precious records of divine visitation.