Revival is more than an isolated experience ... more than a week of extra services ... more than hype and manifestations. It is a "flash" of God's glory, which will one day cover the earth, being displayed before our eyes today. It's a divine foretaste of His kingdom come.
Such divine flashes illuminate American history. On several occasions, God has poured out His Spirit, and entire cities have turned to Him. Prayer meetings have swelled into the streets, and millions around the world have ultimately felt the impact. But could a reviving "flash" of this magnitude occur again?
The First Great Awakening (1734 . 1760)
Shaken from their spiritual slumber by the powerful preaching of men like Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield, congregations across New England felt the presence of God descend in their midst. Many of these churches had fallen terribly out of step with God's plan, even to the point of ordaining unconverted ministers.
However, as the message of repentance and the lordship of Christ was heralded, the spiritual dam broke, and living water flooded the American landscape. So many souls were converted that some thought the millennial reign of Christ was at hand! The moral impact of this divine visitation laid the foundation for the formation of our system of government after the American Revolution.
The Second Great Awakening (1790 . 1840)
Spearheaded by evangelists like Asahel Nettleton, James McGready, Charles G. Finney, and a host of dedicated circuit riders, revival spread across the colonies and even the wild frontier territories. As power fell from heaven, believers lay prostrate before God in repentance. Tent meetings were filled for weeks at a time with thousands eager to hear the gospel.
Society was transformed as the revival spilled out of the church and into the world. Social reform movements sprang up to address societal evils such as child labor, alcoholism, poverty, the suppression of women, and the terrible blight of slavery.
And, in an unprecedented way, missionary organizations were founded that still carry the gospel to the farthest corners of the world. It was during this era that the famous hymn "Just As I Am" was penne d a fitting message that described the hearts of so many Americans whose lives were forever changed by the revival.
The Great Prayer Revival (1857 . 1858)
By 1857 the need for revival was again apparent in our nation's churches. Preoccupied by growing wealth, hearts had grown spiritually cold, and most had forsaken God completely.
Jeremiah Lanphier, a concerned businessman, decided to pray that God would change people's hearts. On September 23, 1857, he held a prayer meeting in the Old Dutch Reformed Church on Fulton Street in New York City. Only six people participated, but Lanphier persevered. Every week, more people came. When the stock market crashed, the prayer meeting was flooded with suddenly awakened souls. At its height, more than 10,000 were estimated in attendance.
Additional prayer meetings sprang up across the Eastern Seaboard, the frontier, and even into California. God was on the move once again, and as many as 50,000 people a week were being converted.
It has been said that there are revivals without much preaching, but there are never revivals without much praying. The Great Prayer Revival of 1857 . 58 stands as eloquent testimony to that fact. God only needs a few brave souls who will step out in faith and believe Him to do mighty things.
So, when will the next "flash" of God's glory occur? Judging from the pattern of history, a revival in North America is long overdue. We need a new work of God for a new generation, so the world may know that there is indeed a God who lives, who empowers, and who changes the destiny of those who call on Him.
Revive Magazine, Summer 2011, Volume 42, Issue 3, p. 22.
Such divine flashes illuminate American history. On several occasions, God has poured out His Spirit, and entire cities have turned to Him. Prayer meetings have swelled into the streets, and millions around the world have ultimately felt the impact. But could a reviving "flash" of this magnitude occur again?
The First Great Awakening (1734 . 1760)
Shaken from their spiritual slumber by the powerful preaching of men like Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield, congregations across New England felt the presence of God descend in their midst. Many of these churches had fallen terribly out of step with God's plan, even to the point of ordaining unconverted ministers.
However, as the message of repentance and the lordship of Christ was heralded, the spiritual dam broke, and living water flooded the American landscape. So many souls were converted that some thought the millennial reign of Christ was at hand! The moral impact of this divine visitation laid the foundation for the formation of our system of government after the American Revolution.
The Second Great Awakening (1790 . 1840)
Spearheaded by evangelists like Asahel Nettleton, James McGready, Charles G. Finney, and a host of dedicated circuit riders, revival spread across the colonies and even the wild frontier territories. As power fell from heaven, believers lay prostrate before God in repentance. Tent meetings were filled for weeks at a time with thousands eager to hear the gospel.
Society was transformed as the revival spilled out of the church and into the world. Social reform movements sprang up to address societal evils such as child labor, alcoholism, poverty, the suppression of women, and the terrible blight of slavery.
And, in an unprecedented way, missionary organizations were founded that still carry the gospel to the farthest corners of the world. It was during this era that the famous hymn "Just As I Am" was penne d a fitting message that described the hearts of so many Americans whose lives were forever changed by the revival.
The Great Prayer Revival (1857 . 1858)
By 1857 the need for revival was again apparent in our nation's churches. Preoccupied by growing wealth, hearts had grown spiritually cold, and most had forsaken God completely.
Jeremiah Lanphier, a concerned businessman, decided to pray that God would change people's hearts. On September 23, 1857, he held a prayer meeting in the Old Dutch Reformed Church on Fulton Street in New York City. Only six people participated, but Lanphier persevered. Every week, more people came. When the stock market crashed, the prayer meeting was flooded with suddenly awakened souls. At its height, more than 10,000 were estimated in attendance.
Additional prayer meetings sprang up across the Eastern Seaboard, the frontier, and even into California. God was on the move once again, and as many as 50,000 people a week were being converted.
It has been said that there are revivals without much preaching, but there are never revivals without much praying. The Great Prayer Revival of 1857 . 58 stands as eloquent testimony to that fact. God only needs a few brave souls who will step out in faith and believe Him to do mighty things.
So, when will the next "flash" of God's glory occur? Judging from the pattern of history, a revival in North America is long overdue. We need a new work of God for a new generation, so the world may know that there is indeed a God who lives, who empowers, and who changes the destiny of those who call on Him.
Revive Magazine, Summer 2011, Volume 42, Issue 3, p. 22.
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