Daily Devotions from the Road
Week 1
February 3 Day 1: Revive Us Again
Scriptures: Psalm 85:6
Prayer Prompt: Pray that you will experience the Lord’s revival in your life.
There is a hymn we love to sing, “Revive us Again.” The hymn was written by Doctor William MacKay, a Scottish doctor. Mackay had been raised by a devout Christian mother but had abandoned the faith and drifted into sin. At one point, he was so far from the Lord and so down on his luck that he pawned the Bible given to him by his mother. Later as a practicing physician. He encountered a patient who would not survive his injuries. MacKay told him so. The man had no family but requested the presence of his landlady, to whom he owed a small amount of money. He also asked her to bring “the book.” After some time, the man passed. As hospital staff were cleaning the room, they found “the book” and asked Doctor MacKay what to do with it. He asked what kind of book it was and was informed that it was “the poor man's Bible.” Upon inspection, MacKay came to a realization. “I took the Bible and--Could I trust my eyes? It was my own Bible! The Bible which my mother had given me when I Left my parents’ home and which later, short of money, I sold for a small amount. My name was still in it, written in my mother's hand."1
MacKay goes on to write, “Be it sufficient to say that the regained possession of my Bible was the cause of my conversion.” In response to his conversion and the “Remarkable return of his Bible," McKay wrote Revive Us Again. The remarkable yet simple chorus of the song “Hallelujah, thine the glory. Hallelujah, Amen” parallels Psalm 85:6. The psalmist asks the Lord to revive him so that the people would rejoice in the Lord. So that we might say Hallelujah. As we begin our road to revival, let us remember two things. First, revival is the work of God. True revival cannot be manufactured or drummed up by man. Second, revival is for God's glory. Believers might reap the benefits of a renewed faith, but it results in the declaration of God's glory.
1 https://www.hymncharts.com/2024/03/10/the-story-behind-revive-us-again/
Scriptures: Psalm 85:6
Prayer Prompt: Pray that you will experience the Lord’s revival in your life.
There is a hymn we love to sing, “Revive us Again.” The hymn was written by Doctor William MacKay, a Scottish doctor. Mackay had been raised by a devout Christian mother but had abandoned the faith and drifted into sin. At one point, he was so far from the Lord and so down on his luck that he pawned the Bible given to him by his mother. Later as a practicing physician. He encountered a patient who would not survive his injuries. MacKay told him so. The man had no family but requested the presence of his landlady, to whom he owed a small amount of money. He also asked her to bring “the book.” After some time, the man passed. As hospital staff were cleaning the room, they found “the book” and asked Doctor MacKay what to do with it. He asked what kind of book it was and was informed that it was “the poor man's Bible.” Upon inspection, MacKay came to a realization. “I took the Bible and--Could I trust my eyes? It was my own Bible! The Bible which my mother had given me when I Left my parents’ home and which later, short of money, I sold for a small amount. My name was still in it, written in my mother's hand."1
MacKay goes on to write, “Be it sufficient to say that the regained possession of my Bible was the cause of my conversion.” In response to his conversion and the “Remarkable return of his Bible," McKay wrote Revive Us Again. The remarkable yet simple chorus of the song “Hallelujah, thine the glory. Hallelujah, Amen” parallels Psalm 85:6. The psalmist asks the Lord to revive him so that the people would rejoice in the Lord. So that we might say Hallelujah. As we begin our road to revival, let us remember two things. First, revival is the work of God. True revival cannot be manufactured or drummed up by man. Second, revival is for God's glory. Believers might reap the benefits of a renewed faith, but it results in the declaration of God's glory.
1 https://www.hymncharts.com/2024/03/10/the-story-behind-revive-us-again/
February 4 Day 2: Revival and God’s Presence
Scriptures: Psalm 95
Prayer Prompt: Pray and ask the Lord to help you live in His presence daily.
One way to understand the idea of revival is to have “a heightened experience with God’s Presence.” As believers, it is possible to go about our days lacking an “experience of God’s presence.”1 This can result from general busyness, troubling circumstances, or sinfulness. We might even be like the Israelites in the wilderness, mentioned in Psalm 95, who doubted God’s power and provision. (8 Do not harden your hearts as at Meribah, as on that day at Massah in the wilderness 9 where your ancestors tested me; they tried me, though they had seen what I did.) In Exodus 17, we read that the people were camped at Rephidim, and they began to complain and test the Lord because they had no water. They failed to experience God’s providing presence even though His presence was literally with them in the visible, tangible cloud pillar. Today, believers are indwelled with God’s Spirit. His presence is with us, yet we often fail to experience it because of our circumstances or our sin. The psalmist challenges us to “shout triumphantly to the rock of our salvation.” We are redeemed from sin, rescued from hell, and destined for eternity with the Lord. We are to enter His “[providing] presence with thanksgiving.” He provides despite our circumstances. He is great. He is King. He holds all things in His hands. The psalmist calls us to enter into His presence. The writer of Hebrews reminds us that we can do so boldly because of the blood of Christ (Hebrews 4:16). A heightened sense of God’s presence is the essence of Revival--the treasure every desperate revivalist seeks. Today, ask the Lord to help you enter into His presence.
1 Robby Gallaty, Revive Us (Brentwood: Lifeway, 2023) 11.
Scriptures: Psalm 95
Prayer Prompt: Pray and ask the Lord to help you live in His presence daily.
One way to understand the idea of revival is to have “a heightened experience with God’s Presence.” As believers, it is possible to go about our days lacking an “experience of God’s presence.”1 This can result from general busyness, troubling circumstances, or sinfulness. We might even be like the Israelites in the wilderness, mentioned in Psalm 95, who doubted God’s power and provision. (8 Do not harden your hearts as at Meribah, as on that day at Massah in the wilderness 9 where your ancestors tested me; they tried me, though they had seen what I did.) In Exodus 17, we read that the people were camped at Rephidim, and they began to complain and test the Lord because they had no water. They failed to experience God’s providing presence even though His presence was literally with them in the visible, tangible cloud pillar. Today, believers are indwelled with God’s Spirit. His presence is with us, yet we often fail to experience it because of our circumstances or our sin. The psalmist challenges us to “shout triumphantly to the rock of our salvation.” We are redeemed from sin, rescued from hell, and destined for eternity with the Lord. We are to enter His “[providing] presence with thanksgiving.” He provides despite our circumstances. He is great. He is King. He holds all things in His hands. The psalmist calls us to enter into His presence. The writer of Hebrews reminds us that we can do so boldly because of the blood of Christ (Hebrews 4:16). A heightened sense of God’s presence is the essence of Revival--the treasure every desperate revivalist seeks. Today, ask the Lord to help you enter into His presence.
1 Robby Gallaty, Revive Us (Brentwood: Lifeway, 2023) 11.
February 5 Day 3: Revival and Repentance
Scriptures: Acts 3:17-23
Prayer Prompt: Speak to the Lord about sin in your life and repent where necessary. Call out the names of those you know who need salvation and ask the Lord to save them.
Every good road Trip has at least one good story. Today I want to tall you about Howard Cadle. E. Howard Cadle’s mother was a committed follower of Christ. In the late 1800s, she and others raised the money to bring a revivalist to their hometown. During the revival, her husband came to faith in Christ. Their son, however, had little appetite for religion. He later described himself, “I was always full of energy… I always wanted to ride the wildest horse we had, and when I could not find one wild enough, I would ride a steer.”1 Even before becoming a teenager, Cadle was entangled with the worldliest of sins. In 1914, He was diagnosed with an incurable disease and given six months to live.2 Soon thereafter, he found himself in a bar fight and pulled his gun ready to shoot a man. His gun misfired. The time on the clock read 8:00 pm. Cadle knew it was a miracle that his gun had failed. His mother said many times, “Always remember, son, that at eight o’clock every night, I’ll be kneeling by your bed asking God to protect my precious boy.”3 Following the bar fight, he returned home, confessed his sin, professed faith in Christ, and reconciled with his wife. Cadle’s story does not end there. He answered the call to ministry and became an evangelist, founded a church, and began a radio ministry.4 Some estimate his radio audience to have been around 30 million listeners by the end of the 1930’s.
We sometimes say that God can save anyone who “repent[s] and turn[s] back so that [their] sins may be wiped out, that seasons of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.” We should take that to heart and know that no one is too far from the Lord. Who are you praying for? Pray that those who need salvation will find it. But also, do you need to find faith in Jesus? There might be someone praying for you right now, and today might be your day of salvation.
1 Theo Anderson, “Back Home Again (and Again) in Indiana: E. Howard Cadle, Christian Populism, and the Resilience of American Fundamentalism,” Indiana Magazine of History, 102 (December 1, 2006), 305.
2 Theodore Slutz, "How He Came Back E. Howard Cadle and the Cadle Tabernacle," Traces of Indiana and Midwestern History, 17 no. 1 (Winter 2005), 19.
3 John Goetsch and Nathan Birt, Revival Today: 365 Challenging Devotions from Revival History (Lancaster, CA: Striving Together Publishing), 99.
4 Anderson, 233.
Scriptures: Acts 3:17-23
Prayer Prompt: Speak to the Lord about sin in your life and repent where necessary. Call out the names of those you know who need salvation and ask the Lord to save them.
Every good road Trip has at least one good story. Today I want to tall you about Howard Cadle. E. Howard Cadle’s mother was a committed follower of Christ. In the late 1800s, she and others raised the money to bring a revivalist to their hometown. During the revival, her husband came to faith in Christ. Their son, however, had little appetite for religion. He later described himself, “I was always full of energy… I always wanted to ride the wildest horse we had, and when I could not find one wild enough, I would ride a steer.”1 Even before becoming a teenager, Cadle was entangled with the worldliest of sins. In 1914, He was diagnosed with an incurable disease and given six months to live.2 Soon thereafter, he found himself in a bar fight and pulled his gun ready to shoot a man. His gun misfired. The time on the clock read 8:00 pm. Cadle knew it was a miracle that his gun had failed. His mother said many times, “Always remember, son, that at eight o’clock every night, I’ll be kneeling by your bed asking God to protect my precious boy.”3 Following the bar fight, he returned home, confessed his sin, professed faith in Christ, and reconciled with his wife. Cadle’s story does not end there. He answered the call to ministry and became an evangelist, founded a church, and began a radio ministry.4 Some estimate his radio audience to have been around 30 million listeners by the end of the 1930’s.
We sometimes say that God can save anyone who “repent[s] and turn[s] back so that [their] sins may be wiped out, that seasons of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.” We should take that to heart and know that no one is too far from the Lord. Who are you praying for? Pray that those who need salvation will find it. But also, do you need to find faith in Jesus? There might be someone praying for you right now, and today might be your day of salvation.
1 Theo Anderson, “Back Home Again (and Again) in Indiana: E. Howard Cadle, Christian Populism, and the Resilience of American Fundamentalism,” Indiana Magazine of History, 102 (December 1, 2006), 305.
2 Theodore Slutz, "How He Came Back E. Howard Cadle and the Cadle Tabernacle," Traces of Indiana and Midwestern History, 17 no. 1 (Winter 2005), 19.
3 John Goetsch and Nathan Birt, Revival Today: 365 Challenging Devotions from Revival History (Lancaster, CA: Striving Together Publishing), 99.
4 Anderson, 233.
February 6 Day 4: Revival and Repentance II
Scriptures: 2 Corinthians 12:20-21
Prayer Prompt: Ask the Lord to speak to you about any sin in your life that is preventing revival. Focus specifically on “socially acceptable” sins.
Let’s begin today in 2 Cor 12:20-21 (20 For I fear that perhaps when I come I will not find you to be what I want, and you may not find me to be what you want. Perhaps there will be quarreling, jealousy, angry outbursts, selfish ambitions, slander, gossip, arrogance, and disorder. 21 I fear that when I come my God will again humiliate me in your presence, and I will grieve for many who sinned before and have not repented of the moral impurity, sexual immorality, and sensuality they practiced.) On January 6, 1907, a group of missionaries and Korean believers gathered in Pyongyang. Before the end of the meeting, 1,500 followers of Christ “prayed out loud at the same time.” Presbyterian minister William Blair observed, “The effect was indescribable—not confusion, but a vast harmony of sound and spirit, a mingling together of souls moved by an irresistible impulse of prayer.” Revival had broken out, and it spread throughout the nation. Blair goes on to describe the brokenness over past sin. He wrote, “All through the city, men were going from house to house, confessing to individuals they had injured, returning stolen property and money, not only to Christians but to heathen as well, till the whole city was stirred. A Chinese merchant was astonished to have a Christian walk in and pay him a large sum of money that had been obtained unjustly years before.” Over five years, 80,000 Koreans came to faith in Christ. Today, Korea is second only to the United States in the number of cross-cultural missionaries sent abroad each year. It all began with prayer and repentance of sin.1
In 2 Corinthians 12:20-21, Paul admonishes the Christ-followers in Corinth to repent. Yes, they should repent of “moral impurity, sexual immorality, and sensuality.” They should also repent of the more “socially acceptable” sins of “quarreling, jealousy, angry outburst, selfish ambitions, slander, gossip, arrogance, and disorder.” For revival to break out in our lives and our churches we must start with prayer and individual repentance.
1 Colin Hansen and John Woodbridge, A God-Sized Vision (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2010), 107-109.
Scriptures: 2 Corinthians 12:20-21
Prayer Prompt: Ask the Lord to speak to you about any sin in your life that is preventing revival. Focus specifically on “socially acceptable” sins.
Let’s begin today in 2 Cor 12:20-21 (20 For I fear that perhaps when I come I will not find you to be what I want, and you may not find me to be what you want. Perhaps there will be quarreling, jealousy, angry outbursts, selfish ambitions, slander, gossip, arrogance, and disorder. 21 I fear that when I come my God will again humiliate me in your presence, and I will grieve for many who sinned before and have not repented of the moral impurity, sexual immorality, and sensuality they practiced.) On January 6, 1907, a group of missionaries and Korean believers gathered in Pyongyang. Before the end of the meeting, 1,500 followers of Christ “prayed out loud at the same time.” Presbyterian minister William Blair observed, “The effect was indescribable—not confusion, but a vast harmony of sound and spirit, a mingling together of souls moved by an irresistible impulse of prayer.” Revival had broken out, and it spread throughout the nation. Blair goes on to describe the brokenness over past sin. He wrote, “All through the city, men were going from house to house, confessing to individuals they had injured, returning stolen property and money, not only to Christians but to heathen as well, till the whole city was stirred. A Chinese merchant was astonished to have a Christian walk in and pay him a large sum of money that had been obtained unjustly years before.” Over five years, 80,000 Koreans came to faith in Christ. Today, Korea is second only to the United States in the number of cross-cultural missionaries sent abroad each year. It all began with prayer and repentance of sin.1
In 2 Corinthians 12:20-21, Paul admonishes the Christ-followers in Corinth to repent. Yes, they should repent of “moral impurity, sexual immorality, and sensuality.” They should also repent of the more “socially acceptable” sins of “quarreling, jealousy, angry outburst, selfish ambitions, slander, gossip, arrogance, and disorder.” For revival to break out in our lives and our churches we must start with prayer and individual repentance.
1 Colin Hansen and John Woodbridge, A God-Sized Vision (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2010), 107-109.
February 7 Day 5: Revival and Blind Spots
Scriptures: Mark 10:17-22
Prayer Prompt: Ask the Lord to reveal any sins that might be blind spots (things you can’t or won’t see about yourself).
Sometimes when we go a road trip we get lost in thought. Today, I want to ruminate on Mark 10:17-22. One day, Jesus was approached by a man we know as the Rich Young Ruler. He begins with what might be assumed to be a flattering statement. That statement led to a conversation about eternal life. In the end, it was revealed that the young man loved his wealth more than he loved the Lord. If we want to consider this scene, we might see a man who was truly interested in spiritual things. He sought out Jesus. He literally ran up to him as Jesus was metaphorically closing the car door to leave on a trip. It appears that he genuinely thought he was doing the right things. It also appears that Jesus believed he was honest about his righteous lifestyle. But in the conversation, Jesus begins to get at the meat of the matter. He gives the man three instructions: Sell all you have, give it to the poor, and follow me. In the man’s response, we might be able to assess some things. First, he does not seem to resist the idea of following Jesus. He doesn’t even balk at helping the poor. The issue, it seems, was a reluctance to sell all he had. Jesus, it appears, has hit on a blind spot.
We all have them: things we can’t see about ourselves that are obvious to others. Things like work ethic, racist attitudes, or haughtiness. Sometimes, though, spiritual blind spots are invisible to us and those around us. But the Lord sees them, and they can prevent personal revival. The only way to deal with a blind spot is to ask the Lord, who sees all, to shine a light on it and help us deal with it. Sometimes, we have blind spots in the church as well. Maybe a person, leader, or church says they are open to all economic or racial groups, but in reality, do we exhibit a welcoming spirit? Additionally, a person, leader, or church may say they support other area churches. But a larger church might harbor feelings of pride. Likewise, a smaller church might feel resentful. We do not like to talk about these things and would never admit they are true or even a problem. That is why we call them blind spots. We should ask the Lord to shine a spotlight on our church’s blind spots and begin to root out our sin. Robby Gallaty remarks, “If you can’t pray for the church down the street in spite of your church, He will never bless your church.” Let us be a praying church that prays for other churches.1
1 Robby Gallaty, Revive Us Video Session 2 (Brentwood: Lifeway, 2023).
Scriptures: Mark 10:17-22
Prayer Prompt: Ask the Lord to reveal any sins that might be blind spots (things you can’t or won’t see about yourself).
Sometimes when we go a road trip we get lost in thought. Today, I want to ruminate on Mark 10:17-22. One day, Jesus was approached by a man we know as the Rich Young Ruler. He begins with what might be assumed to be a flattering statement. That statement led to a conversation about eternal life. In the end, it was revealed that the young man loved his wealth more than he loved the Lord. If we want to consider this scene, we might see a man who was truly interested in spiritual things. He sought out Jesus. He literally ran up to him as Jesus was metaphorically closing the car door to leave on a trip. It appears that he genuinely thought he was doing the right things. It also appears that Jesus believed he was honest about his righteous lifestyle. But in the conversation, Jesus begins to get at the meat of the matter. He gives the man three instructions: Sell all you have, give it to the poor, and follow me. In the man’s response, we might be able to assess some things. First, he does not seem to resist the idea of following Jesus. He doesn’t even balk at helping the poor. The issue, it seems, was a reluctance to sell all he had. Jesus, it appears, has hit on a blind spot.
We all have them: things we can’t see about ourselves that are obvious to others. Things like work ethic, racist attitudes, or haughtiness. Sometimes, though, spiritual blind spots are invisible to us and those around us. But the Lord sees them, and they can prevent personal revival. The only way to deal with a blind spot is to ask the Lord, who sees all, to shine a light on it and help us deal with it. Sometimes, we have blind spots in the church as well. Maybe a person, leader, or church says they are open to all economic or racial groups, but in reality, do we exhibit a welcoming spirit? Additionally, a person, leader, or church may say they support other area churches. But a larger church might harbor feelings of pride. Likewise, a smaller church might feel resentful. We do not like to talk about these things and would never admit they are true or even a problem. That is why we call them blind spots. We should ask the Lord to shine a spotlight on our church’s blind spots and begin to root out our sin. Robby Gallaty remarks, “If you can’t pray for the church down the street in spite of your church, He will never bless your church.” Let us be a praying church that prays for other churches.1
1 Robby Gallaty, Revive Us Video Session 2 (Brentwood: Lifeway, 2023).
Week 2
February 10 Day 6: Revival and Nobodies Who Pray
Scriptures: I Corinthians 1:27-31
Prayer Prompt: Ask the Lord for revival. Ask Him to move despite our weaknesses and despite our striving.
In our Sunday night study, we talked about the Welsh Revival of 1904. One of the key figures of that revival was a man named Evan Roberts. Reports from the revival assess the results to be great and quick in coming. Contemporaries of the Roberts went to Wales to investigate the revival and reported that “within five weeks twenty thousand have joined the churches. I think more than that have been converted.”1 Roberts was a miner turned evangelist. G. Campbell Morgan gives us a vivid description of the man. “Evan Roberts is hardly more than a boy, simple and natural, no orator; with nothing of the masterfulness that characterized such men as Wesley and Whitefield and Dwight Lyman Moody; no leader of men.” Campbell goes on to say, “God has set his hand upon the lad, beautiful in simplicity, ordained in his devotion, lacking all the qualities that we have looked for in preachers and prophets and leaders. He has put in the forefront of this movement that the world may see that he does choose the things that are not to bring to naught the things that are, the weak things of the world to confound the things that are mighty.”2
Another eyewitness and investigator of the revival, W. T. Stead, observed the meetings and reported on the events. Of Roberts, he writes, “he did at the beginning of his career deliver long addresses, which were simple, direct Gospel appeals.”3 By the time the revival reached its peak, these messages had shortened considerably. The Welsh meetings were filled with singing and testimony of those in attendance. Roberts would interject his “message” here and there in the meetings. Morgan attended several meetings and reported on one which began an hour and half before Roberts even arrived. “I venture to say,” Morgan reported. “That if the address Evan Roberts gave in broken garments had been reported, the whole of it could have been read in six or seven minutes.”4 Evan’s himself stated that he did not “control the meetings.” “Why should I teach when the Spirit is teaching,” he told Stead.5
One must ask, then, if Evans was not an orator or a leader and he refused to take control of the revival, how did such a thing come to pass? Some credit Roberts with the greatness of the revival and others credit the young girl in Endeavor who proclaimed her love for Jesus.6 Morgan argues that to give credit to either is wrong because both were a product of the revival. Nor, he says, should we credit advertising or media coverage for the growth of the revival because the media only began covering the revival after it grew.7 Instead, he discovered after interviewing more than fifty people that “a praying remnant have been agonizing before God about the state of the beloved land, and it is thought that answer of fire has come.”8 Evans Roberts himself was one of those who prayed even before he began to preach. It was reported by Stead that Roberts had been present at an address given F. B. Myer. During the event, Roberts and others pledged “that they would spend a whole day every month praying for a revival.”
In the end, we must conclude, if we believe in the Lord of whom we speak, that the Welsh revival was not a revival built on the passion of one person or the oratory skills of another. In the end, it was a revival that demonstrated the power of God. The power of God to use the weak and insignificant to accomplish His will. Thus, those of us who are weak are powerful. Those of us to try to plan and organize can relax. We are powerful in prayer, and we can relax knowing He will answer our prayers. Prayer, though, is usually the last place we turn. In his book, Why Revival Tarries, Leonard Ravenhill writes, “Poverty-stricken as the Church is today in man things, she is most stricken here, in the place of prayer. We have man organizers, but few agonizers; many player and payer, few pray-ers; many singers, few clingers; lots of pastors, few wrestlers; many fears, few tears; much fashion, little passion; many interferers; few intercessors; many writers, but few fighters. Failing here, we fail everywhere.”9 Let us remember what Paul said in I Corinthians chapter 1 verse 27 “Instead, God has chosen what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen what is weak in the world to shame the strong.” We can stop planning and start praying as we move down the Road to Revival.
1 G. Campbell Morgan, “The Revival: It’s Power and Source,” in The Welsh Revival ed. J. H. Tewksbury (New York: The Pilgrim Press, 1905), 84.
2 Ibid, 81-82.
3 W. T. Stead, “Narrative of Facts,” in The Welsh Revival ed. J. H. Tewksbury (New York: The Pilgrim Press, 1905), 56.
4 Morgan, 80.
5 Stead, 57.
6 Morgan, 83.
7 Ibid.
8 Ibid, 83.
9 Leonard Ravenhill, Why Revival Tarriers (Ravenhill Books, nd), 7.
Scriptures: I Corinthians 1:27-31
Prayer Prompt: Ask the Lord for revival. Ask Him to move despite our weaknesses and despite our striving.
In our Sunday night study, we talked about the Welsh Revival of 1904. One of the key figures of that revival was a man named Evan Roberts. Reports from the revival assess the results to be great and quick in coming. Contemporaries of the Roberts went to Wales to investigate the revival and reported that “within five weeks twenty thousand have joined the churches. I think more than that have been converted.”1 Roberts was a miner turned evangelist. G. Campbell Morgan gives us a vivid description of the man. “Evan Roberts is hardly more than a boy, simple and natural, no orator; with nothing of the masterfulness that characterized such men as Wesley and Whitefield and Dwight Lyman Moody; no leader of men.” Campbell goes on to say, “God has set his hand upon the lad, beautiful in simplicity, ordained in his devotion, lacking all the qualities that we have looked for in preachers and prophets and leaders. He has put in the forefront of this movement that the world may see that he does choose the things that are not to bring to naught the things that are, the weak things of the world to confound the things that are mighty.”2
Another eyewitness and investigator of the revival, W. T. Stead, observed the meetings and reported on the events. Of Roberts, he writes, “he did at the beginning of his career deliver long addresses, which were simple, direct Gospel appeals.”3 By the time the revival reached its peak, these messages had shortened considerably. The Welsh meetings were filled with singing and testimony of those in attendance. Roberts would interject his “message” here and there in the meetings. Morgan attended several meetings and reported on one which began an hour and half before Roberts even arrived. “I venture to say,” Morgan reported. “That if the address Evan Roberts gave in broken garments had been reported, the whole of it could have been read in six or seven minutes.”4 Evan’s himself stated that he did not “control the meetings.” “Why should I teach when the Spirit is teaching,” he told Stead.5
One must ask, then, if Evans was not an orator or a leader and he refused to take control of the revival, how did such a thing come to pass? Some credit Roberts with the greatness of the revival and others credit the young girl in Endeavor who proclaimed her love for Jesus.6 Morgan argues that to give credit to either is wrong because both were a product of the revival. Nor, he says, should we credit advertising or media coverage for the growth of the revival because the media only began covering the revival after it grew.7 Instead, he discovered after interviewing more than fifty people that “a praying remnant have been agonizing before God about the state of the beloved land, and it is thought that answer of fire has come.”8 Evans Roberts himself was one of those who prayed even before he began to preach. It was reported by Stead that Roberts had been present at an address given F. B. Myer. During the event, Roberts and others pledged “that they would spend a whole day every month praying for a revival.”
In the end, we must conclude, if we believe in the Lord of whom we speak, that the Welsh revival was not a revival built on the passion of one person or the oratory skills of another. In the end, it was a revival that demonstrated the power of God. The power of God to use the weak and insignificant to accomplish His will. Thus, those of us who are weak are powerful. Those of us to try to plan and organize can relax. We are powerful in prayer, and we can relax knowing He will answer our prayers. Prayer, though, is usually the last place we turn. In his book, Why Revival Tarries, Leonard Ravenhill writes, “Poverty-stricken as the Church is today in man things, she is most stricken here, in the place of prayer. We have man organizers, but few agonizers; many player and payer, few pray-ers; many singers, few clingers; lots of pastors, few wrestlers; many fears, few tears; much fashion, little passion; many interferers; few intercessors; many writers, but few fighters. Failing here, we fail everywhere.”9 Let us remember what Paul said in I Corinthians chapter 1 verse 27 “Instead, God has chosen what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen what is weak in the world to shame the strong.” We can stop planning and start praying as we move down the Road to Revival.
1 G. Campbell Morgan, “The Revival: It’s Power and Source,” in The Welsh Revival ed. J. H. Tewksbury (New York: The Pilgrim Press, 1905), 84.
2 Ibid, 81-82.
3 W. T. Stead, “Narrative of Facts,” in The Welsh Revival ed. J. H. Tewksbury (New York: The Pilgrim Press, 1905), 56.
4 Morgan, 80.
5 Stead, 57.
6 Morgan, 83.
7 Ibid.
8 Ibid, 83.
9 Leonard Ravenhill, Why Revival Tarriers (Ravenhill Books, nd), 7.
February 11 Day 7: Revival Resulting from Prayer
Scriptures: Matthew 18:19-20
Prayer Prompt: Ask the Lord to help you pray and ask the Lord for others to join you in prayer for revival.
Like the Welsh of 1904, the national revival that took place in the United States in 1857/58 cannot be tied to one person, one denomination, or even one nation. Nevertheless, one person is always mentioned: Jeremiah Lanphier. That one person, though, is tied to an idea that is much bigger than himself. The connecting aspect of this national revival was prayer. In the midst of the revival, a group from various denominations produced a report titled “Pentecost or the Work of God in Philadelphia.” Hansen and Woodbridge explain, “They noted that before God pours out his Spirit in revival, he grants a spirit of heartfelt petition. ‘God leads his people to pray for that which he designs to give.’”1 This is not a new idea. Augustine of Hippo wrote something similar in his book The City of God. “Prayers are useful in obtaining these favors which he foresaw he would bestow on those who should pray for them.”2 Where, though, did this prayer revival begin? It began in New York City.
The New York City of 1853 was in turmoil and that turmoil was felt throughout the nation. Riots in July followed by a stock market crash on October 10 and a bank run on October 13 crippled the financial system. The troubles moved westward as banks in Philadelphia, Chicago, and Boston all failed about the same time. While the woes of the financial system did not cause the revival, they do point us to a former businessman turned missionary. Jeremiah Lanphier worked for 20 years as a businessman. During this time, he began to follow Jesus in 1842 under the ministry of Charles Finney. In July 1857,3 he was hired by the North Dutch Reformed Church on the corner of William and Fulton Street as a local missionary.4 Lanphier had little success as a missionary to the local community, but one day he decided to offer a time of prayer for the local businessmen. His first noontime prayer meeting was held on September 23, 1857. He placed a sign outside the church that read: “Prayer Meeting from 12 to 1o’clock—Stop 5, 10, or 20 minutes, or the whole hour, as your time admits.”5 On the first day, six men attended. The next week twenty attended. “In a short time the Fulton Street meeting had taken over the whole building with crowds of more than 3,000.”6 on October 2, 1858, the “Daily Tribune” of New York City reported, “Soon the striking of the five bells at 12 o’clock will generally be known as the Hour of Prayer.”7 Historians report that within six months 10,000 people were praying throughout the city.8
Word of the prayer meeting began to spread. Eventually, such meetings were being held across the nation. Kathryn Long says the events of 1857/58 were “perhaps the closest thing to a truly national revival in American History”9 As the awakening spread to Boston the police were shocked at the “goodwill” exhibited by residents and in Philadelphia the notoriously brawl-ready firefighters “opened their halls to evangelists.”10 The revival moved further west to Ohio, Illinois, and Wisconsin. On April 10, 1858, the Appleton Post-Crescent of Wisconsin reported, “The excitement has spread from city to city, and from village to village, and we hope it may continue to spread from place to place.”11 Every place it touched thousands came to pray and testify about the Lord. The revival had a sanctifying effect as well. One prayer meeting in New York City with an attendance of over 3,000 was interrupted by a move of the Spirit. While reading Scripture, the preacher was “interrupted by singing from an overflow prayer meeting crowd in an adjoining barroom. He then led the group in thanksgiving that such a thing could happen.”12 A prayer meeting started for businessmen by a mediocre missionary became a revival that spread across the country. It is estimated that one million people came to faith in Christ. It was a revival powered by prayer resulting in changed lives. Let us be a people who pray. We pray when a few show up, and we continue to pray IF millions join us.
Over the next three days, we are going to explore the ramifications that come from the Prayer Revival of 1857/58.
1 Hansen and Woodbridge, 84.
2 Augustine, City of God, V.10 (New York: Image Books, 1958), 10 in Todd Edmondson, “Praying for a Change” in Christian Reflection, no. 32 (2009): 46.
3 No Author, “The Time for Prayer: The Third Great Awakening,” in Christianity History VII, no. 23 (1989): https://www.christianitytoday.com/1989/07/time-for-prayer-third-great-awakening/, accessed February 8, 2025.
4 Hansen and Woodbridge, 80.
5 “Revival Born In A Prayer Meeting,” C. S. Lewis Institute, https://www.cslewisinstitute.org/resources/revival-born-in-a-prayer-meeting/, accessed February 7, 2025
6 Ibid.
7 Goetsch and Birt, 311.
8 “The Time for Prayer.”
9 Hansen and Woodbridge, 77.
10 Ibid, 83-84.
11 Ibid, 87.
12 “The Time for Prayer.”
Scriptures: Matthew 18:19-20
Prayer Prompt: Ask the Lord to help you pray and ask the Lord for others to join you in prayer for revival.
Like the Welsh of 1904, the national revival that took place in the United States in 1857/58 cannot be tied to one person, one denomination, or even one nation. Nevertheless, one person is always mentioned: Jeremiah Lanphier. That one person, though, is tied to an idea that is much bigger than himself. The connecting aspect of this national revival was prayer. In the midst of the revival, a group from various denominations produced a report titled “Pentecost or the Work of God in Philadelphia.” Hansen and Woodbridge explain, “They noted that before God pours out his Spirit in revival, he grants a spirit of heartfelt petition. ‘God leads his people to pray for that which he designs to give.’”1 This is not a new idea. Augustine of Hippo wrote something similar in his book The City of God. “Prayers are useful in obtaining these favors which he foresaw he would bestow on those who should pray for them.”2 Where, though, did this prayer revival begin? It began in New York City.
The New York City of 1853 was in turmoil and that turmoil was felt throughout the nation. Riots in July followed by a stock market crash on October 10 and a bank run on October 13 crippled the financial system. The troubles moved westward as banks in Philadelphia, Chicago, and Boston all failed about the same time. While the woes of the financial system did not cause the revival, they do point us to a former businessman turned missionary. Jeremiah Lanphier worked for 20 years as a businessman. During this time, he began to follow Jesus in 1842 under the ministry of Charles Finney. In July 1857,3 he was hired by the North Dutch Reformed Church on the corner of William and Fulton Street as a local missionary.4 Lanphier had little success as a missionary to the local community, but one day he decided to offer a time of prayer for the local businessmen. His first noontime prayer meeting was held on September 23, 1857. He placed a sign outside the church that read: “Prayer Meeting from 12 to 1o’clock—Stop 5, 10, or 20 minutes, or the whole hour, as your time admits.”5 On the first day, six men attended. The next week twenty attended. “In a short time the Fulton Street meeting had taken over the whole building with crowds of more than 3,000.”6 on October 2, 1858, the “Daily Tribune” of New York City reported, “Soon the striking of the five bells at 12 o’clock will generally be known as the Hour of Prayer.”7 Historians report that within six months 10,000 people were praying throughout the city.8
Word of the prayer meeting began to spread. Eventually, such meetings were being held across the nation. Kathryn Long says the events of 1857/58 were “perhaps the closest thing to a truly national revival in American History”9 As the awakening spread to Boston the police were shocked at the “goodwill” exhibited by residents and in Philadelphia the notoriously brawl-ready firefighters “opened their halls to evangelists.”10 The revival moved further west to Ohio, Illinois, and Wisconsin. On April 10, 1858, the Appleton Post-Crescent of Wisconsin reported, “The excitement has spread from city to city, and from village to village, and we hope it may continue to spread from place to place.”11 Every place it touched thousands came to pray and testify about the Lord. The revival had a sanctifying effect as well. One prayer meeting in New York City with an attendance of over 3,000 was interrupted by a move of the Spirit. While reading Scripture, the preacher was “interrupted by singing from an overflow prayer meeting crowd in an adjoining barroom. He then led the group in thanksgiving that such a thing could happen.”12 A prayer meeting started for businessmen by a mediocre missionary became a revival that spread across the country. It is estimated that one million people came to faith in Christ. It was a revival powered by prayer resulting in changed lives. Let us be a people who pray. We pray when a few show up, and we continue to pray IF millions join us.
Over the next three days, we are going to explore the ramifications that come from the Prayer Revival of 1857/58.
1 Hansen and Woodbridge, 84.
2 Augustine, City of God, V.10 (New York: Image Books, 1958), 10 in Todd Edmondson, “Praying for a Change” in Christian Reflection, no. 32 (2009): 46.
3 No Author, “The Time for Prayer: The Third Great Awakening,” in Christianity History VII, no. 23 (1989): https://www.christianitytoday.com/1989/07/time-for-prayer-third-great-awakening/, accessed February 8, 2025.
4 Hansen and Woodbridge, 80.
5 “Revival Born In A Prayer Meeting,” C. S. Lewis Institute, https://www.cslewisinstitute.org/resources/revival-born-in-a-prayer-meeting/, accessed February 7, 2025
6 Ibid.
7 Goetsch and Birt, 311.
8 “The Time for Prayer.”
9 Hansen and Woodbridge, 77.
10 Ibid, 83-84.
11 Ibid, 87.
12 “The Time for Prayer.”
February 12 Day 8: Revival Resulting in a Movement that Reached Men and College Students
Scriptures: Joel 2:12-14, 28
Prayer Prompt: If you are man, ask the Lord to help you experience God’s presence and experience the power of his Spirit
If you are a woman, ask the Lord to bring revival to the men in your life and church.
Pray for the college students in our church and those on our university campus that the Lord will revive them and set them on the right path.
Revivals can have ramifications that reach far beyond their starting points. Of the Welsh revival in 1904, G. Campbell Morgan wrote, “The revival Is for more widespread than the fire zone. In this sense you may understand that the fire zone is where the meetings are actually held, and where you feel the flame that burns. But even when you come out of it, and go into the railway trains, or into a shop, a bank, anywhere men everywhere are talking of God.”1 The Prayer Revival of 1857/58 was no different. Its ramifications could be felt on the streets of every city it touched. The effects of the revival were far more far-reaching, however. They touched all groups in society and rippled out through the generations.
In Philadelphia, one of the leaders of the movement was Dudley Tyng. On March 30, 1858, 5,000 people attended his midday sermon on Exodus 10:11 aimed at men. One thousand people dedicated their lives to Christ at this meeting. During his sermon, Tyng proclaimed his determination to share the gospel. He said, “I must tell my Master’s errand, and I would rather that this right arm be amputated at the trunk than that I should come short of my duty to you in delivering God’s message.”2 The following week while visiting a farm the fabric of his shirtsleeve was caught in a corn threshing machine. Suffering from a severed artery he lay dying. He exhorted the ministers who stood around him, “Let us all stand up for Jesus.” The officiant at Tyng’s funeral, George Duffield, read a poem he penned for the occasion. The poem became the motto for the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) and we sing it today in churches. “Stand up, stand up for Jesus; ye soldiers of the cross/Lift high His royal banner—it must not suffer loss.”3
The YMCA played an important role in the revival. The organization was started in England by George Williams in 1844 and came to the United States in 1851. The YMCA was founded “to meet the social needs of young men in the cities. The movement grew rapidly as it provided lodging, exercise, Bible study, and social activities for such men.”4 During the revival, the organization took on a more evangelistic role. It organized and hosted prayer meetings in Philadelphia, like the one mentioned above featuring Tyng, that drew crowds in the hundreds and thousands. The YMCA also began to work with other organizations like the Student Christian Association to promote revival on college campuses. At one such revival at the North Western Female College in Evanston, Illinois, future temperance leader Frances Willard came to faith in Christ. “All told as many as ninety college revivals swept through American campuses between 1857 and 1859. Those schools included Amherst, The University of California, Berkeley; Dartmouth; Davidson; Oberlin; the University of Pennsylvania; the University of Wisconsin; and Wake Forest.”5
A revival started by businessmen who prayed on their lunch break expanded to reach men of all stripes. And then an organization created to minister to men began to minister to college students including female students. In Joel 2:13, the prophet tells us, “Tear your hearts, not just your clothes, and return to the Lord your God.” And then the Lord promises in verse 28 “After this I will pour out my Spirit on all humanity; then your sons and your daughters will prophesy, your old men will have dreams, and your young men will see visions.” Let us be a people who pray and men who minister and tell others about Jesus.
1 G. Campbell Morgan, “The Revival: It’s Power and Source,” in The Welsh Revival ed. J. H. Tewksbury (New York: The Pilgrim Press, 1905), 86.
2 Hansen and Woodbridge, 85.
3. Ibid, 86-87.
3 Earle Cairns, Christianity Through the Centuries, (Grand Rapids, Zondervan: 1981), 424.
4 Hansen and Woodbridge, 89.
Scriptures: Joel 2:12-14, 28
Prayer Prompt: If you are man, ask the Lord to help you experience God’s presence and experience the power of his Spirit
If you are a woman, ask the Lord to bring revival to the men in your life and church.
Pray for the college students in our church and those on our university campus that the Lord will revive them and set them on the right path.
Revivals can have ramifications that reach far beyond their starting points. Of the Welsh revival in 1904, G. Campbell Morgan wrote, “The revival Is for more widespread than the fire zone. In this sense you may understand that the fire zone is where the meetings are actually held, and where you feel the flame that burns. But even when you come out of it, and go into the railway trains, or into a shop, a bank, anywhere men everywhere are talking of God.”1 The Prayer Revival of 1857/58 was no different. Its ramifications could be felt on the streets of every city it touched. The effects of the revival were far more far-reaching, however. They touched all groups in society and rippled out through the generations.
In Philadelphia, one of the leaders of the movement was Dudley Tyng. On March 30, 1858, 5,000 people attended his midday sermon on Exodus 10:11 aimed at men. One thousand people dedicated their lives to Christ at this meeting. During his sermon, Tyng proclaimed his determination to share the gospel. He said, “I must tell my Master’s errand, and I would rather that this right arm be amputated at the trunk than that I should come short of my duty to you in delivering God’s message.”2 The following week while visiting a farm the fabric of his shirtsleeve was caught in a corn threshing machine. Suffering from a severed artery he lay dying. He exhorted the ministers who stood around him, “Let us all stand up for Jesus.” The officiant at Tyng’s funeral, George Duffield, read a poem he penned for the occasion. The poem became the motto for the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) and we sing it today in churches. “Stand up, stand up for Jesus; ye soldiers of the cross/Lift high His royal banner—it must not suffer loss.”3
The YMCA played an important role in the revival. The organization was started in England by George Williams in 1844 and came to the United States in 1851. The YMCA was founded “to meet the social needs of young men in the cities. The movement grew rapidly as it provided lodging, exercise, Bible study, and social activities for such men.”4 During the revival, the organization took on a more evangelistic role. It organized and hosted prayer meetings in Philadelphia, like the one mentioned above featuring Tyng, that drew crowds in the hundreds and thousands. The YMCA also began to work with other organizations like the Student Christian Association to promote revival on college campuses. At one such revival at the North Western Female College in Evanston, Illinois, future temperance leader Frances Willard came to faith in Christ. “All told as many as ninety college revivals swept through American campuses between 1857 and 1859. Those schools included Amherst, The University of California, Berkeley; Dartmouth; Davidson; Oberlin; the University of Pennsylvania; the University of Wisconsin; and Wake Forest.”5
A revival started by businessmen who prayed on their lunch break expanded to reach men of all stripes. And then an organization created to minister to men began to minister to college students including female students. In Joel 2:13, the prophet tells us, “Tear your hearts, not just your clothes, and return to the Lord your God.” And then the Lord promises in verse 28 “After this I will pour out my Spirit on all humanity; then your sons and your daughters will prophesy, your old men will have dreams, and your young men will see visions.” Let us be a people who pray and men who minister and tell others about Jesus.
1 G. Campbell Morgan, “The Revival: It’s Power and Source,” in The Welsh Revival ed. J. H. Tewksbury (New York: The Pilgrim Press, 1905), 86.
2 Hansen and Woodbridge, 85.
3. Ibid, 86-87.
3 Earle Cairns, Christianity Through the Centuries, (Grand Rapids, Zondervan: 1981), 424.
4 Hansen and Woodbridge, 89.
February 13 Day 9: Revival Resulting in a Movement that Reached Children
Scriptures: Deuteronomy 6:6-7; Mark 10:13-16
Prayer Prompt: If you have them, pray for your children.
Pray for the children in your church’s ministry and for the leaders who lead them.
Pray that your church’s children’s ministry will grow and reach more kids with the gospel.
Today, we continue to explore the ramifications of the revival of 1857/58. It did not just touch college students and invigorate organizations like the “Y.” It also affected inner cities and children. If New York was in financial ruin leading up to the revival, Chicago was in moral ruin. The city of 109,000 residents had only 70 churches. In contrast, it had hundreds of brothels.1 A twenty-one-year-old D.L. Moody was sent to the city by the YMCA to “bring a general Christian influence to the burgeoning metropolis on Lake Michigan.”2 One of Moody’s efforts was founding Sunday schools for children. We do not know when the very first “Sunday school” was started, but Robert Raikes is considered the father of Sunday school. In 1780, he began a school that met on Sundays for poor children working in Gloucester, England. The “British model of Sunday School, using the Bible as its primer grew rapidly as a means of providing a basic education for children unable to attend regular schools.”3 This model continued in the United States until the formation of the American Sunday School Union “helped shift the attention of Sunday School to specifically religious concerns: conversion of the lost and spiritual strengthening of Christians.” When Moody began to open Sunday School in Chicago during the revival of 1857/58 he did so with conversion in mind. Moody himself was a product of Sunday school. It was his Sunday School teacher Edward Kimball who visited young Moody and led him to faith in Christ. Moody would go on to do many great things for the Kingdom but his love of Sunday School never abated. Later in the century, he would recruit B. F. Jacobs to standard lessons and training for Sunday School leaders. Men like Moody and others caused the growth of Sunday School in the 1800s and reached many boys and girls as well as adults for Christ. It is estimated that over 70,000 Sunday Schools were established in the United States during the 1800’s.
Later in Life, as an evangelist, Moody liked to tell stories to grab the attention of his audience. One story reveals Moody’s concern for the souls of children. Mark Noll summarizes the story “of a father who took a young child into a field on a Sunday afternoon. While the younger was gamboling about, the father fell asleep. When he awoke, he searched with rising panic for the child had tumbled over ‘a precipice’ to its death. Moody’s moral was characteristic: ‘I thought as I read that, what a picture of the church of God! How many fathers and mothers, how many Christian men and women, are sleeping now while their children wander over the terrible precipice right into the bottomless pit! Father, mother, where is your boy tonight?”5 Can we answer Moody’s question related to the souls of children? Let us be a people who listen to the words of Deuteronomy and teach our children every opportunity we get. Let us also be a people who take children to the Lord and introduce them to His saving grace.
1 Hansen and Woodbridge, 89.
2 Mark Noll, A History of Christianity in the United States and Canada (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2001), 288.
3 Ken Hemphill and Bill Taylor, Ten Best Practices (Nashville: LifeWay, 2001), 5.
4 Noll, 290.
Scriptures: Deuteronomy 6:6-7; Mark 10:13-16
Prayer Prompt: If you have them, pray for your children.
Pray for the children in your church’s ministry and for the leaders who lead them.
Pray that your church’s children’s ministry will grow and reach more kids with the gospel.
Today, we continue to explore the ramifications of the revival of 1857/58. It did not just touch college students and invigorate organizations like the “Y.” It also affected inner cities and children. If New York was in financial ruin leading up to the revival, Chicago was in moral ruin. The city of 109,000 residents had only 70 churches. In contrast, it had hundreds of brothels.1 A twenty-one-year-old D.L. Moody was sent to the city by the YMCA to “bring a general Christian influence to the burgeoning metropolis on Lake Michigan.”2 One of Moody’s efforts was founding Sunday schools for children. We do not know when the very first “Sunday school” was started, but Robert Raikes is considered the father of Sunday school. In 1780, he began a school that met on Sundays for poor children working in Gloucester, England. The “British model of Sunday School, using the Bible as its primer grew rapidly as a means of providing a basic education for children unable to attend regular schools.”3 This model continued in the United States until the formation of the American Sunday School Union “helped shift the attention of Sunday School to specifically religious concerns: conversion of the lost and spiritual strengthening of Christians.” When Moody began to open Sunday School in Chicago during the revival of 1857/58 he did so with conversion in mind. Moody himself was a product of Sunday school. It was his Sunday School teacher Edward Kimball who visited young Moody and led him to faith in Christ. Moody would go on to do many great things for the Kingdom but his love of Sunday School never abated. Later in the century, he would recruit B. F. Jacobs to standard lessons and training for Sunday School leaders. Men like Moody and others caused the growth of Sunday School in the 1800s and reached many boys and girls as well as adults for Christ. It is estimated that over 70,000 Sunday Schools were established in the United States during the 1800’s.
Later in Life, as an evangelist, Moody liked to tell stories to grab the attention of his audience. One story reveals Moody’s concern for the souls of children. Mark Noll summarizes the story “of a father who took a young child into a field on a Sunday afternoon. While the younger was gamboling about, the father fell asleep. When he awoke, he searched with rising panic for the child had tumbled over ‘a precipice’ to its death. Moody’s moral was characteristic: ‘I thought as I read that, what a picture of the church of God! How many fathers and mothers, how many Christian men and women, are sleeping now while their children wander over the terrible precipice right into the bottomless pit! Father, mother, where is your boy tonight?”5 Can we answer Moody’s question related to the souls of children? Let us be a people who listen to the words of Deuteronomy and teach our children every opportunity we get. Let us also be a people who take children to the Lord and introduce them to His saving grace.
1 Hansen and Woodbridge, 89.
2 Mark Noll, A History of Christianity in the United States and Canada (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2001), 288.
3 Ken Hemphill and Bill Taylor, Ten Best Practices (Nashville: LifeWay, 2001), 5.
4 Noll, 290.
February 14 Day 10: Revival Resulting in a Movement that Reached Women and the World
Scriptures: Matthew 28:5-20
Prayer Prompt: If you are a woman, ask the Lord to help you experience God’s presence and experience the power of his Spirit
If you are a man, ask the Lord to bring revival to the women in your life and church.
Pray that God will call out believers to enter the ministry as a pastor, staff person, or missionary.
Today we conclude our look at the ramifications of the revival of 1857/58. The awakening did not just influence the spiritual lives of men, college students, and children it also touched the lives of women. In 1855, John Broadus became the chaplain for the University of Virginia and its sister institution the Albemarle Female Institute. In 1857, one of the earliest partnerships between the YMCA and a university led to a revival on the campus of both schools. The women at Albemarle prayed for one specific student to join the evangelistic meetings. This woman was later described by Broadus as “the most educated (or cultured) woman in the South.”1 This young woman was Lottie Moon. Lottie was not interested in Christianity and attended the meetings intending to scoff. However, after a sleepless night, she gave her life fully to Jesus.2 In 1873, Lottie Moon was commissioned by the Foreign Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention and served in China until her death in 1912. While Lottie is the most famous Southern Baptist missionary, her legacy comes not from her efforts on the mission but from the letters she wrote home encouraging others to support mission causes.
In 1887, she wrote home to challenge Southern Baptist women to generously support the missionary cause. After recounting the efforts of women from other denominations, she wrote, “In like manner, until women of our Southern Baptist churches are thoroughly aroused, we shall continue to go on in our present hand-to-mouth system.” She went on to suggest “a plan that would give unity and purpose to the organization: a week of prayer and an offering at Christmas.”3 These efforts expanded with the formation of the Women’s Missionary Union in 1888. That same year Henry Tupper, Executive Leader of the Foreign Mission Board (FMB), received a letter from Lottie Moon asking him to appoint more women for the work in China. He then requested support from the WMU’s first Corresponding Secretary, Annie Armstrong. Armstrong led the WMU to set a goal of $2,000 for the Christmas offering. This amount would fund the commissioning of 2 additional missionaries. Annie Armstrong then oversaw the publication of promotional materials and offering envelopes.4 The FMB supported the efforts with a grant of $100 of which only $72.82 was spent.5 The WMU raised $3,315.26, “enough to send 3 missionaries Miss F. S. Knight of North Carolina, Miss L. G. Barton of Texas, and Miss N. J. Thornton of Alabama” to join Lottie in China.6 In 1918, Annie Armstrong suggested renaming the Christmas offering in honor of Lottie Moon.7 Today the Lottie Moon Christmas offering raises millions of dollars each year to support the work of Southern Baptist Missionaries around the globe.
Let us pray that our churches be filled with women who seek the Savior like those in Matthew 28. Let us pray that the women in our community seek and find the risen savior like Lottie Moon. Let us also pray that God sends us out to do the work of missions by praying, giving, and going.
1 Hansen and Woodbridge, 92.
2 Ibid.
3 Alma Hunt, History of the Women’s Missionary Union (Nashville: Convention Press, 1964), 24.
4 Ibid, 44-45.
5 H. Leon McBeth, The Baptist Heritage (Nashville: Broadman, 1987), 418.
6 Hunt, 45.
7 McBeth, 419.
Scriptures: Matthew 28:5-20
Prayer Prompt: If you are a woman, ask the Lord to help you experience God’s presence and experience the power of his Spirit
If you are a man, ask the Lord to bring revival to the women in your life and church.
Pray that God will call out believers to enter the ministry as a pastor, staff person, or missionary.
Today we conclude our look at the ramifications of the revival of 1857/58. The awakening did not just influence the spiritual lives of men, college students, and children it also touched the lives of women. In 1855, John Broadus became the chaplain for the University of Virginia and its sister institution the Albemarle Female Institute. In 1857, one of the earliest partnerships between the YMCA and a university led to a revival on the campus of both schools. The women at Albemarle prayed for one specific student to join the evangelistic meetings. This woman was later described by Broadus as “the most educated (or cultured) woman in the South.”1 This young woman was Lottie Moon. Lottie was not interested in Christianity and attended the meetings intending to scoff. However, after a sleepless night, she gave her life fully to Jesus.2 In 1873, Lottie Moon was commissioned by the Foreign Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention and served in China until her death in 1912. While Lottie is the most famous Southern Baptist missionary, her legacy comes not from her efforts on the mission but from the letters she wrote home encouraging others to support mission causes.
In 1887, she wrote home to challenge Southern Baptist women to generously support the missionary cause. After recounting the efforts of women from other denominations, she wrote, “In like manner, until women of our Southern Baptist churches are thoroughly aroused, we shall continue to go on in our present hand-to-mouth system.” She went on to suggest “a plan that would give unity and purpose to the organization: a week of prayer and an offering at Christmas.”3 These efforts expanded with the formation of the Women’s Missionary Union in 1888. That same year Henry Tupper, Executive Leader of the Foreign Mission Board (FMB), received a letter from Lottie Moon asking him to appoint more women for the work in China. He then requested support from the WMU’s first Corresponding Secretary, Annie Armstrong. Armstrong led the WMU to set a goal of $2,000 for the Christmas offering. This amount would fund the commissioning of 2 additional missionaries. Annie Armstrong then oversaw the publication of promotional materials and offering envelopes.4 The FMB supported the efforts with a grant of $100 of which only $72.82 was spent.5 The WMU raised $3,315.26, “enough to send 3 missionaries Miss F. S. Knight of North Carolina, Miss L. G. Barton of Texas, and Miss N. J. Thornton of Alabama” to join Lottie in China.6 In 1918, Annie Armstrong suggested renaming the Christmas offering in honor of Lottie Moon.7 Today the Lottie Moon Christmas offering raises millions of dollars each year to support the work of Southern Baptist Missionaries around the globe.
Let us pray that our churches be filled with women who seek the Savior like those in Matthew 28. Let us pray that the women in our community seek and find the risen savior like Lottie Moon. Let us also pray that God sends us out to do the work of missions by praying, giving, and going.
1 Hansen and Woodbridge, 92.
2 Ibid.
3 Alma Hunt, History of the Women’s Missionary Union (Nashville: Convention Press, 1964), 24.
4 Ibid, 44-45.
5 H. Leon McBeth, The Baptist Heritage (Nashville: Broadman, 1987), 418.
6 Hunt, 45.
7 McBeth, 419.
Week 3
February 17 Day 11: Revival at Yale
Scripture: Matthew 24:32-35
Prayer Prompt: Pray that you will know the power of God’s Word. Pray that those around you will seek guidance and illumination from God’s Word rather than the world.
Last week, we discussed the Businessmen’s Revival or the Prayer Revival of 1857/58. There were various ripple effects from that revival. One of those ripple effects was a revival that broke out on the campus of Yale University in April of 1858. This was not the first time revival had come to the Yale campus. The first half of the 19th century saw several waves of revivals come to the college. These revivals began during the tenure of the college president Timothy Dwight.
Timothy Dwight, the grandson of Jonathan Edwards, came to Yale as president in 1795. The university was just shy of 100 years old, having started in 1701. By the time Dwight arrived to lead the school, the moral decline among students was abundant. In the years following the American Revolution, an intellectual and philosophical cloud had settled on American higher education. The war had led to a heightened understanding of the ideals of the French Revolution. The upheaval in France had led to, among other things, a critique of religion. Not only was the monarchy toppled, but the church was displaced as well. The philosophies that fueled the changing French mind had infiltrated the Yale campus. Lyman Beecher, a junior when Dwight, arrived remembers the atmosphere on campus. He wrote in his autobiography, “[I] never had any propensity to infidelity. But most of the class before me were infidels and called each other Voltaire, Rousseau, D’Alembert, etc. etc.”[1] As a result, the witness for Christ on campus was very weak. In 1795, enrollment at the college was 125 students and only 12 or 13 would claim the Christian faith.
The paltry number of believers on campus and the influence of anti-Christian philosophies were no match for the power of the Holy Spirit, however. In reality, such things were on a symptom of the true problem: a denial that Scripture was reliable and authoritative. Faculty at the school were required to affirm biblical authority and it was assumed among students. However, Dwight knew many of the students did not trust God’s Word. Throughout his tenure as president and regardless of any student’s commitment to Christ, Dwight showed genuine interest and care for his students. That care became clear during his first weeks on campus and was demonstrated through a direct confrontation with the doubt and unbelief held by the students. It was common practice for the president of the university to debate seniors in a “weekly public disputation.” Dwight allowed the students to submit debate questions for his first foray into the practice. They submitted, and he chose, the question: “Are the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament the word of God?” This selection shocked the students because they assumed the topic scared the academics under whom they studied because, assuredly, no one could defend such a ridiculous statement. During the disputation, the students presented their rebuke of God’s word. Dwight, though, was prepared, having previously prepared and preached a sermon titled “The Genuineness and Authenticity of the New Testament.” He “meticulously, ruthlessly demolished their case and constructed a well-reasoned defense of the Bible’s accuracy.”[2] This was the first crack in the anti-religious façade of the campus. Dwight’s son later asserted, “From that moment, infidelity was not only without stronghold but without a lurking place.”[3] Just as the discovery of God’s Word had led Josiah to destroy the strongholds of paganism in ancient Israel, God’s Word did the same thing at Yale.
Just two years later the groundwork that Dwight began to lay his first weeks on campus started to produce fruit. In 1797, twenty-five young men founded a group called the Moral Society of Yale College. They began to meet and hold each other accountable. The year before, in 1796, there were only 10 professing Christians on campus and 8 had graduated that year. “By 1800 [the Moral Society] included ‘between one-third and one-half of all the students in its membership.’”[4] The work of God was beginning on the campus. In typical 18th-century language Dwight defines revival: “A Revival of Religion, therefore, means nothing more than that the multitudes in a kind of concert, and within a little time, feel and confess [the power of piety.]”[5] That is what began to happen. Whereas in 1895 only one-tenth of the student body professed Christ, the revival wave of 1802 brought the number to one-third. Hermon Humphrey, a freshman at the time, recorded his feelings in his seminal work on revival published in 1859. He wrote, “The whole college was shaken. It seemed for a time as if the whole mass of students would press into the kingdom. It was the Lord’s doing and marvelous in all eyes. Oh, what a blessed change!”[6] Revival would continue to break upon the university through the 1850’s. It all began with a defense that “16 All Scripture is inspired by God, and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” (2 Ti 3:16–17)
For revival to come into a person’s life, the life of a congregation, or a school an acceptance of and reliance upon the Word of God must come first.
But there was something else at work, particularly in the Yale revival of 1802. A group of students had heard about a revival of a different sort among a different sort of people meeting in an obscure region out west in Kentucky. We will look at that tomorrow.
1] Lyman Beecher, The Autobiography of Lyman Beecher Vol 1 (Cambridge: Belknap Press, 1961), 23.
[2] Colin Hansen and John Woodbridge, A God-Sized Vision (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2010), 65.
[3] Timothy Dwight, Theology Explained and Defended in a Series of Sermons Vol 1 (New York: Harper and Brothers, 1846), 23.
[4] “Revival Transforms the Frontier,” Knowing and Doing, C.S. Lewis Institute, 2, accessed February 11, 2025, at https://www.cslewisinstitute.org/resources/revival-transforms-the-frontier/.
[5] Colin Hansen and John Woodbridge, A God-Sized Vision (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2010), 67.
[6] Heman Humphrey, Revival Sketches and Manual (New York: American Tract Society, 1859), 198.
Scripture: Matthew 24:32-35
Prayer Prompt: Pray that you will know the power of God’s Word. Pray that those around you will seek guidance and illumination from God’s Word rather than the world.
Last week, we discussed the Businessmen’s Revival or the Prayer Revival of 1857/58. There were various ripple effects from that revival. One of those ripple effects was a revival that broke out on the campus of Yale University in April of 1858. This was not the first time revival had come to the Yale campus. The first half of the 19th century saw several waves of revivals come to the college. These revivals began during the tenure of the college president Timothy Dwight.
Timothy Dwight, the grandson of Jonathan Edwards, came to Yale as president in 1795. The university was just shy of 100 years old, having started in 1701. By the time Dwight arrived to lead the school, the moral decline among students was abundant. In the years following the American Revolution, an intellectual and philosophical cloud had settled on American higher education. The war had led to a heightened understanding of the ideals of the French Revolution. The upheaval in France had led to, among other things, a critique of religion. Not only was the monarchy toppled, but the church was displaced as well. The philosophies that fueled the changing French mind had infiltrated the Yale campus. Lyman Beecher, a junior when Dwight, arrived remembers the atmosphere on campus. He wrote in his autobiography, “[I] never had any propensity to infidelity. But most of the class before me were infidels and called each other Voltaire, Rousseau, D’Alembert, etc. etc.”[1] As a result, the witness for Christ on campus was very weak. In 1795, enrollment at the college was 125 students and only 12 or 13 would claim the Christian faith.
The paltry number of believers on campus and the influence of anti-Christian philosophies were no match for the power of the Holy Spirit, however. In reality, such things were on a symptom of the true problem: a denial that Scripture was reliable and authoritative. Faculty at the school were required to affirm biblical authority and it was assumed among students. However, Dwight knew many of the students did not trust God’s Word. Throughout his tenure as president and regardless of any student’s commitment to Christ, Dwight showed genuine interest and care for his students. That care became clear during his first weeks on campus and was demonstrated through a direct confrontation with the doubt and unbelief held by the students. It was common practice for the president of the university to debate seniors in a “weekly public disputation.” Dwight allowed the students to submit debate questions for his first foray into the practice. They submitted, and he chose, the question: “Are the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament the word of God?” This selection shocked the students because they assumed the topic scared the academics under whom they studied because, assuredly, no one could defend such a ridiculous statement. During the disputation, the students presented their rebuke of God’s word. Dwight, though, was prepared, having previously prepared and preached a sermon titled “The Genuineness and Authenticity of the New Testament.” He “meticulously, ruthlessly demolished their case and constructed a well-reasoned defense of the Bible’s accuracy.”[2] This was the first crack in the anti-religious façade of the campus. Dwight’s son later asserted, “From that moment, infidelity was not only without stronghold but without a lurking place.”[3] Just as the discovery of God’s Word had led Josiah to destroy the strongholds of paganism in ancient Israel, God’s Word did the same thing at Yale.
Just two years later the groundwork that Dwight began to lay his first weeks on campus started to produce fruit. In 1797, twenty-five young men founded a group called the Moral Society of Yale College. They began to meet and hold each other accountable. The year before, in 1796, there were only 10 professing Christians on campus and 8 had graduated that year. “By 1800 [the Moral Society] included ‘between one-third and one-half of all the students in its membership.’”[4] The work of God was beginning on the campus. In typical 18th-century language Dwight defines revival: “A Revival of Religion, therefore, means nothing more than that the multitudes in a kind of concert, and within a little time, feel and confess [the power of piety.]”[5] That is what began to happen. Whereas in 1895 only one-tenth of the student body professed Christ, the revival wave of 1802 brought the number to one-third. Hermon Humphrey, a freshman at the time, recorded his feelings in his seminal work on revival published in 1859. He wrote, “The whole college was shaken. It seemed for a time as if the whole mass of students would press into the kingdom. It was the Lord’s doing and marvelous in all eyes. Oh, what a blessed change!”[6] Revival would continue to break upon the university through the 1850’s. It all began with a defense that “16 All Scripture is inspired by God, and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” (2 Ti 3:16–17)
For revival to come into a person’s life, the life of a congregation, or a school an acceptance of and reliance upon the Word of God must come first.
But there was something else at work, particularly in the Yale revival of 1802. A group of students had heard about a revival of a different sort among a different sort of people meeting in an obscure region out west in Kentucky. We will look at that tomorrow.
1] Lyman Beecher, The Autobiography of Lyman Beecher Vol 1 (Cambridge: Belknap Press, 1961), 23.
[2] Colin Hansen and John Woodbridge, A God-Sized Vision (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2010), 65.
[3] Timothy Dwight, Theology Explained and Defended in a Series of Sermons Vol 1 (New York: Harper and Brothers, 1846), 23.
[4] “Revival Transforms the Frontier,” Knowing and Doing, C.S. Lewis Institute, 2, accessed February 11, 2025, at https://www.cslewisinstitute.org/resources/revival-transforms-the-frontier/.
[5] Colin Hansen and John Woodbridge, A God-Sized Vision (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2010), 67.
[6] Heman Humphrey, Revival Sketches and Manual (New York: American Tract Society, 1859), 198.
February 18 Day 12: Revival in the Woods
Scripture: 2 Timothy 3:1-17
Prayer Prompt: Pray that you will be present physically and spiritually when the Word is preached. Pray that those who hear the Word will respond when the Lord speaks.
Even before the days of the First Great Awakening during the first half of the 1700s, there had been a debate about emotionalism present in the meetings. Some felt it was unacceptable. Others, like Jonathan Edwards, tolerated it but did not endorse it in his writings. The complete opposite of the stoic Presbyterian service of the early 1700s was manifested at the Cane Ridge Revival in 1801. Cane Ridge Church, in Bourbon County Kentucky, hosted what would become known as a “camp meeting.” These meetings were an evolution of what early Presbyterians in New England called Communion Seasons where people would gather for a few days to prepare and take communion.[1] These types of events had often led to revivals or spiritual awakenings. The events at Cane Ridge would far outstrip such previous events. One historian says, “What took place… is a veritable vector in American history, social and demographic as well as religious.”[2] Yet another writer states, “Cane Ridge was the scene of what many people regard as the most spectacular of the revival meetings of the 1800 revival.”[3] So what happened at Cane Ridge?
To understand what happened at the revival we must first understand a little bit about the historical and cultural context. At that time, the newly minted state of Kentucky was the wild west. A Methodist preacher of the time described the inhabitants “as terrible people: murderers, gamblers, horse thieves, drunkards, whoremongers, fornicators, cheats, highway robbers, and counterfeiters.”[4] The area around Cane Ridge was known as “Rouge’s Harbor” because of the number of fugitives from the law who hid out in the area.[5] The lax moral character of the inhabitants of the land, though, could not stand against the power of God. In 1801, after having visited and participated in several Communion Seasons in the region, the pastor at Cane Ridge Church, Barton Stone, began to organize a meeting for his church. While he prepared for large crowds as he had witnessed at other such events, the turnout was more than anyone expected. Eyewitness accounts range between 10,000 to 30,000 participants in the Cane Ridge revival. Present at the event were “Presbyterians, Methodists, Baptists, and deists. Descendants of Scotch-Irish, English, and African immigrations. People high and low on the social scale. Slaves and free people. Women and men.”[6] The meeting was of course held mainly outdoors. The participants slept in various homes and barns. Many camped in the area. The event began on Friday, August 6th and “continued, slowly dribbling to a stop on Thursday.”[7] The event was truly a mix of theologies and denominations. “[Eighteen] to 20 ministers (mostly Presbyterian, a few fiery Methodists, and one African American Baptist) preached for six days and nights to a multitude of people camped along ten acres.”[8] Their preaching was met with repentance, salvation, and prayer. James B. Finny reported on the events and said, “The nearest approximation to it…was the revival on the day of Pentecost.”[9] There were also manifestations that some might refer to as emotionalism and others might refer to as movements of the Spirit. We should not concern ourselves too deeply about those who demonstrated sensational as some have “even though they were restricted to a relative few.”[10]
Instead of focusing on the curious occurrences at the revival, we should note the results of the revival. First, a dark place was illuminated by the Light when between 1,000 and 3,000 people came to faith in Jesus.[11]Moreover, historians report a “rapid establishment of churches that followed the camp meetings.[12] Second, we can acknowledge the distantly American or democratic nature of the changing face of Christianity in America. The leaders of the revival espoused, “Human beings possess the capacity to decide to receive Christ's salvation. How else would a God of love create men and women? So, under the impact of powerful preaching, people would believe through vital experience—and believing would make it so.” The historian Samuel Hill continues, “In plain talk: it's up to each person to take advantage of the ways and means God affords us. We can and we must.”[13]
Second Timothy chapter 3 tells us that there will be evil in the world, and we should avoid it. It goes on to admonish us to stand firm on the Truth of Scripture. It is able “to give you wisdom for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” (2 Timothy 3:15) The style and elements present at Cane Ridge and the camp meeting phenomena that developed out of it affect us today. Churches that practice “revival meetings” today owe this practice to events like Cane Ridge. Meeting together over a period of time, communing together under the teaching of the Word, and making a personal decision to follow the Lord mark many modern revival meetings. However, one thing is certain, to experience the effects of the meeting one must be present; one must hear the Word; and one must respond to the Word. Let us commit to being present at our revival meetings to come.
[1] Mark Noll, A History of Christianity in the United States and Canada (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2001), 69.
[2] Samuel Hill, “Cane Ridge Had a Context: Let’s See What They Are,” in Cane Ridge in Context, ed. Anthony L. Dunnavant (Nashville: Disciples of Christ Historical Society, 1992), 117-118.
[3] “Revival Transforms the Frontier,” 4.
[4] Amy Lifson, “Like at Cane Ridge,” Humanities 46, no. 4 (2024), https://www.neh.gov/article/cane-ridge.
[5] “Revival Transforms the Frontier,” 3.
[6] Hill, 118.
[7] Mark Galli, “Revival at Cane Ridge” Christian History 45, (1994) https://www.christianitytoday.com/1995/01/revival-at-cane-ridge.
[8] Like at Cane Ridge.
[9] Revival at Cane Ridge.
[10] Like at Cane Ridge.
[11] Ibid.
[12] Noll, 167.
[13] Hill, 125.
Scripture: 2 Timothy 3:1-17
Prayer Prompt: Pray that you will be present physically and spiritually when the Word is preached. Pray that those who hear the Word will respond when the Lord speaks.
Even before the days of the First Great Awakening during the first half of the 1700s, there had been a debate about emotionalism present in the meetings. Some felt it was unacceptable. Others, like Jonathan Edwards, tolerated it but did not endorse it in his writings. The complete opposite of the stoic Presbyterian service of the early 1700s was manifested at the Cane Ridge Revival in 1801. Cane Ridge Church, in Bourbon County Kentucky, hosted what would become known as a “camp meeting.” These meetings were an evolution of what early Presbyterians in New England called Communion Seasons where people would gather for a few days to prepare and take communion.[1] These types of events had often led to revivals or spiritual awakenings. The events at Cane Ridge would far outstrip such previous events. One historian says, “What took place… is a veritable vector in American history, social and demographic as well as religious.”[2] Yet another writer states, “Cane Ridge was the scene of what many people regard as the most spectacular of the revival meetings of the 1800 revival.”[3] So what happened at Cane Ridge?
To understand what happened at the revival we must first understand a little bit about the historical and cultural context. At that time, the newly minted state of Kentucky was the wild west. A Methodist preacher of the time described the inhabitants “as terrible people: murderers, gamblers, horse thieves, drunkards, whoremongers, fornicators, cheats, highway robbers, and counterfeiters.”[4] The area around Cane Ridge was known as “Rouge’s Harbor” because of the number of fugitives from the law who hid out in the area.[5] The lax moral character of the inhabitants of the land, though, could not stand against the power of God. In 1801, after having visited and participated in several Communion Seasons in the region, the pastor at Cane Ridge Church, Barton Stone, began to organize a meeting for his church. While he prepared for large crowds as he had witnessed at other such events, the turnout was more than anyone expected. Eyewitness accounts range between 10,000 to 30,000 participants in the Cane Ridge revival. Present at the event were “Presbyterians, Methodists, Baptists, and deists. Descendants of Scotch-Irish, English, and African immigrations. People high and low on the social scale. Slaves and free people. Women and men.”[6] The meeting was of course held mainly outdoors. The participants slept in various homes and barns. Many camped in the area. The event began on Friday, August 6th and “continued, slowly dribbling to a stop on Thursday.”[7] The event was truly a mix of theologies and denominations. “[Eighteen] to 20 ministers (mostly Presbyterian, a few fiery Methodists, and one African American Baptist) preached for six days and nights to a multitude of people camped along ten acres.”[8] Their preaching was met with repentance, salvation, and prayer. James B. Finny reported on the events and said, “The nearest approximation to it…was the revival on the day of Pentecost.”[9] There were also manifestations that some might refer to as emotionalism and others might refer to as movements of the Spirit. We should not concern ourselves too deeply about those who demonstrated sensational as some have “even though they were restricted to a relative few.”[10]
Instead of focusing on the curious occurrences at the revival, we should note the results of the revival. First, a dark place was illuminated by the Light when between 1,000 and 3,000 people came to faith in Jesus.[11]Moreover, historians report a “rapid establishment of churches that followed the camp meetings.[12] Second, we can acknowledge the distantly American or democratic nature of the changing face of Christianity in America. The leaders of the revival espoused, “Human beings possess the capacity to decide to receive Christ's salvation. How else would a God of love create men and women? So, under the impact of powerful preaching, people would believe through vital experience—and believing would make it so.” The historian Samuel Hill continues, “In plain talk: it's up to each person to take advantage of the ways and means God affords us. We can and we must.”[13]
Second Timothy chapter 3 tells us that there will be evil in the world, and we should avoid it. It goes on to admonish us to stand firm on the Truth of Scripture. It is able “to give you wisdom for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” (2 Timothy 3:15) The style and elements present at Cane Ridge and the camp meeting phenomena that developed out of it affect us today. Churches that practice “revival meetings” today owe this practice to events like Cane Ridge. Meeting together over a period of time, communing together under the teaching of the Word, and making a personal decision to follow the Lord mark many modern revival meetings. However, one thing is certain, to experience the effects of the meeting one must be present; one must hear the Word; and one must respond to the Word. Let us commit to being present at our revival meetings to come.
[1] Mark Noll, A History of Christianity in the United States and Canada (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2001), 69.
[2] Samuel Hill, “Cane Ridge Had a Context: Let’s See What They Are,” in Cane Ridge in Context, ed. Anthony L. Dunnavant (Nashville: Disciples of Christ Historical Society, 1992), 117-118.
[3] “Revival Transforms the Frontier,” 4.
[4] Amy Lifson, “Like at Cane Ridge,” Humanities 46, no. 4 (2024), https://www.neh.gov/article/cane-ridge.
[5] “Revival Transforms the Frontier,” 3.
[6] Hill, 118.
[7] Mark Galli, “Revival at Cane Ridge” Christian History 45, (1994) https://www.christianitytoday.com/1995/01/revival-at-cane-ridge.
[8] Like at Cane Ridge.
[9] Revival at Cane Ridge.
[10] Like at Cane Ridge.
[11] Ibid.
[12] Noll, 167.
[13] Hill, 125.
February 19 Day 13: Revival in Manchuria
Scripture: Nehemiah 8:1-12
Prayer Prompt: Pray that you will be present physically and spiritually when the Word is preached. Pray that those who hear the Word will respond when the Lord speaks.
Yesterday, we discussed the events that took place at Cane Ridge in 1801. The revival in the Kentucky hinterland was part of the initial events of what some call the Second Great Awakening that took place chiefly between 1824 and 1840.[1] Mark Noll argues that the second half of the 1700s experienced a decline in American religiosity.[2] Others like Thomas Kidd view this era as a “reorganization.”[3] Regardless of how you define this period, we can still see what Noll calls a “rekindling of interest in Christianity” at the turn of the 19th century.[4] The Second Great Awakening was more widespread than the first, taking place in the urbanizing city centers of the new country as well as the rural hinterlands. Moreover, the revivals of the 1800s were not as controlled or maintained by the established clergy or the organized churches. One key figure in the revivals of the 1800s was a man named Charles Finney.
After coming to faith in Christ in 1821, Finney immediately began preaching. Having no theological training did not hold him back from advancing the gospel to all strata of society. “From 1825 to 1830 he stormed from obscurity into national prominence as the most talked-about and sought-after preacher since Whitefield.”[5] His style was nothing like the formal exhortations heard in established churches. Instead, “he told ministers to throw out their notes, look their audience square in the face, and preach in a way that was colloquial, repetitious, conversational, and lively—‘language of common life.’”[6] Not only did Finney make a point of preaching in a specific style, but he also developed methods that encouraged conversion. Finney’s innovations would change the face of American Christianity.
Two of his “new measures” were the “anxious bench” or the “anxious seat” and the protracted meeting. The anxious seat, a technique borrowed from the Methodists of his day, was a special area near the front of the meeting. During the evangelistic meetings or revival services, he invited those who were concerned for their soul to come and pray. Modern churches still practice an adapted form of this “new measure.” From this practice, we have developed the alter call, during which those seeking counsel or While these tactics might seem manipulative to some, Finney presents a reasonable logic behind his methods. In his book Lectures on Revival of Religion, he posits, “Suppose a man were to go and preach… among farmers, about their sowing grain. Let him tell them that God is a sovereign, and will give them a crop only when it pleases him, and that for them to plow and plant and labor as if they expected to raise a crop is very wrong, and taking the work out of the hands of God, that it interferes with his sovereignty, and is going on in their own strength: and that there is no connection between the means and the result on which they can depend. And now, suppose the farmers should believe such doctrine. Why, they would starve the world to death.” He goes on to assert, that to say “that there is no natural connection between the means and the end…[results in] generation after generation has gone down to hell.”[11] To put it plainly, if we expect God to act while we do nothing to promote the work of salvation we should really not expect God to act. We plant and water and He brings the increase. While the practical outcomes of Finney’s practices can be seen in the Evangelical church today, the philosophical and theological ramifications were felt acutely in the revival experienced in China in the early 20th century.
Finney’s evangelistic philosophy revolutionized the ministry of a missionary in Manchuria, China in the early 1900s. In 1905, Jonathan Goforth received a copy of Finney’s work. Goforth says, “it was finally something that set me afire.”[12] Goforth, a Canadian, had come to the mission field in 1887. Missionary efforts in the world’s most populous nation were struggling to win converts. In 1889, there were just 37,000 church members in the country. The outbreak of the Boxer Rebellion in 1900 further thwarted their efforts as many missionaries had to leave the country. Goforth himself was attacked and nearly killed. He and his family spent a year in Canada recovering. When they returned, it seemed that something had changed in China. While the work was still difficult there was forward motion in the effort to win the Chinese for Jesus. Goforth set out to participate in the work of God in Manchuria. He recounts his efforts and God’s work in his book, By My Spirit. The revival was marked by healed relationships between the victims and perpetrators of the Boxer Rebellion. The Christians saw deliverance from sin and demonic possession. Healing was not uncommon. Most importantly according to Goforth’s contemporary, Baptist missionary C. L. Culpepper, was not the healing or outward manifestations of faith. He writes, “healing was not stressed. The emphasis was on repentance and confession of sin. The proof of the reality of the revival was seen in transformed lives, as persons were being saved continually through the spontaneous testimony of those who received salvation from Christ's atoning death on the cross.”[13]
A shining example of Culpepper’s assertion is the revival that took place in Shinminfu. During the Boxer Rebellion, 54 Chinese Christians were martyred there. The surviving Christians had prepared a list of 250 perpetrators on whom they planned to seek vengeance. On the fourth day of the meetings led by Goforth one of the leaders of the local church approached the platform to pray. During a confessional conversation with Goforth that was heard by those in the room, the man confessed that he could never forgive the man who murdered his father. Goforth reminded the man of the truths concerning the importance of forgiveness in Matthew chapter 6. After their conversation in which it was clear this man would not follow the prompting of the Spirit to forgive the perpetrators, a young boy stood and announced his intention to forgive the men who killed his father. With this pronouncement, a total of 9 boys stood and vowed likewise. The man left with no intention of following their example. The next day he returned and called the boys forward and addressed them.
“When I went home after the service I thought of how the devil would be sure to take advantage of my example and put you boys to ridicule. People would say that you were too young to know your own minds. Then they would point to me as an intelligent man who surely ought to know his own mind, and say ' he doesn't believe in that foolish talk about forgiving one's enemies.' So, lest the devil should mislead you, I have bought these nine hymn books and I am going to present one to each of you, in the hope that every time you open it to praise God from its pages you will recall how that I, an evangelist, received from Him grace to forgive the murderer of my father." Just then the list containing the names of those upon whom the Christians had planned to take revenge was brought up to the front and torn into bits and the fragments trampled under foot.”[14]
In the concluding chapter of his book, Goforth presents three essentials to revival: prayer, Bible study, and the Lordship of Christ. Of scripture and revival, he wrote, “We wish to affirm, too, that we can entertain no hope of a mighty, globe-encircling Holy Spirit revival without there being first a back-to-the-Bible movement.”[15] While he might have been enflamed by the words and efforts of Finney, the Word of God was paramount in his missionary efforts. The same should be said for us today. While we might hold prolonged meetings and invite people to walk an aisle, while we might put up a sign inviting others to join us, while we might have a “light dinner” to encourage people to attend, if we do not pray, rely on the Bible, and proclaim Jesus as Lord, revival will not and cannot come. Goforth says, “We wish to state most emphatically as our conviction that God's revival may be had when we will and where we will.”[16] If we wish to see God move, we must be ready to move with Him.
[1] Caleb Mathis, “5 Revival Movements to Get us Ready for the Next One” assessed February 11, https://www.crossroads.net/media/articles/revival-movements.
[2] Noll, 166.
[3] Thomas Kidd, The Great Awakening (New Haven: Yale Press, 2007), 320.
[4] Noll, 166.
[5] Nathan Hatch, The Democratization of American Christianity, (New Haven: Yale, 1989), 196.
[6] Ibid, 197.
[7] Noll, 176.
[8] Hatch, 196.
[9] Noll, 176.
[10] Hatch, 159.
[11] Charles Finney, Lectures on Revival (New York: Fleming, 1968) 11.
[12] Jonathan Goforth, By My Spirit (London: Marshall, Morgan and Scott, n.d.), 24.
[13] C.L. Culpepper, The Shantung Revival, accessed https://www.gospeltruth.net/shantung.htm.
[14] Goforth, 56-59.
[15] Goforth, 185.
[16] Ibid, 180.
Scripture: Nehemiah 8:1-12
Prayer Prompt: Pray that you will be present physically and spiritually when the Word is preached. Pray that those who hear the Word will respond when the Lord speaks.
Yesterday, we discussed the events that took place at Cane Ridge in 1801. The revival in the Kentucky hinterland was part of the initial events of what some call the Second Great Awakening that took place chiefly between 1824 and 1840.[1] Mark Noll argues that the second half of the 1700s experienced a decline in American religiosity.[2] Others like Thomas Kidd view this era as a “reorganization.”[3] Regardless of how you define this period, we can still see what Noll calls a “rekindling of interest in Christianity” at the turn of the 19th century.[4] The Second Great Awakening was more widespread than the first, taking place in the urbanizing city centers of the new country as well as the rural hinterlands. Moreover, the revivals of the 1800s were not as controlled or maintained by the established clergy or the organized churches. One key figure in the revivals of the 1800s was a man named Charles Finney.
After coming to faith in Christ in 1821, Finney immediately began preaching. Having no theological training did not hold him back from advancing the gospel to all strata of society. “From 1825 to 1830 he stormed from obscurity into national prominence as the most talked-about and sought-after preacher since Whitefield.”[5] His style was nothing like the formal exhortations heard in established churches. Instead, “he told ministers to throw out their notes, look their audience square in the face, and preach in a way that was colloquial, repetitious, conversational, and lively—‘language of common life.’”[6] Not only did Finney make a point of preaching in a specific style, but he also developed methods that encouraged conversion. Finney’s innovations would change the face of American Christianity.
Two of his “new measures” were the “anxious bench” or the “anxious seat” and the protracted meeting. The anxious seat, a technique borrowed from the Methodists of his day, was a special area near the front of the meeting. During the evangelistic meetings or revival services, he invited those who were concerned for their soul to come and pray. Modern churches still practice an adapted form of this “new measure.” From this practice, we have developed the alter call, during which those seeking counsel or While these tactics might seem manipulative to some, Finney presents a reasonable logic behind his methods. In his book Lectures on Revival of Religion, he posits, “Suppose a man were to go and preach… among farmers, about their sowing grain. Let him tell them that God is a sovereign, and will give them a crop only when it pleases him, and that for them to plow and plant and labor as if they expected to raise a crop is very wrong, and taking the work out of the hands of God, that it interferes with his sovereignty, and is going on in their own strength: and that there is no connection between the means and the result on which they can depend. And now, suppose the farmers should believe such doctrine. Why, they would starve the world to death.” He goes on to assert, that to say “that there is no natural connection between the means and the end…[results in] generation after generation has gone down to hell.”[11] To put it plainly, if we expect God to act while we do nothing to promote the work of salvation we should really not expect God to act. We plant and water and He brings the increase. While the practical outcomes of Finney’s practices can be seen in the Evangelical church today, the philosophical and theological ramifications were felt acutely in the revival experienced in China in the early 20th century.
Finney’s evangelistic philosophy revolutionized the ministry of a missionary in Manchuria, China in the early 1900s. In 1905, Jonathan Goforth received a copy of Finney’s work. Goforth says, “it was finally something that set me afire.”[12] Goforth, a Canadian, had come to the mission field in 1887. Missionary efforts in the world’s most populous nation were struggling to win converts. In 1889, there were just 37,000 church members in the country. The outbreak of the Boxer Rebellion in 1900 further thwarted their efforts as many missionaries had to leave the country. Goforth himself was attacked and nearly killed. He and his family spent a year in Canada recovering. When they returned, it seemed that something had changed in China. While the work was still difficult there was forward motion in the effort to win the Chinese for Jesus. Goforth set out to participate in the work of God in Manchuria. He recounts his efforts and God’s work in his book, By My Spirit. The revival was marked by healed relationships between the victims and perpetrators of the Boxer Rebellion. The Christians saw deliverance from sin and demonic possession. Healing was not uncommon. Most importantly according to Goforth’s contemporary, Baptist missionary C. L. Culpepper, was not the healing or outward manifestations of faith. He writes, “healing was not stressed. The emphasis was on repentance and confession of sin. The proof of the reality of the revival was seen in transformed lives, as persons were being saved continually through the spontaneous testimony of those who received salvation from Christ's atoning death on the cross.”[13]
A shining example of Culpepper’s assertion is the revival that took place in Shinminfu. During the Boxer Rebellion, 54 Chinese Christians were martyred there. The surviving Christians had prepared a list of 250 perpetrators on whom they planned to seek vengeance. On the fourth day of the meetings led by Goforth one of the leaders of the local church approached the platform to pray. During a confessional conversation with Goforth that was heard by those in the room, the man confessed that he could never forgive the man who murdered his father. Goforth reminded the man of the truths concerning the importance of forgiveness in Matthew chapter 6. After their conversation in which it was clear this man would not follow the prompting of the Spirit to forgive the perpetrators, a young boy stood and announced his intention to forgive the men who killed his father. With this pronouncement, a total of 9 boys stood and vowed likewise. The man left with no intention of following their example. The next day he returned and called the boys forward and addressed them.
“When I went home after the service I thought of how the devil would be sure to take advantage of my example and put you boys to ridicule. People would say that you were too young to know your own minds. Then they would point to me as an intelligent man who surely ought to know his own mind, and say ' he doesn't believe in that foolish talk about forgiving one's enemies.' So, lest the devil should mislead you, I have bought these nine hymn books and I am going to present one to each of you, in the hope that every time you open it to praise God from its pages you will recall how that I, an evangelist, received from Him grace to forgive the murderer of my father." Just then the list containing the names of those upon whom the Christians had planned to take revenge was brought up to the front and torn into bits and the fragments trampled under foot.”[14]
In the concluding chapter of his book, Goforth presents three essentials to revival: prayer, Bible study, and the Lordship of Christ. Of scripture and revival, he wrote, “We wish to affirm, too, that we can entertain no hope of a mighty, globe-encircling Holy Spirit revival without there being first a back-to-the-Bible movement.”[15] While he might have been enflamed by the words and efforts of Finney, the Word of God was paramount in his missionary efforts. The same should be said for us today. While we might hold prolonged meetings and invite people to walk an aisle, while we might put up a sign inviting others to join us, while we might have a “light dinner” to encourage people to attend, if we do not pray, rely on the Bible, and proclaim Jesus as Lord, revival will not and cannot come. Goforth says, “We wish to state most emphatically as our conviction that God's revival may be had when we will and where we will.”[16] If we wish to see God move, we must be ready to move with Him.
[1] Caleb Mathis, “5 Revival Movements to Get us Ready for the Next One” assessed February 11, https://www.crossroads.net/media/articles/revival-movements.
[2] Noll, 166.
[3] Thomas Kidd, The Great Awakening (New Haven: Yale Press, 2007), 320.
[4] Noll, 166.
[5] Nathan Hatch, The Democratization of American Christianity, (New Haven: Yale, 1989), 196.
[6] Ibid, 197.
[7] Noll, 176.
[8] Hatch, 196.
[9] Noll, 176.
[10] Hatch, 159.
[11] Charles Finney, Lectures on Revival (New York: Fleming, 1968) 11.
[12] Jonathan Goforth, By My Spirit (London: Marshall, Morgan and Scott, n.d.), 24.
[13] C.L. Culpepper, The Shantung Revival, accessed https://www.gospeltruth.net/shantung.htm.
[14] Goforth, 56-59.
[15] Goforth, 185.
[16] Ibid, 180.
February 20 Day 14: Revival in the Spirit by the Word
Scripture: Romans 15:1-13
Prayer Prompt: Ask the Lord to fill you with the presence of His Spirit. Ask the Lord to fill you with the knowledge of His word. Ask the Spirit to empower you to share His Word.
While Goforth and Finney understood the role of the preacher, the revival itself, and the individual, the Word of God was their paramount tool for power and the gospel message. While Goforth was preaching in China, many others were trying to bring Christ to the world’s most populous nation. Marie Monsen was a Norwegian missionary who arrived in southern China in 1901. Most of her ministry took place in this region but she was instrumental in the revival that took place in the north. Monsen was known for asking anyone she met “Have you been born again.” She would ask not only those in evangelistic meetings but also missionaries and pastors alike. This offended some, but for Monsen it was a simple question that anyone should be able to answer. The Chinese church in the early 1900s struggled with the plague of nominal Christianity. Reporting to a group of ministers one church leader reported that he “felt more than 1,000 church members had been converted to Christianity, not to Christ.” Monsen had reached a similar conclusion. “She became convinced that most church members had never experienced the second birth.”[1] Therefore, it was right and proper to ask anyone she met “Have you been born again.”
Monsen responded to the situation in northern China by pursuing the power of the Spirit in her ministry. She also encouraged others to pursue the promise of Galatians 3:14, “The purpose was that the blessing of Abraham would come to the Gentiles by Christ Jesus, so that we could receive the promised Spirit through faith.” C. L. Culpepper, a Southern Baptist missionary, knew that his report of Monsen’s focus on the Spirit and the subsequent work of the Spirit would concern some of his Baptist brothers. In his book on the Shantung revival he writes, “Many things in this book will be hard for some to understand.” He goes on the define how he, and presumably Monsen, defined the filling of the Spirit. “The terminology is not used in a technical or theological way… [instead] these expressions…designate the experience of total surrender to the Spirit, resulting in a dramatic experience of Christian joy.” However, lest anyone think that these missionaries were become too “charismatic” in their ministry Culpepper reminds his readers Mary Crawford’s appraisal of Monsen, “Miss Monsen herself is one of the quietest speakers I ever heard. There was very poor singing, no invitation for public decisions, only the quiet question, 'Have you been born again?” [2] For Monsen, the work of the Spirit was done in partnership with the Word. Another saying often uttered by Monsen was “The Spirit uses the Word.”[3] This work of the Spirit coupled with the power of the Word was evident during a horrifying event at sea.
During a 1929 voyage to north China, her ship was hijacked by pirates. Upon hearing the gunfire on deck, she began praying a personalized version of Isaiah 41:10, “Fear not, Marie, for I am with thee. Be not dismayed, Marie, for I am thy God. I will strengthen thee, Marie, with the right hand of my righteousness. Fear not, Marie.'"[4] The following weeks were truly “a trial of [her] faith.” Once a man entered her room threatening to shoot her. She responded, "Oh no, you cannot shoot me. You cannot shoot me whenever you like. My God says that no weapon formed against me shall prosper. You cannot use your pistol whenever you like and shoot me. You must have special permission from the Living God to do that.” Another time a man who was like the “devil himself” entered her room. She asked the Lord for protection and then proceeded to share the gospel with the man for an hour. He left her room with tears in his eyes. Throughout the ordeal, Monsen never ate in the dining hall. The Lord had provisioned her before the trip by guiding her to purchase a crate of apples “for no apparent reason” and conserving some chocolate that was sent from abroad. While not eating in the dining hall, she did visit it during mealtimes, she did visit it during mealtimes. She would pass out gospel tracts to the pirates. One would read aloud while the others listened, often with tears in their eyes. At the conclusion of the ordeal, some pirates wanted to take her along as a hostage. The leader refused having decided she had been on a hunger strike for 23 days. When they were finally freed, the other passengers gathered around Monsen asking for gospel tracts. They said, "We have seen that your God is the true God, and we want to believe in Him too."[5]
This is just one example of Monsen’s pairing of the Spirit and the Word. Her bold proclamation of the Word was a manifestation of the Spirit’s power in her life. After the voyage, she continued her ministry in northern China and saw a great revival. Mary Crawford, a Southern Baptist missionary, wrote about the movement of the Spirit: “Numbers of Christians and churches are being revived; restitution of money is being made, tithes of the Lord held back are being brought forward; sins confessed to God and to those who have been wronged; sick are being healed; devils cast out; men and women, boys and girls are preaching with a power hitherto not known; hundred are crying for mercy and are being saved.”[6] When the Word is proclaimed and the Spirit moves, lives are changed. I am not sure what would surprise Mary Crawford’s Baptist readers more: that “men and women, boys and girls are preaching with a power” or that “tithes of the Lord held back are being brought forward.” The movement of the Spirit is dramatic but here we see that the dramatic movement is simple confession and right living.
As we commit to following God’s Word and open ourselves up to the Spirit, we will be ready to experience the power of revival. At that time the reality of Paul’s prayer in Romans 15 will be a reality. “13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (15:13)
[1] C.L. Culpepper, The Shantung Revival, accessed https://www.gospeltruth.net/shantung.htm.
[2] Ibid.
[3] Hansen and Woodbridge, 148.
[4] Ibid, 149 and “Marie Monson,” Asia Harvest accessed on February 12, 2025 https://www.asiaharvest.org/china-resources/shandong/marie-monsenIbid, 149 and Asia Harvest.
[5] Asia Harvest.
[6] Hansen and Woodbridge, 149-150.
Scripture: Romans 15:1-13
Prayer Prompt: Ask the Lord to fill you with the presence of His Spirit. Ask the Lord to fill you with the knowledge of His word. Ask the Spirit to empower you to share His Word.
While Goforth and Finney understood the role of the preacher, the revival itself, and the individual, the Word of God was their paramount tool for power and the gospel message. While Goforth was preaching in China, many others were trying to bring Christ to the world’s most populous nation. Marie Monsen was a Norwegian missionary who arrived in southern China in 1901. Most of her ministry took place in this region but she was instrumental in the revival that took place in the north. Monsen was known for asking anyone she met “Have you been born again.” She would ask not only those in evangelistic meetings but also missionaries and pastors alike. This offended some, but for Monsen it was a simple question that anyone should be able to answer. The Chinese church in the early 1900s struggled with the plague of nominal Christianity. Reporting to a group of ministers one church leader reported that he “felt more than 1,000 church members had been converted to Christianity, not to Christ.” Monsen had reached a similar conclusion. “She became convinced that most church members had never experienced the second birth.”[1] Therefore, it was right and proper to ask anyone she met “Have you been born again.”
Monsen responded to the situation in northern China by pursuing the power of the Spirit in her ministry. She also encouraged others to pursue the promise of Galatians 3:14, “The purpose was that the blessing of Abraham would come to the Gentiles by Christ Jesus, so that we could receive the promised Spirit through faith.” C. L. Culpepper, a Southern Baptist missionary, knew that his report of Monsen’s focus on the Spirit and the subsequent work of the Spirit would concern some of his Baptist brothers. In his book on the Shantung revival he writes, “Many things in this book will be hard for some to understand.” He goes on the define how he, and presumably Monsen, defined the filling of the Spirit. “The terminology is not used in a technical or theological way… [instead] these expressions…designate the experience of total surrender to the Spirit, resulting in a dramatic experience of Christian joy.” However, lest anyone think that these missionaries were become too “charismatic” in their ministry Culpepper reminds his readers Mary Crawford’s appraisal of Monsen, “Miss Monsen herself is one of the quietest speakers I ever heard. There was very poor singing, no invitation for public decisions, only the quiet question, 'Have you been born again?” [2] For Monsen, the work of the Spirit was done in partnership with the Word. Another saying often uttered by Monsen was “The Spirit uses the Word.”[3] This work of the Spirit coupled with the power of the Word was evident during a horrifying event at sea.
During a 1929 voyage to north China, her ship was hijacked by pirates. Upon hearing the gunfire on deck, she began praying a personalized version of Isaiah 41:10, “Fear not, Marie, for I am with thee. Be not dismayed, Marie, for I am thy God. I will strengthen thee, Marie, with the right hand of my righteousness. Fear not, Marie.'"[4] The following weeks were truly “a trial of [her] faith.” Once a man entered her room threatening to shoot her. She responded, "Oh no, you cannot shoot me. You cannot shoot me whenever you like. My God says that no weapon formed against me shall prosper. You cannot use your pistol whenever you like and shoot me. You must have special permission from the Living God to do that.” Another time a man who was like the “devil himself” entered her room. She asked the Lord for protection and then proceeded to share the gospel with the man for an hour. He left her room with tears in his eyes. Throughout the ordeal, Monsen never ate in the dining hall. The Lord had provisioned her before the trip by guiding her to purchase a crate of apples “for no apparent reason” and conserving some chocolate that was sent from abroad. While not eating in the dining hall, she did visit it during mealtimes, she did visit it during mealtimes. She would pass out gospel tracts to the pirates. One would read aloud while the others listened, often with tears in their eyes. At the conclusion of the ordeal, some pirates wanted to take her along as a hostage. The leader refused having decided she had been on a hunger strike for 23 days. When they were finally freed, the other passengers gathered around Monsen asking for gospel tracts. They said, "We have seen that your God is the true God, and we want to believe in Him too."[5]
This is just one example of Monsen’s pairing of the Spirit and the Word. Her bold proclamation of the Word was a manifestation of the Spirit’s power in her life. After the voyage, she continued her ministry in northern China and saw a great revival. Mary Crawford, a Southern Baptist missionary, wrote about the movement of the Spirit: “Numbers of Christians and churches are being revived; restitution of money is being made, tithes of the Lord held back are being brought forward; sins confessed to God and to those who have been wronged; sick are being healed; devils cast out; men and women, boys and girls are preaching with a power hitherto not known; hundred are crying for mercy and are being saved.”[6] When the Word is proclaimed and the Spirit moves, lives are changed. I am not sure what would surprise Mary Crawford’s Baptist readers more: that “men and women, boys and girls are preaching with a power” or that “tithes of the Lord held back are being brought forward.” The movement of the Spirit is dramatic but here we see that the dramatic movement is simple confession and right living.
As we commit to following God’s Word and open ourselves up to the Spirit, we will be ready to experience the power of revival. At that time the reality of Paul’s prayer in Romans 15 will be a reality. “13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (15:13)
[1] C.L. Culpepper, The Shantung Revival, accessed https://www.gospeltruth.net/shantung.htm.
[2] Ibid.
[3] Hansen and Woodbridge, 148.
[4] Ibid, 149 and “Marie Monson,” Asia Harvest accessed on February 12, 2025 https://www.asiaharvest.org/china-resources/shandong/marie-monsenIbid, 149 and Asia Harvest.
[5] Asia Harvest.
[6] Hansen and Woodbridge, 149-150.
February 21 Day 15: Spiritual Awakening and Spiritual Anger
Scripture: Isaiah 55
Prayer Prompt: Ask the Lord to open doors for you to share the gospel or invite someone to revival. Ask the Lord to turn any spiritual anger into spiritual awakening.
Yesterday we read about Marie Monson and her question “Have you been born again.” This question agitated many professing Christians, but Monsen used it to delve into the souls of those who would listen to the Spirit. The gospel has always elicited strong feelings and feedback. Today we are going to look at two occasions where the gospel and a Christian witness produced an angry response. The first took place in northern China and the second in Los Angeles, California.
C. L. Culpepper was a graduate of Baylor University and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He was appointed as a missionary by the Foreign Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention. He and his wife served in northern China in the years leading up to the Communist takeover of the country. He tells the story of a revival that broke out in a Christian boy’s school. After returning from a break for the Chinese New Year, many students began to feel the conviction of the Spirit. Culpepper was called to lead a series of meetings for the boy’s and girl’s schools (these boys and girls would today probably be classified as teenagers). Upon closing the services one evening, he was called from the platform because a boy was asking for him from beneath a bench. Culpepper recounts the events in his book, The Shantung Revival:
“I got down beside him and heard him say, "Mr. Culpepper, you don't know me. I'm a Communist. We have a secret Communist cell here in the school. I've threatened to kill you and all the missionaries, and I've sworn to wipe out Christianity and burn your churches. When I heard about this revival, I thought the missionaries were just hypnotizing the students and that the concept of God was foolishness. I decided to come tonight to expose you. But when I heard you preach and ask those students to go forward and accept Christ, and when I saw them go forward and get down on their knees to pray, I said in my heart there is no God, that you were just hypnotizing them, but that you couldn't hypnotize me. I started to stand up and challenge you, but something struck me and knocked me under this bench. I know it was God. I know that you Christians are right, but I can't believe. I have gone too far. I can't believe!"
We dismissed the students, but several of the teachers stayed and prayed for the boy and pleaded with him to give his heart to God. He kept insisting he had gone too far. The next morning he left school, and one week later we heard he was dead.
The next night Pastor Wang preached and a large number of students were converted. When we stood for the benediction, I felt something brush my back. I looked around. A boy lay on the seat where I had been sitting. I knelt beside him and asked what was the matter. He gritted his teeth and flexed his fists. He said, "Take me home! I am going to die."
I answered, "No! Let's pray."
By that time the crowd had been dismissed, and the teachers gathered around the boy for prayer. He kept saying, "Take me home! I'm going to die."
But we kept praying. After several minutes he suddenly screamed out, "Oh God! If you won't crush me to death, I will confess my sins."
He began to confess. It was the most touching confession I have ever heard. He
said, "God, You know that when school let out for the winter holidays, we were all at the bus station waiting for the bus; and I saw some Christian students buying bread. I didn't have any money to buy anything, so I thought to myself that I would like to kill all the Christians, take their money and give it to the poor. I also said I would like to kill all the missionaries and burn the churches and just wipe out Christianity."
Then he screamed even louder, "Oh God! You know I have said that when I have destroyed all the Christians, I would like to climb up to heaven and kill You!"
The confession stunned me. The Communists said they did not believe in God, yet they confessed they hated Him and wanted to destroy Him. After that experience I could better understand the mob that took Jesus, crying, "Crucify Him! Crucify Him!" The Communist students in our school had been so poisoned by hatred and unbelief they were nearly insane.[1]
Culpepper and the other leaders soon learned that the Communist cell at the school consisted of 8-10 young men, including the two mentioned above. Half of them were converted during the revival the others left the school. In these events, we can see that the work of God will be opposed by those whose cultural worldview stands opposed to the gospel. Like Culpepper, we should love them and pray for them. The Word of God is no match for the philosophies of this world.
Another example of the Word producing anger is not as outwardly dramatic, but it might resonate more with a Western culture.
In the weeks leading up to Billy Graham’s L.A. crusade in 1949, he was invited by Henrietta Mears, the director of religious education at the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood, to meet with a group of actors. At this meeting, he met a man named Stuart Hamblen. Hamblen was a radio talk show host heard up and down the West Coast. He half-jokingly said he would have Billy on the broadcast and that “he could fill the tent if he gave the endorsement.”[2] Nothing else was said of the invitation and the crusade began. During the early days attendance ranged from 3,000 to 4,000 nightly. However, Billy Graham realized that he was preaching to mostly Christians. Ruth Graham wrote home to her parents and remarked, “It isn’t easy getting unconverted to a tent.”[3] That is when Hamblen called to invite Graham on his broadcast. Initially, the conservative evangelist hesitated because some of those supporting the crusade might not approve of the program and its sponsors. Nevertheless, in an attempt to reach the lost, Graham decided to accept the invitation. On the show, he was surprised to hear Hamblen say “go on down to Billy Graham’s tent and hear the preaching.” He surprised Graham more when we said, “I’ll be there too!”[4]
Hamblen did come to the crusade. Graham tells the story:
“The first night Stuart attended, we would find out later, he became deeply convicted of his own sins and the need for Christ to save him. Not understanding what was going on in his soul, he became angry and stalked out. For two or three nights he stayed away. Then he came back. Each time he showed up, he had the same reaction, getting so mad once that he actually shook his fist at me as he walked out of the tent.”[5]
Hamblen’s anger might have been directed at the preacher, but ultimately he was expressing anger to the Lord for the conviction of sin. The crusade continued and the Lord moved among people. As the date for concluding the crusade neared, the leadership began to wonder if they should extend the crusade because the Lord was obviously moving. The young ministers did not know what to do. They decided to follow the lead of Gideon and put out a fleece and ask God for a sign.
“It came at four-thirty the next morning. I was awakened by in my room at the Langham Hotel by the jangling of the telephone. In a voice broken by tears, a man begged to see me right away. It was Stuart Hamblen…By the time I was up and dressed, Stuart and his praying, godly wife, Suzy, were at my door. We talked together and prayed, and the rugged cowboy gave his life to Christ in a childlike act of faith. He came forward in the next service. The first thing he did after he received Christ was to call his father, who was an old-fashioned Methodist preacher in west Texas. I could her his father shout with joy over the phone.”[6]
They decided this was a sign to continue the revival.
When we participate in Christian ministry and service and when we share the Word of God, there will be opposition. Sometimes we face opposition like Culpepper who was confronted with a godless worldview and the threat of death. Sometimes we face opposition like Graham from friends who simply do not want to face their sin. Regardless of the situation sometimes spiritual awakening is preceded by spiritual anger. Let us remember the words of the prophet Isaiah, “So my word that comes from my mouth will not return to me empty, but it will accomplish what I please and will prosper in what I send it to do.” (Is 55:11)
[1] C.L. Culpepper, The Shantung Revival, accessed https://www.gospeltruth.net/shantung.htp
[2] Graham, 170.
[3] Ibid, 171.
[4] Ibid, 172.
[5] Ibid.
[6] Ibid, 173.
Scripture: Isaiah 55
Prayer Prompt: Ask the Lord to open doors for you to share the gospel or invite someone to revival. Ask the Lord to turn any spiritual anger into spiritual awakening.
Yesterday we read about Marie Monson and her question “Have you been born again.” This question agitated many professing Christians, but Monsen used it to delve into the souls of those who would listen to the Spirit. The gospel has always elicited strong feelings and feedback. Today we are going to look at two occasions where the gospel and a Christian witness produced an angry response. The first took place in northern China and the second in Los Angeles, California.
C. L. Culpepper was a graduate of Baylor University and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He was appointed as a missionary by the Foreign Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention. He and his wife served in northern China in the years leading up to the Communist takeover of the country. He tells the story of a revival that broke out in a Christian boy’s school. After returning from a break for the Chinese New Year, many students began to feel the conviction of the Spirit. Culpepper was called to lead a series of meetings for the boy’s and girl’s schools (these boys and girls would today probably be classified as teenagers). Upon closing the services one evening, he was called from the platform because a boy was asking for him from beneath a bench. Culpepper recounts the events in his book, The Shantung Revival:
“I got down beside him and heard him say, "Mr. Culpepper, you don't know me. I'm a Communist. We have a secret Communist cell here in the school. I've threatened to kill you and all the missionaries, and I've sworn to wipe out Christianity and burn your churches. When I heard about this revival, I thought the missionaries were just hypnotizing the students and that the concept of God was foolishness. I decided to come tonight to expose you. But when I heard you preach and ask those students to go forward and accept Christ, and when I saw them go forward and get down on their knees to pray, I said in my heart there is no God, that you were just hypnotizing them, but that you couldn't hypnotize me. I started to stand up and challenge you, but something struck me and knocked me under this bench. I know it was God. I know that you Christians are right, but I can't believe. I have gone too far. I can't believe!"
We dismissed the students, but several of the teachers stayed and prayed for the boy and pleaded with him to give his heart to God. He kept insisting he had gone too far. The next morning he left school, and one week later we heard he was dead.
The next night Pastor Wang preached and a large number of students were converted. When we stood for the benediction, I felt something brush my back. I looked around. A boy lay on the seat where I had been sitting. I knelt beside him and asked what was the matter. He gritted his teeth and flexed his fists. He said, "Take me home! I am going to die."
I answered, "No! Let's pray."
By that time the crowd had been dismissed, and the teachers gathered around the boy for prayer. He kept saying, "Take me home! I'm going to die."
But we kept praying. After several minutes he suddenly screamed out, "Oh God! If you won't crush me to death, I will confess my sins."
He began to confess. It was the most touching confession I have ever heard. He
said, "God, You know that when school let out for the winter holidays, we were all at the bus station waiting for the bus; and I saw some Christian students buying bread. I didn't have any money to buy anything, so I thought to myself that I would like to kill all the Christians, take their money and give it to the poor. I also said I would like to kill all the missionaries and burn the churches and just wipe out Christianity."
Then he screamed even louder, "Oh God! You know I have said that when I have destroyed all the Christians, I would like to climb up to heaven and kill You!"
The confession stunned me. The Communists said they did not believe in God, yet they confessed they hated Him and wanted to destroy Him. After that experience I could better understand the mob that took Jesus, crying, "Crucify Him! Crucify Him!" The Communist students in our school had been so poisoned by hatred and unbelief they were nearly insane.[1]
Culpepper and the other leaders soon learned that the Communist cell at the school consisted of 8-10 young men, including the two mentioned above. Half of them were converted during the revival the others left the school. In these events, we can see that the work of God will be opposed by those whose cultural worldview stands opposed to the gospel. Like Culpepper, we should love them and pray for them. The Word of God is no match for the philosophies of this world.
Another example of the Word producing anger is not as outwardly dramatic, but it might resonate more with a Western culture.
In the weeks leading up to Billy Graham’s L.A. crusade in 1949, he was invited by Henrietta Mears, the director of religious education at the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood, to meet with a group of actors. At this meeting, he met a man named Stuart Hamblen. Hamblen was a radio talk show host heard up and down the West Coast. He half-jokingly said he would have Billy on the broadcast and that “he could fill the tent if he gave the endorsement.”[2] Nothing else was said of the invitation and the crusade began. During the early days attendance ranged from 3,000 to 4,000 nightly. However, Billy Graham realized that he was preaching to mostly Christians. Ruth Graham wrote home to her parents and remarked, “It isn’t easy getting unconverted to a tent.”[3] That is when Hamblen called to invite Graham on his broadcast. Initially, the conservative evangelist hesitated because some of those supporting the crusade might not approve of the program and its sponsors. Nevertheless, in an attempt to reach the lost, Graham decided to accept the invitation. On the show, he was surprised to hear Hamblen say “go on down to Billy Graham’s tent and hear the preaching.” He surprised Graham more when we said, “I’ll be there too!”[4]
Hamblen did come to the crusade. Graham tells the story:
“The first night Stuart attended, we would find out later, he became deeply convicted of his own sins and the need for Christ to save him. Not understanding what was going on in his soul, he became angry and stalked out. For two or three nights he stayed away. Then he came back. Each time he showed up, he had the same reaction, getting so mad once that he actually shook his fist at me as he walked out of the tent.”[5]
Hamblen’s anger might have been directed at the preacher, but ultimately he was expressing anger to the Lord for the conviction of sin. The crusade continued and the Lord moved among people. As the date for concluding the crusade neared, the leadership began to wonder if they should extend the crusade because the Lord was obviously moving. The young ministers did not know what to do. They decided to follow the lead of Gideon and put out a fleece and ask God for a sign.
“It came at four-thirty the next morning. I was awakened by in my room at the Langham Hotel by the jangling of the telephone. In a voice broken by tears, a man begged to see me right away. It was Stuart Hamblen…By the time I was up and dressed, Stuart and his praying, godly wife, Suzy, were at my door. We talked together and prayed, and the rugged cowboy gave his life to Christ in a childlike act of faith. He came forward in the next service. The first thing he did after he received Christ was to call his father, who was an old-fashioned Methodist preacher in west Texas. I could her his father shout with joy over the phone.”[6]
They decided this was a sign to continue the revival.
When we participate in Christian ministry and service and when we share the Word of God, there will be opposition. Sometimes we face opposition like Culpepper who was confronted with a godless worldview and the threat of death. Sometimes we face opposition like Graham from friends who simply do not want to face their sin. Regardless of the situation sometimes spiritual awakening is preceded by spiritual anger. Let us remember the words of the prophet Isaiah, “So my word that comes from my mouth will not return to me empty, but it will accomplish what I please and will prosper in what I send it to do.” (Is 55:11)
[1] C.L. Culpepper, The Shantung Revival, accessed https://www.gospeltruth.net/shantung.htp
[2] Graham, 170.
[3] Ibid, 171.
[4] Ibid, 172.
[5] Ibid.
[6] Ibid, 173.