“Then Isaac dug again the wells of water which had been dug in the days of his father Abraham…” Genesis 26:18a

“A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.”  Psalm 51:17b

Dr. J. Edwin Orr the well know historian of revival once stated that he believed the powerful working of God’s Spirit during the first decade of the 1900s was the most widespread spiritual awakening of all time!  This great revival touched Europe, north America, Australia, India, South Africa, Korea, China and Latin America.  He records that over five million people in these nations were won to Christ in the first two years of this revival!  It was the most recent of the four nationwide revivals in the history of the United States.

However, years before all of this began to take place, prayer meetings for worldwide revival were being held at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, and in the annual Keswick Conventions in Britain as well as in local churches and missionary prayer meetings in places like India, the Far East, America, Britain and Latin America.

Historians generally refer to the revival that began in the town of Loughor in south wales as the “flash point” of the beginning of this mighty movement of God, and Evan Roberts was His instrument in the launching of the 1904 revival.  He traveled across the principality of Wales with a “four point message from God”!  The message was:  1) Confess every known sin and put any wrong done to man right!  2) Put away any doubtful habit!  3) Obey the Holy Spirit promptly!  4) Confess your faith in Christ publicly!

Three fourths of Robert’s meetings were initially spent in singing the great hymns of the Church, but he became more and more convinced of the priority of prayer over all else!  His battle cry was, “Bend the church and save the world”!  In most towns the moving of the Spirit began with prayer meetings led by young people.

When the revival spread to America in 1905 Methodists were the largest Protestant denomination.  After the revival arrived one of their leaders concluded, “Revival does what programs and campaigns, even though well attended, cannot do”!  More and more believers today are coming to the conclusion that it is time to re-dig the wells that were initially dug by our spiritual forefathers!  May our prayer be that this will not only be our conviction, but will be characterized by our actions…

Jon

“For amazement had seized him and all his companions because of the catch of fish which they had taken…”  Luke 5:9

In describing a furnace that was not working the repair man made the statement, “The blower is still working, but the fire has gone out”!  To be honest that statement would be appropriate in describing the spiritual life in many individuals and churches, especially when compared to Christians and churches of days gone by.  The great old Methodist preacher John Wesley and his brother Charles are cases in point.  After their conversion and receiving the fullness of the Holy Spirit they were greatly used by the Lord in England and later in America along with George Whitfield to usher in one of the great spiritual awakenings, or revivals in history.

To quote Wesley Duewell from his book, Revival Fire, “To Wesley’s surprise, he began to experience the Holy Spirit powerfully convicting people of their sins while he preached.  Well-dressed, mature people suddenly cried out as if in the agonies of death.  Both men and women, outside and inside the church buildings, would tremble and sink to the ground.  When Wesley stopped and prayed for them, they soon found peace and rejoiced in Christ…..Wesley did not encourage these emotional reactions…..He himself always spoke in a calm, unemotional voice, but he also recognized that God’s power was at work, convicting and transforming person after person.

We would do well in this generation to learn from Simon Peter in Luke chapter 5.  He and his companions were failures!  They had previously committed to following Jesus, but had become discouraged and returned to their fishing business.  Even though they had already fished all night, he said, “I will do as you say and let down the nets”.  Even when we have failed a test of faith, our God gives makeup exams!  Let us submit to obeying His Word and trust Him to do the work by the power of His Spirit that we cannot accomplish by our own efforts.  Andrew Murray put it well, “Let us make God’s omnipotence the measure of our expectations”.  If we do, we too will be amazed at the things God can do!

Jon Moore

“But thanks be to God, Who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place.”        2^nd Corinthians 2:14

Personally, I have never met anyone who wanted to be on the losing side of anything!  The Bible tells us that believers are on the winning side, but the question is, how far does that victory extend?  Paul describes the limitless measure of the believer’s victory, informing us that it permeates into every place!

When a Roman general won a battle that was significant to the state of Rome they were given a “triumph” voted on by the Roman senate.  It was a national holiday highlighted by a parade through the streets of Rome.  The conquering hero drove a gold (great value) chariot pulled by a white (victory) horse.  Attached to the back of the chariot was a chain.  At the end of the chain were soldiers of the defeated army, manacled and dragged through the streets signifying complete victory.  Bowls of incense were burned.  All of this is full of meaning and application. 

Prior to salvation we were at enmity with God, but He overcame us not with sword or spear, but by His redemptive love.  Now, like those captive soldiers behind the general’s chariot we are being carried along in the victory train of our Master and Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.  Just as the incense associated with victory alerted all there that day (even the deaf and blind), the believer’s life gives off a spiritual fragrance to all those with which he/she comes into contact.

Sometimes we are successful in seeing people come to Christ, and sometimes we sadly see those who reject coming to Christ.  In either case whether seeming success, or seeming failure, they have been confronted with the knowledge of God both by the aroma of the witness of our life and the testimony of our lips.  What greater cause for thanksgiving?  Thank and praise the Lord!

Jon Moore

“Oh, that You would rend the heavens and come down…”  Isaiah 64:1

Today’s churches seem to have everything:  Theologically trained leaders; A committed core of lay people; Cutting edge technology, etc.  Everything but the one thing we can least afford to be without…Passion!  And nowhere is that more obvious than in prayer.  I am reminded of the shut-in who asked her sister who just returned from a church prayer meeting, “Did anything unusual happen at church tonight?”  The sister replied, “No!  Just the same old people saying the same old prayers with the same old results!”  We obviously are in need of both instruction and inspiration when it comes to passionate praying!

That brings us to the prophet Isaiah.  Remember what the apostle Paul wrote to the church in I Corinthians 10:11 concerning the Old Testament writings, “Now these things…were written for our instruction…”  So let us sit at the feet of Isaiah in chapter 64 of the book that bears his name with a teachable mind and heart, and allow the Holy Spirit to apply Isaiah’s words to both instruct and inspire us to passionate praying!

Passion in prayer in today’s churches should begin and end praying for the Lord’s manifest presence!  Now I am certainly aware the Bible says where two or three gather in the Lord’s Name, He is there, but I am also aware there are unusual exceptions!  Listen to the words of one of the great preachers of all time, George Whitfield, as he made notation in his journal concerning a service in which He was ministering in the English town of Cheltenham, “Suddenly, God the Lord came down upon us!”  Did you hear that?  There are exceptional examples of the Lord unusually making His presence known, and when He does, everything is different!  All become aware of the One who is Holy, Holy, Holy, and the fear (reverence) of God is evident!  This is exceptional!  This is supernatural!

Listen to the terms Isaiah uses in his impassioned cry:  Rend (tear open) the heavens; Cause the mountains to quake; Boil the waters (oceans); Cause the nations (saints and sinners) to tremble!  If you agree this strikes at the heart of the need in today’s churches, the need in your church, I challenge you as I challenge myself to meditate on Isaiah 64 and ask the Lord to stir us up to passionate praying…

Jon Moore

“Pray to your Father Who is in secret…”  Matthew 6:6

It has been rightly said that intercession is wholly a secret service!  Intercession does not have the snares that many areas of ministry contain.  There is no publicity, so few know the names of those who cry out in secret, thus pride is not a factor.  Neither is greed!  Intercession is not trying to convince God to give something to someone He doesn’t really want to give, but it is first finding out what God desires to do in a life and agreeing in believing prayer.  Jesus said, “Pray then in this way: Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven”!

After the great Chicago fire of 1871 pastor D. L. Moody went to London while his church building was being rebuilt.  He was invited to preach in a large church, but it was hard preaching.  At night it was the same thing until halfway through the sermon it seemed the windows of heaven opened.  The meeting was extended for ten days.  Four hundred were added to the church, and every nearby church was affected!

What was the explanation?  It was not Mr. Moody’s doing!  A woman who had been diagnosed terminally ill had asked, “What can I do shut in my home flat on my back”?  She said, “I can pray”!  One Sunday her sister came home to announce a visiting preacher from the U.S. named Moody had preached that morning.  Over a year earlier she had been given a copy of a paper published in Chicago that contained a sermon by D. L. Moody, and she was led to pray that God would send him to her church.  As the months went by, no one knew but the woman and God!  By the way, any student of church history knows the name of D. L. Moody, but no one remembers the name of that woman!

Jon Moore

“…What mean these stones…”  Joshua 4:21-24

In September, 1904 Seth Joshua spoke at a Bible School where Evan Roberts had recently enrolled.  In a service at a nearby church the evangelist had preached on the need for God to bend us, and Evan Roberts prayed passionately, “O God, bend me”!

Evan Roberts asked for and received permission to return to his home village with “a message from God”.  It was a four point message he would deliver all over the country of Wales.  1) Confess every known sin, and put any wrong done to man right.  2) Put away every doubtful habit.  3) Obey the Spirit promptly.  4) Confess your faith publicly.

On October 31, 1904 Roberts preached this message in his home church, Moriah Chapel.  A revival began that would eventually sweep the entire country.  In 5 months time over 100,000 souls were added to the roles of the churches, most of whom were between the ages of 18 and 45!

The illegitimate birth rate dropped 44% within a year.  Drunkenness was cut in half, and there was a wave of bankruptcies, mostly in taverns.  Judges were presented with white gloves as there were no major crimes to try.  Police were questioned how they spent their time.  There was a slowdown in the mines, but not due to a strike.  Ponies no longer understood the language of the newly converted miners!

When I started reading about the great Spiritual Awakenings, I had never heard or read of such things, and I suspect that many people in churches today have not either.  It has been over 100 years since we last had a nationwide revival in America, and it seems to me there is a great need to make stories like this known to this generation.  It is hard to miss what one has never had!

Jon Moore