<< Back to
The Revivals
Classic Books for Today
Index Page

King James Bible

Return to Revivals Main Index >>

The Revivals
From: Classic Books for Today #156
By S. B. Shaw (1905)
(Used by Permission)

"Will You not revive us again, that Your people may rejoice in You?"   Psalm 85:6

What Is The Origin Of The Movement?

In the name of God let us all cease trying to find it. At least let us cease trying to trace it to any one man or convention. You can not trace it, and yet I will trace it to-night. Whence has it come? All over Wales -- I am giving you roughly the result of the questioning of fifty or more persons at random in the week -- a praying remnant has been agonizing before God about the state of the beloved land, and it is through that the answer of fire has come. You tell me that the revival originates with Roberts.

I tell you that Roberts is a product of the revival. You tell me it began in an Endeavor meeting where a dear girl bore testimony. I tell you that was part of the result of a revival breaking out everywhere. If you and I could stand above Wales, looking at it, you would see fire breaking out here, and there, and yonder, and somewhere else, with-out any collusion or prearrangement. It is a Divine visitation in which God -- let me say this reverently -- in which God is saying to us: See what I can do in answer to a praying people; see what I can do through the simplest, who are ready to fall in line and depend wholly and absolutely upon Me.

What is the character of this revival? It is a church revival. I do not mean by that merely a revival among church members. It is that, but it is held in church buildings. Now, you may look astonished, but I have been saying for a long time that the revival which is to be permanent in the life of a nation must be associated with the life of the churches. What I am looking for is that there shall come a revival breaking out in all our regular church life.

The meetings are held in the chapels, all up and down the valleys, and it began among church members, and when it touches the outside man it makes him into a church member at once. I am tremendously suspicious of any mission or revival movement that treatswith contempt the Church of Christ, and affects to despise the churches. Within five weeks 20,000 have joined the churches. I think more than that have been converted, but the churches in Wales have enrolled during the last five weeks 20,000 new members. It is a movement in the church, and of the church, a movement in which the true functions and forces of the church are being exercised and filled.

Now, what effects is this work producing upon men? First of all, it is turning Christians everywhere into evangelists. There is nothing more remarkable about it than that, I think. People you never expected to see doing this kind of thing are becoming definite personal workers. Let me give you an illustration. A friend of mine went to one of the meetings, and he walked down to the meeting with an old friend of his, a deacon of the Congregational Church, a man whose piety no one doubted, a man who for long years had worked in the life of the church in some of its departments, but a man who never would think of speaking to men about their souls, although he would not have objected to some one else doing it.

As my friend walked down with the deacon, the deacon said to him, "I have eighteen young men in an athletic class of which I am president. I hope some of them will be in the meeting tonight." There was a new manifestation. Within fifteen minutes he left his seat by my friend and was seen talking to a young man down in front of him. Presently the deacon rose and said, "Thank God for So and So," giving his name, "he has given his heart to Christ right here." In a moment or two he left him, and was with an-other young man. Before that meeting closed that deacon had led every one of those eighteen youngmen to Jesus Christ, who never be-fore thought of speaking to men about their souls.

My own friend, with whom I stayed, who has always been reticent of speaking to men, told me how, sitting in his office, there surged upon him the great conviction that he ought to go and speak to another man with whom he had done business for long years. My friend suddenly put down his pen, and left his office, and went on 'Change, and there he saw the very man, and going up to him, passing the time of day to him, the man said to him, "What do you think of this revival?" And my friend looked him squarely in the eye and said, "How is it with your own soul?" The man looked back at him, and said, "Last night at twelve, from some unknown reason, I had to get out of bed and give myself to Jesus Christ, and I was hungering for some one to come and talk to me"

Here is a man turned into an evangelist by supernatural means. If this is emotional, then God send us more of it! Here is a cool, calculating business shipowner, that I have known all my life, leaving his office to go on 'Change, and ask a man about his soul.

Another characteristic is that you never know just where this fire is going to break out next. A preacher in one of the towns down there said, "I have got a sermon in my pocket. It has been there for three weeks. I went down to my church three Sun-days ago with a sermon prepared, my notes in my pocket, and that morning some man broke out in testimony, and it was followed by prayer and singing, and it has never ceased, but two hundred people have joined the church." He said, "I am keeping that sermon!"

The other day down in one of the mines -- and I hope you understand I am only repeating to you the in-stances that came under my personal observation -- the other day in one of the mines, a collier was walking along, and he came, to his great surprise to where one of the principal officials in the mine was standing. The official said, "Jim, I have been waiting two hours here for you." "Have you, sir?" said Jim. "What do you want?" "I want to be saved, Jim." The man said, "Let us get right down here," and there in the mine, the colliery official, instructed by the collier, passed into the kingdom of God. When he got up he said, "Tell all the men, tell everybody you meet, I am converted" Straightway confession.

The horses are terribly puzzled. A manager said to me, "The haulers are some of the very lowest. They have driven their horses by obscenity and kicks. Now they can hardly persuade the horses to start working, because there is no obscenity and no kicks." The movement is characterized by the most remarkable confession of sin, confessions that must be costly. I heard some of them, men rising who have been members of the church, and officers of the church, confessing hidden sin in their heart, impurity committed and condoned, and seeking prayer for its putting away. The whole movement is marvelously characterized by a confession of Jesus Christ, testimony to His power, to His goodness, to His beneficence, and testimony merging forevermore into outbursts of singing.

Now let us stand back a little further and speak of the essential notes as I have noticed some of the incidental peculiarities. I say to you today, beloved, without any hesitation, that this whole thing is of God, that it is a visitation in which He is making men conscious of Himself,without any human agency. The revival is far 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 railway trains, or into a shop, a bank, any-where, men everywhere are talking of God. Whether they obey or not is another matter. There are thou-sands who have not yielded to the constraint of God, but God has given Wales in these days a new conviction and consciousness of Himself. That is the profound thing, the underlying truth.

Continue >>

Back to Top

<< Back Home