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Revival

An extract from a series of sermons preached in the anniversary year of the revival of 1859 - from the book Revival

Continuing our series celebrating the centenary this year of Dr Lloyd-Jones, here we print an extract from a series of sermons preached in 1959 in the anniversary year of the Revival of 1859. The passage was Exodus 33 7-11 and it is printed in the book Revival published by Marshall Pickering.

You will always find, as you read the history of these movements of the Spirit in the long history of the Christian church, that generally the very first thing that happens, and which eventually leads to a great revival, is that one man, or a group of men, suddenly begin to feel a burden, and they feel the burden so much that they are led to do something about it.

History's lesson

Look at the great history. Look at the Protestant Reformation, that mighty movement, where did it come from? How did it originate? I know that there were precursors even of that - Wycliffe - John Huss and others - but, you see, the real thing happened when just one man, Martin Luther, a very ordinary kind of monk, suddenly became aware of this burden. And it so burdened him that he was led to do something about it. Just one man, and through that one man, God sent that mighty movement into the Church.
The same thing could be abundantly illustrated from the stories of other revivals. Read again the story of the revival in Northern Ireland, a hundred years ago, that great movement, which led not only to so many conversions, but which quickened the whole life of the Presbyterian Church and the other churches in Northern Ireland and transformed the whole situation. It did the same in Wales also and in the United States of America at the same time.
Now, you will find that in all these instances, the movement began with just one man. Take the man who began the prayer meetings in Fulton Street in New York City in 1857, a most ordinary man, but he felt this burden, and did something about it. The revival in Northern Ireland, started with just that one man, James McQuilken. And the same was true in Wales, with one man only, called Humphrey Jones, who, feeling the power of revival in America, felt a burden for his own country and crossed the Atlantic back to Wales, and began to tell people about it.

Romantic Christians?

I emphasise this for one reason only, that this is what I like to call the 'romantic' element in the Christian life and in the history of the church. That is to me what is so glorious about it. I dare not pass lightly over a point like this because somebody reading this book, whom I do not know, may be the person that God is going to use. And that sort of thing can only happen in the Christian church, it does not happen in the world.
The world looks to the leaders and the great people, but God, as the Apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians, is constantly confounding the wise by taking hold of the foolish. He 'brings to nought the things that are', by using the 'things that are not'. It may be anybody. There are no rules about this matter. It is not of necessity a great leader, as it happened to be Moses on this occasion. You will find that the insignificant prophets were taken up now and again and used by God. And so it has continued in the long history of the Christian Church. Who would expect a saviour to come out of Nazareth? Can any good thing, said the proverb, ever come out of Nazareth?

It could be you

That is the world's way of thinking. But it was out of Nazareth that the Saviour of the world came. And so let us get out of this deplorable modern habit which seems to have possessed the Christian church, and which makes the ordinary church member think that he or she can do nothing at all, that they must sit back in crowds at large meetings, and that some two or three people are going to do everything. No, the teaching of the Bible is the exact opposite, it may be you that God is going to use. You are an unknown church member. It does not matter. In the hands of God, you may be the channel.