A BRIEF SURVEY OF AMERICAN AWAKENINGS, REVIVALS, AND RENEWALS

Religious highs and lows --- spiritual recessions and revivals are an amazing phenomenon. The term “awakening” refers to -- · A stirring up from a state of sleep to awareness, · A turning from sin to salvation, · An abandonment of dry religious forms and rituals and a return to the living God · A redirection of focus from the secular to the supernatural. It starts as an intensely personal experience and then spreads to the public domain. Oh, men may pray, seek and expect it, but a real revival is the gracious work and miraculous act of Almighty God. Gordon Lindsay in his book, “The United States in Prophecy” (1971) pointed out that our wars, such as The French and Indian War, The Revolutionary War, The Civil War, World Wars I and II, etc. mostly occurred in 17 year cycles. Likewise, the Great American Revivals have occurred about every 26 years as if God provided at least one for each generation. So, God and the devil are both at work; Satan wants to kill people and God wants to save them. Christian historians cite the following: 1. 1735-1748 THE FIRST GREAT AWAKENING It started in Massachusetts among the Puritans with Jonathan Edwards and spread up and down the Eastern Seaboard among the struggling colonies with Evangelist George Whitefield. His flamboyant preaching drew big crowds of those who sought God. Also Samuel Davis in Virginia emphasized that “without a personal conversion experience you’re on your way to Hell.” There was strong conviction of sin, much weeping and repentance and they “prayed through” to salvation. He also condemned the “Party Spirit” saying that denominational divisions are of the devil. There was great enthusiasm and emotional outbreaks, loud shouting, and falling out in the Spirit. Critics opposed it as unchecked emotionalism and extreme zeal of mentally unbalanced people. 2. 1801 – 1830’s THE SECOND GREAT AWAKENING The Cane Ridge Camp meeting in Frontier, KY, was a co-operation between Presbyterians, Methodists and Baptists. Crowds finally reached up to 25,000 people --- mostly the un-churched. Up to a dozen preachers on a platform 12’ x 16’ x six feet high took turns preaching, singing, exhorting, and praying at 3 services a day for many weeks. There were no musical instruments. People retired in little tents at night. There was highly charged and animated preaching. People sang, wept, howled and shouted so loud it sounded like a big water fall. There was “frenzied” worship, falling out in the Spirit, jerking, dancing, and running around. It was all highly criticized by contemporaries. 3. 1850 – 1860 THE HOLINESS MOVEMENT The leaders were John and Charles Wesley of Great Britain, starting in the early 1700’s. Their distinctive teachings: a. Salvation, and b. The “Second Blessing” of sanctification, or purification or perfection --- a crisis experience both preceded and followed by spiritual growth. These two points later developed into three points including “the Baptism into the Holy Ghost and Fire” among the Methodists, who later joined the Pentecostal ranks. The Holiness Movement developed into the “Church of God”, the “Pilgrim Holiness”, the Apostolic Churches, etc. The congregations punctuated the sermons with shouts of “Amen!”, “Glory!” and “Jesus!” But as size, wealth, and organizational structure developed through the years, their original fervor greatly declined. 4. 1858 – 1880’s THE THIRD GREAT AWAKENING A New York businessman, Jeremiah Lamphier, started a noon time prayer meeting in a fish market that spread across the nation. It grew to 6,000 and then to 50,000. Eventually about a million souls were converted in this time of refreshing from on high. 5. 1906 – 1909 and on THE PENTECOSTAL MOVEMENT The leader was William Seymour, a Negro, one-eyed, former waiter in a former livestock stable on Azusa Street, Los Angeles, CA. This was right after the famous Welsh Revival of 1904 and the Great San Francisco Earthquake and Fire of 1906. Many Whites and Blacks of all walks of life came from all over the nation --- many from the Methodist Holiness Movement. There were more women than men and many young people who were baptized in water. At the earnest, energetic, and animated preaching, the crowds swelled. They prayed, testified, clapped, shouted and danced. They spoke and sang in other tongues. Many were “slain” falling prostrate. They prayed all night, day after day. There was little formality. There were countless miracle healings of every sickness and illness --- blindness, cripples, deafness, and even missing body parts were instantly restored before the eyes of all, including secular news reporters. Demon spirits were expelled. There was plenty of criticism and rejection by other established churches of the day. This great Pentecostal Revival continued as a strong movement all through the 1920’s and 1930’s (The Great Depression years). To this day, there are scores of Pentecostal churches, although they have cooled off considerably. Just before the 1900’s and on up to the 1950’s, there was an amazing era of Divine Healing Ministers traveling around the country in auditoriums and big tents. There are too many to name, but a few were: Marie Woodworth Etter John Alexander Dowie Charles Parham Smith Wigglesworth William Branham Charles Price Jack Coe Kathryn Kuhlman A.A. Allen Oral Roberts T. L. Osborn Etc. They were very God-conscious men and women given to much prayer and fasting. Their great faith, boldness, anointing, and power drew overflowing crowds who witnessed live signs, wonders, and miracles. Sadly and hard to understand, many of them seemed to fail one way or another in the end. They all had their jealous critics. 6. 1948 – 1952 THE LATTER RAIN MOVEMENT --- (Within the Pentecostal Movement) Starting in a Bible school in Saskatchewan Canada, involving a 1,000 students and preachers. Their main Scripture was Joel 2 and Acts 2 about God pouring out His Spirit. They laid great emphasis upon the Five Fold Gift Ministries of I Cor. 12:28 and Eph. 4:11. Also, all of the 9 Gifts of the Spirit in I Cor. 12:8-10: tongues, prophecy and Divine Healing. Their specialty was the practice of laying on of hands to impart specific gifts with prophecy to others. I Tim. 4:14 They encouraged the whole congregation to sing in tongues at the same time in worship. They preached the doctrine of “The Manifestation of the Sons of God” (Rom. 8:19 ) and performing the “Greater Works” (John 14:21 ) such as Philip’s transportation in Act 8:26 -40. Bill Britton advocated this message in his “Jesus Saves” tabloid. They were rejected as extremists by the Assemblies of God and other Pentecostal groups. 7. 1960 – 1967 and on into the 1970’s and 1980’s THE CHARISMATIC RENEWAL It started among the Roman Catholics of Notre Dame. The early forerunner was David du Plessis. It was then greatly championed by “The Full Gospel Business Men’s Fellowship International” with chapters in every major city in the USA and around the world. Their members were from nearly every Christian denomination that can be named. It finally included, “The Jesus People” --- young people converted from among the hippies. A SIDE NOTE In the mid-1970’s there arose a “Shepardship - Submission - Discipleship Movement” within the Charismatic Renewal which taught that every Christian and minister (especially women) had to be totally submitted to another person above them like a big pyramid - shaped ecclesiastical hierarchy. Apparently, their goal was to build one big Charismatic denomination. The F.G.B.M.F.I., Pat Robertson, and most all independent Charismatic churches rejected it. It was short lived. A PERSONAL NOTE By the grace of God, I was privileged to have a part in the Charismatic Renewal, as a featured speaker in scores of FGBMFI chapters, as well as a guest on the PTL, 700 Club, and other TV programs. The Lord led me to establish the first Charismatic church in the capital city of Raleigh, NC. At one point in time, half of the Christians there who spoke with other tongues received it in our church – Christ Chapel. Of course, we give God all of the credit and glory for it. 8. 1983 – 1993 THE THIRD WAVE – starting at Fuller Theological Seminary Peter Wagner and John Wimber helped plant a string of churches called “The Vineyard Churches”, which were mostly young married couples. 9. 1994 – 1995 THE TORONTO BLESSING was like a spiritual party. The Toronto Airport Vineyard Church pastored by John and Carol Arnott is where it happened. The evangelist was Rodney Howard Brown from South Africa, who led a “Laughing Revival”, in which many were struck with uncontrollable and sustained laughter. Also, Randy Clark of Saint Louis, MO ministered. The membership went from 300 to 3,000 with millions of visitors flying in daily from all over the world. There was lively worship music with guitars, drums and tambourines for an extended period of time. There was profound weeping and deliverance from past hurts that was like a spiritual overhaul. Many were slain in the Spirit and had dreams and visions. They experienced physical healings and rolled on the floor. Some ran around making barn yard noises, for which they were soundly rebuked and finally dis-fellowshipped by the leader of the Vineyard Churches. 10. 1995 – 2000 THE BROWNSVILLE REVIVAL This was a large Assembly of God church near Pensacola, FL, pastored by John and Brenda Kilpatrick. The evangelist was Steve Hill, born in Turkey, who had attended Dave Wilkerson’s Bible school in Texas and had participated in the Brazilian Revival. The saints had been praying earnestly for many months and then revival broke out in nightly services. Hundreds of people did not want to leave at the end of the service. Thousands came forward for salvation and many backsliders were reclaimed. Crowds swelled up to 5,000. They wept openly, fell out, spoke in tongues, were healed, and shook violently. The young people spread the excitement into their high schools. Long lines waited for hours to get in before the church doors were opened. They had to erect tents with closed circuit TV for those who could not get into the sanctuary. 11. 2008 – April to October (6 months) LAKELAND, FL Ignite Church pastored by Steve Strader, the son of a pastor. The unorthodox evangelist was Todd Bentley, covered with tattoos and body piercings, who dressed rather casually, but prayed for hours daily. The singing went on for hours and the services were long, night after night. He would prophesy that God was going to heal people and then call out scores of illnesses by the Word of Knowledge and they would run up to the platform to testify of what God just did. As he touched them --- sometimes roughly --- they would fall back. He often shook his head back and forth and laughed a lot. People came from all over the world. They erected a tent seating 15,000. There was much acclaim and criticism and in the end his wife left him. 12. 2012 --- Now THE RESTORATION OF THE RESTORATION The epicenter is the Independence, MO area among independent Book of Mormon churches called “Restoration Branches”, prayer meetings and other believers. This is not the work of some great prophet, or even a group of ambitious leaders, but of God. Instrumental persons being used are not being named at this time in order to shield them from undue distractions. Historically, many of the original Book of Mormon believers did have the Holy Ghost and experienced many manifestations of the Spirit. This was especially demonstrated at the dedication of the Kirtland Temple in 1836, attended by 1,000 people. During the 8 hour service they prayed, preached, gave the “Hosanna Shout”, spoke and sang in tongues, swooned, fell out in trances, and had amazing visions. But through the years these things declined just like after the days of the Act of the Apostles, and after the “Golden Age” among the Nephites. They have been spiritually hungry and thirsty for years and now God is finally granting them a Divine Visitation. They are tired of heavy-handed ecclesiastical authority. They want the supernatural realities of God. The younger generation has been bored with shallow religious programs; they want to see the things they read about in the Bible and the Book of Mormon. They deserve the spiritual experiences that God has given to His people in the past revivals --- powerful prayer, praise, worship, --- supernatural signs, wonders and miracles. Now, those concerned with certain doctrinal issues must remember that Jesus said, “When the Spirit of Truth is come, He will guide you into all truth.” John 16:13. Thus anyone being led into the truth is being led out of erroneous teachings. When God changes people, things are different and that includes everything. Rigid doctrinal emphasis that serves only to divide the Body of Christ will melt under the Love of God. They won’t be gathered around a set of truths, but around Him, Who is the Truth. There is no need to dwell upon old teachings and dusty traditions of the past when you are experiencing the mighty miracle - working power of the living God. This final revival with unprecedented exploits will be the greatest of all, exceeding all others. Jesus always saves the best wine for the last. CONCUSION We have seen how God sends revivals. The devil hates it, but he can’t stop it. All he can do is stir up criticism. One simple strategy is to send in those who are not right with God in their hearts to act up and make fools of themselves, barking like a dog, crowing like a rooster, and wiggling like a snake, so that when other curious people or even news media walk in, that is all they see and then they discredit the whole thing. Granted, when a person becomes super-charged with the “electric” power of God, they may feel so exuberant that they can’t contain their excitement and joy, but there is a line that they just don’t cross. A saint shouts praises to God; a sinner yells like a mad man. A saint dances in the Holy Ghost; a sinner just knocks over chairs and other people. Trembling, quaking, and leaping are Scriptural. Going into convulsions is a demon coming out. But the undiscerning are always prone to dismiss the moves of God, missing God’s blessing, thus condemning themselves, and ending up with nothing. God rejects those who reject Him, His Word and His work. But God’s true children are looking up to Him, Who is coming right away. (From Dr. Paul Richardson of Virginia and posted with his permission)