Last week I went to stay with friends in Swansea, South Wales, for a few days and, whilst there, we went to visit Moriah Chapel at Loughor, which is the place where the 1904 Revival --- the last great Welsh Revival --- broke out. What a great experience it was to stand in the schoolroom where the Revivalist, Evan Roberts, then a young man of 26, spoke to the young children and where the Holy Spirit filled people with such a sense of their need for repentance and salvation that a great spiritual shaking began.
What a time that was! As a result of the Revival, which spread from Lougher across much of the world, hundreds of thousands of souls were saved and individual lives changed. Whole communities across Wales were radically changed and even society itself underwent drastic change, pubs closing their doors and judges being handed white cotton gloves to signify that there were no cases to be tried. No records were kept of the actual number converted, but 150,000 is a very conservative estimate during the first six months. Wales once again became a God-fearing nation as it had been as a result from previous Revivals.
It was reported that not only did the colliers put in a better day's work, but also that the pit ponies failed to understand their orders because those in charge of them no longer cursed and swore at them! Within both families and communities there were healing of relationships where previously there had been rifts. People who had not spoken to one another for years repented and made up.
It's important to understand that all this came about because there were people praying to God to come and change the world. When we seek Revival then we are seeking change. Change from the life which we are currently experiencing to that style of living which God would have us live. True Revival starts with the individual, for only the prayers of the repentant sinner will stir God's heart. Without repentance there can be nothing, for it means that we are still in sin, and sin is a total abomination to God. We must be cleansed and the only way for that to happen is for us to humble ourselves before God and repent of every area of sin in our lives, no matter how old or how seemingly small --- no sin is small enough to be considered insignificant by God!
Looking around us at the times in which we live there is such a need for a spiritual shaking in the world and in the Western world in particular. If only we could see a genuine hunger for God amongst the people, yet that doesn't even exist in so many of our churches. Complacency has been allowed to convert to apathy. A weak ineffectual watered-down gospel has been created in order to satisfy the listener. Many churches have become more like Sunday Clubs than places where God is truly worshipped. Walk into the vast majority of churches whilst people are seated awaiting the commencement of the service and you can hardly hear yourself think because of the noisy chatter that is going on. Ask people to be quiet and you upset them. They will often tell you that it's the only opportunity that they get to speak to the person sitting next to them. Well, despite the fact that I may well upset some people, I suggest that when you come to a service with the intent to worship God then the best thing is to hold a reverent silence, thus ensuring that you are well-positioned to hear God speaking to you.
In fact a good maxim would be:
- Before the service begins prepare yourself for worship and listen for God.
- During the service listen to God.
- After the service tell others about God.
If you really want to talk to someone that you currently only see at the church service then surely the best thing would be to arrange to get together with them during one of the remaining 166 - 7 hours of the week! That way you can chat over a cuppa or a meal as well!
Let us all turn to God with genuine repentant hearts and confess our sins to Him. Then, when we have done that, let us plead with Him through prayer to send His Holy Spirit down upon us and revive us and the whole of His church and thereby heal our lands of the corruption that has been allowed to exist and foment.
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