· The First Great Awakening
· The Welsh Revival
· The Azuza Revival
· The Hebrides Revival
Revival – “To live again”
Preaching Text:
Ezekiel 37:1-6 - The hand of the Lord was on me, and he brought me out by his Spirit and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones. 2 He led me all around them. There were a great many of them on the surface of the valley, and they were very dry. 3 Then he said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” I replied, “Lord God, only you know.” 4 He said to me, “Prophesy concerning these bones and say to them: Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! 5 This is what the Lord God says to these bones: I will cause breath to enter you, and you will live. 6 I will put tendons on you, make flesh grow on you, and cover you with skin. I will put breath in you so that you come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.”
Solomon Stoddard - “Revival are… some special seasons wherein God doth in a remarkable manner revive religion among His people.”
Jonathan Edwards - “Revival is… A surprising work of God.”
G. Campbell Morgan - “Revival cannot be organized, but we can set our sails to catch the wind from heaven when God chooses to blow upon His people once again.”
1730’s-1740’s
Main Leaders:
· John and Charles Wesley, George Whitfield - Britain
· Jonathan Edwards – Colonies of America
· Count Ludwig von Zinzendorf – Germany
Key Characteristics of the Early Evangelical Revival:
· Hebrews 4:12 - For the word of God is living and effective and sharper than any double-edged sword, penetrating as far as the separation of soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
John Wesley – “The rich, the honourable, the great… we leave to you, only let us alone with the poor.”
· Luke 14:23 - ‘Go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled.
John Wesley – “I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone, for salvation; and an assurance was given me that he had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death.”
· Ezekiel 36:26-27 - I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. 27 I will place my Spirit within you and cause you to follow my statutes and carefully observe my ordinances.
J.R. Green – “The Evangelical Awakening changed, after a time, the whole tone of English society. The church was restored to new life and activity. Religion carried to the hearts of people a fresh spirit of moral zeal, while it purified our literature and our manners. A new philanthropy reformed our prisons, infused clemency and wisdom into our penal laws, abolished the salve trade, and gave the first impulse to popular education.”
· Isaiah 1:17 - Learn to do what is good. Pursue justice. Correct the oppressor. Defend the rights of the fatherless. Plead the widow’s cause.
· Isaiah 58:6-7 - Isn’t this the fast I choose: To break the chains of wickedness, to untie the ropes of the yoke, to set the oppressed free, and to tear off every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, to bring the poor and homeless into your house, to clothe the naked when you see him, and not to ignore your own flesh and blood?
· Luke 4:18-19 - The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.