Revival critics

As regular readers of this blog and members of our fellowship know, I have been preaching/teaching on the subject of revival since Labor Day, 2010 ending mid-February. I am still reading about revivals and recently came across some information in the book A God-Sized Vision: Revival Stories That Stretch and Stir by Collin Hansen and John Woodbridge.

One of the tools used by critics of revivals is "they don't last," "where are the converts in years afterward," "they are too emotional," and one of my favorite (which I have actually had said to me) "didn't this revival get off into tongue speaking and abuses of the Spirit."

I was privileged to go to Wales in October, 2004 in celebration of the One-hundredth anniversary of the Welsh Revival. The last comment noted above was made to me when I was talking about the Welsh Revival.

In the book, named above, this stat was given about the Welsh revival. "Six years after the Welsh revival, 80 percent of converts were still members of the church they joined during the awakening. Many of the remaining 20 percent had simply joined a different body." (Page 115)

WOW - To be a critic of those numbers is a shame and disgrace. I doubt there is a church anywhere in America that could say that of the converts that have come through their church in the past six-seven years.

Then, further - "Gomer Roberts asked rhetorically: 'Who can give an account of the lasting blessings of the 1904-5 revival? It is possible to tabulate a sum of family bliss, peace of conscience, brotherly love, and holy conversation? What of the debts that were paid, and the enemies reconciled to one another? What of the drunkards who became sober, and the prodigals who were restored? Is there a balance that can weigh the burden of sins which were thrown at the foot of the cross?'

Martyn Lloyd-Jones, answering critics, said, "Even if the Christian century didn't unfold as hoped in Wales, we can still celebrate a precious time when God seemed to offer earth a fresh taste of heaven's bliss." (Page 116)

W.T. Stead wrote, "It is better to have lived well for a year than never to have been above the mire at all." (Page 116)

Billy Graham said in 1950, "This has been an age in which we have humanized God and deified man, and we have worshiped at the throne of science. We thought that science could bring about Utopia. We must have a spiritual awakening similar to that which we had under Wesley and Whitefield." (Page 167)

He further said, "God Almighty is going to bring judgement upon this city (Los Angeles) unless people repent and believe - unless God sends an old-fashioned, heaven-sent, Holy Ghost revival." Then he punctuated the end of every description of what ails America with the refrain "We need revival!" (Page 162)

Oh, yes. My heart cries for it.

I've heard the criticisms of modern-day revivals along the same lines. Well, here's a thought - the next time you have a mighty move of God in your church that last for a year or longer and it results in 80 percent of the converts still in your church after six years; then I'll listen to your criticisms of your own revival. But until then....I'm just going to keep praying for God to move knowing that it won't be perfect, but I'd rather have a period of divine moment than none at all.