The 1904 Welsh Revival: Lessons of Hope (Part 1) — Tim Williams

The Divine Origin of the Welsh Revival

This year is the 1901 Welsh Revival. During that revival in Wales, 100 ,000 souls went to Christ over a five-month conversion. Not the result of some great strategy or integrated effort. Not to be attributed to him, but unusually to a movement initiated and sustained by the Spirit of God.

Men and women and young people and children threw out their pain and suffering for the Savior. And they cried out to God for mercy. In the past, when that revival was felt, massive social and moral reform took place.

I tried for decades to bring about such reform. But what I talk about is that most souls put their children right into the heart. Unfortunately, we're still the depraved people that we are. We're in the heart cry out, Lord, forgive us of our sins.

Revival as the Hope of a Nation

May I say this very, very clearly. This is why we should think of ourselves within this revival. It is not so that we can kill our kids. We should think of ourselves within this revival. Because revival is the only hope that we have for our nation.

We have a terrible understanding. We must re-elaborate. We are hoping to make a sure and effective stand on the moral issues of our day. And I daresay that too many of us put too much hope in this. And it shows that we'll have to understand the real problem.

What do you think that is? Do you think it's some economic creature only?

Well, then you'll change it to something so that it won't deal with that.

Do you think man is some social creature? Well, then you'll do it in such a way. Some political type of being? Well, all those are true. But that's not what man is substantially. Man substantially is in the image of God.

And that image has been corrupted. And from that corruption come all the different figures of his being. That's ultimately what man's plight is. And those who seek to try to remedy and put a secret in the digest of the plights of man in society do not understand really what the plights are.

The plight of man's problem is a depraved, harsh, utterly perverted. And unless that is altered, and you and I cannot alter it, it will continue to get worse and worse until it's nothing but a cesspool.

If you and I see an end, build love, and settle life, we are faced, I say, with a need for revival. David Martin Lloyd-Jones said this, We shall not be interested in revival until we realize the need of this kind, speak to what I was referring to, the futility of our own efforts and endeavors, and the utter need of prayer, and seeking the power of God alone.

Discerning True Revival

That leads me to my second reason. Secondly, we should have cleaned ourselves of this revival so that we might be able to discern what true revival is. While revival is the only hope that we have for our country, it is more than it must be for true revival.

For this reason, we as Christians must be very clear about this point. What is true revival? Is that different from organizing evangelism? Limiting the charismatic scrutiny to demonstrate us the great danger of substituting the spiritual for the psychological?

This leads me to my third reason. All that lives is not holy. Indeed, all that names Christ is not a Christ. And all the frenzy, and all the emotionalism, and all the different happenings are by no means God-centered, are based upon the word of God.

But I tell you that they're nothing but travesties. And if I see the Church of God as nothing but a spiritual weakling, but a mere spiritual prostitution, trying to market the Church of God, trying to sell her as one sort of harlot, it's the abomination of God.

It's not true revival. And all this directs me to my third and last point. ...ourselves with remarkable efforts to surround hunger and our thirst for such a revival that devours us. Speaking of the Spirit, we've sung songs of Himself with this revival, revivals from the true history of Church, to observe the means by which God has carried out His work, cannot fail to be remarkable and unique.

Longing for Another Visitation from God

If you've heard of the book The Well-Desired in 1904, written by Avion Evans, Dr. Martin Lloyd-Jones, ...so to realize the wonder of the power of God, that they will begin to long and to yearn and to pray for another visitation from on high, this revival will do just that.

Hunger in you, God, ...manifestation to an unusual degree of power and helpful dedication, I hope, of revival. Let me get to the point of ...programs that way for the Spirit of God. ...never have done that.

Evan Roberts as a Mouthpiece of Revival

This town trunk was the secured revival. In fact, one man said he was a child of revival and not the founder of it. G. Campbell Morgan, the famous preacher of Westminster Chapel of London, he came in the 1904 revival, and he met Evan Roberts, and he wanted to see what the revival was about.

So here this man is, he's from the United States, he tells of it, and he sums up the characterization of Evan Roberts, that Evan Roberts is hardly more than a Westminster witness. One of the most important papers said about Evan Roberts, "...not chosen, the prophet shall rise.".

It is true, Evan Roberts is no great author, no leader. What is he? I mean now with regard to greatness. He is the mouthpiece of the fact, the man or organization, of what he says to people is this. It is not man.

Do not wait for me. Depend upon God. Obey the Spirit. God has set his hand upon the man. "...and all the qualities of the Lord Jesus Christ Jesus, he has put him in the forefront of movement, that the world may see that he does and does not but live.".

A man who lacks all the essential qualities,.

Which we would say make him greatness and order,.

That he prohibits the secrecy of power. God never, ever will. A man like this, not seeking to find the little demented fault, but rather what you and I are doing, is seeking to trace the revival up the stream, up to the source, to the fountain, realizing that that is the most important of it all.

Revival Cannot Be Controlled by Human Methods

You see, it is important. God will not share his glory with others. And revival, even as with rejuvenation, is the work of God. The wind bloweth where it listed. It cannot be harvested, it cannot be placed in a pocket, or in a man's hands be released from his wishes.

It is something that is totally impossible to do, but it is very possible with God. Therefore, we go on to verse 7, where he says,. "...neither is he that planteth anything, neither he that walketh, but God...".

"...never seen any good as seen.". While the revival has been hosting special services, the people have been stirred in war, and many have proposed to be converted. When they see the revival, they have a sympathetic touch, and a voice is heard, it is an emotional feeling, is the driver, Lloyd-Jones.

Dr. Lloyd-Jones viewed it as an artificial contributor to secure Egypt, just as he did the antidote to water-balling in Radagast. Dr. Benny Henn, and these people, preach God's word, but the subject of it is more excitement, more habits.

He said, the noise, the confusion, the loud, long prayers, and singing, with various excessive feelings, and straddles of language, these are most offensive. Converts will e 'er be pervents. They will go back between religion and being, and bring disgrace on the whole universe.

The Need to Distinguish Spiritual Power from Emotionalism

As we have seen by Dr. Lloyd-Jones' testimony, preaching in exile, Lloyd-Jones puts his finger on the effect of this, and says this,. "...in 1904, God used pervings to bring the fire of revival back to wells.

Hundreds were converted, churches were filled, and thousands flocked to the prayer meetings.". Oh, I'll tell you how we did that in our church. People would flock to the prayer meetings. "...but because the passage stood back, this revival last preaching was a spread-edge,.

Hidden, and sadly concealed process. We poor people,.

What we were to place in the revival was that these men were so mistreated by the Lord, letting God speak to them, and to them, that they actually ignored the preaching of the Word of God as an incentive, as a detriment to reality.

Do not condone everything in the 1904 revival. It has many extravagances, and you and I should put down what we are willing to condemn,.

And possibly willing to condemn as contrary to Scripture.".

Preaching Requires the Work of the Holy Spirit

I will say that, I return to my assertion that preaching does not produce revival.

Without the Spirit of God, the preaching of the Word of God will fall to the ground. It's not going to do it.

It's not a reconciliation with Him. It's not winding the knot,.

And letting Him go. It's not producing some emotional ecstasy, is it?

It's something the Spirit of God must do, and transform the man, and orphan him, and change him, and from the sin of the years, to justify man, and his property, and his life, completely is not dispersed, instead, a single doctrine, which began in Moses.

Revival Begins in Prayer and Divine Visitation

Tell me, what are the solutions for what happens, that at random in the week, a praying remnant has been agonizing before God about the state of their blood clan, and it is told that an answer of fire can give us the answer of fire to come.

You tell me the revival originates with Roberts. I tell you that Roberts is a great product of revival. You tell me, that it began in a devil's eating,.

Where a fierce girl bore testament.

I tell you that it was a powerful result of revival, breaking out everywhere. That if you and I could stand at those wells, looking at it, you would see fire breaking out here and there, and yonder, and something else, without distinction, without any prearrangement.

It is the divine visitation of God. I say this reverently, in which God has said, I can do without the thing you do. You see what I can do, the simplest, who are ready to fall in line to defend holy and absolute doctrine.

A Call to Humility, Prayer, and Obedience

And here we have it, stated in clear terms. What a lesson for all of us here. For those who come we did, it will be unbegiven to do a work among us in our nation, in Christ's name. Let us get on our knees, and say to God, do what I can, Lord, spiritual death.

Do not give me life. They are wrapped in their own trappings,.

Bound in the chains of their own sins,.

For the sake of your neighbors, for the sake of those who walk down the sidewalk, you see them, who are going off to a Christless eternity, for the sake of them. Let us come, and let us join hands together,.

Not trying to use any methods of sin, but simply saying, Lord,.

You are trying to tell us, what man needs, in the Lord, first and foremost.