Opposition To Revival — Mansley Beasley

Brother Manley Beasley, I mentioned in an introduction yesterday, I believe, that in the past 17 years that we've been involved in ministry, that it seems as if God has allowed you to be in many places where we have been as a ministry.

Preparing the Church for Revival

And we keep hearing of how God has been pleased to move in your crusades in ways that could clearly be called extraordinary. One of the questions that I know is on the hearts of us here at Life Action Ministries and many of these other young revivalists today would be maybe, what has given God the freedom to move in those crusades?

To what degree has the preparation of the church been a vital part of God moving in those crusades? If you had to say these two or three things were special ingredients that resulted in those types of movings of God, what would they be?

Brother Manley, I have been in the ministry of revival work for 35 years. And so, when I first got saved, I immediately surrendered to the ministry within a year. And God was so gracious to put in my hands great books of a great revivalist.

And I don't know if how many of us are aware of this, but back from 40, back in the 30s and so on, we didn't have such a thing as a crusade. We had revival evangelism. And what we, what I mean by that, what we mean by that, is actually we're talking about revival.

And so, the preparation for that type of meeting just comes out of the people of God having a burden and a vision and coming to the place of faith to believe that God wants to do a great and mighty work in their midst.

And out of that comes the prayer meetings and the, basically the announcements. You don't do any persuasion job on the lost and dying world about this big evangelist that's coming, because when the Holy Spirit, he's the persuader.

And he does the announcing other than just announcing that people are there. And so, my order of preparation for myself as a revivalist was first know that God wanted me to go to this particular place as number one.

On their side was for them to know that they had the credentials for revival. And that was a burden, a vision, and faith. Now, you make it back that up a little bit, if God sent you to a place and these people weren't in that position, you may could lead them yourselves into that position.

And then, of course, once you know that God is in the meeting on their side and your side, and you have that answer from God that this is a place, then, you know, come to that place of faith that you believe God can do this and wants to do this.

And not only will do this, but is doing this. And, of course, my preparation about a revival may be a little different than the average person. But basically, we're talking about getting the saints right with God and getting their hearts aflame and full of faith and vision and burden.

And then, of course, the expansion of that is God's business. So, the preparation is to get them prepared to that standpoint. So, I just really always felt that a lot of times, the way things are going now in the country, that my meeting itself is the preparation time.

And when it breaks, I can leave and it just keep on going. And, of course, the more evangelistic part of it keeps going after I leave. And if it's been a real touch of God, that will happen. That will happen.

Faith, Works, and Confidence in God's Calling

So, you know, I'm such a firm believer in faith that works. So, if you don't have the right works, it's because you don't have the right faith. And that's what James is talking about. So, I go deeply concerned with the fact that we must be brought to the place of faith.

You see, it's nothing for me and through my years to go into a meeting and God tell me before I got there, trust me for X number of souls. I know Evan Roberts got in a little trouble over numbers and manifestations.

But many times, I had the faith for revival before I got there. And that came out of me knowing that God wanted me there. And the fact that God had burdened me and given me a vision for that place. And I went there in faith.

And wherever the church was at that point, at that level, I could believe God. And if I could get the preacher believing God, we could see a touch of his glory. Once you have discerned the mind of God, where he wants you, you've gotten freedom in your spirit from the pastor, the leadership of that particular church, that that's what they believe God wants.

You go, you exercise faith, trusting God to send a revival. What are some of the obstacles that you encounter and how do you deal with those obstacles? If you're really moving with the Lord, you can depend on the devil wanting to fight you.

Opposition from Satan and Spiritual Warfare

And in fact, that's a great sign of encouragement. If you don't upset the devil, you haven't done anything, I'll tell you that. And he gets upset and he comes at you many, many different directions. Let's hear some examples.

Oh my, I have had men to just jump up right in the middle of the meeting and just say, you're in error. You're, I mean, just stand there and fight you and do everything but fist fight you. And I have had them come down the aisle to come and fight me physically.

And I've had God to just freeze them and they couldn't move. And I've had to preach in churches with locked doors because the people would be so distraught and mad that they'd want to kill me. And so the devil fights and how many ways he fights, well, what can he do?

You know, I mean, he's, he can do so many different things. So there's a big problem if you're going to really have revival with the devil really fighting that. But if you stay with the Lord and you're anchored in his promises for that particular case, you can expect that to turn to glory.

And it will every single time if you stay with the Lord. And so the different types of problems comes from every avenue that Satan has. One time, I remember this to be a rare problem, but it was. I flew into a little town in the panhandle of Oklahoma.

And the Baptist church was strong there, had a great pastor, and the Mennonite church was strong there. And God really blessed both churches. And I was in the Baptist church, but the Mennonite church came over.

And what a wonderful time. I went down for breakfast one morning and came back by the desk, and there was a letter address to Marthy Beasley, M-A-R-T-H-E, with a little doodad over the E. Well, that's my wife's name.

And I know of no other name like that in America. I'm sure there are Marthy Beasleys. But I just couldn't believe that there was a Marthy Beasley. So here's what I concluded. Someone knows I'm here, my wife possibly is with me, and they have written her a letter.

So I had a second thought. I asked the lady behind the desk, I said, is there a Marthy Beasley here in this hotel? She said, oh, yes, in the room next to yours. And immediately, God, I just froze. And God spoke to my heart and showed me that that was a strategy of Satan to hinder that meeting.

And I didn't even go back to my room. I called the pastor. And I said, I want you to come get me. And he got me, and I told him. And then we both went to the room and we got what I needed. And then I got the first service.

I got up and told the whole church. And because there were banners in the town announcing me being there and posters, and I knew in this size, 10 ,000, 15 ,000 people town, that I was the most advertised.

And I wasn't overly advertised, but I was most advertised. Personality in town. And I knew the devil had a strategy with having that girl there. So we told the people, and two days later, she was arrested.

And of course, the people that didn't know immediately tied her with me. Beasley, Beasley, weren't any other Beasleys in town. And but the people who knew the truth knew. And now I, I say the adversity to a real revival is as varied as the devil is.

And I mean, you know, he will throw everything and anything at you, right, to hinder that meeting. And so for me to stay, I have had a pattern of the same problem over and over and over. And I can't say that I have unless we back up and deal with the condition of the church where there's a great deal of apathy.

Apathy, False Assurance, and Carnality as Hindrances

And that's possibly the number one problem that all of us have to deal with in the church. And then I think another problem that we have to deal with is the unserved church members. I think that's, has been a problem.

I think it's more of a problem now than it's ever been. Because the easy believism and the lie and the great massive amount of humanism. You see, we haven't, some of us haven't taken the deity of Christ away.

But we have changed the way, humanized the way to get to Christ. Amen. You do this, you do this, you do this, and you do this, and you're saved. And what do you have there but nothing but a lost church member.

And so that lost church member doesn't have life. And you minister life and they, they don't understand what you're talking about. So you've got that crowd to deal with. And then of course the carnal member is always a hindrance.

Because they strictly want things to be as they are. And they are not willing for God to do anything different. And of course revivalism is always God doing things differently. Amen. I mean almost every one of them.

That's why you can't, it's so difficult to define revival. Because one day he does it one way and the next day he does it different. So the hindrance to revival. A lot of times hindrance to revival can be summed up in the fact that revival is a supernatural work.

And Christianity as a religion, as people not knowing the Lord, has to be humanistic. And so anything that contradicts that humanistic approach to things is going to stand as a hindrance to real revival.

Brokenness, Holiness, and the Prodigal Son

What have you seen as characteristics of the glory of God in revival? The first thing that happens when revival comes, and I think this is consistent in any revival, is that people see themselves as they are.

And then brokenness comes. And then out in that brokenness comes a deep sorrow. Deep, that could be considered the measure of brokenness. To where there is a change of mind about themselves and about God.

And then comes unbelievable decisions. And out of that comes holiness, righteousness. But for each other and God. And then out of that, I think, comes reproduction of lost people getting saved and saved people that are not right getting right.

And what I've actually done is taken you through the prodigal son getting saved. He came to himself. Or if he didn't get saved, he got right, he had a revival. And by the way, it fits both. The principles fit both.

He came to himself. There was a brokenness within him to the point he had a change of mind about himself and about his father. And he became willing to go home and not become a son, but a servant. And then he said, I will arise.

That was a great decision on his part to follow, go home. And then, of course, when he met his father, he robed him, put a ring on his finger, put shoes on his feet. Now that's revival. Or that could be, well, a great illustration of a person getting saved.

Either one. Because I believe that when we see revival happens, we see these basic principles take place, these great, these basic activities take place. The manifestations, of course, are different. They're always different.

God uses, used a pig pen on the prodigal son. He has used health a great deal as an issue in my life. And he's used different things in different people's lives, sometimes as issues. But he doesn't have to use any issue.

The Holy Spirit can just come in mighty power, like a sword, a fire, a hammer. And just smash us. And not have an issue at all. It seemed like a great number of the revivals that I've had, there have been issues in the church.

The church was about to split. The worse the church is, and know they're there, the better possibility you have of having revival. Yeah, I get afraid when I have a pastor tell me, he said, now, Brother Manley, I know just exactly what to do.

And we'll take care of you. And we know. And we've got it all together. And that just frightens me. But I hear pastors say, Brother, I'm destitute. I'm done far. And if God doesn't meet us, we're over.

I say, hallelujah. Let's go. Let's go. It's going to soon be over. And really, I'm very serious about that. You're nearer to revival when you find a desperate person. And then you are one who thinks he knows how to do it.

Sustaining Revival Through Teaching and Preparedness

Yes, sir. A well-known historian on revival, Richard Owen Roberts. Yes. Talked to us several years ago. One of the statements he made that I've never forgotten was, he says, he's fearful that if God were to send a nationwide revival today, that it would be short-lived, that it wouldn't be sustained.

Bring that down to maybe a local area community church. What can be done from your perspective? What perhaps have you done to try to sustain in the hearts of people ongoing spirit of revival? Well, when I'm there in a meeting, I try to get the people exposed to as many books and tapes and men of God that are within the channel of revival.

And that's one thing you can do to continue what is going on. And I believe the more of these that we have locally, and we may not have much more than a mercy drop, a revival. But one day, God is going to come through and bring those little puddles of mercy drops together.

And if we do not have prepared people to know how to walk with God in those hours of blessings, it will die short. And that's a tragedy. I think we saw a little move of God, just a slight move of God in the 70s, more than just a little local manifestation among Baptists.

And I believe that move was distorted and a great number of the people was lost to the charismatic movement because they did not know how to deal with God and as he led in their lives. And so I try to expose people to the teaching of the cross as much as possible.

Because if they haven't got the understanding and the experiential understanding of the cross, they can't go too far without becoming self-centered and of course the Holy Spirit is not going to put up with that.

And so get them exposed to the truth of revival, the cross, and how the Holy Spirit comes and works. And so I won't even go to a meeting that will not let me bring books and tapes and that sort of thing.

And I'm not just talking about my stuff. I'm talking about everything I can collect that tells the message. And so it's just futile if they won't follow up, you know, and do the material. And of course it doesn't take now, it doesn't take every member of the church being right with God to see God move.

It doesn't take every person. And it doesn't take every person in the church following up to stay in revival in that church. I don't know how many it takes. But I know the Old Testament says, when the wicked rule, people mourn.

And when the righteous rule, people rejoice. That's a great principle there. And I don't know how many it takes. But when the righteous are in rule, people rejoice. You think it's talking about revival?

Good. I mean, it's talking about a king's, of course. But that's a principle that I'm not, I am sure too, that that definitely makes an application to revival. So when the righteous are in charge, the people are going to rejoice in the Lord.

Revival Across Denominational Lines and Across America

Let's broaden this to the national scene. For God to send revival to America, let's say these mercy drops form a puddle. The puddle results in a flood, ultimately, that sweeps across our nation in revival.

Historically, there's been evidence that it's bypassed the established church. Do you think if God were to send revival in our time, what role would the church play? Would it bypass the established church to some extent?

Would it be cross-denominational lines? Is it likely to begin in a denomination? Any thoughts on that? You're talking about the church as a local assembly on the body of Christ? The local assembly. Yeah, right, local assembly.

I think some of them will sit by, and the church next door will be aflame, and they won't even know it. I think in Wesley's day, in Whitefield's day, the glory of God was in a block, and the next block, they didn't know it was happening.

And they, honestly, they didn't know it was happening. Obviously, people have ears that cannot hear and eyes that cannot see, but I believe that the next great move of God will cross denominational lines.

But I do not necessarily believe that that means that God will honor people of different denominations that dishonor certain truths. I believe it will, though, go beyond denominational lines. I believe that we can expect, in fact, I, see I've been in this 35 years, and a man said to me the other day, and if you allow me to use the word healing, and you pick up on the word revival, it will be the same.

This man said to me, he said, well, in the last days, I believe that in the revival that God is going to send, he believed one was on the way, that we're going to have great healing experiences. And he wasn't putting it in the wrong perspective.

He really meant business. I said, in the last days? He said, yes. I said, well, how many will you have in a revival? You see, because I get five and six calls a day of people that are supernaturally healed right now.

And I said, man, we may be in revival now. Because when I look at the church now, and at the church where it was 35 years ago, I think we're so much closer to revival now than we were then. Now, we have a different approach from the enemy now than we had 35 years ago.

But see, I know of several hundred churches that's got a mercy drop, and God is working in. But I didn't know that 35 years ago. Right, I couldn't go to that many churches that's got the glory of God in them.

And I'm talking about not a great measure, but some. But there's more today. But now I'm looking at a broad perspective there. I'm looking at almost 40 years. And I have been preaching 40 years. So I'm looking really at 40 years.

So I say that we're going to have a great revival, and it's going to go beyond denominational levels, our local church levels. Yes. Let me ask one more question and then provide an opportunity for others to ask.

Desperation and Dependence on God

If you had one word of advice, exhortation, or counsel to those of us who are early in our revival ministries, something that would be perhaps the most valuable counsel that we could receive, what would it be from your experience?

Well, the point is, I always go to the principles that's applicable to every person. It's know God and walk with Him. What would you say today, 1989, or some issues that the church is involved in or relying on that keeps revival from coming across America?

Well, I believe that the greatest issue in the church today is the fact that we have so much, we do not need God. If you can get people and money, you can have the existence of a local assembly. And you don't need God.

You don't need God at all. And the greatest need among us that I trust has some knowledge of where we are and where we are going about revival, our greatest need is to know how to cope with having all of this and how to teach people that's got all of these things in the world that make it impossible.

They don't need God. So someway, somehow, we have got to break through in our teaching and in our living in and in our teaching, in our living first and then in our teaching, to teach ourselves and people how to cope with all of this plenty and how to cope with all this humanism.

And break through to where we have to have God in our personal lives and have to have God in our churches. Now, I have dealt with that in a very simple way and I have said, Lord, Jesus, whatever it takes to bring me to the place where I need you and I have to have you, I want you to bring me there.

Now, that's the way I cope with it. And it's just like you're going to some primitive condition and they do not have all of the facilities that you have that are more advanced. You know, it's much easier if you know God's answer, you only hope, to get to God when you're in that awful primitive state than it is when you've got plenty, right?

I mean, for instance, you got sick. Now, I'm not an advocate of divine healing, Pentecostal style, not at all, because I don't believe God even chooses to heal everyone. And I don't believe Jesus healed everyone.

But just think about this. If you got sick and there's no doctor around, amen, what would you do? If you knew Jesus and you knew the Lord to be a helper or supplier, you'd immediately turn to the Lord.

But now if you get sick, that's not the first thing you do, you call the doctor. Amen. And way down the road, if you get sick enough, you finally say, God, I've got to have you on this thing. Amen. The doctors don't have any answers.

Yeah, the doctors have run out of education. And so, but that principle deals with, I think, our brother's answer. I'm very serious about it. We're having a big problem in the Southern Baptist Convention.

They say it's a problem. I think it's a blessing. But they said, man, we don't know what to do. I know exactly what to do. You just take all the money away from all those boys that's living on those big expense accounts, and they'd have a revival meeting before Sunday.

Amen. They would. But the principle is what we're talking about. It's a matter of being desperate. It's, you know, if you're desperate and you know that God's the answer. And we've got to get our people through that.

And as a result of that, we're having more and more people with family problems, financial problems, and health problems than ever before. And I think it's the grace of God bringing about desperation in the lives of people.

Amen. I think it is. I just don't think it. I know it. Amen. Other questions? Steve. One thing that we're facing more in Crusades is people involved in the occult. Can you give us briefly how to deal with people involved in the occult and how to help them?

Confronting Occult Influence Through Prayer and Authority

Well, I definitely believe we're going to have more and more manifestations of the occult. It's going to become more and more visible. And you're going to have to face it more and more. I believe that.

And my way of handling the area where I have the responsibility of ministering for X number of days or weeks, I'm dealing with this more as a group type thing. I work at getting the believers in the church that can stand, and having done all to stand, stand therefore, and resist the devil.

And I get them praying for the area. I mean for the area, because I believe God blesses atmospherically, and literally bind Satan up. God says that work's been done at Calvary. And by faith and by prayer, we can bind the devil off of areas.

I mean really off of areas. I have real illustrations out of my life where all around this woman or this man or this man and woman, boy, they had prayed and rebuked the devil and resisted the devil till people all around them were saved.

And it's amazing. When we talk about ruling and reigning in our responsibility, we're talking about our responsibility in areas. And we've got to deal with the devil. And we deal with the big boy. You don't have any trouble with the little boys.

I'm serious with you. You deal with the devil and work from that standpoint. If there's any demonic activity in your area, they will flee. Now, usually they will try to confront you first. But then they'll come in your meeting and try to take over the meeting.

I've had them do that and do all kinds of things and try to perform miracles in front of you. And all you have to do is rebuke the devil. It comes from this matter of authority. And you have the authority.

And you not only have the authority over that service, but I think you have authority over the area. I think that's part of the ruling and reigning as an overcomer down here. And I think that kind of victory over Satan is one because of Calvary and because of your discovery of Calvary's victories and you being able to stand on the Word of God in faith and resist the devil.

And I think he can be handled that way. And I just, I don't know of any other way he can be handled. One more question here. Brother Manley, who were some of the revivalists in your early years that had a great influence on your life?

Revivalists, Authors, and Models of Prayer

And perhaps several books that the Lord put in your hand that stimulate you over the years? Well, we got all day here. I was highly influenced when I first got saved by Charles G. Finney. And I don't remember how I got hold of his books.

I was highly influenced by a man named Charles Miller. Charles Miller ran the rescue mission in Beaumont, Texas. But he knew God and how to walk with Him. And he had actually worked with Billy Sunday some.

And actually studying his life and Sunday's life, I always felt that he had a greater understanding of revival, not evangelism, but revival, than even Billy Sunday himself. I mean, Dr. O. Brother Miller.

And he really influenced my life. I mean, just strictly influenced my life. But back in those days, most of my heroes were men like Savannah Rolla, Martin Luther. All the men that their lives proved that their message and their life had the glory of God on.

And those were the books I read. Jonathan Edwards and George Whitfield and Wesley. And some of the more current people that were alive that were my heroes was James Stewart, James A. Stewart, not the theologian, but the revivalist from Scotland.

He was very influential in my life. Oswald J. Smith was very influential in my life. His early days, when he was a young man, when he started the People's Church, all of his writings definitely are related to revival.

And he was a strong influence in my life. And then a lot of the China Inland Missions people, the leader of that group. And I'll tell you who influenced me a great deal. Frazier. Frazier wrote Behind the Ranges.

J .O. Frazier. Now, he never wrote a book, but Mr. and Mrs. Howard Taylor Jr. when he wrote the book. And it's titled Behind the Ranges. Now, if you haven't read that book, you haven't read anything yet about prayer.

Because it's the greatest book on prayer. There is. Now, they have put in a little pamphlet form, what they call the Prayer of Faith, out of that book, which saves you a lot of unnecessary reading. But I'm telling you, he was the man that went to the Lisu people in China.

And one day, he got to the place where he could pray the Prayer of Faith. And once he prayed that Prayer of Faith, then he went to work. And I mean, he has some insight on prayer and faith that is absolutely incredible.

And then he was the one that had, what, 200 and something families, several thousand people saved in a year's time. And he noticed before this Prayer of Faith that his converts would fall back in to heathenism.

But after this Prayer of Faith, he said they would come in and be converted, and they would have the maturity as if they'd been in Sunday school all their life. Oh, my, I tell you, he was mightily used of God.

He gave the Lisu people their language, you know, and a lot of things. But he had a mighty influence. And he was the person that had such an influence over Isabel Kuhn. I mean, he was the key to her rich life in the Lord, obviously.

And so Corrie Ten Boone was an influence to me. Her life story, getting to know her and sitting and talking with her. She came and visited me while I was at the point of death one time in Houston, Texas.

And I had about seven preachers in there, and they'd flown in. And they were really trying to pump me up because I was feeling tough. And she walked in there in her little old cheap dress, you know, sort of tall, not a real attractive woman.

She walked in there, and when she walked in, I am not too mystical, but I don't know where that room went to heaven or heaven went to that room. But I mean, the glory of God filled that room. He came.

The Lord came in glory. Those preachers, they shut up, and they sat there and wept. And we visited, and she'd be talking to me. And she'd say, Brother Manley, that's right, Lord, you know that. And walk off with God.

And just walk off. And she'd just walk around with God for 15 minutes, come right back to that sentence that she'd started, and talk to me. And she was a great blessing to my life. And of course, I'm trying to think, Duncan Campbell.

I knew him and had a lot of time with him. And he influenced me a lot. And of course, anything you can get by Duncan Campbell is very good. And then this fellow, F .J. Hagel, he was extremely good for me.

Because he would give you the positional truths that you have in Christ. And then he would tell you, you have to make those yours by revelation and appropriation. And he takes you on to prepare you to know how to deal with the onslaughts of Satan by prayer and faith.

And so his books are all good. They can be all gotten now by Bethany Fellowship. Thank you for your time. We're out of time. But I had it on my heart just to encourage you all to continue to pray for Manley and his ministry.

Closing Exhortation: Brokenness, Holiness, and Prayer for Revival

Based on what he said this morning, if some of our greatest blessing as those and those individuals who sit under his ministry is dependent upon the degree to which they are willing to enter into a broken, even physically, lifestyle, then that should mean that some of the greatest days of his ministry and the most important truths he has to communicate to others are the days ahead, perhaps.

So I do too. And I think we need to benefit from it. I pray that God would increase the receptivity and the openness of the hearts of his people as they continue to be exposed to his life and message.

Let's close in prayer. Father, thank you for this time to learn and to grow from someone who has gone before many of us. God, I'm so grateful for the example of life, the commitment to purity and holiness and walking with you and knowing you before ever beginning to have a ministry for you and to the lives of others.

God, make us, I pray, those type of instruments. If everybody in this room were to be the men of God that you desire for us to be, there's no limitation to what you could accomplish. Keep our priorities in order, I pray.

And use even this session that we just completed in talking about revival to stir up into the hearts of many others, a hunger, a thirst, a desire, a longing to be involved in a cause that could bring so much glory and restore your presence in this land.

I pray in Jesus name. Amen.