Audio Sermon: When God Stepped Down From Heaven — Duncan Campbell

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The Spiritual Decline Preceding the Lewis Awakening

Now, before I begin the story, I would like to say one thing. And that is that I did not bring revival to Lewis. It has grieved my heart again and again to read articles about the man that brought revival to Lewis.

Notices on church boards come and hear the man that brought revival to Lewis. My dear people, it's not true. I don't carry revival about with me in my pocket. Revival broke out in Lewis. Some time before, I went to thank God for the privilege of being in its midst for over three years.

I went at the invitation of one parish minister for ten days, but God kept me there for three years. Now, I'm thankful to God for the privilege of perhaps in some small way leading that movement and the young converts in the deep things of God.

Having said that, I want to read you from this little book, The Lewis Awakening. It will give you an idea of the desperate state prior to this gracious movement. Lewis met to consider the terrible drift away from the ordinances of the church, especially the drift away from the church by the young people of the island.

Now, here are words from a declaration that was read in all the congregations. The presbytery affectionately plead with their people, especially with the youth of the church, to take these matters to heart and to make serious inquiry as to what must be the end should there be no repentance.

My dear people, take that to heart. Should there be no repentance, and they call upon every individual asked before God to examine his or her life in the light of that responsibility which pertains to us all.

By divine mercy, we may be visited with the spirit of repentance and may turn again unto the Lord whom we have so grieved with our iniquities, especially would they warn their young people. Cinema, that was a declaration by the presbytery, read in all the congregations and published in the local press.

Revival as a Sovereign Work of God

A great many views held by people today as to what revival is. So you hear men say, are you going out to the revival meetings? We're having a revival crusade, and so on. There is a world of difference between a crusade effort in the field of evangelism.

My dear people, that is not revival. I already said from this platform, I thank God for ever brought Christ through our special efforts. Season of blessing at our conferences and at our conventions. We praise God's movement.

But is it not true that such movements do not as a general rule touch the community? The community remains more or less the same. The community suddenly becomes conscious of God among his own people. In a matter of hours, not days, in a matter of hours, she's become crowded.

No intimation of any special meeting, but something happening that moves men and women to the house of God. Within hours, years of men and women sought for mercy before they went near a church. You've read the history of revivals.

The Jonathan Edward revival in America, that was what happened. The Welsh revival, that is what happened. The more recent Lewis revival, God stepped down. Women, it is an interesting story and I want to tell it in full.

Prayer, Vision, and Thirst for God

An old woman, 84 years of age and blind, had a vision. Don't ask me to explain this vision because I cannot. Strange things happen when God begins to move. Dear old lady, in the vision saw the church of our fathers crowded with young people, with young people.

And she saw a strange minister in the pulpit. She was so impressed by this revelation because a revelation it was. She sent for the minister. The parish minister was a God-fearing man that longed to see God working.

He had tried ever so many things to get the youth of the parish interested, but not one single teenager attended the church. That was the situation. Well, what of this dear old lady to say, I'll tell you what she said, I'm sure, Mr. Mackay, that you're longing to see God working.

What about calling your office bearers together and suggest to them that you spend two nights a week waiting upon God in prayer. You've tried mission, you've tried special evangelists. Mr. Mackay, have you tried God?

I tell you, this is a wonderful old woman. She meekly obeyed and said, yes, I'll call the session together. I will suggest that we meet on Tuesday night and Friday night and we'll spend the whole night in prayer.

I tell you, dear people, here were men that meant business. The dear old lady said, well, if you do that, my sister and I will get on our knees at 10 o 'clock on Tuesday, 10 o 'clock on Friday, and we'll wait on our knees till 4 o 'clock in the morning.

This puts us to shame. So they went to prayer. You mentioned that they had but one promise from God, and that promise they pledged. I will pour water on him that his thirsty floods upon the dry ground.

That's God's promise. And in their prayers, according to the minister, they would say again and again, God, you're a covenant-keeping God, and you must be true to your covenant engagements. The praying and the meetings continued for several months.

Conviction and the Manifestation of God's Presence

Until one night, a remarkable thing happened. They were kneeling among straw in the barn, the barn of a farmhouse, when suddenly a young man rose and read, Then the hill of God, who shall stand in his holy place, he that hath clean hands and a pure heart, to have not lifted up his soul to vanity, nor sworn deceitfully, he shall receive the blessing of the Lord.

And he shut his Bible, and then looking down at the minister and at the other men who were kneeling there, he said this, so crude in Gaelic, but this is what he said, Brethren, it seems to me just so much hung back.

As we are praying to be waiting, as we are waiting, he weeded to God, and on his face among the straw, a matter of minutes, the elders fell into a trance. Now please don't come to me at the end of this meeting and ask me why men falling into a trance.

I cannot answer that question. What I know is this, that when that happened in the barn, now it happened in the Jonathan Edward revival, remember that. Not peculiar by any means to Louis. It happened in America.

It happened in the 59 revival in Wales. Not the 1900 revival, but the 59 revival. But this I can say, the moment that that happened in the barn, that shook the whole, I say shook the people. The minister writing about what happened in the following morning said this, You met God on Meadow and Moorland.

You met him in the homes of the people. God seemed to be everywhere. What was that? Nothing at all organized one endeavor. Gather in a field and begin to talk about this consciousness of God that had gripped the community.

God's Providence in Bringing the Revival to Lewis

I received a letter inviting me to the island. It was at that time in the midst of a very gracious movement on the island of Skye. It wasn't revival, but men and women were coming to Christ. God was glorified in the number.

In Canada or in America, they would refer to it as a big revival. For ten days, I wrote back to say that it wasn't possible for me to do that because I was involved in a holiday convention on this island.

The speakers were arranged and accommodation in the different hotels for the people that were coming from all over Britain. I cannot take time to tell you how that convention had to be canceled, largely because the tourist board took the hotels over my head.

A special Skye week that they were going to have. The minister received the letter and he went to the old lady with it and read the letter to her. This is what she said. Mr. Mackay, that is what man is saying.

God has said something else and he'll be here within a fortnight. I told you the convention wasn't canceled then, but she knew. Oh, my dear people, listen. The secret of the Lord is with them that hear him.

And she knew God's secret. When I was on the island, within ten days, I spent ten days among the people, at the pier by the minister and two of his office bearers. Just as I stepped off the boat, an old elder came over to me and faced me with this question, Mr. Campbell, may I ask you this question?

Are you walking with God? Oh, here were men who meant business. Men who were afraid that a strange hand would touch the ark. I think I can say this, that I fear God. He looked at me and said, well, if you fear God...

And then the minister said, Are you sure, Mr. Campbell, that your time must be longing for your supper? And supper will be ready for you in the manse. But I wonder if you would address the meeting in the parish church just on the way to the manse to show yourself to the people.

There will be a fair congregation. I'm not saying a great number, but, oh, anything between two and three hundred, I expect. You see, there's a movement among us. It will interest you, dear people, to know that I never got that supper.

The Sudden Outbreak of Conviction in the Parish Church

I didn't arrive at the manse until twenty minutes past five in the morning. I went to the church. Now, this is the interesting bit, because it deals with the outbreak of God in supernatural power, a miracle revealing himself in revival.

Reached in the church, a good meeting, a wonderful sense of God, something that I hadn't known since the 1921 movement in Middergyle. Nothing really happened. I pronounced the benediction. And I'm walking down the aisle when this young man came to me and said, Nothing has broken out tonight, but God is hovering over us.

He's hovering over us midday. And he'll break through any moment. To be perfectly honest, I didn't feel anything. But to see it was a man much nearer to God than I was. ...the secrets. Moving down, the aisle and the congregation is moving out.

He lifted his two hands and started to pray. You made a promise. ...a busty and lunce upon the dry ground. And you're not doing it. Prayed again. ...beside him for about five minutes. And then the door of the church opened.

And the session clerk came in. Campbell, something wonderful has happened. Revival has broken out. Come to the door and see. Eleven o 'clock, Matthew. Eleven o 'clock. And I went to the door, and there must have been a congregation of between six and seven hundred people in the church.

This dear man stood up and suggested that we might sing a psalm. He gave out Psalm 102. When Zion's bondage, God turned back. ...where we then filled with laughter was our mouth. And they sang and they sang.

And in the midst of it, I could hear the cry of the penitent. Crying to God for mercy. ...turned to the elder and said, I think we had better order of minutes. The church was crowded at a quarter to twelve.

Conviction Spreads Beyond the Church Walls

Now, where did the people come from? How did they know that a meeting was in progress in the church? Well, I cannot tell you. But I know there's people came. Some of them today. What was it that moved you?

They couldn't tell you. But they could not explain. ...was huddled up into the pulpit. I found the way blocked was young people who had been at the dance. When I went into the pulpit, I found a young woman, a graduate of Aberdeen University, who was at the dance.

And she's lying on the floor of the pulpit crying, Is there mercy for me? Is there mercy for me? Is there mercy for me? Until four o 'clock in the morning. As I was leaving the church, a young man came to me.

Oh, he's not a Christian. But he's a God-fearing young man. And told me this story. Anything between two and three hundred people at the police station. They're gathered there, and some are on their knees.

Now, I can't understand this. Now, he wasn't in the church, you see. But here, men and women from a neighboring village. Moving to the police station because the constable there was a God-fearing and well-saved man.

And just next to the door, Peggy Scott. I'll never forget what my ears heard and my eyes saw. Men were kneeling by the roadside. I think just now of a group of half a dozen. One of them under the influence of drink.

And his old mother kneeling beside him and saying, Oh, Willie, Willie, are you coming at last? Willie, Willie, are you coming? And from the group of young men. That night, there are nine in the ministry.

That's revival. To see him passing, that is the crying man of today. But not this effort and that effort. An endeavor. But a manifestation of God. Cry for mercy before they go near a place of worship.

My dear people, that was how it began then. That was how it began. And then it left the parish, the two neighboring parishes. We are now addressing meetings through the day. We're addressing meetings right through the night.

I can remember once within 24 hours addressing eight meetings. We visited churches five times. Twice out of the many of them found the Savior that we followed them to the shore. And there we sang the songs of Zion at 2 o 'clock in the morning before they left for their homes.

Revival Reaches Villages, Fields, and Homes

There are people that's gone coming to me and saying, Would it be possible for you to visit our parish? I said, It all depends on when I could visit the parish. I think it would be possible for me to go if you could have me between 1 and 2 o 'clock in the morning.

I should go at 1 o 'clock, half past 1, I arrived there. Such churches in Lewes with as many outside. A young man came to me and said, Mr. Campbell, there must be between 300 and 500 people on a field down here.

They're wondering, the elders there are wondering if you could come down and found this crowd. Oh, it was easy to address them. The Spirit of God was hovering over us. Lying on the grass. Four young girls, I would say about 16 years of age.

They came over and they knelt beside him. One of them saying, I think I ought to tell you a rather amusing incident. In favor with all. A Christian church that bitterly opposed. But from that meeting, the minister was with me.

We found an elder waiting us to say that this man hadn't been near a church for 12 years. He just lived for it. He invited me. He said, Oh, well, I may turn up at the church. One of the elders said that he thought the suit he had on was the suit that he married in.

It wasn't certainly a mothering one. He went to the church at Enoch. And the church was so crowded that he had to sit on the pulpit steps just quite near to me. Repeating, God, do good for me. Conviction.

Crying, poor. After this conference. Go to this nurse there. I said to her, you know, I'm near to God as you ought to be. I said to the minister, I think we ought to spend the morning with old Peggy. So the old man began to pray.

I remember the conversation we had this morning at 2 o 'clock. And you told me you were going to visit this part of the parish with revival. I've just spoken to Mr. Campbell about it, but he's not prepared to think of it.

Better give him wisdom because the man badly needs it. That's what the dear woman said. And when we said to her, well, Peggy, now, where do you wish me to go? Where is the meeting to be held? And God will provide the congregation and the meeting place.

Well, Peggy, I'll go. Congregation of anything between three and four hundred. Gathered around this bungalow, a seven-room bungalow. And the bungalow was so packed, so many young people anxious to be in.

A man suggested that they should get into the beds in rows of threes, take off their shoes and pack themselves like herring. One of the elders came to me and said, will you come round to the end of the house?

Some of the leading men in the village are crying to God. And if you go there, we'll go to the peat sack over here where you see those women crying to God. I went round to the end of the house and there they were.

The men that old Peggy saw that would become pillars in the church of her father. And today, my dear people, that's... Those crying to God for mercy, there were two pipers. We had a concert and dance in a neighboring parish.

And the minister of that parish was there. He was the man who spoke to me and said, go to the end of the house. And he and his wife were looking at the two pipers. Oh, they're there crying to God for mercy.

He turned to his wife and he said, look here, we'll go back to the parish and we'll go to the dance happening in Barabas. We went 50 miles. When the dance was in progress, went to the door and was met by the son of a schoolmaster.

What are you wanting here, Mr. McLennan? Just come to the dance. Oh, but we know you haven't come to the dance to dance. Came to the right and went in. They're dancing. He stepped onto the floor. Young men, young women, I have an interesting story to tell you.

The Smith pipers aren't with you. They're not with you. God for mercy in Barabas. The fullness of eternity, I'm quoting the words of the minister, came over the dance. And then he said, young folk, listen, I would like you to sing a psalm with me.

And I think we ought to sing Psalm 50, where God is depicted as a flame of fire. Came to the second verse. Suddenly there was a cry. The young man fell on the floor and began to cry to God for mercy. In five minutes the hall was empty.

And there now in three buses, coaches that brought young people from other parishes. And they're in the coaches on their knees crying to God for mercy. And listen, the young man who fell on his knees that night was inducted to a parish church just before I came across to Canada.

That's God. The spirit of God's conviction was so terrible. Only leave them there. Read about the most remarkable movement. So the apostles repeated again. The village of Arno came to us last year. He was up there just now.

Revival Transforms Communities and Opponents

Opposition. Bitter opposition. So it went on. Do you know that your honour is at stake? Do you know that they made a promise that you're not fulfilling? Now there are five ministers here along with Mr. Campbell.

I don't know where any of them stand. Not even Mr. Campbell. But if I know anything at all about my own poor heart I think I can say that I'm thirsty for a manifestation of your power. And then, about a quarter to two in the morning he stood up and said this.

I will take it upon myself to challenge you to fulfill your covenant engagement. And when that man said that, the farmer stood up and said to me, John Smith, stop praying. He announced the benediction and went out of the church.

Community alive. Community alive. Opposition had fled. Two men broke out. But he's spoken of in Scotland today as the Arnold revival. The mighty movements in the midst of this gracious... Do you know that the drinking house was closed that night and it's never been open since?

Never been open since. The men who used to drink there and spend the evening there are now praying in our prayer meetings. And one of them is a minister in southern Arabia. Donald MacPhail. I could go on.

So that was how the movement began. Conviction, distress of soul, fourteen young men standing in the hall discussing the amount of beer that was to be brought to the parish for a dance on Friday. Suddenly one of them turns to the others and says, Boys, let us increase the amount.

I believe that this is the last time that beer is going to come to this parish. Another young man said, Angus, are you suggesting that the revival is going to come to this godless parish? I cannot say what is going to happen or what is going to come.

But something is happening to me. And that was all that he said. But listen, dear people. Fourteen young men fell on their knees in front of the public hall and were there for over an hour. And all of them, eleven of them, are office bearers in that church today.

And that is one community after that gracious movement when you couldn't find a single unsaved soul in the parish or in that part of it. My dear people, did your good folk understand what revival means?

The Enduring Fruits of Revival

What it means to see God working, natural, moving in the midst of men and hundreds swept into the kingdom. Oh, that we see it. My time is gone. You ask, now, what are the fruits of it? You've already said that you know nothing about backsliding.

Now that is true. I could count on my five fingers all who dropped off from the prayer meetings. You see, in Lewis, and in the highlands generally, they would no more believe that you were a Christian than they would believe that the devil was a Christian if you don't attend the prayer meetings.

Born again to be among the praying people. You couldn't find a parish in Lewis today that hasn't five prayer meetings. The local press stated in the midst of the movement there are more people attending the prayer meetings now than attended public worship on a communion Sunday.

Now that's true. Well, that is one of the outstanding features relative to the fruit that remains. Prayer meetings. Now get a hold of this. A movement has begun now through Lewis. Where is it? Among the teenagers.

Among young men and young women. Some time ago would be making their way to the town to the pictures or to the dance to the drinking houses in the town. But today in their skull not seeing its revival in the sense that we witnessed it some years ago.

But in parishes tonight perhaps half a dozen prayer meetings in progress. They were in the church and from the church they go for a bite of supper. And then to houses here and there to wait from God till two o 'clock in the morning.

And in those prayer meetings young people young men and women teenagers and angry to Christ was among them recently. And she has a story to tell when she comes back to prairie. She'll tell you not as if we let her go.

Half a dozen other Miss Bangles. We'll welcome them with open arms. Continues. Another feature relative to the fruits is the number of men and women that have gone forth into full time service in the ministry and in the foreign fields.