Those of us who attended last Sunday morning's worship service at First Baptist Church in Weymouth witnessed what seemed to be a work of the Holy Spirit in our midst. Frankly, it was one of the most amazing things I've seen -- not only in my nine years at First Baptist but also for the thirty-nine years that I've been alive!
The sermon was on 2 Corinthians 7:11, "The Marks of Repentance." It was about 40 minutes in length. The sermon was followed by an invitation that was twice that long. None of it was manufactured or manipulated. It was simply the impelling power of the Holy Spirit. Person after person got up to make public, verbal confession of various sins. By the time the service was over, thirty to forty people were down front, and only a few left before the hour-and-a-half invitation ended.
This spiritual awakening has been a long time in coming. All the glory goes to God, for revival comes from Him and Him alone. Yet God brings revival in response to the fervent, effective prayers of godly believers (James 5:16). What a great incentive for godly living and incessant praying!
Even after Sunday's service, God continued to work. More confessions were made privately and publicly throughout the week. On Wednesday evening at our midweek Bible study, multiple testimonies were shared. God is at work, and we pray that last Sunday's movement was not a singular event but the beginning of a great spiritual awakening in this church and even throughout New England. (The convicting work of the Holy Spirit has been evident in other gospel-preaching churches in our area, especially in recent weeks.)
In light of all that happened, I grabbed an old book from my library entitled New England Revivals (by Bennett Tyler; revised by Richard Owen Roberts). As you can guess, this book documents various revivals that have occurred throughout New England's history. One such revival began in June of 1799, in Lenox, Massachusetts. The account was written by the Reverend Samuel Shepard. Shepard notes being ordained as pastor in April, 1795 (four years before the revival), at which time "the situation of the church called for the earnest prayers of all who had a heart to pray." (I find this interesting since our church came out of an extremely difficult season about four years ago, at which time people were solicited to pray and even fast for me their pastor and for the spiritual health of the church in general.)
Rev. Shepard noted that while "showers of divine grace were falling on other" churches, his own church seemed to be the recipient of the Lord Jesus' warning in Revelation 2:5: "Remember, therefore, from whence thou art fallen, and repent, or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place." But then Shepard quickly noted where the Lord said elsewhere, "I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy" (Rom. 9:15), after which the pastor exclaimed, "Glory be to His name. With Him is the residue of the Spirit, and He can pour it out, when, and where and on whom He pleaseth. He hath made it, therefore, a day of His power, and caused even in the midst of us, a shaking among the dry bones."
The revival in June, 1799, was actually precipitated by a season of heightened corporate prayer two months earlier, in April. A great number of church members became increasingly burdened about the church's spiritual state and began to pray for the Spirit's outpouring.
Their prayers were heard. After conversing on passages that focused on the being and perfections of God, several people were brought under "deep conviction.... They seemed now to consider the holy Bible to be the very voice of God to a guilty world...." The Lord was doing a great work.
Interestingly, Shepard also noted: "In a time of ingathering like this, however, it is to be expected that some chaff will remain with the wheat." That is to say, some who made a profession of faith did not persevere in the faith but "afterwards returned to their former stupidity." He also observed, "The condition of those who remained uniformly careless and inattentive while the goings of God were so visible among us, appears to be still more dangerous and deplorable."
Still there were several, undeniable indicators of the Holy Spirit's empowering presence. Reverend Shepard recorded these in the form of seven summary statements:
The sermon was on 2 Corinthians 7:11, "The Marks of Repentance." It was about 40 minutes in length. The sermon was followed by an invitation that was twice that long. None of it was manufactured or manipulated. It was simply the impelling power of the Holy Spirit. Person after person got up to make public, verbal confession of various sins. By the time the service was over, thirty to forty people were down front, and only a few left before the hour-and-a-half invitation ended.
This spiritual awakening has been a long time in coming. All the glory goes to God, for revival comes from Him and Him alone. Yet God brings revival in response to the fervent, effective prayers of godly believers (James 5:16). What a great incentive for godly living and incessant praying!
Even after Sunday's service, God continued to work. More confessions were made privately and publicly throughout the week. On Wednesday evening at our midweek Bible study, multiple testimonies were shared. God is at work, and we pray that last Sunday's movement was not a singular event but the beginning of a great spiritual awakening in this church and even throughout New England. (The convicting work of the Holy Spirit has been evident in other gospel-preaching churches in our area, especially in recent weeks.)
In light of all that happened, I grabbed an old book from my library entitled New England Revivals (by Bennett Tyler; revised by Richard Owen Roberts). As you can guess, this book documents various revivals that have occurred throughout New England's history. One such revival began in June of 1799, in Lenox, Massachusetts. The account was written by the Reverend Samuel Shepard. Shepard notes being ordained as pastor in April, 1795 (four years before the revival), at which time "the situation of the church called for the earnest prayers of all who had a heart to pray." (I find this interesting since our church came out of an extremely difficult season about four years ago, at which time people were solicited to pray and even fast for me their pastor and for the spiritual health of the church in general.)
Rev. Shepard noted that while "showers of divine grace were falling on other" churches, his own church seemed to be the recipient of the Lord Jesus' warning in Revelation 2:5: "Remember, therefore, from whence thou art fallen, and repent, or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place." But then Shepard quickly noted where the Lord said elsewhere, "I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy" (Rom. 9:15), after which the pastor exclaimed, "Glory be to His name. With Him is the residue of the Spirit, and He can pour it out, when, and where and on whom He pleaseth. He hath made it, therefore, a day of His power, and caused even in the midst of us, a shaking among the dry bones."
The revival in June, 1799, was actually precipitated by a season of heightened corporate prayer two months earlier, in April. A great number of church members became increasingly burdened about the church's spiritual state and began to pray for the Spirit's outpouring.
Their prayers were heard. After conversing on passages that focused on the being and perfections of God, several people were brought under "deep conviction.... They seemed now to consider the holy Bible to be the very voice of God to a guilty world...." The Lord was doing a great work.
Interestingly, Shepard also noted: "In a time of ingathering like this, however, it is to be expected that some chaff will remain with the wheat." That is to say, some who made a profession of faith did not persevere in the faith but "afterwards returned to their former stupidity." He also observed, "The condition of those who remained uniformly careless and inattentive while the goings of God were so visible among us, appears to be still more dangerous and deplorable."
Still there were several, undeniable indicators of the Holy Spirit's empowering presence. Reverend Shepard recorded these in the form of seven summary statements:
- This revival was evidently the work of God. To prove this, the very sudden change in appearance and pursuits of the people, is instead of a thousand arguments.
- This revival began in the church; and I believe it will be found to be true, that in almost every instance of religious attention, it makes its first appearance in the church of Christ. When God is about to bestow spiritual blessings upon a people, it is his usual method, first to awake his professed friends out of sleep.
- Such a revival of religion most strikingly evinces the importance of all the means of grace, which God has instituted. When once the attention of a people is called up to the concerns of the soul, how precious, in their view, are seasons for prayer.... How instantly do they fly to the Bible -- how highly do they prize every opportunity to get religious instruction. and to associate with the people of God for serious conversation.... Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.
- The work [of God] ... has been attended with remarkable regularity. God was emphatically in the still small voice. Nothing was said, in particular, about dreams and visions -- hearing unusual voices, and seeing uncommon sights. No extravagance in either gestures or outcries, appeared. No wild enthusiasm [emotionalism] attended the revival in any stage of it.
- ... A remarkable uniformity has occurred relatively to the doctrines which have been embraced. These are such as are usually termed Calvinistic. Such truths as the total and awful depravity of the human heart -- the necessity of regeneration; or a change of heart as a preparation for the enjoyment of a holy heaven -- the equity of the divine law in its penalty, as well as precept -- the divine sovereignty in the salvation of sinners, as the only possible ground of hope in the case of the guilty offender -- the necessity of gospel morality, as an evidence of justifying faith -- and all the doctrines essentially connected with these, were readily received by all with one consent.
- It is worthy of notice that the revival of religion in this town, has proved to be almost a death-wound to the vain amusements of the school among us in the time of the late special attention, was rendered nearly abortive; and the youth in general are still remarkable for their sobriety.
- One distinguishing feature of this work as it appeared among us, and elsewhere, according to the narrations which have been published, was humility. The subjects of the revival, who have obtained a Christian hope, have very uniformly appeared to be humble, and to walk softly before their Maker. In view of the divine perfections and requirements, they have, at times, expressed great self-abhorrence. This has been one striking effect of the genuine operation of the divine Spirit on the hearts of sinners in every age.
Shepard then concludes his account of God's work among his own congregation with these words, which serve as a fitting prayer for our church and our world today:
May a holy God, in infinite mercy, continue to make manifest the glory of his power, and the glory of his grace, in building up Zion; for in no other way can we rationally hope to see happy individuals -- happy families -- happy neighborhoods -- happy societies -- happy towns -- happy states -- happy kingdoms -- and a happy world.