Curiosities about Revivals in the UK
George Whitefield: At an early age, he discovered that he had a passion and talent for acting in the theatre, a passion that he pursued via many theatrical reenactments of the Bible stories he preached about during his sermons. He had been an awesome preacher from the beginning, and within a year it was said that “his voice startled England like a trumpet blast.” There were times when he preached to more than 20 thousand people, with no technical aid, only his voice.
The Ulster Revival: When the winds of revival passed through Ulster in 1859, they also exploded in the workplace. The Newsletter in June 1859 published an article describing how the Revival had entered the shop floor. The writer went on to say that many had experienced such conviction of sin that they were unable to work until they had made peace with God. This was accomplished with the help of many lay people who made themselves available to the factories, which were the largest employers in Belfast. Scenes like this were repeated not only elsewhere in Belfast, but throughout the province of Ulster, with the revival waves sometimes reaching throughout Ireland.
The Welsh Revival: Wales is known as the Land of Revival and the word revival was well-known among the Welsh. The revival of 1904 was brought about by young people and adolescents led by Evan Roberts at the age of 26, and they won 100,000 souls. This revival only lasted approximately 9 months, but it was very intense, and shook the whole country.
The Great Awakening in England: With John Wesley and George Whitefield preaching to huge crowds at every level of society, there was a great awakening in Great Britain. It came through the simple preaching of the Word on the streets and outdoors, which became the main characteristic of this Revival, this great Move of God in the United Kingdom. This struck the whole of the Country and saved England from a Revolution, from great bloodshed such as happened in France at that time.
The Welsh Revival: The story goes that in the days of revival in Wales, the judges were presented with white gloves, as there were no crimes to try; the prisons were empty.
The Salvation Army: William Both founded the Christian Mission which grew greatly, even in the face of much persecution. At Christmas of 1878 the name of the Christian Mission was changed to “The Salvation Army,” and William Booth was called its General (a title he resisted at first as being pretentious).
John Wycliffe: He was a professor at Oxford University, a theologian and an English religious reformer, considered to be the forerunner of the religious reforms that shook Europe in the 15th and 16th Centuries. He worked on the first translation of the Bible into the English language, which became known as the Wycliffe Bible, so he is also known as “The Bible Man”.
Charles H. Spurgeon: According to one of his biographies, the largest audience he preached to comprised exactly 23,654 people: this huge audience filled the Crystal Palace, London, on October 7, 1857 to hear him preach for more two hours.
The Welsh Revival: The Revival on Azuza Street (1906) was fruit of that in Wales. There was a journalist, Frank Baldwin (Azuza Revival Story), who was touched by what happened in Wales and exchanged letters with Evan Roberts on how to proceed in order for this move to come to the USA. Evan Roberts replied that they were praying for California. Also, in 1907 there was revival in North Korea, inspired by Wales.
George Whitefield and John Wesley: George Whitefield and John Wesley maintained differences in theology, with Whitefield becoming a Calvinist and associating with the Presbyterian Church, but the two remained great friends. Knowing their doctrinal differences, someone asked Whitefield if he thought he would see John Wesley in Heaven. “I fear not,” he replied, “he will be so close to the eternal throne, and I so far away, that I shall barely see him.”
The Salvation Army: Their growth was not limited to the country of England. The Army extended to the USA and Australia in 1880, and to France the following year. Divisions in South Africa and New Zealand began in 1883.
George Jeffreys: In 1962, George spoke with Reinhard Bonnke, the evangelist, about the ministry that Bonnke was about to initiate in South Africa. Bonnke stumbled onto Jeffreys’ home in Clapham passing whilst through London. The old evangelist invited Bonnke in for tea. Jeffreys prayed for the 22-year-old Bonnke, passing on his “mantle”.
John Wesley: His words – “I consider the whole world as my parish; wherever I am, I find it right, and my holy duty to declare to all who are willing to hear, the good news of salvation”.
The Welsh Revival: Before the revival, people swore freely and horses obeyed such commands, but when revival came and people were transformed by the power of God and changed their speech, their horses and ‘pit ponies’ in the mines did not obey anymore!
With time, it seems, they learned the new kind of language as well.
The Ulster Revival: It is believed that about 100,000 people came to Christ in Ulster during this revival period. The true number is known only to God and his recording angel. 1641 was the year of Ulster’s horror, but 1859 was his “year of grace,” the year that Heaven came down.
The Great Awakening in England: The crowds increased daily, until they reached twenty thousand listeners. The wealthy sat in their carriages and others on their horses. Some even sat in the trees and everywhere the people gathered to hear George Whitefield preach. Sometimes everyone was brought to tears, as the Spirit of God came down upon them.
John Wesley: Son of Samuel and Suzanna Wesley, he had 18 siblings and he was the fifteenth. One night when he was a child of 5, a fire broke out in his house and everyone fled the house except John, who was sleeping. When he woke up he saw that he could not get out of the house so he went to the window where someone saw him and shouted for him to jump; thus he was saved. His mother said that he was a “brand plucked from the fire” and that God really had a purpose with this her son, so she began to devote more attention to him.
The Ulster Revival: God used 4 young men from Connor to bring the fire from heaven to Ireland: James McQuilkin, Jeremiah Mcneely, Robert Carlisle, and John Wallace met every week in a rural school near Kells so that they could cry out to God by themselves for an awakening and to study the Scriptures more deeply.
Smith Wigglesworth: When Smith Wigglesworth was 17 years old he qualified as a plumber. In 1882 he married Mary Jane Featherstone, known as Polly, a young Methodist who had been born into a well-off family but had left society´s luxuries to preach with the Salvation Army. From his wife, Smith learned to read properly and the Bible was his only reading book.
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