An Outpouring of Repentance Lord, Do it again!
I love hearing about what happened when the Holy Spirit is poured out on all generations. The start of these stories fill the book of Acts, but the stories do not end there. God is working his purposes out through the church: Philippians 2:13 says ‘for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfil his good purpose.’
Reading the stories of God at work through history stirs in me a desire to see these things happen in our day and in our time. Some of the stories seem outlandish and impossible to the carnal mind, yet some of the strangest accounts (for example of small babies standing up and speaking out Bible verses in France, 1740) are similar to events that I have been privileged to see in modern days.
When we look at the spiritual state of the church and the world it becomes clear that we need another Pentecost, a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit, in our time.
In this short series of 4 articles, we are going to look at examples of what took place during past outpourings in the lives of children and young people.
Join me on the journey as we look at four different aspects of moves of the Lord among the next generation.
An Outpouring of Repentance
A Generation in Prayer
A Manifestation of the Miraculous
A Stirring for the Lost
As you read through this, I pray that the cry rises in all of us: ‘Lord, do it again!’
Bible - Acts 16:25-34
When the Holy Spirit fell on a prison where Peter and John were locked up the ground shook and they were released. The jailer cried out, ‘What must I do to be saved?’
Bible – Isaiah 6:5 “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.”
Lord, do it again.
USA[i]
May, 1741, in Northmapton the Lord started to move. George Whitfield had previously preached and seen hearts soften to the Lord and now Jonathan Edwards was able to observe God at work. One sermon in a private house sparked many conversations among the children and young people. They were overcome by the greatness of God and the state of their sin until the whole room was filled with the cries of people weeping. People from across the town came to hear what the cause of these loud outbursts were and ended up joining in!
When the children were finally sent home they left crying aloud through the streets. Some of the children remained unchanged by this encounter but others were visibly transformed from that moment on.
In the Summer and Autumn of that year the children gathered by themselves to pray and fast. With much weeping before the Lord they saw those who had seemed unchanged begin to open themselves to the state of their sin and their need for Christ.
Lord, do it again.
Wales[ii]
During the Welsh revival the young Evan Roberts prayed this simple prayer:
‘Lord send your Holy Spirit, for Jesus Christ’s sake.’
Children, teenagers, church goers, pub drinkers, notorious sinners and supposedly righteous people all came under the same conviction of sin and discovered Christ.
The donkeys in the mines were confused because the miners no longer kicked them and swore at them. In some areas, weeks went by without any recorded crime as hearts were transformed. The pubs were empty, and the churches were full.
Sometimes Evan Roberts would have a word of knowledge about a sinner outside the building. He would send someone outside and they would find a person so overwhelmed by their sin that they could not even enter the church meeting place.
As lives were transformed, many of them became fervent in spreading the Gospel wherever they went and so the revival grew.
Lord, do it again.
Scotland[iii]
Meanwhile in Scotland the Holy Spirit fell on the children and they started to cry out to God. Children were meeting to pray in schools, in playgrounds, in homes, in huts, in woods and wherever they could.
One group of girls aged 10-12 met to pray every night for weeks. Their prayers were simple: ‘Lord we have hard, hard, HARD hearts.’ ‘Though young in years we are old in sin.’ ‘We give our whole hearts to thee.’
One boy was at school, sat in a lesson, when the Holy Spirit started to convict him of his sin and he began to sob uncontrollably. The teacher was somewhat disturbed by this outbreak and recognised it as part of the revival that had been stirring in the land. He called on one of the Christian boys to take him home. But they never made it.
As he was part way home the boy could continue no further. ‘I must repent. I must give my life to Christ,’ he cried. So he knelt on the path as the Christian led him to the Lord. A huge smile spread over his tear-stained face as he knew he had been saved from his sin. The two boys ran back to the classroom with joy.
As they stepped into the classroom the Holy Spirit fell on the whole class and they began to cry out to the Lord for forgiveness. The teacher had no hope of teaching and released all the children to take a break. As the children left the room other classes started to experience the same outpouring and the school yard was filled with children crying out to God.
When parents came to collect the children at the end of the school day the revival was in full swing. The parents too came under the same conviction and that night the school gates were not locked up until 8pm.
Lord, do it again.
UK[iv]
In 2008 one girl and her friend were on the way to school, travelling by bus. An evangelist boarded the bus and started handing out Gospel tracts. The girl took the tract and started to read it. Their friend, who was a Christian, also explained the Gospel. As they talked the girl started to weep for her sins. As they walked through the school gates she was weeping so much that she could no longer speak.
Seeing her distress other friends gathered round to find out what was wrong. The most she could do was pass them the tract to read for themselves. As the other girls read the tract they too were convicted of their sins and that day eight children repented in the school and gave their lives to the Lord. Many more heard the Gospel as the friend had the opportunity she had longed and prayed for to share with them.
Lord, do it again.
‘Lord send your Holy Spirit, for Jesus Christ’s sake.’
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