Modern Theology

Modern Theology How We Lost Power Over Sin As An Evidence of Salvation Doctrines of theology are influenced by the times in which they evolve. Bible truths are given more importance depending on the perceived need of the moment. The hyper-grace message of the 20th century was largely the result of embarrassment over the Biblical teaching of Hell. Most evangelists and pastors since Billy Sunday are reluctant to teach that God will send a majority of mankind to eternal torture. (I'm sure we all, like Billy Graham, hope we don't fully understand Hell. But since Jesus spoke of Hell more than any other, should we do less? And since Jesus knew more about Hell than any other, (because He made it), we must accept His warnings and example without question.) The adaptation and promotion of one Bible truth over another isn't unique to modern times. (See Decision Or Chosen for the biggest Bible dispute.) The doctrine of infant baptism was protected by Calvin at the expense of interpreting the events of Acts 19:5 as a baptism in the Holy Spirit instead of a re-baptism in water. 1 The practice of slavery in the New World was undoubtedly allowed because of a mistranslation of 1 Timothy 1:10 in the King James version.2 Bible Trojan Horses There are several scriptures that seem to be at odds with the rest of the Bible. These "Trojan Horses" can be looked at as anomalies, left alone until God illuminates our understanding in the afterlife, or elevated to a prominence completely out of proportion to their purpose. One such anomaly is the scripture 1 Cor 15:29-30 "Otherwise, what will they do who are baptized for the dead, if the dead do not rise at all? Why then are they baptized for the dead?" This scripture has been the source of many heretical doctrines, completely out of sync with the rest of the accepted canon of scripture. Another "Trojan Horse" is Rom 7:25. " I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin." Up until this point, Paul seemed to be describing the state of an awakened sinner. But then, when he says "I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord," it seems like he's saying this despicable condition is that of someone who is born again. If you look at all of Romans 6, he completely repudiates the notion that a Christian could serve two masters. " For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid." Rom 6:14-15 Two Ways Of Interpreting Romans 7:14-7:25 Most theologians believe Paul was speaking of a born again individual in Romans 7:14-7:25. If this is the case, then the huge caveat described by Luther is necessary to understand how they can take this shocking position. "(Paul is) dealing with the Law as it applies the inner man and the will and not with respect to the works of the outer man...The apostle's method of speaking are contrary to the metaphysical or moral methods. For the apostle says what he does in order to indicate (or sound forth) that man rather than sin is taken away, for sin remains as a kind of relic, and man is purged from sin rather than the opposite...Thus it is obvious that the apostle means that sin is taken away by a spiritual means (that is, the will to commit sin is put to death.)...Hence blessed Augustine...says,"What are the Laws of God which He Himself has written in our hearts if they are not the very presence of the Holy Spirit, who is the finger of God and by whose presence love is shed abroad in our hearts? And this love is the fulfilling of the Law and the end of the commandment. "3 In other words, only by yielding to the Holy Spirit can the Christian not serve sin. He is powerless in his flesh to do otherwise. Sin will always have the capacity to rule a Christian if he doesn't yield to the Holy Spirit within. So according to Luther and most famous theologians, Romans 7:14-7:25 doesn't teach the Gnostic heresy of it's being acceptable to serve sin in the flesh while serving God in the spirit. Rather, it teaches that the flesh is incapable of serving God, so the Christian can only walk by the power of the Holy Spirit. "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death...That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness." Rom 8:1-11 The New Gnosticism The reason Paul brought us through Romans 7 was to arrive at Romans 8. But many pastors teach a "carnal Christian" interpretation of Romans 7:25, like a dog returning to it's vomit. Unlike Paul, Augustine, Luther, Calvin, and all theologians before the 20th century, they don't teach the holistic salvation of Romans 6 and Romans 8, but teach a "sloppy agape" understanding of Romans 7. (For more on this subject, please see What's A Saint?) They teach exactly what Paul said "God forbid" to in Romans 6:15. The 20th century "forensic atonement" doctrine (without commensurate experiential salvation) is identical in its effect to the 1st century Gnostic heresy that a man could sin in his flesh while remaining pure in his spirit. In commenting on this doctrine, J.I. Packer said, "The pastoral effect of this teaching can only be to produce what the Puritans called "Gospel hypocrites"—persons who have been told that they are Christians, eternally secure, because they believe that Christ died for them, when their hearts are unchanged and they have no personal commitment to Christ at all. I know this, for I was just such a Gospel hypocrite for two years before God mercifully made me aware of my unconverted state." 4 Ernest Reisinger said, "As a result of this erroneous teaching many who regularly occupy our church pews on Sunday morning and fill our church rolls are strangers to true conversion. They are strangers to heart religion because they have never experienced the power of a changed life. They are not new creatures and for them old things have not passed away." 5 Eternal Security And "Sanctification" During the Reformation, the elevation of the Biblical concept now termed "eternal security" was a necessary component in eliminating the need for the Catholic doctrine of Purgatory. In the 20th century, the elevated "eternal security" truth, in concert with the declining standard for what was considered "Christian," gave cover for the elevation of the Bible truth of "forensic" salvation. For the first time, "forensic" salvation was separated from "experiential" salvation, as though they were two different things. (The same way the sovereignty of God and the free will of man are looked at as two different truths instead of two parts of the same truth.) Repentance was seen by many as simply "believing " in the substitution aspect of the sacrifice of Christ only. This placed the "sanctification" aspect of the sacrifice as a separate "grace", allowing for the "justification for sin" error warned against by Paul in Romans 6:15. "What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid." In the 20th century, Romans 7:25 was used to teach that Christians could sin and still remain spiritually clean. What Paul had taught to emphasize the utter dependence of the Christian on the Holy Spirit, modern theologians turned into a justification for sin. This wresting of Scripture enabled the redefining of what was "normal" Christian behavior, thus eliminating one of the two primary yardsticks for evaluating whether a person is saved. Evolving Evangelical Theology 100 years ago, pastors and evangelists had the two yardsticks of "power over sin" and " the workings of the Holy Spirit" to evaluate whether a person was saved. Today, few Evangelical ministers rely on these two evidences in counseling church members. After 100 years of evolving modern evangelical theology, the question of whether someone is able to resist sin is considered a psychological problem, not a salvation problem. Thus the power over sin, the most visible evidence of salvation, ("..by their fruits ye shall know them", Matthew 7:20) has been almost eliminated. All theologians before the 20th century recognized an individual's ability to overcome sin as the best evidence of salvation. Now there was only one primary evidence left...The workings of the Holy Spirit. The second evidence of salvation, the workings of the Holy Spirit, is avoided by many pastors and evangelists in part because of the rise of Pentecostalism in the 20th century. Just as water baptism has been largely demoted to just a symbol of joining a particular church, so the workings of the Holy Spirit has been demoted in many circles because of the "speaking in tongues" controversy. If you read the writings of Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians, etc., before 1900, you'll find continual references to the working of the Holy Spirit in Christians. After 1900, the writings become increasingly silent on this essential subject. The Holy Spirit Workings Eliminated As An Evidence of Salvation Now, more times than not, Christian counselors are purposely ignorant of the wealth of Biblical insight on the workings of the Holy Spirit in the Christian. The Reformers recognized the workings of the Holy Spirit as the way a person is saved and changed from glory to glory. Modern evangelical Christianity has largely cut itself off from this foundational truth of the Gospel. Christian counselors utilizes psychological tools because they forsook the Holy Spirit, God's Doctor of mental health. Holistic Salvation Administered through The Holy Spirit The book of Acts refers to the Acts of the Holy Spirit. The Gospel is implemented in the world and in the heart of man only by the Holy Spirit. God has given us the means to complete wholeness only through the Holy Spirit. It is in Him we find mental health by being born of the Spirit (John 3:5), Being quickened by the Spirit (John 6:63), being guided by the Spirit (John 16:13), by walking after the Spirit (Romans 8:1), by minding the things of the Spirit (Romans 8:5), by being led of the Spirit (Romans 8:14), by being adopted in the Spirit (Romans 8:15), by receiving the witness of the Spirit (Romans 8:16), by having the firstfruits of the Spirit (Romans 8:23), by receiving the help of the Spirit (Romans 8:26), by understanding the intercession of the Spirit (Romans 8:27), by understanding the things of God through the Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:14), by being the temple of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:16), by being washed and sanctified by the Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:11), by being one with God in the Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:17), by being made to drink into the Spirit (2 Corinthians 12:13), by experiencing the liberty of the Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:17), by being changed from glory to glory by the Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:18), by experiencing in our heart the earnest of the Spirit (2 Corinthians 5:5), by experiencing the Spirit crying "Abba, Father" in our hearts (Galatians 4:6), by experiencing in the Spirit the hope of righteousness by faith (Galatians 5:5), by experiencing the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22), by living by the Spirit (Galatians 5:25), by sewing to the Spirit (Galatians 6:8), by reaping life everlasting from the Spirit (Galatians 6:8), by being sealed with the Spirit (Ephesians 1:13), by having access to God by the Spirit (Ephesians 2:18), by being made into a suitable house for God in the Spirit (Ephesians 2:22), by being strengthened in the inner man by the Spirit (Ephesians 3:16), by being filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18), by understanding and using the sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:17), by praying and supplication in the Spirit (Ephesians 6:18), by experiencing the supply of the Spirit (Phillipians 1:19), by experiencing fellowship of the Spirit (Phillipians 2:1), by worshiping God in the Spirit (Phillipians 3:3), by exhibiting love in the Spirit (Collosians 1:8), by obeying the truth through the Spirit (1 Peter 1:22), by knowing God abides inside by the Spirit (1 John 3:24), by knowing we dwell in God, and He in us because we have the Spirit (1 John 4:13). "For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water." Jer 2:13 By eliminating the two evidences of salvation, the power over sin and the workings of the Holy Spirit, modern theology has painted us into a corner. Not only have we redefined salvation as a gift that has no experiential effect on the majority of "Christians," but worse, we have no ability to call seekers out of sin or ask them to examine themselves in the light of scripture as to whether they have the Holy Spirit within them. It's a catch 22 that prevents an ailing church from diagnosing itself. "Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth." John 9:41 How We Lost The Workings Of The Holy Spirit as an Evidence Of Salvation Bill Bright was the most influential modern theologian to elevate forensic salvation at the expense of experiential, or holistic salvation. After almost a half century of service to God, he realized the vast majority of the people who "got saved" through his ministry acted no differently than heathen. But unlike Dawson Trotman and Billy Graham, he never considered follow-up to be a solution to the problem. Trotman gave up trying to get "decisions" without discipleship because he realized he was doing more damage than good. Graham made it clear to Pastors involved with his crusades that without their follow-up, the entire enterprise could do little more than stir human emotion. Bright saw the damage caused by modern evangelism, but did nothing to stop it. At the end of his life, he admitted that he was wrong for not emphasizing the reality of Hell, 6 but apparently didn't acknowledge his theology as largely responsible for the deplorable condition of the vast majority of "Christians" who were "saved" by his ministry. In the next chapter, we'll examine how Evangelical Christianity was Blinded By The Bright. 1 Institution Of The Christian Religion, John Calvin 4-15-30 thru 4-16-10 2 If 1 Timothy 1:9-10 in the King James version were correctly translated, " Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for slave traders, for liars, for perjured persons...," the Christian settlements probably wouldn't have allowed the institution of slavery. At the very least, Whitefield and others wouldn't have supported it. 3 Pg 322-326, Luther's Works, Volume 25, 1972 4 Tabletalk, May, 1991, Ligonier Ministries, 5 The Lordship Controversy and The Carnal Christian Teaching (Part 1), Founders Journal, Issue 16 6 Pg 78, The Way Of The Master, Ray Comfort Home Page

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From the book The Second Evangelical Awakening in America (1952)

From the book The Second Evangelical Awakening in America (1952)

CHAPTER THREE

TYPICAL PRAYER-MEETINGS

It was natural that the rest of the country looked to New York for a pattern in the union meetings, Fulton Street Noon Prayer Meeting having the greatest influence of all in shaping the other meetings. The plan of meeting adopted in Fulton Street was copied throughout the city, and proved as successful in other cities too.

The character of the Fulton Street meeting remained the same in general outline¹. The object of those who had the direction of things was two-fold: to maintain the freedom and latitude of the exercises, and to guard against disorder and disharmony. Each leader was given a bill of directions, and was expected to conform to the outline himself and to command obedience to it from all others taking part. The bill was as follows:

"Please Observe the Following Rules:
Be Prompt,
commencing precisely at twelve o'clock.
The Leader is not expected to exceed ten minutes in opening the meeting.

1^st. Open the meeting by reading and singing from three to five verses of a hymn.

2^nd. Prayer.

3^rd. Read a portion of the Scripture.

4^th. Say the meeting is now open for prayers and exhortations, observing particularly the rules overhead, inviting the brethren from abroad to take part in the services.

5^th. Read but one or two requests at a time - requiring a prayer to follow-such prayer to have special reference to the same.

6^th. In case of any suggestion or proposition by any person, say this is simply a prayer-meeting, and that they are out of order, and call on some brother to pray.

7^th. Give out the closing hymn five minutes before one o'clock. Request the Benediction from a clergyman, if one be present."

A placard was hung upon the wall, in a prominent place commanding the attention of the whole meeting.

"BRETHREN ARE EARNESTLY
REQUESTED TO ADHERE
TO THE FIVE-MINUTE RULE.

 PRAYERS AND EXHORTATIONS
NOT TO EXCEED FIVE MINUTES
in order to give all an opportunity.

NOT MORE THAN TWO CONSECUTIVE
PRAYERS OR EXHORTATIONS

 NO CONTROVERTED POINTS
DISCUSSED"

Throughout the revival, the distinguishing features of the Fulton meetings were fourfold.

First, the most distinguishing characteristic was the spontaneity. In a few instances, the leader, observing in the audience a person with interesting information about the work of grace in some part of the land, would call upon that brother to relate the facts to the assembly. But this was the exception rather than the rule. The general custom was to let the meeting conduct itself. After opening exercises, opportunity was given all and sundry to take part as their feelings might prompt, whether to offer a prayer, or to exhort, or to narrate an interesting incident, or to tell of Divine blessing in other parts, or to make request for a specific person or subject, or even to commence singing a familiar hymn. In this respect, the union was not unlike the meetings of the "Plymouth" Brethren, save that the latter were centered around the Lord's Table. In the Union Prayer Meeting, it rarely happened that there was any awkward pause or delay, for the difficulty was rather in the opposite direction when two or three would rise together, the younger be urged to give way to the older, the resident to the stranger. The liberty allowed to all to take part led to a more serious difficulty, the presumption of the least qualified attempting to exhort what would never have been missed. Sometimes the prayers offered by individuals were so rhetorical in style that they appeared to be addressed to humanity instead of Deity. But all these cases were exceptional, and weighed little against the advantages of spontaneity. Throwing the meeting open ensured interest and attention, promoted formality, promoted variety, and kept a constant flow of life.

Second, the meetings were noted for their catholicity. Leaders were chosen from every evangelical faith, from Baptists, Congregationalists, Episcopalians, Friends, Lutherans, Methodists, Presbyterians, Reformed and the like, with utter impartiality. All were invited, and all were welcome. No man was asked to what regiment he belonged, or from what country he came; but if he fought under the great Captain of Salvation and spoke the language of Canaan, there was room for him. The harmony of believers was secured by the enforcement of the rule " No Controverted Points Discussed ". Sometimes an Arminian would drop a sentiment regarding human agency, and sometimes a Calvinist would emphasize the sovereignty of God; but this was usually unpremeditated and involuntary, and no discussion followed, thus leaving the concord of the assembly unbroken. Generally, Christians present were more disposed to consider things held in common than things in disagreement. The interdenominational harmony was splendid, and contributed in no small way to the success of the movement. Partisan views were forgotten in the urge to rescue perishing souls.

Third, a peculiarity of the meetings was the invariable promptness as to time. The meeting began promptly at twelve, and closed promptly at one². Without irreverence, there was brevity, direct- ness, earnestness, and purpose. No exceptions were ever made to the rule, save to permit a brother to finish his remarks. The leader was inexorable in this matter.

Fourth, the overall peculiarity of the meeting was its fundamental object, prayer. Everything else was subordinated to this object. The happiest meetings were those that produced the most praying, and the few meetings which had too many preliminaries were always described as wet-blankets. In order to avoid diverting interest from prayer, the leaders even avoided simple business, such as taking a vote on a day-of-prayer proposition.

The best way to convey an impression of a meeting is to describe it. An observer took his seat in the room at ten minutes before twelve. A few ladies were seated in one corner, and a few business- men were scattered here and there. At five minutes before twelve, the room began to fill up rapidly, and at two minutes to twelve the leader took his place at the desk. At the first stroke of twelve noon, the leader arose and read the opening verses of a familiar hymn:

Salvation, oh! The joyful sound
'Tis pleasure to our ears;
A sovereign balm for every wound,
A cordial for our fears.

The people found their hymn-books, and sang heartily. The leader offered a prayer, short and pointed, and then read a brief portion of scripture. Ten minutes were thus occupied in these preliminaries. Meanwhile, requests for prayer had been sent desk. Every nook and cranny was filled, and an overflow meeting was under way upstairs. A deep hush settled upon the meeting. The leader stood up, with slips of paper in his hands, and said:

"This meeting is now open for prayer. Brethren from a distance cordially invited to take part. All will observe the rules."

Amidst breathless attention, the leader read the request:

"A son in North Carolina desires the fervent, effectual prayers of the righteous of this congregation for the immediate conversion of his mother in Connecticut."

Instantly, a father arose and requested the prayers of the meeting for two sons and a daughter. He then sat down, and burst into tears, laying his head on the railing of the seat before him, sobbing like a child.

A Christian man rose to his feet, and poured out his heart in intercession for the mother, the two sons and daughter. The next request, for the conversion of two brothers of the lady making request was similarly sustained at the throne of Grace. Request after request, prayer after prayer followed in quick yet tender succession. Then all the congregation sang:

There is a fountain filled with blood
Drawn from Immanuel's veins,
And sinners plunged beneath that flood
Lose all their guilty stains.

Forty-five minutes had passed. The Chairman, still reading requests, added a very affecting one of his own:

"May I, without presumption, prefer a request for myself, though only a private individual, and for a feeble church among whom my lot is cast, that we may be melted and humbled, and endued with power from on high, and made instruments of salvation. . . . I would beg leave to prefer the same request for all the churches, some thirty in number, connected with this Presbytery, being among the few at the late General Assembly wholly unvisited with the showers of grace."

This heart-touching request, made with reference to a Presbytery in Virginia, filled many eyes with tears. Other requests followed, and the meeting closed promptly at one p.m., with a benediction until the next day's meeting for prayer.

٭ ٭ ٭ ٭

That Fulton Street's influence was felt in other great meetings is seen by the order of service in the well-known John Street meetings in New York City. One conspicuous card stated:³

YOUNG MEN AND YOUTH
ARE AT HOME HERE
AND MUST NOT
HESITATE TO TAKE PART!

Demonstrating the workings of the John Street Meetings, we give the report of an actual service, beginning with the address of Henry Ward Beecher. Said Mr. Beecher that day:

"I am ashamed of myself, positively, to be an object of more faith than my Saviour; yet I have persons coming to me every day of my life, with their wants and troubles, and when I think of the injustice of coming to me thus, instead of going to Christ, I feel just like pushing them away. How eagerly they believe every statement I make; how they hang upon my sympathy, and hope I will let them come again tomorrow. I say to myself, 'if you would only come to Christ with half the faith that you come to me, you might be rejoicing in half an hour'.

"Suppose now, that, instead of a man, sinful and erring like yourselves, you should put in my place the august form of the Lord Jesus Christ, full of benignity, glorious with goodness, and with a sweetness that is more than any mother ever knew for her darling child, waiting patiently, bending over you and saying, 'Come unto me and take my yoke upon you; learn of me and ye shall find rest to your souls, . . . for he that cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out.' Suppose you should hear Jesus Christ saying, 'I have been out to seek and search for lost men, and I have found you, and I am persuading you to come to me, believe me I love you, that I love you now.'

"If there is a man that has one thought toward God, it is because the love of God is drawing him sympathetically to himself. It is a blessed thought that Jesus Christ is longing for you, and I would that you might turn still more earnestly to Jesus Christ and say, 'Lord, I believe thee, I believe thou lovest me ; I believe thou desirest to make me thine, and from this hour it shall be the object of my life to please thee, and the one firm object of my life to serve thee.' Won't you try the effect of that, some of you, today? Try it at once, even now, while I am speaking."

A gentleman who stood in the doorway told how, some weeks before, a merchant from Albany had called on a New York merchant to buy some goods. At 12. o'clock, the New York merchant looked at his watch, and asked to be excused for an hour. The other objected, as he was in haste to get through with his business. He replied that he must go to prayer meeting; it was of more importance than to sell his whole stock of goods. The gentleman from Albany inquired if he could not pray enough at morning and night, without leaving his business at noon? The merchant said he could not; and by persuasion and gentle force he induced his friend to go to the prayer meeting with him. That man went into that meeting, became interested, and came out a converted man, went home to Albany, and immediately started those prayer meetings there which became so blessed of God.

Next a young man rose to say that he had been walking up West Street, a day or two before, when he saw sitting upon the steps of a store a sailor who sprang up and grasped his hand. He found it was an old schoolfellow from Connecticut. After some conversation, he asked his new-found sailor friend if he were a Christian, and the answer had struck him as very forcible; it was, "By God's grace, I am." That young man was the only Christian on board the ship, and he was now on the sea, the only servant of Christ among so many who were, perhaps, sending up blasphemies instead of prayers, and he hoped the brethren would remember him in their prayers, that he might be kept, and enabled to preach Christ wherever he went.

The Rev. J. P. Thompson, colored Pastor of the Zion Church, in Leonard Street, next wanted to say a word. He had been engaged in this work since he was a boy, and he was now nearly 40 years of age. "I have striven since I was 14 years of age to live right and to love God; I believe I-love Him, I know I do. I have been to this house before, and my heart has been so full of love to God - especially the first time I came here - that I had to return to my own place and bless God." He was happy to say that there had been a continuous outpouring of the Spirit of God in his Church since New Year's eve. Both white and colored had been converted there; and out of some three hundred, sixty or seventy had been saved.

Mr. Beecher related an instance of the conversion of a sea captain a few days before, from a word " fitly spoken " by a man who had business relations with him. The word led him to go to prayer meeting where he was so much affected that he went home, locked his door, got down on his knees, and did not rise until he had evidence that God had pardoned his sins. That single word saved that man, and who could tell where the end would be when that Christian captain should have preached the Gospel of Christ around the globe.

A man on the parquette, who had spoken before, next prayed. His prayers, like his exhortations, were principally composed of Scripture quotations. Mr. Beecher rebuked him and told him gently but firmly: "My Christian brother, you forget to pray for the only thing we ask prayers for. Let some other brother pray for the subject of these requests." A clergyman on the stage prayed for the subjects mentioned, whereupon the fearless Henry Ward Beecher, referring to the earlier speaker, commented:

"When persons have an old hope that does not keep them warm, they should always do as men do with their garments - go and get a suit that does. An old hope that keeps a man talking and talking, is not worth anything. Jesus Christ is worth a great deal. Gather manna every morning; never gather enough for two."

Following this, a woman in the gallery told of how God had heard her prayers for the conversion of her only son, and reminded young men present of the anxiety of their praying mothers. The next speaker said:

"The message with which I am charged comes from the United Christians at Elmira, in this State. I had the pleasure of meeting with them yesterday. They have discarded their ordinary place of worship, and now meet in the large Presbyterian church. The meeting is characterized by quietness and power, and the work seems like a rising tide, insensibly but powerfully rising higher and higher, reaching all classes of persons."

A gentleman in the center of the house reported that, on the previous Saturday, he had resolved to confess his sins and come to the Saviour. On Sunday, he did go to God, but could find no rest. His brethren talked and prayed with him. He had often thought that prayer was humbug, but then he saw right into his brother's heart. He went to the altar, but could get no relief. When his friends asked him if he felt better, he almost answered "Yes ", but some- thing within told him to tell the truth. On Monday, he read his Bible, and prayed all day, yet went to bed without relief. However, on Tuesday morning, all seemed clear to him. He wanted to tell his friends that religion was a fact to him.

A young man in the gallery said a few words, a gentleman on the west side of the building expounded the words "Quench not the Spirit", and another near the door offered a short prayer; then the closing hymn was given out, followed by the benediction pronounced by a New Jersey visitor; and the meeting dismissed.

Commenting on this order of service, a contemporary writer gave expression to the following views, here quoted in full:

"It is among the benefits of the present revival which can hardly fail to endure, that we have been taught how to conduct prayer meetings. There is something in the primitive 'assembling of ourselves together' which is adapted to act powerfully upon our religious life through the principles of our social nature, if we but know how to seize upon it."

It has been said that the Awakening of 1858 was a revival of prayer. It was more than that - it was a demonstration of the fascinating working of Providence in the answering of believing prayer.

For instance, there was a backslider in New York City, to whom we shall give the name William Miller. Upon his restoration to grace, Miller was so impressed by the need of conversion of his still impenitent relatives and friends that he decided to return post haste to his native Massachusetts to plead with them about the all-important matter of their soul's salvation. He went home by steamer, and spent the night on board ship wrestling in prayer for the salvation of his father, who was aged and infirm.

At last, Miller arrived home. Judge his wonderment when his mother informed him that on the very night of his wrestling in prayer, his aged father began to show concern about his spiritual condition and found the peace that passeth all understanding the same night

One prayer answered, Miller became concerned about his sister, and traveled east through Massachusetts to see her. Once there, he was successful in leading her to Christ also. At her home, he wrote to his uncle and informed him that the believing members of the family were praying for his conversion together. A letter came back announcing that (while the family members were praying for him at eighty miles' distance) the uncle began to pray for himself, and was born again. The exultant Miller led two other friends to Christ before he left Massachusetts for New York City.

Upon his return to New York, the now-rejoicing restored backslider sought out his cousin in that city and informed him of the united prayers of the newly converted family for his spiritual condition. The cousin smiled broadly, only to say that meanwhile he, too, had become a disciple of the Master. Miller's cousin made the great decision in time, for a few months later, he passed away. Even in bereavement, at the cousin's funeral, Miller spoke seriously and long to his cousin's sorrowing friend and urged him to follow their mutual friend's example in accepting Jesus Christ as Saviour. Some weeks later, the fruits of the conversation was manifest, for a letter arrived for William Miller saying that the writer had followed his urging and had not only become converted, but had entered a seminary to prepare for the ministry.⁴

On another occasion, a prayer request was read at the Fulton Street Prayer Meeting:

"The prayers of the meeting are respectfully asked for George Brown, who has lived all his life in wickedness and only a few days ago contemplated murder and suicide in hopes of ending his misery."⁵

The would-be suicide attended the evening prayer meeting next day, obviously in great distress, for he interrupted the speaker with a cry of "Oh, what must I do to be saved?" At the same time, another convicted sinner rose in the meeting to ask brokenly that the congregation should sing "Rock of Ages " for him. Both men were converted in the meeting.

In yet another meeting at Fulton Street, a young man rose to say that his mother, who had brought him up a Roman Catholic, had become so incensed at his conversion that she refused to live under the same roof with him, and had consequently left for Baltimore. The congregation united in prayer for the misguided mother. Some time later, she was converted in the revival at Baltimore, and re- turned to share her joy with her son.⁶

A lady asked prayer for her husband in Wisconsin.⁷ Fulton Street intercessors joined with her. After a few weeks' traveling from New York, the lady returned to Wisconsin, praying and hoping that her husband might be influenced. To her joy and surprise, she found that, in her absence, he had set up daily family worship. He had been converted on the day upon which she had asked prayer for his salvation.

More striking still was the case of a father who had three sons in different parts of the country. As they were all three unconverted, he brought them as subjects of prayer before the meeting. They were prayed for as only those who believe can pray. What was the consequence? Although communication with and between the sons had lapsed, each son in turn wrote to his father to give an account of his conversion in answer to prayer.⁸ The intercessors of Fulton Street were delighted beyond measure.

The fame of the Fulton Street meeting as a place where prayers obtained answers spread far and wide. For months, the mail brought scores of written requests daily, from the eastern seaboard, from the great West, from the Southern States to the faraway borders of Texas, from the Canadian Provinces, from the British Isles, Germany and Switzerland. It became such a commonplace thing to address mail to the Fulton Street Meeting that the following letter was typical:⁹

To the
Officiating Minister
at the Union Prayer Meeting.
Fulton Street.

Dear Sir:

The Mayor has directed me to enclose to you the within requests received at his office, with the wish expressed to forward them as above directed.

I am,

Respectfully,

J. B. AULD

Mayor's Clerk.

In other meetings, the same sort of faith in believing prayer was evidenced by the flow of direct requests. At a New York meeting presided over by Henry Ward Beecher, the following requests were read:¹⁰

"A Christian merchant earnestly desires the prayers of God's people for his co-partners in business, and for all the young men in their employment unconverted to God."

"An anxious wife is praying earnestly at this hour for her husband, who once made a profession of religion, but is now fearful that he was never born of the Spirit and is in darkness. She asks an interest in your prayers for him."

"The prayers of those accustomed to intercede with God, are requested by a San Franciscan, that the Almighty would visit the city of San Francisco with a gracious outpouring."

"The prayers of Christians are requested for a young man, the son of a clergyman, who is an idle jester on the subject of religion, and who has been heard within the last hour to ridicule these meetings and jest on these subjects."

"I wish to state that I feel myself a great sinner, and that there is no hope for me. I feel lost forever. Although I am young in years, I feel old in sins, and know not what to do to be saved. I feel that the Spirit of God has left me altogether, and if I remain in this state what will become of my soul? Hell stands staring me in the face. Would to God that I may become converted."

"A widow asks for the prayers of the brethren and sisters for a son, brought up under careful religious instruction, who last night cursed his mother, that he this day may be brought to the feet of Jesus."

"Pray for me. I was touched with the prayer of Mr. Beecher in this place on Monday. I am one of those who have not a father or mother, no Christian friends. Hated and despised by my own sex, I have felt abandoned. I am yet in a hopeless condition in life, but I have prayed that He who conversed with the woman of Samaria may reveal Himself to my soul. And when you pray for me, remember all abandoned young women, made so by the heartlessness of unprincipled men, and kept so by the pitiless prejudice of our own sex."

The request immediately above was written in a neat and legible hand, and was signed "Martha ". Very many writers' requests were deeply touching. One came from a poor outcast who had been brought into a Magdalen Asylum for fallen women. She was regarded as one of their hardest cases. Yet, entirely of her own accord, she wrote:¹¹

To the Fulton Street Prayer Meeting.

"I desire the prayers of the church. I feel that I have been a very wicked girl and that I have led a very bad life, and I feel my need of Christ. I want to be a Christian."

She found Christ as her Saviour.

The effect of these remarkable answers to prayer was immediate. A contemporary writer stated:¹²

"Christians were very much humbled. . . even impenitent men saw and felt that this was holy ground. They felt that it was awful to trifle with the place of prayer; sacrilegious to doubt the spirit, the sincerity, the efficiency, or the power of prayer. It began to be felt that Christians obtained answers to prayer. . . that if they united to pray for any particular man's conversion, that man was sure to be converted. . . because he had become the subject of prayer."

The impact of believing prayer seemed irresistible. The instances given regarding the efficacy of prayer at Fulton Street were multiplied throughout the country, and the people wondered.

Notes

1. Chambers, Noon Prayer Meeting, chapter v.

2. It is of interest to quote a report written on the occasion of the writer's only visit to the Fulton Street Noon Prayer Meeting in 1936: "The historic Fulton Street Noon Prayer Meeting had the largest attendance for a similar meeting in several years, and instead of closing at one o'clock, fully one-half the congregation stayed until 3:15 p.m." This after-meeting was led by Dr. George Dowkontt after the writer had left for another engagement.

3. Conant, Narratives of Remarkable Conversions, p. 380

4. Chambers, The Noon Prayer Meeting, pp. 173-6.

5. Chambers, The Noon Prayer Meeting, p. 194.

6. Ibid., p. 125.

7. Ibid., p. 162.

8. Ibid., p. 162.

9. Ibid., p. 12~.

10. Conant, Narratives of Remarkable Conversions, pp. 391-4.

11. Chambers, The Noon Prayer Meeting, p. 124.

12. Prime, The Power of Prayer, p. 29.

 http://www.jedwinorr.com/typical.htm

The Great Awakening of 1857-1858

Stephen's Stuff

The Great Awakening of 1857-1858
The footnotes were left in the USA. Please don't expect them anytime soon.

America Prior to the Revival

In the twelve years before the Third Great Awakening (also known as: The Revival/Awakening of 1857-1858; The Prayer Revival; and The Businessmen's Revival), the religious life in America was on a decline. It was a time of prosperity, and people were seeking riches rather than God. The churches were losing people, and worldliness was creeping in. (Orr 7)
A number of Christians who had become concerned over the materialism that pervaded the land, and the fact that the young were growing up without God, began to pray that God would break the love of money over people's lives and send another revival to the nation. "Concerts of Prayer" began to spring up throughout the United States of America and Canada. (8 and 12)
This materialism was broken in many lives by the Bank Panic of October 1857.
Due to the long, hard winter of 1856-1857, transportation and trade transactions were delayed. The spring brought some relief, but by the end of summer, businesses had begun to collapse. Before September, the Ohio Life Insurance and Trust Company of Cincinnati, with a branch in New York City, failed, causing "a shock to public confidence." (13)
Some banks refused to redeem their promissory notes, while others suspended operations altogether, including eighteen of New York City's leading banks. (14)
"On the 14th of October, 1857, the extensive banking system of the United States collapsed, a far-reaching disaster bringing ruin to hundreds of thousands of people in New York, Philadelphia, Boston, and the industrial centers of the nation." (14)
The Panic caused rich men to go broke literally overnight. Suicide and murder increased, as well as "the number of unfortunate women who roamed the streets in the cities." (14)
Yet experts later agreed that the panic by the banks was unjustified. The Secretary of the U.S. Treasury said that New York's banks "had never been sounder" and even at the worst time had plenty of funds to meet the strain. (14-15)
Some felt that the Bank Panic was Divine judgment against a nation that had made mammon their god. Samuel I. Prime, chief editor of the daily New York Observer, felt "as long as men transact business on unsound principles, they will be punished. The law of trade, as well as of God, necessitate the penalty." (18)
J. Edwin Orr, however, states that the Revival was not caused by the Panic. The prayer meeting which became the focal point of the Revival began three weeks prior to the Panic. Within two months, the crisis was over, and it took another two months before the Revival "officially" began. (21-21)

Revival in Hamilton, Canada West

By 1857, prayer movements were growing in Ontario. In August or September, Walter and Phoebe Palmer, a Methodist physician and his wife from New York, came to hold what turned out to be very successful meetings. Returning to the States, they were delayed in Hamilton. On October 8th, the next day, the Methodist ministers convened a prayer meeting at which sixty-five people attended. The greater number of these people pledged themselves to pray for an "outpouring of the Holy Spirit." That night, Phoebe Palmer felt that God was about to move. (26)
On the evening of the 9th, a larger crowd met in the basement of the John Street Methodist Church. Twenty-one people were converted.
The following meetings were made up mostly of exhortations and testimonies. Many testified of conversion, while those who were already Christians testified to an entire dedication of heart and life to Christ.
The New York Christian Advocate and Journal reported on November 5, 1857, about the "Revival Extraordinary" in Hamilton in Canada West, where twenty to forty-five professions were being made daily, and one hundred were made on the previous Sunday. They wrote:
"The work is taking its range . . . persons of all classes. Men of low degree and men of high estate for wealth and position; old men and maidens, and even little children, can be seen humbly kneeling together, pleading for grace. The mayor of the city, with other persons of like position, are not ashamed to be seen bowed at the altar of prayer beside the humble servant." (27)
The spontaneous revival in Hamilton soon swept the entire community and a large part of the nation. All denominations reported a rise in membership over the following years.
The Canadian Awakening of 1857 sparked the Third Great Awakening in the United States.

Prayer for Revival

"Longing for Revivals" was published in May 1857 by the "New School" Presbyterian Church. This was an appeal to corporate prayer which had been written some tome before it was finally published.
"This longing for revivals we cannot but consider as a cheering indication of the noblest life . . . Next to a state of actual revival is the sense of its need and the struggle to attain it, at any sacrifice of treasure, toil, or time. We trust that the period is not distant, when this state of actual, general, glorious revival shall be ours." (48)
The Presbyterians were not alone in their longing. The Baptists and Methodists were also calling their members to cry out to God to send another awakening to the land. By early 1857, many were praying "that the popular addiction to money-making might be broken." (48)
When the bank panic broke the love of money over many lives, the intercessors focused their prayers on revival.
Prayer meetings increased in numbers and frequency amongst almost all denominations. Theodore Cuyler, pastor of Nineteenth Street Church, New York, said in November 1857, that he was "struck with the earnestness of petitions for the descent of God's Spirit on out city churches." (50)

The First Signs of Awakening in America

Fulton Street in New York City is said by most people to be the beginning of the "Prayer Meeting Revival." Charleston, South Carolina, was, however, already experiencing a revival in the middle of 1857--among its slaves!
Black slaves had their own churches with mostly white leaders. One of these many congregations was found in Charleston with Dr. John L. Girardeau as its minister. Anson Street Presbyterian Church had forty-eight black members and twelve white. In 1857, they began a prayer meeting, petitioning God to send "a spiritual awakening," and waiting for the outpouring of the Spirit." (40)
One evening while leading in prayer, Girardeau felt as if a surge of electricity struck his head and gone through his entire body. He then stated: "The Holy Spirit has come. We will begin preaching tomorrow evening." He dismissed the church, but no one left. "Immediately he began exhorting them to accept the Gospel." By the time he was able to re-dismiss the congregation, it was midnight. (40)
Every night for the next eight weeks, he preached on "sin and repentance, faith and justification, and regeneration" to crowds of 1,500 to 2,000. Many whites as well as blacks were converted. They later joined the various congregations in the city.
The new revival scenes were not limited to the black churches. In the autumn of 1856, Charles G. Finney, one of America's most prominent evangelists, began preaching in Boston and remained there until the following April. He wrote in his Memoirs: "The work was quite extensive that winter in Boston, and many very striking cases of conversion occurred." (Rosell 560)
The Boston correspondent of New York's The Independent reported of these meetings: "Members of other churches in the city soon began to come in considerable numbers; then from the neighboring towns; and finally from distant places in New Hampshire and Maine, came ministers by the scores, private Christians by the hundreds if not by the thousands, to hear the word, and catch some of the sacred influences that evidently attended it." (560)
Churches in Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Iowa, California, Conneticut, Virginia, in New England as well as other states reported "spiritual outpourings." (Orr 59) Nor were they contained to one denomination. Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians, Episcopalians, Lutherans, and most of the other denominations all reported an increased interest throughout 1857.
When Finney returned to Boston the following winter, the nationwide interest for revival was pretty much underway, so that he could later write:
"This was in the winter of 1857 and '58; and it will be remembered that it was at this time that a great revival prevailed throughout the land in such a tremendous manner, that for some weeks it was estimated that not less than fifty thousand conversions occurred per week." (Rosell 561-562)
and:
"In this revival I had conversation with a large number of the higher classes in Boston, especially those that attended Episcopal worship. But I suppose we shall never know in this world anything like the number savingly affected during this great revival in Boston." (570)

Fulton Street and the Revival

In the middle of September 1857, in New York City, a tall man "with a pleasant face, and affectionate manner . . . shrewd and endowed with much tact and common sense" (Orr 52-53) began passing out handbills that read:
"How Often Shall I Pray? As often as the language of prayer is in my heart; as often as I see my need of help; as often as I feel the power of temptation; as often as I am made sensible of any spiritual declension, or feel the aggression of a worldly, earthly spirit . . . In prayer, we leave the business of time for that of eternity, and intercourse with God."
And on the reverse:
"A day Prayer-Meeting is held every Wednesday from 12 to 1 o'clock in the Consistory building of the North Dutch Church, corner of Fulton and William Streets. This meeting is intended to give merchants, mechanics, clerks, strangers and businessmen generally an opportunity to stop and call on God amid the perplexities incident to their respective avocations. It will continue for one hour; but it is designed for those who find it inconvenient to remain more than 5 or 10 minutes, as well as for those who can spare a whole hour. Necessary interruption will be slight, because anticipated. Those in haste often expedite their business engagements by halting to lift their voices to the throne of grace in humble, grateful prayer." (54) The man was Jeremiah Lanphier, a 48-year old businessman turned lay city missionary, and he was beginning the prayer-meeting on behalf of the North Dutch Reformed Church. Shortly before noon on September 23 he opened the doors of the church. Out of a population of over a million, only one man showed up for the beginning of the meeting -- Lanphier!
At 12:30, he heard the footsteps of one man climbing the stairs. Within a few minutes, a total of six men had joined Lanphier to pray. The next Wednesday brought 20; the third week was attended by between 30 and 40 men.
The meetings were so encouraging that it was decided that they should meet daily. The next day, the crowds had again increased. By the following Wednesday, October 14, the day of the crash, "over 100, many of them not professors of religion but under conviction of sin and seeking an interest in Christ" were attending. (54)
By mid-November, the two lecture rooms had to be used, and both were filled. According to Winkie Pratney, within six months time, these noon-time prayer-meetings were attracting over 10,000 businessmen who were "confessing sin, getting saved, [and] praying for revival." (157)
A Boston journalist gives a picture of what the early meetings were like:
". . . The meeting is begun at twelve o'clock precisely, and it closes exactly on the hour [1 P.M.]. The room is full and crowded, and the interest appears to increase from day to day. It began with a modest meeting held once in the week. But attendance and benefit seemed to demand the more frequent observance of the privilege: now it has become a daily service. With the pressure came a larger attendance and a more spirited service. The probability is that the meeting will be adjourned to the church. Any one comes in or goes out as he pleases. It is the rule of the place to leave at any moment. All sects are here: the formal, stately Churchman and the impulsive Methodist who cannot suppress his groan and his "amen;" the sober, substantial Dutchman and the ardent Congregationalist, with all Yankee restlessness on his face; the Baptist and the Presbyterian, joining in the same chorus and bowing at the same altar. Not one woman is present in the meeting, and the singing from 200 male voices is really majestic." (Orr 70)
By mid-February, Fulton Street was holding three simultaneous, standing room only prayer meetings on three floors. This caused editor James Gordon Bennett to begin exploiting the prayer meetings in his New York Herald. Soon, his rival, Horace Greeley gave friendlier editorials in his New York Tribune. In April, Greeley dedicated an entire issue to the Revival. Other papers across the nation quickly followed suit.
In a two columb editorial on March 20, the New York Times had this to say about the revival:
"The great wave of religious excitement which is now sweeping over this nation, is one of the most remarkable movements since the Reformation . . . Travelers relate that on cars and steamboats, in banks and markets, everywhere through the interior, this matter is an absorbing topic. Churches are crowded; bank-directors' rooms become oratories; school-houses are turned into chapels; converts are numbered by the scores of thousands. In this City, we have beheld a sight which not the most enthusiastic fanatic for church-observances could ever have hoped to look upon;--we have seen in a business quarter of the City, in the busiest hours, assemblies of merchants, clerks and working-men, to the number of some 5,000, gathered day after day for a simple and solemn worship. Similar assemblies we find in other portions of the City; a theatre is turned into a chapel; churches of all sects are open and crowded by day and night." (4)
The same editorial offers this insight into the thinking of the day:
"It is most impressive to think that over this great land tens and fifties of thousands of men and women are putting to themselves at this time in a simple, serious way, the greatest question that can ever come before the human mind--'What shall we do to be saved from sin?'" (4)
As the noontime prayer meetings increased, attended predominately by the male workers of the city, the effect in the city was tremendous. Many ministers began having nightly services in which to lead men to Christ. A chain reaction of church after church began to hold morning, afternoon, and evening meetings for both prayer and the counseling of those concerned about their souls.
The same scenes were soon reported from all over the nation, from New York to California, Florida to Maine. It affected judges and college students, businessmen and housewives. At times, schools had to close in order to pray and seek God.
People across the nation prayed, and churches filled.
Though it peaked in 1858, it did not stop there. Throughout the Civil War, camps had great revival meetings--over 150,000 were converted in the Confederate army alone. (Orr 237) It also crossed the oceans. In Britain, close to a million people joined the churches due to the revival that swept that land.
This revival was a layman's revival. Though ministers helped to counsel people, it was the laypeople that carried it.

Stories from the Revival

In order to show the power and effect of the Revival on the people of the various communities, the following incidents are given:
Edwin Orr relates the story of a visiting merchant to New York City who was selecting goods when noon came. "He requested the city wholesaler to work through the noon hour" so that he would be able to return to Albany by the evening riverboat. "He was resolutely told, 'No! I can't help that. I have something to attend that is of more importance that the selling of goods. I must attend the noon-day prayer meeting. It will close at one o'clock, and I will then fill out your order.'" They both attended the meeting and the visitor was converted.
When he returned to Albany, he immediately began a noonday prayer meeting in the state's capital. (55-56)
Charles Finney tells of a traveler in a Boston prayer meeting who got up and said: "I am from Omaha the capital of Nebraska. On my journey east I have found a continuous prayer meeting all the way. We call it about two thousand miles from Omaha to Boston; and here was a prayer meeting about two thousand miles in extent." (Rosell 563)
There is also the story of a European cargo ship, which was boarded by the harbor pilot while sailing into New York harbor during the Awakening. The Christian pilot began telling the captain and crew what was happening in the city. This so caught the attention of them all, that before they had docked, the majority of the crew had become Christians. (Christian History 33)
At a prayer meeting in Kalamazoo, Michigan, a request was read: "'A praying wife requests the prayers of this meeting for her unconverted husband.' A burly man stood up and blurted, 'I am that man. I have a praying wife and this request must be for me. I want you to pray for me.' No sooner had he sat down than another man arose with sobs and tears to claim, 'I am sure that I am that man, and I want you to pray for me.'" Within a few minutes, three other "unconverted husbands" had stood and asked for prayer. (Whitaker 71)
In the Christian Equippers International's Spirit-Led Evangelism textbook's section on revival, they gave this story from the 1858 Revival:
"A schoolboy in class became so troubled about his soul that the schoolmaster sent him home. An older boy, a Christian, went with him, and before they had gone far led him to Christ. Returning at once to school, this new convert testified to his teacher: 'Oh, I am so happy! I have the Lord Jesus in my heart.' These simple words had an astonishing effect; boy after boy rose silently and left the room. Going outside, the teacher found these boys all on their knees in a row along the wall of the playground. Very soon, their silent prayer became a bitter cry; it was heard by another class inside and pierced their hearts. They fell on their knees and their cry for mercy was heard in turn by a girls' class above. In a few moments, the whole school was on their knees! Neighbors and passers-by came flocking in, and, as they crossed the threshold, they all cam under the same convicting power. Every room was filled with men, women, and children seeking God." (B6)

The Results of the Awakening

Churches benefitted greatly from the Revival. At its peak, there was an estimate 50,000 converts per week. During a two year period, 10,000 were joining churches weekly, and Sunday schools flourished. (Orr 77)
The Awakening of 1857-1858 brought over one million new converts into the American Church, and revived the over four million members present before the Revival. The new life within the churches was shown most dramatically by the resurgence of evangelism.
Under the First Great Awakening, George Whitefield and Jonathan Edwards sparked a mass movement of evangelism. This was also seen during the Second Great Awakening under the ministries of Charles Finney, Peter Cartwright, and others. These two movements were mostly led by the ordained clergy. Under the Third Great Awakening of 1858, it was the laymen who moved out to evangelize. The famous D.L. Moody began his ministry during the Revival, yet he was never ordained. Even though he founded a Bible college and pastored churches, he always remained a layman.
This new wave of evangelism became a "specialized evangelism," where specific groups were targeted, whether they be lawyers, sailors, the poor, drunkards, or prostitutes. (310)
It wasn't only the churches which benefitted from the Awakening. Businessmen began to pay off honest debts, and "places of debauchery and taverns by the hundreds" closed down. There was also an increased concern in helping the needy and destitute, with great growth in volunteer work, and the financing of the work. (315-316)

The Conclusion

Though the Revival of 1857-1858 is barely remembered by secular historians today, it was probably the greatest of the three Great Awakenings experienced by the United States of America.

---

Works Cited

Anfuso, Francis, and Gary M. Beasley. Spirit-Led Evangelism. South Lake Tahoe: Christian Equippers International, 1986.
Orr, J. Edwin. The Event of the Century: The 1857-1858 Awakening. Wheaton, IL: International Awakening Press, 1989.
Pratney, Winkie. Revival: Principles to Change the World. Springdale, PA: Whitaker House, 1983.
"The Religious Revival." The New York Times 20 March 1858. (no author listed)
"The Time for Prayer: The Third Great Awakening." Christian History Summer 1989: 32-33. (no author listed)
Whitaker, Colin. Great Revivals. London: Marshall Pickering, 1990. Rev. ed.

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The Prayer of Intercession: Daniel

The Prayer of Intercession: Daniel

(Daniel 9)

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Introduction: This week we turn our attention to a prayer of Daniel - a hero of the Old Testament. If your life was severely disrupted when you were a child, you can sympathize with Daniel. His young life turned lousy when he was taken into captivity by the Babylonians and dragged away from his homeland. Although he was a captive, through his faithfulness to God, he rose to become the highest-level government official. Daniel had such a great reputation that he remained in power even when his captors were defeated and the government changed.
Like the little movie character E.T., Daniel never forgot about wanting to go home. This week we turn our attention to Daniel's prayer to God about going home.

1. The Prophecy
1. Read Daniel 9:1-2. Let's figure a minute here. If Daniel was taken captive by the Babylonians and he is looking at a 70 year prophecy, about how old is he? (Our lesson says Daniel is in his eighties.)
1. How young was he when he was taken captive?
2. How would you like to be a captive all your adult life? What if you became a captive because of the sins of someone else - how would you feel?
2. Let's turn to Jeremiah and read part of the prophecy. Read Jeremiah 29:10-14. What does the prophecy say about the time of the return to Jerusalem? Do you agree with Daniel's understanding about the 70 years?
3. Put yourself in Daniel's place. What do you think went through his head about returning to Jerusalem when the Medes defeated the Babylonians - the people who had taken him into captivity 70 years before? (Note that the prophecy ( Jeremiah 29:10) keys the captivity to Babylon (70 years "are completed for Babylon"). Daniel no doubt thought that the change in power might give his people the opportunity to be free and return home in accord with the prophecy.)
1. Now, a year after the Medes have taken power, you are still in captivity. What is going through your mind if you are Daniel? (You are wondering why you are not home.)
1. Would you doubt God's word?
2. Look again at Jeremiah 29:12-13. Is this just a time prophecy? (No! God says that when 70 years are up the people will seek Him with all their heart. When they find Him, He will take them home.)
1. Is the prophecy conditional upon seeking God?
1. How about God's promises to you? Are they conditional upon seeking Him?
2. The Prayer
1. Let's turn to Daniel's prayer. Read Daniel 9:3. What do you think about the way in which Daniel came to God?
1. Some people think the way you eat is not important to faith because Jesus said ( Matthew 15:11) what comes out of your mouth -- and not what goes in - makes you unclean. Is your diet (or lack of it) important to prayer?
1. Have you ever fasted in connection with your prayers?
2. A lot of people think that the way you dress is not important for church. Is it important for prayer?
1. Have you ever prayed in sackcloth and ashes? (You say you don't know where they even sell sackcloth these days!)
2. What is the point of fasting, sackcloth and ashes? What would be the modern equivalent? (I looked at a lot of texts on fasting and sackcloth. Fasting and sackcloth seem to represent the intersection of humility and mourning. For example, Psalms 35:13-14 plainly says you humble yourself with fasting. Sackcloth is unrefined fabric. The other ingredient in Daniel 9:3 is ashes (dust on the head - Nehemiah 9:1). This combination not only represents humble dress and appearance, they are indications of mourning. Matthew 9:14-15. Fasting, sackcloth and ashes show an extreme attitude of "smallness" when you come to God.)
3. How important to you think fasting and the signs of distress are to approaching God in prayer?
2. Read Daniel 9:4. What do you think about the way Daniel started out his prayer? (Do I ask this every week or what?!! Every week we see that this is the way these great prayers start: praise to God for who He is and not because of what He has done to answer our prayers.)
3. Let's re-read the second half of verse 4 and read Daniel 9:5-6. As you consider the second half of verse 4, do you think God's love is conditional upon your obedience to Him? If not, how do you explain this language?
1. Is there a distinction between His "covenant of love" and His love? (Yes. Deuteronomy 28-30 sets out the covenant that God had with His people. Essentially the covenant is obey and be blessed, disobey and be harmed. God loves each and every one of us with an unfailing love. However, sin and disobedience have consequences. See John 14:21-23 and John 3:16.)

1. Notice the confession of sins in these verses in Daniel. What role does repentance play in our prayers? (In Matthew 4:17 we see Jesus preaching that the people should repent because of the kingdom of heaven was near. Repentance is important to approaching God. See Luke 13:1-5 for an interesting discussion about disaster, sin and repentance. Jesus says the degree of sin does not govern the degree of suffering. But unrepented sin will kill you.)
2. Let's skip ahead a moment and read Daniel 9:11 because it fits in this discussion. Is this cause and effect still in place - or under the new covenant are we free from obedience? (Paul, the great advocate of the new covenant, was very clear on the importance of obedience. Read Romans 2:13. You cannot love God and ignore Him. John 14:15)
3. One of the problems with the people ( Daniel 9:6) was that they did not "listen to the prophets." What is today's equivalent of that sin?
1. Read Daniel 9:8-10. Contrast Judah's attitude toward God compared with God's attitude towards Judah. Is it the same today with us?
2. Read Daniel 9:12. What does Daniel mean when he says nothing was ever done like was done to Jerusalem? (He was talking about the destruction of God's temple. The destruction of the primary visible link between God and man.)
1. We recently studied the prayer of Solomon when he dedicated the temple. How do you explain that God let the Babylonians destroy His temple -- the temple that King David planned and King Solomon built? Does this make any sense to you?
1. Is there a lesson in this for us?
3. Read Daniel 9:17-18. What did we learn two weeks ago with Elijah - is our God sometimes preoccupied so that He does not hear us? (No!)
1. If God always hears, what is Daniel talking about in verse 17?
2. We spoke earlier about the importance of repentance and obedience. What does verse 18 tell us about how our righteous acts get us saved? (Daniel clearly understood righteousness by faith. We are not saved because of anything we do. We are saved only because of God's great mercy towards us.)

1. The Answer
1. Read Daniel 9:20-21. It would be easy for Daniel to feel that God did not care, that He was not paying attention to His promise to His people. What does this verse show about God's care when we turn to Him? (God sends Gabriel to give Daniel a personal answer!)
2. Read Daniel 9:22-23. How quickly does God hear the kind of prayer that Daniel made?
1. Does God want us to understand our difficulties? Does He want our problems to "make sense?" (He wants us to trust Him (remember our study of the prayers of Job), but He also wants us to understand.)
3. Read Daniel 9:24-25. Speaking of understanding, we are not going to try to completely unravel this vision. (Remember, we are studying prayer and not prophecy here.) What good things can you understand from this message? (They are going to have a holy city again! It looks like they will have their holy city for a whopping 490 years (70x7)!
1. Who is the "Anointed One?" (I promised I would not get into prophecy, but this is important. Gabriel told Daniel about when Jesus the Messiah would come!)
1. What will the Anointed One bring for us? (Verse 24, "everlasting righteousness.")
2. Will God trust us with His important insights when we turn to Him? (Oh, yes! This text shows us that God wants to encourage us.)
4. Friend, perhaps you are discouraged. Your life has not been going well. Daniel's prayer shows us the importance of repenting and turning to God with our problems. He is anxious to help and assure us. Will you turn to Him?

http://www.gobible.org/study/123.php