Some of the many revivals that spread across India from 1904-1906
Background to this Series of India Revivals
From 1904-1906, revival swept across India, touching every mission station and church, regardless of the denomination. Episcopalians, Presbyterians, Congregationalists, Baptists, Lutherans, Methodists, Brethren, Anglicans, Christian and Missionary Alliance, London Missionary Society, and the YMCAs and YWCAs, wherever the revival was welcome, blessings came. In addition, it fostered significant unity, breaking down previous barriers between denominations.
The 1904 Sialkot, India Revival appears to have been the spark that ignited the sweeping fires. Subsequently, upon receiving reports of the 1904-1905 Welsh Revival, prayer for revival intensified to such an extent that revival in India seemed unstoppable. The outcomes are documented in the following accounts:
- 1904 Sialkot, India Revival (Over 5 locations)
- 1905 Khasi Hills Revival (Dozens of Locations)
- 1905 Mukti Revival (5 Locations)
- 1905 Revival at Dohnavur (2 Locations)
- 1905 India Revivals I (20 Locations)
- 1905 India Revivals II (8 Locations)
- 1905 India Revivals III (5 Locations)
- 1906 India Revivals IV (10 Locations)
- 1906 India Revivals V (8 Locations)
- 1906 India Revivals VI (8 Locations)
- 1905-1906 India Revivals VII (9 Locations)
- 1905-1906 India Revivals VIII (14 Locations)
- 1906 India Revivals IX (8 Locations)
- 1906 Aurangabad, India Revival (5 Locations)
- 1906 Mizo, India Revival (13 Locations)
Godavary Delta Mission
The Godavary Delta Mission was started by Brethren missionaries in the mid-1800s (Anthony N. Groves). The majority of their ministry was focused in the Godavary River delta region of India. This account focuses primarily on Brethren missionaries and those in association with them.
In 1905-1906, revivals spread rapidly across India. These accounts reveal how revivals can become highly contagious, particularly when congregations and church leaders embrace the infectious nature revivals carry.
In April 1906, one of the Brethren missionaries from the Godavary Delta Mission, reported that:
The Revival commenced in our midst with eleven who have given a bright testimony of their faith in the Lord Jesus.
The eleven that were born again were adults, and in addition, there were several children in the boarding schools who were also saved at this same time.
Following up on this exceptional occurrence, the missionaries made the commitment to unite every day to prayer for revival.
A mission station printing press
Annual Conference in Coimbatore
In June there was an annual conference held at Coimbatore, attended by local workers as well as those from other parts of India who were in fellowship with the Brethren missionaries. At the conference, one attendee reported:
We had cried to God to deal with us as a company, and to fill every part of His temple with His presence, and He would take us at our word.
During the Sunday morning communion service, the Holy Spirit descended upon several with such power that they began to “sob and cry out in pain for the sins of the Church.”
The distribution of communion was paused as people confessed their wrongs to one another. Reconciliation blossomed among those who had been at odds, and hearts were melted in God’s presence. This outpouring continued until 4 P.M., when they reluctantly stopped so the afternoon Sunday School could convene. Even during this brief intermission, some unconverted individuals professed their faith in Christ and were born again.
That evening’s service witnessed a continuation of these confessions and reconciliations, and it continued until 3 A.M. Remarkably, the paused communion service from Sunday afternoon resumed at this very hour.
The next day, missionaries returned to their areas of ministry across India. However, the revival in Coimbatore burned brightly, continuing unabated.
One missionary who had served in Coimbatore for 12 years wrote:
God has come to Coimbatore, and we are like them that dream. Our mouth is literally filled with laughter and our tongue with singing. Glory be to God! … At times during these meetings the cries of soul agony and the sobbing of breaking hearts were more than many could stand, especially when they mingled with songs of deliverance, and prayers for others at the same time. You will read the account exactly in Ezra iii. 10-13.
Revival Followed the Returning Missionaries
The missionaries who left Coimbatore after the conference recognized that the revival fire accompanied them as they returned to their respective mission stations.
Indian teacher using flannelgraph to teach a Bible story
Revival at Chittapetta
On July 1st, Chittapetta experienced a similar manifestation of God’s power. Meetings continued day and night for two weeks, with those present prioritizing time in this presence of God over food and sleep.
Revival in Narsapur
On Sunday, August 5, 1906, at Narsapur, the first mission station established by the Brethren, believers experienced an unexpected visitation from God. The Sunday service began with a sermon from a missionary, followed by another from an Indian minister. This Indian minister spoke about “the time of thy visitation” from Luke 19:41-44. As he shared:
Suddenly the whole congregation broke out in loud wailing and cries and confessions of sin. The heathen rushed in on all sides in wonder at what was transpiring, and remained awestruck. Instead of closing at noon, the meeting continued till 7 p.m., no one caring for food. It increased towards evening, when some were struck down and cried in agony for mercy.
Over the next four days, missionaries were inundated by people of all ages who came weeping, confessing their sins, and pleading for God’s mercy and forgiveness.
Location of revivals
Revival in Palcole
The revival then rippled across the region, with the neighboring town of Palcole witnessing “even more wonderful scenes.”
Revival in Malvalli
A September conference in Malvalli left believers feeling disheartened by the challenges they were facing in their ministries. It seemed as though the spiritual power needed to achieve their goals was missing. However, during the conference’s final hours, a powerful shift occurred. The Holy Spirit descended upon those present, directing their prayers to the orphan homes in Kollegal.
Demon Possession in Kollegal
By October 2nd, reports indicated a powerful revival had come to Kollegal, but this intensity also drew resistance from the powers of darkness. Among the girls, several had been engaged in some type of witchcraft, with one exhibiting evidence of demon possession. This girl required restraint and had to be subdued by force. It was only by splashing her with cold water that her consciousness returned, though she had no memory of what had transpired. Even with this demonstration, these girls remained especially resistant to the Gospel message.
The following Sunday, as a result of fervent prayer, the power of God fell upon those present. The congregation erupted in weeping and wailing that continued for over two hours.
On Monday evening, one of the girls came under the Holy Spirit’s power and entered a trance. While she was unconscious, she became a conduit for the Lord, and, speaking in the first person, began saying things like:
► “As I have saved My child Rupli, so will I save you” (Rupli being the girl’s name).
► “Read Galatians, fifth chapter.”
► “Sing such a hymn.”
► (She) quoted various biblical passages.
This outpouring of God’s power led to confessions, weeping, songs of victory, crying, and prayers for others.
Some of these girls were so profoundly impacted that it ushered them into a state of immense joy. Their hearts overflowed with love for Jesus and others, compelling them to share the Gospel in nearby villages.
Hauling water in carts
Revival in Amalapuram
In Amalapuram, the Godavary Delta Mission missionaries had been holding near-nightly prayer meetings for revival for four months. By December 1906, their prayers culminated in a powerful move of the Holy Spirit. Some entered trances, speaking out phrases like:
► “What a sinner not to believe in Jesus.”
► “Behold the Cross, don’t you see it?”
► “Don’t let Satan have a stool in your heart.”
Revival in Dowlaishweram (Dhavaleswaram)
In Dowlaishweram, another Godavary Delta Mission station, reports indicated a seven-week period of the Lord cleansing his church. They anticipated this purification and revival would pave the way for conversions among the surrounding Hindu population.
Revival at Vadravapalli (Vadrapalli)
Reporting on the revival at Vadravapalli, a missionary wrote:
The Lord had done and is doing a great work.
Primary Source
► Revival in India by Helen S. Dyer
► They Were Men Sent by God by Eustace Blake Bromley
Secondary Sources
► A History of Missions in India by Julius Richter
► Abrams, Minnie F. (1859-1912) by Boston University School of Theology
► Christian Missions and Social Progress by James S. Dennis
► Evangelical Awakenings in Southern Asia by J. Edwin Orr
► Indian Pentecost: Christianity Today by Edith Blumhofer
► Memoir of Anthony Norris Groves by His Widow
► Minnie Abrams: Lessons from the Pentecostal Revival in India by Darrin Rodgers
► Pandita Ramabai: Her Vision, Her Mission and Triumph of Faith by Helen S. Dyer
► Pandita Ramabai, the Mukti Revival and Global Pentecostalism by Allan Anderson
► Pandita Ramabai: The Story of Her Life by Helen S. Dyer
► Scattered Seeds by Mrs. Malcolm Ross
► The Flaming Tongue by J. Edwin Orr
► The High-Caste Hindu Woman by Pandita Ramabai Sarasvati
► The Pandita Ramabai Story by Pandita Ramabai
► Walker of Tinnevelly by Amy Wilson-Carmichael
► World Atlas of Christian Missions by James S. Dennis
► Zenana Missions by Wikipedia
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