The Revival’s Beginning
In the southwestern county of Cornwall, in the town of St. Just, England, a group of people met at St. Just Church at 3 a.m. on Christmas Day, 1781. This group’s purpose for gathering was to begin the day celebrating with the singing of songs and prayer. As they were praying, something unexpected occurred:
the Lord of the universe stepped in and took over.
For six hours they continued in prayer, then at around 9 a.m. they took a break to spend time in their homes with their families. They reconvened their time of prayer again in the evening—and what the Lord had started that morning continued.
Prayer meetings continued for the next several months, and by March of 1782, their frequent prayer meetings would last till midnight.
Location where the revival started
Revival of Prayer
This revival centered on prayer. God’s people were awakened to and filled with a passion to pray. These meetings were not evangelistic in nature; they were specifically for prayer, but their effect was profound.
A few of the locations where the revival spread
The Revival’s Spread
This revival of prayer may have begun in Cornwall, but it did not remain there long, for in just a few years its spread was noted throughout England: Northampton, Leicester, Bedford, Oxford, Yorkshire, Leeds, Sheffield, and elsewhere. People were gathering in unprecedented numbers to participate in what became known as “Concerts of Prayer.”
On Tuesday, March 30, 1784, while preaching at a new preaching-house in Henley-Green, John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist Church, recognized that the hand of God was at work, and in his journal he commented:
This country is all on fire and the flame is spreading from village to village.
Churches were scheduling times to pray for revival, and all denominations were gathering together—the revival was not limited to one denomination.
Prayer Leads to Evangelistic Success
As the prayer meetings throughout England continued, the unsaved would attend. Some were mysteriously drawn by dreams or visions they had. Others came to mock and disrupt the meetings. Regardless of why or how they came, when they were present they came under the conviction power of the Holy Spirit and would find themselves
thrown to the ground under the power of the Holy Spirit.
These types of involuntary prostrations are common in genuine revivals, and it occurred during this one.
St. Just Church, where the revival began
Church Growth
The revival of prayer led to evangelistic power, and the numerical growth of the churches throughout England was the result.
► Methodist membership multiplied 4x.
► Baptists and Congregational churches were also experiencing exponential growth.
► Denominations (or fellowships of churches) that broke away from the nationalized Church of England (dissenting / nonconformist / separatist churches) were no fewer than 18 in number, and these groups also experienced enormous growth in membership.
The Revival Jumps the Atlantic
As the revival spread through England, Scotland and Wales also initiated similar “Concerts of Prayer,” and they received similar results—which was multiplication of church membership.
As ministers in the United States received revival reports from England, they also banded together to initiate “Concerts of Prayer.” Those from all denominations joined together and agreed upon the first Tuesday in January 1795, to be the date when they would commence.
The results from this concentrated focus on prayer was beyond expectations. Read our post on the 1790-1840: Second Great Awakening in the United States for more details about what happened.
Missionary Societies Started
As this revival flurry of activity was increasing, God began to burden His people for the nations of the world. This resulted in the formation of the many missionary societies.
► Baptist Missionary Society (1792)
► London Missionary Society (1795)
► Scottish Missionary Society (1796)
► Church Mission Society (1799)
► See more with this link
Sources
The Eager Feet by J. Edwin Orr
The Journal of the Rev. John Wesley by John Wesley
The Ten Greatest Revivals Ever by Elmer Towns
Return to List of Revival Stories
Chet & Phyllis Swearingen:
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Beautiful Feet
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