Revival Sparks Missions
Last year I wrote a blog on "Revival and Missions". In it I discussed the relationship between the 2 and discussed the need that we have for both. In this post, I want to share some ideas about how Revival of the Church leads to new thrusts in Missions and how that is really the purpose of Revival in the first place.
Most books and teachings on Revival discuss the spiritual nature of Revival and focus on the purpose of God in Reviving His Church. But as I have been reflecting on the History of Missions and Revivals in the last 200-300 years, I have seen a connection that I had overlooked to some degree.
The thing that has brought this to the forefront of my thinking has been reading a new book called "The Power To Save" by Bob Davey, published by EP Books. This book which was published in 2011, is a History of the Gospel in China. I highly recommend it. It is one of the best missions history books I have encountered and it traces the entire Christian movement in China from the 1st protestant missionary who went there in 1807 to the present day multiplication of the house church movement.
4 Chapters are focused on Hudson Taylor who was one of the key pioneers of the gospel into China and was also the founder of the China Inland Mission. In discussing the founding of CIM, the book makes a connection that I had not seen in my previous studies of Taylor. Taylor came back to England in 1860, after his first term in China. He was in England, therefore, at the time of the 2nd Evangelical Awakening that took place there (and other places) in 1859-1860.
On page 102 the author points out the following: "The revival affected all classes of the population. It did untold social good and over the next forty years also gave an effective impulse to home and foreign missionary works in terms of resources and consecrated manpower."
When I read that it had a domino effect in my thinking. For years I have been a student of both Revival and Missions. Suddenly those 2 streams of God's work coalesed in my thinking. I realized that every major revival period has had a subsequent missional effect. The Perspectives Course teaches that there have been 3 different eras of modern missions History:
1. The Era of The Coastlands: William Carey, Adoniram Judson and other pioneers to the coastal areas of the unreached. The beginning 2of denominational mission agencies. 1792-1910
2. The Era of The Inland Missions: Hudson Taylor and other inland thrusts into unreached regions. The time of the emergence of non-denominational faith missions. 1865-1980
3. The Unreached Peoples Era: Townsend, McGavran, and Winters and the focus on Unreached People Groups. 1934-the Present
As I considered the point being made by Davey in his book, I realized that each of these distinct eras of missions movement was sparked by a specific revival movement and its effects.
1. Era 1, the Coastlands, was preceded by the First Great Awakening....and much of the spiritual impetus for this mission movement came from this revival. Although there were nearly 50 years from the end of the revival until William Carey went to India, the missions vision was birthed in those revival times, and Jonathan Edwards wrote a book on Prayer for the completion of the Commission, and also published Brainerd's diary which was read by Carey. Also the Moravian movement started a 100 year prayer meeting (24 hours a day for 100 years!) for world evangelization during this time.
2. Era 2, Inland Missions, was preceded by a series of revivals that are lumped together as the 2nd Great Awakening. Early sparks of the 2nd Awakening are as early as 1800 (The Cane Ridge Revival) the Finney Revivals (1820's and 1830's) and the Prayer Revival and 2nd Evangelical Awakening that Davey mentions. This revival touched the United States, Wales, England, and South Africa! (1857-1860) This is the specific move of God that was happening when Hudson Taylor came back from China. Touched by this environment, the China Inland Mission was founded in 1865.
3. Era 3, The Unreached People focus, was preceded by what might be called the 20th Century Revival. Composed of the Pentecostal Revival (often associated with Azusa Street) in 1 doctrinal stream and of the Evangelical Revival of post WW 2 (associated with the ministry of Billy Graham) in its non-pentecostal form the streams of revival have come together in the latter part of the 20th century and early 21st century. During this time there were the forward movements of missions that are associated with the Church Growth Movement and the AD 2000 and beyond movement, along with Lasaunne and other similar thrusts.
The point I am making is not dependent on a rigid connection of revival history with missions history, but the preceding frameworks were given to illustrate a point. There is a connection between Revival and Missions. Indeed, I believe we could say that the major purpose of Revival in God's church is not just to bless the church, or to merely anoint the people of God. It is not to enjoy blessings and see unusual manifestations. (All of these things happen in genuine revival, but I am pointing to a larger purpose). The major purpose of revival is to give "an effective impulse to home and foreign missionary works in terms of resources and consecrated manpower." God revives His church to cause it to obey His command to Make Disciples of All Nations.
So we can and should pray for Revival of God's people. Lord, open the heavens and pour out your Spirit on your church that we will be energized to go forth with your word and power until all have heard! We claim this purpose for revival as a point of both Biblical promise and Biblical Command!
Acts 1:8-New International Version (©1984)
"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
Most books and teachings on Revival discuss the spiritual nature of Revival and focus on the purpose of God in Reviving His Church. But as I have been reflecting on the History of Missions and Revivals in the last 200-300 years, I have seen a connection that I had overlooked to some degree.
The thing that has brought this to the forefront of my thinking has been reading a new book called "The Power To Save" by Bob Davey, published by EP Books. This book which was published in 2011, is a History of the Gospel in China. I highly recommend it. It is one of the best missions history books I have encountered and it traces the entire Christian movement in China from the 1st protestant missionary who went there in 1807 to the present day multiplication of the house church movement.
4 Chapters are focused on Hudson Taylor who was one of the key pioneers of the gospel into China and was also the founder of the China Inland Mission. In discussing the founding of CIM, the book makes a connection that I had not seen in my previous studies of Taylor. Taylor came back to England in 1860, after his first term in China. He was in England, therefore, at the time of the 2nd Evangelical Awakening that took place there (and other places) in 1859-1860.
On page 102 the author points out the following: "The revival affected all classes of the population. It did untold social good and over the next forty years also gave an effective impulse to home and foreign missionary works in terms of resources and consecrated manpower."
When I read that it had a domino effect in my thinking. For years I have been a student of both Revival and Missions. Suddenly those 2 streams of God's work coalesed in my thinking. I realized that every major revival period has had a subsequent missional effect. The Perspectives Course teaches that there have been 3 different eras of modern missions History:
1. The Era of The Coastlands: William Carey, Adoniram Judson and other pioneers to the coastal areas of the unreached. The beginning 2of denominational mission agencies. 1792-1910
2. The Era of The Inland Missions: Hudson Taylor and other inland thrusts into unreached regions. The time of the emergence of non-denominational faith missions. 1865-1980
3. The Unreached Peoples Era: Townsend, McGavran, and Winters and the focus on Unreached People Groups. 1934-the Present
As I considered the point being made by Davey in his book, I realized that each of these distinct eras of missions movement was sparked by a specific revival movement and its effects.
1. Era 1, the Coastlands, was preceded by the First Great Awakening....and much of the spiritual impetus for this mission movement came from this revival. Although there were nearly 50 years from the end of the revival until William Carey went to India, the missions vision was birthed in those revival times, and Jonathan Edwards wrote a book on Prayer for the completion of the Commission, and also published Brainerd's diary which was read by Carey. Also the Moravian movement started a 100 year prayer meeting (24 hours a day for 100 years!) for world evangelization during this time.
2. Era 2, Inland Missions, was preceded by a series of revivals that are lumped together as the 2nd Great Awakening. Early sparks of the 2nd Awakening are as early as 1800 (The Cane Ridge Revival) the Finney Revivals (1820's and 1830's) and the Prayer Revival and 2nd Evangelical Awakening that Davey mentions. This revival touched the United States, Wales, England, and South Africa! (1857-1860) This is the specific move of God that was happening when Hudson Taylor came back from China. Touched by this environment, the China Inland Mission was founded in 1865.
3. Era 3, The Unreached People focus, was preceded by what might be called the 20th Century Revival. Composed of the Pentecostal Revival (often associated with Azusa Street) in 1 doctrinal stream and of the Evangelical Revival of post WW 2 (associated with the ministry of Billy Graham) in its non-pentecostal form the streams of revival have come together in the latter part of the 20th century and early 21st century. During this time there were the forward movements of missions that are associated with the Church Growth Movement and the AD 2000 and beyond movement, along with Lasaunne and other similar thrusts.
The point I am making is not dependent on a rigid connection of revival history with missions history, but the preceding frameworks were given to illustrate a point. There is a connection between Revival and Missions. Indeed, I believe we could say that the major purpose of Revival in God's church is not just to bless the church, or to merely anoint the people of God. It is not to enjoy blessings and see unusual manifestations. (All of these things happen in genuine revival, but I am pointing to a larger purpose). The major purpose of revival is to give "an effective impulse to home and foreign missionary works in terms of resources and consecrated manpower." God revives His church to cause it to obey His command to Make Disciples of All Nations.
So we can and should pray for Revival of God's people. Lord, open the heavens and pour out your Spirit on your church that we will be energized to go forth with your word and power until all have heard! We claim this purpose for revival as a point of both Biblical promise and Biblical Command!
Acts 1:8-New International Version (©1984)
"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
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