Revival Stories

The 1st Great Awakening of the 1730’s - 1740’s: Northhampton Revival


The 1st Great Awakening is often talked about as a time of intense spiritual renewal in the American colonies in the 1700‘s. But the roots of this revival actually trace back to Germany among the Moravian Christians who themselves experienced revival praying together for God to unify them and to send them out on mission to the world. God would use the powerful prayers of the Moravians and their pure devotion to God to influence key leaders in the 1st Great Awakening, like John Wesley and George Whitefield.

The colonies in North America in the early 1700’s were busy and prosperous but also arrogant. The original desire of the early settlers to seek God above all else had given way to spiritual apathy. Christianity was still present in the culture, but dead orthodoxy had replaced a vital relationship with the Savior.Christians were divided into denominations that did not mix with one another, and intellectual pride flowed freely within the churches. Many became deists, who believed in the generic idea of a god who exists but who does not involve himself in the daily lives of mankind.

The first burst of revival in this awakening happened in Northhampton, Massachusetts, in 1734. Jonathan Edwards was a pastor there, and he was a thoughtful, prayerful, preacher of God’s Word, spending more than 10 hours each day in reading and prayer. He rejected the notion that Christianity was just a club of people trying to do good deeds. Faith had to go beyond mere intellect and be rooted in one’s heart. In the fall on 1734, he started preaching with a passion to see the lost turn from their sin and put their trust in Jesus for forgiveness. They needed to experience a new birth that was accomplished by God’s grace and through their faith. In late December, the Spirit of God started moving swiftly through the town. Half a dozen church members gave their lives to Christ, and one young woman known for her immoral lifestyle was deeply transformed as she trusted in the Lord. The flames of revival soon spread through every home, and people saw God instilling joy in their worship, renewed love for one another, and a hunger for more of God’s presence. There was soulful conviction of personal sin, but even more, there was an unbridled passion for God that was ignited in the hearts of the townspeople.

Edwards wanted to encourage others in New England to also seek after this same awakening, so he published a call to all intercessors to gather to pray for revival. He also published stories of what God was doing to awaken His people. Over the next few years, God would stir up bursts of spiritual awakening in numerous towns in America as the revival spread. God also poured out a great revival upon the country of England during this time, and the next phase of the 1st Great Awakening would ignite as the Spirit raised up and sent out British revivalists to America.


QUESTIONS TO DISCUSS:

1. What do you think it takes for God to prepare a person to pursue revival? What did John Wesley and George Whitefield have in common? What sacrifices did they make? What spiritual fruit did they see in their lifetimes?

2. Why do you think tens of thousands of people gathered in open fields to hear these revivalists preach the Gospel? What do you think makes hearts receptive to spiritual awakening? What will it take to wake up our city to God’s supernatural presence?

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