Revival Brings Conviction Of Sin
By W. C. Moore (1890 – 1980)
Have we caught the mighty vision of a holy God – to the extent that we eagerly run to Him – although we fully realize that, most all of us, need fearfully to be rebuked and chastened? Are we willing, yes glad, for the precious Lord to rebuke us and chasten us in order that He may pour another – a mightier Pentecost upon us?
Hear the word of Jesus, the Head of the church: “I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of My mouth. …As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent” (Rev. 3:15-19).
Many years ago here at Herald of His Coming headquarters, we were greatly blessed by a visit from some World Evangelization Crusade missionaries who spoke at our chapel service. They were from the revival going on in what was then the Belgian Congo – and gave us firsthand reports of the tremendous movings of the Holy Spirit in revival power down in the heart of Africa.
Brokenness and Openness
An outstanding feature of that revival was terrific conviction on sin – both among the Christians and on those who had never been saved. The words of Jesus – to the effect that when the Comforter (the Holy Spirit) is come, He will reprove the world of sin (John 17:7-8) – these words were mightily fulfilled among the people.
Other outstanding characteristics of the work of the Holy Spirit were: holiness of life; a deep spirit of prayer; abounding love for other Christians; humility – deep and real; restitution; confession of sin; great joy; an overflowing eagerness to go out and testify to others of what the Lord had done for them.
This Is That
We here pass on a few thoughts from the book, This is That, which gives reports from the missionaries, telling of this revival: The Lord had suddenly come to His temple (see Malachi 3:1-6), in this case the African Church. These tremendous movings of the Holy Spirit were among the mission stations in the work first started by C. T. Studd and A. B. Buxton many years ago. The people and the missionaries had been praying a long time for revival, but when it burst upon them – they hardly knew how to take it. They had not been expecting anything like this spiritual tornado.
However, God gave them grace to watch the fruit of the mighty work among all – both the natives and the missionaries, and to discern between the real and the spurious.
“…Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them” (Matt. 7:15-20). In the revivals that God gave under the ministry of Charles G. Finney, people would sometimes fall off their seats – under terrible conviction of sin. And in this revival in the Belgian Congo – similar scenes were witnessed. Sin is an awful thing, a hideous monster – when once the Holy Spirit throws His blazing searchlight upon it!
One of the missionaries wrote, “I had been reading Rent Heavens, by R. B. Jones, on the Welsh revival, and in it he mentioned ‘the evangelist could hardly make his voice heard above the din of the worshiping saints.’ How true this has been of the meetings we have seen out here…. None of us had ever seen anything like this before. I had been in many wonderful prayer meetings at the Bible College of Wales, Swansea, when the Spirit had come down upon us in power, but nothing like this.”
Another missionary told of how the Lord poured the Spirit of grace and of supplications upon them (Zech. 12:10), “Tremendous intercession poured forth. I pleaded with the lads to open their hearts. ‘Don’t be stiff-necked. Break. Break.’ I could get no farther; I broke down and wept, and wept. I have never known such tears, such agony of tears, as broke from my burdened heart. The little boys broke down, they were standing, or lying on the ground, weeping, weeping, pouring out their hearts before God.”
“Oh that Thou wouldest rend the heavens, that Thou wouldest come down…that the nations may tremble at Thy presence” (Isa. 64:1-2). All over the world, let Christians seek the Lord until He comes down amongst us and so manifests His presence that nations shall tremble under conviction of sin!