Doug Van Pelt

Welsh Revival

Rees returned to Wales in 1904, in the midst of "the great revival." It seemed like an amazing time. The services were kind of orchestrated by themselves after the first hymn was sang. People would speak and sometimes be interrupted by choruses of song and prayer, yet there "was no sense of discord or break in the harmony." Some complained, but one old preacher replied "that he preferred the noise of the city to the silence of the cemetery!"

It was a testimony of what the church could do if it were in one mind and spirit. "The church had seen over and over again what the Lord could do through a yielded evangelist or pastor, such as Moody or Finney, but in the Welsh Revival it was a divine power manifested through the church. The keynote was, 'Bend the church and save the world.'"

The big focus was saving souls, and many came to the Lord, with much rejoicing in the church. "But the real problem arose as the revival proceeded and thousands were added to the churches. There were more children born than there were nurses to tend them. The establishing of the converts became the greatest need, which if not met would be the most dangerous weakness of the revival."

While Rees was still young in the faith, he was a bit more advanced than the converts of the revival. It became apparent that "intercessors and teachers" were needed, "to take the burden of the new-born babes, and to pray and lead them on." The intercessors soon found out that the church has an enemy that can't be fought with carnal weapons.

"They needed what they themselves had not yet received: the enduement of the Holy Ghost for service. As Rees Howells said later: 'The intercession of the Holy Ghost for the saints in this present evil world must be made through believers filled with the Holy Ghost.' It was this that brought him and others to feel their need of the fullness."

They had joy and satisfaction, but not the power they needed. Some people blamed the converts for backsliding, "but we blamed ourselves, because we were not in a position to pray them through to victory. Oh, the tragedy, to be helpless in front of the enemy when he was sifting young converts like wheat!"

They read in Isaiah 59, where there was no man and no intercessor, and they felt that was their case, too. They wisely realized that the joy and emotion they had was real, but it was not proof of the enduement of the Spirit. They saw in the Scriptures how the disciples were told to tarry until they were endued, and they "worshipped Him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy." Since they had joy before the power, they saw that joy wasn't proof of it. So they were very aware of their need for the Spirit and His power.

Posted by Doug Van Pelt at April 26, 2006 08:33 AM