The Story of the 1904–1905 Welsh Revival

[Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] the 19th century becomes a gallery of well-known famous powerful preachers Christmas Evans the one night preacher that the Prince of Anglesey Thomas Charles have started the Sunday School movement was one of the founders for instance of the British and foreign Bible Society a great author and of course David Morgan the revivalist of the 1859 revival along of course with other revivalist such as Richard or when some years later for a long time I was much troubled in my soul on my heart by thinking over the failure of Christianity oh and it seems such a failure such a failure and I prayed and prayed but nothing seemed to give me any relief these are the words of a young Collier from West Glamorgan he'd left school when he was 12 years old to help his father down the mine he was an unknown outside his village nobody'd really heard him no great preacher no degree in theology yet in his 26th year in a few weeks he was to become one of the most talked-about Christians in Wales this is his story mostly in his own words heaven Roberts was born on June the 8th 1878 the son of Henry and Hannah Roberts at Island House Booker money's on the LA history he grew up here he played here and he spent a lot of his time swimming in the LA River on one occasion he even saved his friend from drowning in the dangerous currents it was here that he went to church it was here that he spent his boyhood and later was to begin work in the local coal mine Evan Roberts love for spiritual things begins at an early age he's converted when he's 13 but he decides to seek for a deeper spiritual experience after hearing a deepen in the meeting pausing the question what if the spirit came and you were absent I said then to myself I will have the spirit and through all whether and in spite of all difficulties I went to the meetings many times and seeing other boys with the bots on the tide I was tempted to turn back and join them but nor then I said to myself remember your resolve to be faithful and on they went prayer meeting Monday evening at the chapel prayer meeting Tuesday evenings at bisca Church meeting Wednesday evening band of Hope Thursday class Friday evening - there I went faithfully throughout the years Evans dedication wasn't only a personal thing it soon developed into a passion and prayer for national revival for 10 or 11 years I have prayed for a revival I could sit up all night to read or talk about revivals it was the spirit that moved me to think about a revival spring 1904 was a key time for him it was a time of a much deeper experience of God he described the experience to WT stead the well-known journalist someone who lost his life just eight years later in the Titanic disaster for a long time I was much troubled in my soul in my heart by thinking over the failure of Christianity oh and it seemed such a failure such a failure and I prayed and prayed but nothing seemed to give me any relief but one night today I've been in great distress praying about this I went to sleep and at one o'clock in the morning suddenly I was waked up out to my sleep and I found myself with unspeakable joy and awe in the very presence of the Almighty God at five o'clock it seemed to me as if I had again returned to earth were you not dreaming the whole I was wide awake and it was not only that morning but every morning for three or four months always I enjoyed four hours of that wonderful communion with God I cannot describe it I felt it and it seemed to change all my nature and I saw things in a different light and I knew that God was going to work in the land and not this land only but in all the world you put on paper all that you remembered of these times of community nor I don't nothing at all and it went on all the time until I had to go to Newcastle Emlyn to the college to prepare for the ministry on Tuesday a 13th of September 1904 Evan Roberts arrived at the Grammar School in Newcastle Emlyn with his best friend Sydney Evans he lodged at T Floyd just a few hundred yards from the grammar school between the school and the lodgings was Sunnyside the home of the Reverend Evan Phillips a patriarchal figure among the preachers of the day and someone who had experienced the last great National Welsh Awakening some forty-five years previously he preached as a young man alongside the Reverend David Morgan from a spuddy s twit the most well-known of the 1859 revival preachers by 1904 he was the minister of Bethel the Calvinistic Methodist chapel at Newcastle Emlyn and his home Sunnyside became a place of fellowship for the students at the Graham school but all was not well for the fledgling student on arriving at the Grammar School in Newcastle Emlyn he began to experience a spiritual coldness even the site of the crossroad nor tears to my eyes but this was all soon to change at banana which was to become the defining experience in heaven Robert spiritual development before bland Anna we see the quiet unassuming serious student after blinding error it's Evan Roberts the revivalist who has to become a household name in Wales within six weeks this place was to become at one in the same time a crossroads for Evan Roberts and a meeting place for others who had a similar vision the chapel at Bly Nana was to be the venue of a convention for the deepening of the spiritual life this was arranged by some spiritually minded local ministers one of whom Joseph Jenkins from nuki was to be deeply involved in North Wales revival meetings during the next few months the young people in his church had experienced a powerful refreshing of their faith since February of that year it all began with the public testimony of one sixteen-year-old girl Florie Evans she declared that she loved the Lord Jesus with all her heart the effect in the morning service was electrifying and the spiritual fervor spread rapidly to the other youth of the area in the following days and weeks this group of energized and evangelistically minded youth were to make a profound impression on roberts during his time at Bly Nana and Newcastle Emlyn also taking part in the convention were two other spiritually awakened ministers ww Lewis and Seth Joshua Seth was an evangelist for the forward movement of the Calvinistic Methodist Church he too had a burden for revival for the last four years he had been burned to pray that God would take a land from the coal mine or from the field to revive the work in Wales even as Elijah had been taken from the plough he asked that God would not take a man from the union versus which might feed pride and intellectualism but rather use a simple land that the glory might go to God alone Seth had kept this mainly to himself until that Thursday morning October the 29th when he shared it with the students who were traveling with him in the car tube line and amongst them was Evan Roberts who had attended the convention on the Wednesday and had obviously been affected speaking to one of Evan Philips daughters on that Wednesday he noted I have built the altar and laid the wood in order and have prepared the offering I have only to wait for the fire the young Elijah was ready and he didn't have long to wait the fire was to fall the next day we started yesterday morning at 6:00 it was very fine and dry in a full of lovely scenery as we climbed the hill as we could see the mist in the valleys as if it were a sea he sang in the cart and my feelings were very varied now high now low the seven o'clock meeting was devoted to asking and answering questions the Reverend WWE was conducted at the close the Reverend Seth Joshua played and said during his prayer Lord to this and this and this and Bend us he did not say O Lord Bend us it was the spirit to put the emphasis for me on Bendis that is what you need is what the spirit said to me and as I went out I prayed O Lord bend me at the breakfast table in the Reverend MP Morgan's house mag phillips offered me bread and butter i refused as i was satisfied at the same moment the Reverend says joshua was put in his hand to take the bread and butter and the thought struck me is it possible that God is offering me the spirit that I'm prepared to receive him that others are ready to receive but are not offered now my bosom was quite full and tight on the way to the nine o'clock meeting the Reverend said Joshua remarked we are going to have a wonderful meeting today to this I replied I feel myself almost bursting the meeting haven't been opened was handed over to the spirit I was conscious that I would have to play as one and the others prayed I put the question to the spirit directly now wait a minute said he when others played I felt a living force come into my bosom it held my breath and my legs shivered and at every prayer I asked shall I now the living force grew and grew I was almost bursting instantly someone ended his prayer my bosom boiling I would have burst if he had not prayed what boiled me was God commending his love I fell on my knees with my arms over the seat in front of me and the tears and perspiration flowed freely I thought blood was gushing forth mrs. Davis came to wipe my face for about two minutes it was fearful I cried bend me bend me bend us then Oh a mrs. Davis said Oh wonderful place yes I said Oh wonderful grace what bent me was God commending his love and I not seeing anything you need to commend after I was bent a wave of peace came over me and the audience sang I hear thy welcome voice and as they sang I thought of the bending at the Judgment Day and I was filled with compassion for those who would be bent on that day and I wept I [Music] believed that total for this mission is certainly 20 Souls grand meetings today at Blaine on it and many cried for mercy it was a remarkable thing to hear one young man Evan Roberts he caught up the words and prayed bend me bend me Oh Lord unknown to Seth this became the answer to his prayer of the last four years that God would take someone not from the ministerial elite not from the students of the great colleges but would take someone from the mines off from the fields and use them Evan Roberts becomes a changed man henceforth the salvation of souls became the burden of my heart from that time I was on fire with a desire to go through all wheels and if it were at all possible I was willing to pay God for allowing me to go Evan experienced increasing difficulty continuing his studies at school on October the 28th he wrote to his sister Mary spiritual things have such a hold on me to tell you the truth they have not done much work since I'm here I try to shake off these thoughts spiritual thoughts but it would have been as easy to turn back the flow of the sea his only book becomes the Bible John Phillips the head master son of Evan Phillips the minister of better noughts the change even from this point there was no way of getting Roberts to school his old desire to benefit a guilty world gained continually and strength during these weeks and he conquered every other desire in his soul to all who knew him there was something strange in his mana no and he caused him great anxiety that his mind was becoming impaired a dr. Hughes from the United States who happened to be in the area spent some time with him and feared for his mental stability tutors and friends didn't know what to do for the best the month of October was to be a month of intense prayer for God's guidance as to the next step [Music] exactly a week after his experiences at blind Janero Evan took part in a revival service in torgren some five miles from Newcastle airman he was led by Joseph Jenkins the minister at nuki these early experiences were to give Evan Roberts the blueprint that he was to follow in his own meetings the minister opened the meeting for anyone to speak and Evan Roberts took the opportunity of encouraging the congregation to win souls for Christ for hours meeting and no one but young people take him heart a great number of those young people were girls from nuki teenagers and women in their early 20s already on fire since the spring of the year it was on a long five-mile walk from this meeting that Evan Roberts turning to his best friend and companion Sydney Evans asked do you think that it is too much to ask God to save 100 thousand in Wales another revival meeting attended by Evan Roberts was at Kapil drin nod on the 28th of October and Evan Philips daughter was an eyewitness to the event the Reverend Joseph Jenkins on the girls from Nicky were there holding a revival meeting Roberts went up early in the afternoon to prepare himself for the 6 o'clock service he was in a ward praying after entering here this eyes closed and was under some wonderful influences the meeting went on excellently in singing and prayer but before long it began to cool because speaking took the place of the plan plays the meetings going down said Roberts and I cannot bear this at once he was on his feet and saying fervently but Jesus was not glorified as he should be because people wanted to show themselves with these words he fell in the pail and prayed in such a manner that no one in the congregation had ever heard such a prayer he asked me to sing I refused about five times but at last I did Johnny accompanied me full of fervor thanks for the meeting ASCAP hildren dad it will be with me eternally Evan didn't sleep all night the divine outpouring was so heavy that I have to shout out and ask God to with hold his hand and sister Rachel had not experienced the same influence as the others Evan asked her if she had refused to obey the Holy Spirit in any way no I don't think so but I have felt many times on Sundays that I would like to repeat some him were it not that I fear what people would think and that I want to show myself oh yes he remarked that is it refusing to do a small thing like that is sufficient for him obedience must be given in the smallest thing it looks small to us but when obeying the blessing comes envisioned by the spirituality and the boldness of the nuki girls he desires to go back to laka to reach his own youth through this message this he explains to WT stead one Sundays i sat in a chapel I could not fix my mind upon the service for always before my eyes I saw as in a vision the schoolroom in my own village and theirs tinning rose before me my old companions and all the young people and I saw myself addressing them I shook my head impatiently and strove to drive away the vision but it always came back and I heard a voice in my inward years as plain as anything saying go and speak to these people for a long time I would not but the pressure became greater and greater and I could hear nothing of the sermon then at last I could resist no longer and I said well Lord if it is thy will I will go I went to my tutor and told him all things and asked him if he believed that if it was God or the devil and he said the devil does not put good thoughts into the mind I must go and obey the heavenly vision so I went back to my own village on Monday October the 31st Evan Roberts left New Castle Emlyn palaka intending to be away for a week he would not return for five months writing to Florrie Evans that morning he asked to be remembered in prayer writing to another of the girls whilst on the train he explains his motives the reason for this is the command of the Holy Spirit he gave the command last night at the meeting and my thoughts were wondering a my mind riveted on our young flock at Moriah there seemed a voice as if it said you must score you must go Evan Roberts arrival at lucker was unexpected at first his mother thought he was ill he explained that he was going to work amongst the youth of the area and planned to travel throughout Wales offering Christ to sinner's mrs. Roberts sought to bring him back down to earth by reminding him of school and Finance heaven replied that God would provide the rest of the family noted the difference in him his speech was changed this wasn't the Evan who went to college six weeks previously hearing that his brother Dan was off work due to weakness in his eyes Evan declared that his eyes would recover immediately and they did Dan was to become another of the key players in the spread of revival over the next few months Evan Roberts prophetic words to his brother were on the verge of fulfillment Dan you shall see there will be a great change at lahar in less than a fortnight we are going to have the greatest revival Wales has ever seen Monday evening the 31st of October 1900 and for Evan Roberts now Barkat laka goes to the prayer meeting held every Monday here at Moriah laka at the end of the meeting he asks people to stay behind sixteen people stay behind plus one little girl it's the beginning of the Evan Roberts revival meetings here in this church at Mariah in two weeks time the excitement will have gone throughout the whole of Wales for the next week it's going to be here in this room in Pisgah just a few miles down the road and in some of the local chapels Evan Roberts is excited things are going to happen things are actually happening on the Saturday at the end of that first week he writes to Elsie Phillips a friend describing what he is going through we hold a prayer meeting every night at eight o'clock these meetings have been a success the young people say they could sit all night Monday night I explained to them the object of the mission then I told them of the spirits work in Newquay and Newcastle Emlyn and urged them to prepare for the baptism of the holy spirit now this was the plan I have taken under the guidance of the Holy Spirit there are four things to be right you can go to heaven without being filled with the Holy Ghost but without being filled you will lose much on the way number one you must obtain full and complete pardon for the sins of the past if the past is not alright it must be made so every sin you know of confess it honestly before God number two is there anything doubtful in your life if so it must be removed and done away with is there a habit of doubtful character in your life away with it if there is there cannot be any joy in your heart until you remove the questionable habits and pleasures self-denial is one of the very first essentials of the religion of Christ number three complete and immediate obedience to the Holy Spirit say not something prompts me to play it is not something it is the Holy Ghost whatsoever he says to you do it the world may laugh he did not he will not be here long bow to him now do not say hush when one breaks into prayer resist not the spirit for a public and personal confession of Christ how long will it take you to make a confession of Christ stand up now do not look at one another out with a confession these are the four things leading to the grand blessing this is our success this week in public confession Monday night 16 Tuesday 6 Wednesday for Thursday 20 Friday 19 total 65 by the end of the first week a change was evident in many people this became a talking point in chapel pub and workplace I worked with a lot of men in the coal mines from Dallas they were nearly all from Dallas the fellas that I worked with let me tell you a little story about Dallas it's how the Welsh revival came to our village the schoolmaster in our village was a man called TC Thomas this was in 1904 he heard that the great Welsh revivalist Evan Roberts was in Dallas and so after school one evening he went up to Dallas and like everyone else caught fire you just could not go into those revival meetings without catching fire he came down after the after the service was over on the coal miners train it on into the village about quarter to 10:00 now I don't know if it's the same now but a 10 o'clock all the taverns closed I think it might be a little later now but 10 o'clock all the taverns closed he came off the train at the railway station the railroad depot he was so filled with God that he couldn't go home he wore a top silk hat and civil tails and a silver silver knob cane and he got off the train came out at the railroad station and right there on the road in those days even when we were younger they were still cobblestones he took off his hat and laid on his cane and got on his knees and began to sing the praises of God and what a great thing it is to to express the things of God in music the Apostle Paul said that one of the great signs of being filled with the Holy Spirit is singing to yourselves not speaking to yourselves singing to yourselves in Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs he's put a song in our hearts hallelujah and so my grandmother was coming up the hill on the bottom the village coming up with a friend of hers that we got to know very well mrs. Naomi George they were coming up and they heard his singing and they couldn't tell what it was coming from and she went to the janitor of the Church of England again a dear old lady that I knew in later years mrs. Byrne Oh and said mrs. Bernal you've locked the vicar in the church and mrs. Bernal said never she said oh yes we can hear him singing and so mrs. brno got the key and went to the Church of England which of course was also the Church of Wales but the Church of England and there was no vicar in the church and they could hear this singing coming from nowhere but coming from everywhere you see just just below just just just 50 year old less than that below where TC Thomas was singing was the station hotel a tavern and the band heard him sing you've never really heard him singing until you've heard a bunch of Welshman outside or inside a tavern singing and someone said TC Thomas has gone mad he's on his knees up there singing and some of them with the glasses in their hand went up and they stood around to roll TC Thomas and there he was with tears streaming down his face and his hands up to God singing because all Welsh hymnology is packed full of the blood of Jesus Christ and he was singing and magnifying the blood of Jesus and you know just 15 yards above it is Sammy's billion halls and the fellas looked out of the window and he said TC Thomas is going bad and so they put down their billion tubes and came out and some of them were the cue still in their hand and they stood around told TC Thomas and now year they were from the station hotel here they were from Sammy's Billy at all it was only quarter titania at night and now by 10 o'clock we'll say and some of the women came out and and and strange things began to happen TC Thomas was quite unaware of any of them being there he was praising God and then and then one man with a beer glass in his hand got down on his knees and began to join with TC Thomas and another and another and another until by the time my grandmother came up the hill there they were dozens of men some of them would be a glasses in their hand some of them with Billy accused in their hand housewives with their aprons on standing around falling on their knees and that night scores of people gave her heart to Jesus Christ not a preacher near them the Holy Spirit falling holily we are singing and praising and magnifying Jesus Christ praise the Lord you know there's a Scottish chorus that says it's a prayer that says once more Lord once more that's how the revival came to our village my grandfather never got saved he would tell my grandmother you come home here tonight after being in that meeting and I'll beat you up and my grandmother Nanao my George would vote at the church and say we've got to be home before 10 o'clock tonight that's the time but their husbands came out of the pubs out of the taverns we've got to be home they were never home before 3 o'clock in the morning never never Oh how many times I wish I could be here all day telling you how many times God move and he's still the same hallelujah this change even affected Evans home our family has had a great change my sister a girl of sixteen who before was a sarcastic and peevish girl has had a grand change and the testimony is that she is happy now and that there is some joy in living you can see the change in a face not everyone was positive some said that he was out of his mind others questioned that if the Holy Spirit is at work why doesn't he come before midnight some called him a deceiver Evan Roberts controversial methods became such a talking point that people were coming to the meetings to decide for themselves and they were overflowing Evan described the second week as a week of direct prayer this began on the Sunday evening the revivalist himself described the scene after the service a continued until it was 12 o'clock I said it was not satisfied with it and that we must get a blessing even if it was necessary to stay down into a daybreak I said that we would have to strive with heaven now we must believe that the Spirit will come not think he will come not hope he will come but finally believe that he will come after this the spirit said that everyone was to pray pray now not confess not sing not give experiences but pray and believe and want and this is the prayer send the spirit now for Jesus sake the people were sitting and only closed their eyes the prayer began with me and then it went from seat to seat boys and girls young men and maidens some are skinned in silence some allowed some coldly somewhat warm some formerly some in tears some with difficulty some adding to it boys and girls strong voices then tender voices wonderful I never thought of such an effect this will be the plan for the week everyone to pray individually for the spirit send the spirit now for Jesus Christ's sake Evan Roberts enthusiasm was unbounded and often overpowering meetings went on until 3:00 or 4:00 in the morning and it wasn't long before the press got to know of the religious goings-on at llaha on Thursday November the 10th the first report appeared in the columns of the Western Mail by Friday the 11th the Western Mail had sent a special correspondent to cover the events in detail a remarkable religious revival is now taking place at lucker for some days a young man named Evan Roberts a native of Locker but at present a student at Newcastle Emlyn has been causing great surprise by his extraordinary orations at Moriah Chapel such excitement has prevailed that the road in which the chapel is situated has been lined with people from end to end soon all the other newspapers followed suit and consistent coverage was to continue well into 1905 this not only chronicled events but also created a hunger for similar outpourings of the spirit throughout the Principality Evan Roberts progress from lucker to the valleys Liverpool and North Wales was reported and analyzed here was the new howl Harris here was a young man sincere enthusiastic who spoke the language of the people interest in him grew from day to day many other local ministers and young people also took up the challenge to reach Wales still many of the national papers couldn't get away from their fascination with Evan Roberts one of the first press interviews was on Friday in November the 11th - brynee evans the editor of the finesse e mercury it gives us a glimpse of the revivalist at this early stage the young Mishnah was full of enthusiasm for his work but they were traces in his deathly white face of severe mental strain the long vigils of the week had evidently told on him and more so as he had been able to sleep but little however there were no signs of fatigue in his conversation he walked up and down the little room with a restlessness the told of a brain ever at work the toil our long hours were eventually to take their toll but for now Evan Roberts is unstoppable Brimley asked the question are you over taxing your strength nor fine I am NOT the Holy Ghost was sustained me I was converted thirteen years ago and I've been praying for the Holy Ghost ever since and now it has come oh it is glorious what I want is for the people to know the joy of religion religion was never intended to make a man gloomy it should be the happiest thing in life our fathers thank God for them was saintly men but were gloomy and melancholy as though religion was a sore trial to the flesh what they missed was the joy of our Lord they got into a groove and we must now get out of it and getting out of the groove was exactly what happened to Welsh nonconformity over the next year or so from llaha Evan went on a whirlwind tour of the valleys of South Wales the various meetings were being chronicled in detail by the newspapers of the day and they were services with a difference the usual format was put to one side here was someone who spoke their language he had a spirituality which was in the vernacular it was different it was sense his major themes revolved constantly around Gethsemane the cross it was as if he himself had been there he felt what it was like to bend to the will of God and when he spoke about that he was often overcome tears in his eyes sometimes he'd have to sit down he couldn't say anymore he would he was he was overcome himself he spoke from the heart sometimes his heart spoke for him Evans emotional outpouring was called exhibitionism by his critics the most public being that of the Reverend Peter price from Dallas whose letter was published by the Western Mail accusing Evan Roberts of leading a phony revival Evan himself never replied to the criticism yet the Western Mail was full of letters for and against the young revivalist and his methods something which many feel hurt him deeply but deliberate exhibitionism seemed the furthest thing from his mind he often rebuked congregations who he felt came to see a spectacle he was nothing people should come to worship God alone meaning to take away attention from himself he would an occasion to remain silent in the pulpit for over an hour yet the result of this unexpected behavior made him even more headlines and there was a mysterious side here was a man who claimed to know what was going on in the hearts and minds of the congregation here was a man who could prophesy how many would be converted in the meeting here was a man who seemed to be a spokesman for God himself on various issues and there was something about that face those eyes there were other differences in his meetings Evan Roberts team was made up of women young women similar to the girls he had met in Newquay they would be involved in singing and testifying but he didn't stop there many dared to step into the male domain and pass on a message or two as well these spiritual suffragettes played as important a part in the services as Evan himself even interrupting his messages at times with their musical contributions many became well known during the next year their pictures reproduced in the Western Mail revival postcards probably the most well known was Annie Davis of my sting who with her sister and sa Jones from nan turmoil join Evans team in mid-november when entering the chapel I knew there was a great power working there my soul was moved to its depths my tears freely flowed when the Reverend David Haye was asked me and said can ro Bethany sing something Annie with an irresistible force I left from my seat and sang here is love fast as the ocean I could not finish it as I was so been too much I could not refrain from weeping throughout the meeting after the meeting Evan Roberts spoke to me saying you must come with me I went with him and was with him all the time that he was journeying to and fro this wasn't everyone's idea of a woman's place yet the congregation seemed to respond positively to the new feminine touch in the services the singing wasn't limited to the soloists often the congregation which sing well-known hymns for hours at a time hymns that had now taken on deeper and newer meanings in the heat of revival helping to express the newly felt spiritual truths experienced by thousands of conference incorporated into the meetings with the prayers of the Saints fresh real enthusiastic free from the stereotypical forms of previous years they broke all of the rules of grammar and public speaking they also seem to break into heaven itself Lord saved my father he's sure to be in the pub going after him Lord I know it's not a respectable place for you to go to but will you go Lord save him I'm bringing him to the meeting mother is breaking our heart give me strength to stand against the devil he's pulling hard on my coat but he can pull it to pieces before I give in and the pieces will be the trophies of my victory Oh Lord if you please when you get hold of Samuel Owen tell him that the pubs are closed in fists in New York he'll be pleased to know Lord you are driving a chariot of salvation through this place but please Lord not too fast could you slow down a little remember that there are some like me who may not be able to get on in time thank you for Calvary and although it's only a little Mountain it's grown bigger than the Himalayas by now and the whole of Wales can see the summit hundreds responded to confess Christ the effect of these meetings were seen and felt throughout the Principality churches were crowded prayer meetings were held not just in the vestry but in the pit and the steelworks there was even a drop in alcohol consumption publicans were complaining that their trade was suffering due to so many turning from alcohol good language replaced bad language many of the pit ponies accustomed only to the cursing and swearing of the miners were unable to comprehend cleaned-up speech and as a result didn't work as well even sport suffered as footballers were taken up with the revival meetings and failed to turn up for matches the biggest and most lasting impact of the revival was the change it made in people's lives the Western Mail published lists of numbers during the revival itself numbers of people who profess to be converted 30 in one town 50 in another town 200 or more in another town but the reality of the fact was that these numbers were people people who had experienced a total transformation of the inner unsocial lives people who would put energy and life into the churches of the future people who never forgot that experience people who saw alcohol changed into chairs and clues for their children people who experienced a change of language a new language a language that sometimes wasn't even understood by those who are used to them these were new people who'd experienced the old religion but in a brand new way I knew Evan Roberts personally what he felt called to the ministry and he was studying at Newcastle Emlyn College when Seth Joshua came back from that church and told of the local revival in Yukie and Evan Roberts heart was stirred the students of the seminary petitioned the principal to cancel all classes and let them attend Seth Joshua's next meeting at a place called blind honor the principal said you'll learn more in one week of revival in three years of study at college so the students all went down there he said to his roommates Sydney Evans do you think God could give us a hundred thousand souls now if one of my students came and said I want to go into evangelism you think God would give me a hundred thousand souls I would put it done to enthusiasm but Evan Roberts was deadly an earnest it's very interesting in the next five months there were a hundred thousand conversions he went to the principal's that I can't concentrate on my studies I keep hearing a voice that says you must go back and talk to young people in your own church mr. Phillips he said is that the voice of the spirit or the voice of the devil and the principal said very wisely the devil never gives orders like that so he went home his parents said why aren't you study are you in trouble have you been sent done no he said they give me time off to speak to the young people what young people in our church well they said we were in church and Sunday in the pastor made no announcement Evan Robert says he doesn't know yet now what would you say if you're a pastor and suddenly came back from a Bible School after two months study and SAP come to preach well you'd be careful not to hurt his feelings you'll be even more careful not to hurt the people's feelings so he didn't invite him immediately to start preaching he's at heart but coming to the prayer meeting on Monday Monday night was prayer meeting night he didn't ask him to speak to the prayer meeting at the end of the prayer meeting when they were gonna getting up to go home he's our young brother Evan Roberts feels he has a word for you if you care to wait many went on home but 17 people waited and Evan Roberts began like delivering a telegram I have a message for you from the Lord you must confess any known sin and put any wrong done to man right again second you must put away any duck full habit third you must obey the spirit promptly finally you must confess your faith publicly those became the four points of the Welsh revival the pastor was so pleased he said we have a mission service tomorrow mad would you speak there he spoke at the midweek service on Wednesday on Thursday that a temperance meeting but they turned it into a general meeting on Friday that class meetings they combined them the cries got so big on Sunday a visiting Minister came to preach and Evan Roberts sat on the pew with his family but the people got up at the end of the evening service and we'd like to hear Evan Roberts again so there another meeting and next week the break came you say what'd he mean the break there was a deep moving of the Holy Spirit is very interesting that at the same time in North Wales a Baptist pastor RB Jones was preaching and the prayers of the people drowned out his preaching such a move of God's Spirit the newspapers and Wales were very interested the Western Mail sent down a reporter report on this he said it was a most unusual meeting there didn't seem to be an order of service yet the people didn't want to go home and he said when the meeting closed at 4:25 in the morning make a note of that John when the meeting closed at 4:25 in the morning they didn't want to go home they were standing outside the church still talking and then a very British remark from the reporter he said I felt that this was no ordinary gathering but the news were that and our landslide of interest came on Saturday every grocery store in that industrial valley was emptied of groceries by people coming to the meetings on a Sunday every Church packed to suffocation the movement was on I talked to talk to dr. merthin Lewis he died some years ago he said he was just 7 years of age when Evan Roberts came to their Valley he wasn't expected his father came back from the mines he was a coal miner took a bath put on a Sunday clothes and said come mother we're going to the meeting they went to the big church in the village packed to suffocation 4 o'clock in the afternoon they couldn't find a place but when they saw a mother of three little children they made room for her Evan Roberts arrived unexpectedly at 7 the church was so crowded he climbed on a bench and walked on the shoulders of the men up the aisle and climbed over the front of the pulpit he only said one word in whoosh where the UN would let us pray that's all they ever heard him say everyone began to pray simultaneously aloud you say what kind of praying was that everyone was so in the presence of God he didn't know that anyone else was praying where the Spirit of God was moving that people prayed simultaneously I said tumors and Lewis were they prayer like you know you go to a meeting where people say Jesus Jesus or Lord Lord Lord or help us Lord or something like that no no everyone praying his own prayer one man was praying O God give me another chance now put things right and the mother was praying O God my boy hasn't written to me since he went to Liverpool two years ago Lord but my boy somebody else praying something else one man took his elbow and hit mr. Lewis senior and said would you stop praying tell me how I can become a Christian I can't stand this Evan Roberts left at 10 o'clock at night to go to another meeting his leaving was a commotion of course he had to climb on the shoulders again and walk back but the meeting went on mr. Lewis at two o'clock in the morning said come mother we better take the children home to bed one child had fallen asleep another was topping over there walked home in the drizzle put them to bed so close to daybreak that mr. Lewis sat in the rocking chair in front of the kitchen fire and slept till daybreak went off to the mines again came back at 3:00 took a bath and said come mother we're going back to the meeting went back to the same church in a meeting going full-tilt you say that's incredible but could you imagine a whole country like that it is no secret what God can do what he's done for others he do for you dr. Martin lloyd-jones died earlier this year the famous Welsh preacher he said to me once if you want to find out something about the Welsh revival and his beginnings get the records of the church at U key in cardigan Joseph Jenkins said to his young people on Sunday morning what does Jesus Christ mean to you they were embarrassed now there were decent young people they always began their meetings with prayer and singing they loved to get around the piano organ and sing Welsh hymns they give a little testimonies generally recitations have you not I mean but this was their Christian social club it just so happened they were Church young people they went on picnics together that's where boy met girl and so forth then there was silence and when Joseph Jiang is asked the second time a young fella spoke up and said Jesus Christ is the hope of the world no I don't mean that what does he mean to you a girl called flora Evans had only been converted three weeks spoke up in first love and said I love the Lord Jesus with all my heart and it was so sincere there was a sense of the presence of God in that little meeting Joseph Jenkins formed the young people into a team he went around preaching and used them for testimony and mrs. Jesse Penn Lewis a famous woman Christian in Wales wrote to the life of faith a magazine in London said there's a cloud no bigger than a man's hand arising in Wales Seth Joshua went to that church for a week of meetings organized in the usual way but there was such power I have read his diary you'll find at the National Archives of Wales 19th of September I tried to close the meeting several times last night but it went on without human control Peter Joshua said his father would say now young people it's three minutes to 12 tomorrow's another day so let's have a benediction and you can go home and then have the benediction there'll be a slight pause then someone would say let us pray and they start again when he said now young people it's after 12:00 tomorrow's another day someone said today is tomorrow this is tomorrow Seth Joshua went from there probably the best campaign he'd ever had in his life up to that time but he hasn't seen anything yet and he went to Newcastle emmalin college worth of a young coal miner 26 years of age studying for the ministry his name was Evan Roberts I've read the West newspapers of the period there were little snippets of church news like the Reverend Peter Jones has just been appointed chaplain to the Bishop of some Davis that was very interesting to the Episcopalians but not earth-shaking if you know what I mean then there are items like Mowbray Methodist Church has had a very interesting rummage sale then suddenly a headline great crowds of people drawn to Lahore observin Roberts hometown it said for some days now young man named Evan Roberts has been causing great surprise in the Mariah Church said the main road between Swansea and Pinelli on which the church is situated is packed from wall to wall people trying to get into the church shopkeepers were closing early to find a place steel workers and miners were coming in their dungarees now the news was out another occasion he stood up and said how many of you believe the promises of God is a great roar of amen would you agree he said that a promise made by the Lord Jesus especially precious well shudder yes do you know one that says where two or three are gathered name there am I in the midst yes do we have turf three here tonight great roar of laughter the nearly 3000 is Jesus here yes he's I asked you is Jesus here yes do you believe it yes then he said you don't need me he put on his hat and coat and went to another meeting the impact of that revival was astounding as I said a hundred thousand people from outside the churches were added to the memberships not counting maybe a hundred thousand more who were converted who are already members when a man is a member of the church and gets converted he doesn't resign and join again so it doesn't show on statistics this social impact was equally powerful judges were presented with white gloves not a case to try now if a man commits a murder in Los Angeles it made me a year before he comes to trial the calendar so crowded but in those British courts the chamber will get up and say your honor there are no cases to trial no murders no robberies no rapes no embezzlements nothing and often the judge was presented with white gloves a symbol of no cases to try they had emergency meetings in the district constants to discuss what to do with the police not that they were unemployed some had an affirmative program they said well we respect them for what they want to do although they're happening to do so let's just continue to pay them their salaries all I said we're wasting money they called in a sergeant of the police in one occasion what do you do with your time I said before the revival of two main jobs one was to prevent crime the other to control crowds at football games at market days that sort of thing since the revival is practically no so we just go with the crimes a counselor - what do you mean please spend their time directing traffic to meetings hello he's we have 17 police in our station but we've got three good quartets if any Church wants a quartet to sing they just notify the place drunkenness was cut in half I have the figures for the copy of Glamorgan in which card it is situated to cut down from ten thousand arrests a year to five thousand within the year I came across a case in North Wales a place in Anglo sea where a policeman's on duty outside a courtroom when he heard a burst of seeing in the courtroom so strange to hear people sing in a courtroom he rushed in he found the prisoner have broken down and confessed he was a sinner asked this advocate not to defend him anymore the judge took his gavel and said I joined the court now young man may I speak to not as a judge but as a Christian and he told him you have sinned against society but I want to tell you first how to get right with God and the young man accepted Christ there and the jury burst into one of those great welsh hymns and the policeman added his bass to the choir it was phenomenal the reports were in every newspaper in the Western world you make up any Dallas paper of 1904 towards the end of 1904 you find reports of the Welsh survival I decided to research that and I found the number who remained in fellowship was eighty two and a half percent which was astounding but as I say the social impact was even more amazing this was the Welsh revival [Music] my god [Music] toaster my ability to us about fear on [Music] oh yes yo yes Oh [Music] I win [Music] who [Music] or even gov I need to know [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music]

Channel: APSGospel

Views: 332,741

Rating: 4.9102869 out of 5

Keywords: Christian, Pastor, Church, Roman Catholic, Christianity, God, Bible, Gospel, Testimony, Preaching, Hymn singing, Gospel Music, Gospel Preaching, Sermon Audio, Facebook, APS, APSGospel, Christian Church, Gospel Outreach, Life story's, BBC News, This Morning, Itv This Morning, BBC iPlayer, UTV, Pubs, Alcohol, Bar, Cocktails, Alcoholics, Southern Gospel, Christian Music, Minister, Clubs

Id: QfsDQ2QH0ZY

Length: 67min 24sec (4044 seconds)

Published: Fri Nov 15 2019