Longings for revival

As the New Year has started I have set myself to re-read Arthur Wallis’s great book In the Day of Thy Power and stumbled upon this quote:

‘(Revival) is the result of a divine not a human impulse. In language plain to all, it cannot be “worked up”. It is true that spiritual conditions must be met before revival can be expected, but fulfilled conditions do not provide the motive force of revival. At Pentecost it was “the windows of heaven” not the windows of the upper room that were opened. The source of the blessing was the heart of God not the heart of man. It cannot be too strongly emphasised that such “seasons of refreshing” have always come “from the presence of the Lord” (Acts 3:19).’

I have also started reading Revival by Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones in which I read, ‘I would put it to you that what so many are disputing and denying and ignoring, is what I would call the immediate and direct action of the Holy Spirit. They say that the Spirit only works through the Word, and that we must not expect anything from the Spirit apart from that which comes immediately through the Word. And so, it seems to me, they are quenching the Spirit, because I read in Acts 13 that the Holy Ghost said unto the church at Antioch, “Separate me Barnabas and Saul…” and I read in chapter 15 that the Council in Jerusalem said, “It seemed good to the Holy Ghost and to us…” I read in chapter 16 that Paul was anxious to preach the gospel in Asia but the Spirit “suffered him not”. He wanted to preach in Bithynia and the Holy Spirit restrained him and stopped him. The living, powerful activity of the Spirit; the Spirit coming directly, as it were, and controlling, and leading, and guiding, and giving orders, and indicating what was to be done; the Spirit descending upon them; and that’s what you always have in revival. But that is the thing that seems to have gone entirely out of the minds of men and women.’

Thank God for the mighty Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones.

I am deeply grateful also to Tony Sargent for his recent publication Gems from Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones – well worth having. In fact I asked my secretary Janis to take my copy from me when it first arrived since I could get no work done because I kept dipping into this magnificent volume!