07-THE REVIVAL OF WALES
At the annual gathering of the British Keswick Convention in 1904, there was growing sense that a mighty outpouring of the Holy Spirit was on the horizon. Many Keswick speakers reported Christians were surrendering themselves more deeply to Christ and committing themselves to pray for revival. Among those speakers was Seth Joshua, an evangelist who conducted many of his meetings in neighboring Wales.
Christians in Wales had witnessed the rapid spread of worldliness and humanistic philosophy producing a deadening effect in the churches of that land. A church leader echoed observed, "While the church sleeps, the enemy busily sows tares among the wheat. Nothing short of an outpouring of the Spirit from on high will uproot them, and save our land from becoming prey to atheism and ungodliness." In response to the conditions around them, Welsh pastors began praying intensely. As they prayed, a small group claimed to experience God’s power in their preaching as they challenged their congregations. Among the group was Pastor Joseph Jenkins who pastored a church in New Quay, Cardiganshire.
Pastor Jenkins’ New Quay Church was among the first stirred by a touch of revival. The pastor had organized a special conference in January, 1904 where many in his church began experiencing personal revival. The spirit of revival continued under the preaching of Seth Joshua. Later that year, Seth Joshua preached in Blaenannerch. During his meetings at Blaenannerch, students from the nearby Methodist Academy attended.
Evan Roberts was among the Academy students who attended Joshua’s meetings. At a pre-breakfast meeting on Thursday, September 29, the evangelist concluded, crying out in Welsh, "Lord, bend us." When Evan Roberts later recalled that morning, he explained, "It was the Spirit that put the emphasis on ‘bend us.’”
“That is what you need,” said the Spirit to Evan Roberts.
Evans began praying, “O Lord, bend me.” The next meeting that morning was scheduled at nine o’clock. Several students prayed aloud when given the opportunity. Roberts himself knelt with his arms stretched out, perspiration soaked his shirt as he agonized over the committing himself to God. Finally he prayed aloud, "Bend me! Bend me! Bend me!" Later that day, Seth Joshua made a entry in his journal recalling what the young man cried out to God.
Evan Roberts felt himself overwhelmed by the love of God. A verse he had learned immediately came to mind. "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Rom. 5:8). The motto of the revival in Wales was born out of Roberts’ experience that day. "Bend the church and save the world." Though still in his twenties, Evan Roberts was about to become God’s agent to carry the spirit of revival throughout his homeland.
Although he was already twenty-six years old, Evan Roberts had just begun begun his course of study to train as a minister. As a boy growing up in Loughor, Wales, he had a compelling desire to "honour God in every aspect of his life." He knew God was calling him into the ministry, but he resisted enrolling in a formal course of instruction fearing the training might quench his zeal for souls. His zeal intensified in the spring of 1904 following a unique experience with God. According to Roberts, he had the following experience for three months.
One Friday night last spring, when praying by my bedside before retiring, I was taken up to a great expanse--without time and space. It was communion with God. Before this I had a far-off God. I was frightened that night, but never since. So great was my shivering that I rocked the bed, and my brother, being awakened, took hold of me thinking I was ill. After that experience I was awakened every night a little after one o’clock. This was most strange, for through the years I slept like a rock, and no disturbance in my room would awaken me. From that hour I was taken up into the divine fellowship for about four hours. What it was I cannot tell you, except that it was divine. About five o’clock I was again allowed to sleep on till about nine. At this time I was again taken up into the same experience as in the earlier hours of the morning until about twelve or one o’clock.”
Evan Robert’s fellowship with God grew following the Blaenannerch Conference. He spent hours engaged in personal Bible study, prayer and worship. The nervousness he had previously experienced in preaching now seemed to pass. Also, Roberts began experiencing visions of large numbers of people coming to Christ. He felt a revival was coming to his native Wales and that he must prepare for ministry. He formed a ministry team with several friends telling them God was sending a revival that would reach a hundred thousand people for Christ. While Roberts and his team conducted meetings in the area, Roberts viewed them as preparation for something much larger to come. He knew the revival would come soon and when it came he would be busy.
Before it arrived, he felt he needed to return home to gain the support of his family and friends. At the end of the October, Evan Roberts took the train home to be with his family and conduct a week of meetings among the youth in his home church. From the train, he wrote various friends to tell them what he was doing and solicit their prayer support. When he arrived in Loughor, he went to his pastor to request permission to conduct the meetings. The first meeting was scheduled and he was given permission to speak to any youth who agreed to stay after the usual Monday evening meeting. At the meeting, Roberts urged that "any who were unwilling to submit to the Holy Spirit" should be free to leave the meeting. As a result, only seventeen remained to hear him. For almost three hours, the zealous evangelist led the group in worship and prayer, calling on God to break down any hardness of heart that might hinder revival.
During the meeting, each of those present, including the evangelist’s brother and three sisters, experienced the convicting power of the Holy Spirit, confessed their sins, called on God for mercy, and magnified God in praise. The results that evening convinced Roberts revival would come in its fullness to Loughor if he would remain faithful. Attendance at the meetings began to increase each night. By Friday, those attending Roberts’ meetings included people from several other congregations in town. Although he knew he had commitments as a student, he decided to continue the meetings a second week. Furthermore, he would expand the ministry beyond Loughor to other chapels in nearby Gorseinon. Without any formal publicity, by Wednesday people had crowded the church and those who arrived late stood in the vestibule to listen through the open doors. On Thursday evening, a service was held in Brynteg Chapel in Gorseinon. Many people went directly to the church from work to insure they would get a seat. A newspaper reporter wandered into the service two hours after it began. In his report published in the Western Mail on Saturday, November 12, the reporter wrote, The meeting at Brynteg congregational church on Thursday night was attended by those remarkable scenes which have made previous meetings memorable in the life history of so many of the inhabitants of the district. The proceedings commenced at seven o’clock and they lasted without a break until 4.30 o’clock on Friday morning. During the whole of this time the congregation were under the influence of deep religious fervor and exaltation. There were about 400 people present in the chapel when I took my seat at about nine o’clock. The majority of the congregation were females ranging from young misses of twelve to matrons with babies in their arms. Mr. Roberts is a young man of rather striking appearance. He is tall and distinguished looking, with an intellectual air about his clean shaven face. His eyes are piercing in their brightness, and the pallor of his countenance seemed to suggest that those nightly vigils are taking their toll on him. There was however no suggestion of fatigue in his conduct of the meeting. There is nothing theatrical about his preaching. He does not seek to terrify his hearers, and eternal torment finds no place in his theology. Rather does he reason with the people and show them by persuasion a more excellent way. I had not been many minutes in the building before I felt that this was no ordinary gathering. Instead of the set order of proceedings to which we were accustomed at the orthodox religious service, everything here was left to the spontaneous impulse of the moment. The preacher too did not remain in his usual seat. For the most part he walked up and down the aisles, open Bible in hand, exhorting one encouraging another, and kneeling with a third (person) to implore blessing from the throne of grace.
Later in his report, the newsman noted, At 2.30 o’clock I took a rough note of what was then proceeding. In the gallery a woman was praying and she fainted. Water was offered her, but she refused this, saying the only thing she wanted was God’s forgiveness. A well known resident then rose and said that salvation had come to him. Immediately a thanksgiving hymn was sung, while an English prayer from a new convert broke in upon the singing. The whole congregation then fell upon their knees, prayers ascending from every part of the edifice, while Mr. Roberts gave way to tears at the sight. This state of fervency lasted for about ten minutes. It was followed by an even more impressive five minutes of silence, broken only by the sobs of strong men. A hymn was then started by a woman with a beautiful soprano voice. Finally Mr. Roberts announced the holding of future meetings and at 4:25 o’clock the gathering dispersed. But even at this hour the people did not make their way home. When I left to walk back to Llanelly I left dozens of them about the road still discussing what is now the chief subject of their lives. The meetings continued that week with evidence of the Holy Spirit moving mightily among those gathered. He wrote to a fellow student telling him of his decision not to return to school. "Perhaps we shall have to go through the whole of Wales," he suggested. "If so, thank Heaven! What a blessed time!"
Two days later, Evan Roberts was invited to preach at Bryn Seion Chapel in Trecynon, Aberdare. He immediately accepted and asked several friends from Loughor to assist him in the campaign. Once again, the Holy Spirit was poured out and the church experienced a significant reviving. By the time the campaign ended, powerful revivals were being reported throughout the nation. Roberts was not the only preacher in the Wales Revival. His friend Sidney Evans and Joseph Jenkins carried the revival to other communities. Seth Joshua also experienced revival in his meetings. In one place, Joshua noted in his journal, "There is a wonderful fire burning here. The ground is very prepared, thank God. . . . Even in the morning a number were led to embrace the Savior. In the afternoon the blessing fell upon scores of young people. . . . Numbers confessed Jesus, but it is impossible to count."
As revival broke out across the nation, pastors saw their churches fill with people coming to Christ. In the village of Egryn, near Harlech, a farmer’s wife named Mary Jones led over seventy of her neighbors to personal faith in Christ. The revival continued for over two years, even in places Evan Roberts and others associated with him had not come. Revival historian J. Edwin Orr noted,
Drunkenness was immediately cut in half, and many taverns went bankrupt. Crime was so diminished that judges were presented with white gloves signifying that there were no cases of murder, assault, rape or robbery or the like to consider. The police became unemployed in many districts. Stoppages occurred in coal mines, not due to unpleasantness between management and workers, but because so many foul-mouthed miners became converted and stopped using foul language that the horses which hauled the coal trucks in the mines could no longer understand what was being said to them.
News of the revival was widely published both within and outside Wales. Church leaders came from around the world to see for themselves. Common people were also drawn to the revival by the reports they read. Because of the spontaneous nature of the revival, many began their journey not quite sure about where they were going. One man and his daughter went to the railway station and bought train tickets to attend revival meetings. When they asked the porter at the station how to find the meeting, he responded, "You’ll feel it on the train. Go down that road and you’ll feel it down there." The Welsh by nature were a singing people, and they expressed their new joy in the Lord often in song. In many meetings, the people would gather just to sing. During the singing, the Holy Spirit would begin working and revival would come even when there was no preaching. The emphasis of Evan Roberts’ message could be summarized in four principles. First, he insisted Christians must put away any unconfessed sin. Second, he called on them to renounce any doubtful habit. Third, "You must obey the Spirit promptly." And fourth, he urged people to confess Christ publicly.
J. Edwin Orr describes the revival as "the farthest reaching of the movements of general awakening, for it affected the whole of the evangelical cause in India, Korea and China, renewed revival in Japan and South Africa, and sent a wave of awakenings over Africa, Latin America and the South Seas." Visiting pastors from Norway, Japan, America, India, South Africa and Korea were all deeply moved in the Welsh Revival and became carriers of revival to their nations as they returned home. In the Year of Our Lord, Easter Saturday, April 14, 1906