Reflections on the Beaufort Revival (Pt 2: Recognizing Revival)

Last week we began a study of the great revival that took place in Beaufort in the 1830s.  We were introduced to Rev. Daniel Baker, the great preacher from Savannah whom God used greatly to spark this tremendous movement, and churches that were affected, such as our friends at The Parish Church of St. Helena and The Baptist Church of Beaufort.  Through this period of revival, our small community became saturated with the glory of God!  In the coming weeks, we’ll look with detail at those changes, which lasted for almost an entire generation in Beaufort.

But before we look with greater depth at how God transformed Beaufort, and through Beaufort, the world, we must first consider what revival is and how we can pray for it

The Meaning of Revival

In Habakkuk 3:2, the prophet cries out, “O LORD, I have heard the report of you, and your work, O LORD, do I fear.  In the midst of the years revive it; in the midst of the years make it known; in wrath remember mercy.”  When we speak of revival today, we’re echoing the desire of Habbakuk’s heart: that the Lord would show the great power of His mercy toward a people who only deserve wrath. 

In its original and most pure sense, revival speaks of bringing new life where life has been lost.  But where did that life go?  If we want to understand the value of revival, we must first understand the necessity of revival: We need revival because we are spiritually dead!  Because of sin, none of us has the spiritual life that we were created to have.  And so God alone can bring a spiritually dead person to life!  At times in history, God has chosen to bring life to many people at once, in one community, setting their hearts ablaze for the Lord Jesus Christ.  That is revival.

God typically begins the work of revival in the church; the people of God who were once lukewarm are awakened from their spiritual slumber.  Those who were once complacent toward God and His Word become impassioned; those once opposed to a God-centered life become consumed by it.  When the church experiences such power, it inevitably draws the attention of the watching world.  When this happens, revival is the result. 

How does revival begin?  There’s been a tendency in the church over the last couple of centuries to believe that revival can be manufactured by strategic methodology or dynamic preachers.  Yet revival begins with neither; the power for revival begins with the heart of God Himself!  Revival comes to a people previously marked either by lukewarmness or opposition to the Gospel, and yet in His sovereign love, God pursues such a people. 

Is this not a beautiful picture of the heart of Jesus Christ, who came to “to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10)?  While it is amazing that God should save even one sinner, it is beyond comprehension that God should save many at once, drawing such sinners to Himself.  History bears witness to times in which almost entire countries have been converted with no earthly explanation.  And yet there is one clear heavenly explanation: We have a God who delights to show the power of His mercy by saving sinners!  

The Marks of True Revival

How do we recognize revival?  One of the best examples of what happens in revival is found in the way God stirred the hearts of His people through the ministry of Ezra following their return from Babylonian exile.  Let’s consider several lessons from that time:

Deep Conviction of Sin: The people of Israel had been released from their time in exile, and many had returned to their homeland to begin rebuilding their lives.  While there had once been excitement to be able to return home and restore Biblical worship, that zeal waned quickly.  Ezra was heartbroken by the complacency that he saw in them.  As he read the Scriptures and called the people to account, they responded with deep humility as they saw how their sin had grieved God and hurt many.  

Revival typically begins with deep sorrow over sin.  JI Packer says,

No upsurge of religious interest or excitement merits the name of revival if there is no profound sense of sin at its heart.  God’s coming, and the consequent impact of His Word, makes Christians much more sensitive to sin than they previously were: consciences become tender and a profound humbling takes place.  The perverseness, ugliness, uncleanness, and guilt of sin are seen and felt with new vividness.

Deep Joy of Sin Forgiven: After the people were pierced by God’s word through Ezra, they repented with tears and mourning.  While this response was appropriate, Ezra did not wish for them to remain downcast over their sin, and thus he called for joyous celebration because they responded in faith, and their sins were forgiven.  

Revival is not merely religious excitement; it is religious excitement that is centered upon the work of Jesus Christ in the Gospel.  While not all revivals have come from the exact same theological perspective, all share one common principle: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost” (1 Timothy 1:15).  And those who have truly experienced such grace never get over it. 

A View of God that Permeates All of Life: After the people repented under Ezra, they immediately began to consider what their obligations were as God’s covenant people in Nehemiah 10.  It was clear that the people had strayed from their duties, and now their lives would need to be completely reoriented toward God. 

Jonathan Edwards comments on the ways in which revival produces lasting transformation in the people: 

The Spirit who is at work takes people’s minds off the vanities of the world. He engages them in a deep concern about eternal happiness. He puts their thoughts on earnestly seeking their salvation…He makes people more aware of what is really true in those things that concern their eternal salvation.

Sincere Commitment to the Local Church: In the last line of Nehemiah 10, the people make a wonderful proclamation: “We will not neglect the house of our God” (Neh 10:39).  In revival, God does not call people to isolated Christianity.  He is calling them into His house, His family, His church, where faith can be nurtured and grown through the ministry of the means of grace and rich fellowship.  

Again, Edwards shares this experience from the revivals he witnessed in Northampton: “(God) causes them to be more diligent in the use of His appointed means of grace. Especially, this is seen in a greater desire to hear and read the word of God.”  

Hope for Revival Today 

As I consider the history of revival in our community and throughout the world, I am met with two conflicting emotions.  First, I am filled with deep longing to experience such a powerful pouring out of God’s Spirit firsthand.  Second, I am filled with sorrow at how far things seem today from the periods of revival once known in our community.  

We are often tempted to believe that our culture is too far gone, that our sin is too great, and that God simply wouldn’t do a great work here, but history has proven otherwise: The wretched pagan culture of Rome that God brought to life in the early church is evidence of such a fact.  The revival of Scottish culture under John Knox (if you want to be greatly encouraged, listen to this sermon by Martyn Lloyd-Jones on how God converted Scotland almost overnight) and the great Beaufort revival remind us that, no matter the depths that a culture may hit, it is never out of God’s reach.

As my mentor Douglas Kelly has said, “No matter how dark our day may be…I consider it definitely not too late for revival and renewal.” 

So let us commit ourselves to prayer that God will once again pour out His Spirit, first awakening the church and then reviving our land.  Revival is not merely for the spread of the Church; revival is for the glory of God’s name.  Pray with confidence, for “our God is in the Heavens; He does all that He pleases” (Psalm 115:3).