Wales: Revival Began 100 years ago - 31 Oct 2004
On the 31st October, 1904 a spiritual revival began in Wales (better called Cymru) as young people gathered in Moria Chapel, under the leadership of a 26 year old miner, Evan Roberts (right) simply to pray. Little did they know, as
they cried out to God in that chapel 100 years ago, that their prayers and their preaching would soon bring 100,000 people into the Kingdom of the heavens and would trigger other mass-revivals all over the world. But what are we, the ipod people of 2004, to make of such strange and distant stories? [hold that thought - let's get back to the story...]
The Welsh Awakening really was a spiritual explosion that shook the world and impacted society, but it had small 
beginnings. In February 1904 a teenager called Florie Evans (right) stood in a youth meeting in New Quay and simply announced that she loved Jesus with all her heart. As Florie spoke, the Spirit seemed to fall upon that gathering. Eight months later, the prayer gathering in Moria Chapel marked one of the clearest moments when such small and localised stirrings began to snowball beyond anyone's imaginations...
- By the end of the first week 60 people had given their lives to Jesus.
- By the end of the second week Evan had already started on a whirl-wind tour of the South Wales valleys with his team of 5 girl singers.
- Within a year or so 100,000 converts were said to be added to the Welsh Church....
On this centenary, God is not calling us into a museum of nostalgia, but he is calling us to learn from the past, to extend out sense of faith and expectancy and to understand the signs of the times in which we live. As prayer rooms rise all over the world, populated not by preachers or impressive intercessors, but by ordinary people, young people, let us pray with growing confidence and expectancy. It would be easy to become cynical about revivals of the past, especially when many of those around us are so set on trying to recreate a world that no longer exists. But God has not changed, and we would do well to learn from the past as we engage in the present realities and hesitantly envision the future with hope.
The fact is that God is moving already in our time, and it is precisely because we love all that he is doing that our heartcry is 
for more of his presence and power, here in a world of MTV and DVD, where Evan Roberts looks kind of weird in that suit and tie, but where the need for Jesus is still the same. Young people are praying now as they were then. The Spirit is undoubtedly moving in small, localised settings as people like Florie stand and testify to their love for God. Women are being used as well as men. Few of us have impressive credentials. Where are those who will focus their lives on fanning the flames? In such a time, is God calling some of us to begin to travel the land(s), stirring up these localised fires, connecting the live-wires on the circuit board God is building?
If this is you, please consider joining us in London on 12th February for our iAM5 event. 24-7 tribes rarely connect. When we do, its kinda worth being there. We're also wondering about establishing some kind of European training school for those who feel a connection to the movement and want to take it further in church planting, Boiler Rooms, creativity or whatever. If you would be interested in joining us for such a school from September 2005, let us know and watch this space...
LORD , I have heard of your fame;
I stand in awe of your deeds, O LORD .
Renew them in our day,
in our time make them known;
in wrath remember mercy.
(Hab. 3:1)
OK, here ends the sermon...
There are just a few copies left of Pete Greig's book on Revival 'Awakening Cry', available only from Amazon.co.uk. This book (which pre-dates 24-7 Prayer) helps us think clearly about the contemporary world in light of all that God has done in the past in Revival movements. Pete especially refers to this one in Wales, the Hebridean Awakening of 1949-1953 and the Azusa Street outpouring. The book echoes John the Baptist's refrain, calling us to prepare the way of the Lord in the desert of our times, establishing highways for the King to visit our lives, our churches and our culture too.