The Shocking Truth About the Spirit, Pt. 2: "Revival and Reformation"

Intro

Are there things worth dying for? Some people think thrills, social media attention, are worth it. The rest of us grounded folk see things like Family, protecting someone, the gospel of Jesus as worth dying for. Yet we believe that, how do our lives reflect our beliefs?

When we change the perspective we may want to go back and change our answers. Are there things you are living for, worth Christ dying for? what are we living for? We can find that in how we spend our money, time, focus, web browser history, the apps we mostly use, etc.

The stories in Acts of the early church show a people who were totally committed to God and what He did through them. They understood the gift of Christ’s death and ordered their lives around that high value and reflected on what they were doing in comparison, if it was worth it for Christ to die so they could be free to engage in such and such.

How much is our church like this? Like the way the church was then in total commitment to Jesus and spreading the gospel.

Not even close enough for a vegan cigar.

In fact, we can’t really find any church today of any denomination like that of the early church. It seems as though the church has lost its vigor and first love.

This quote about sums it up.

“If God were to take the Holy Spirit out of our midst today, about 95% of what we are doing in our churches would go on, and we would not know the difference. Yet if God had taken the Holy Spirit out of the midst of the first Christian community, about 95% of what they were doing would have ceased immediately." - Carl Bates, president, Southern Baptist Convention.

Although he was writing it about churches during his time and denomination, it very well applies to SDA then and now.

Be not dismayed. We are not alone. The early church lost its way. So they were the first. By the close of the first century, the church had lost its first love. (,) With the apostles gone, a lot of life and power left as well. During the second century the Sabbath was lowered to equal footing with the alternate day of rest, Sunday. And the person of the Holy Spirit was losing its presence and became a distant notion in the church like a wind or breathe, with no relevance and influence.

By the sixth century the church had fully apostatized. Tradition trumped God’s word, it became an empire. Then the church went into hiding for 1200 years. During those dark ages, the Spirit was devoid in large part. However, He did move in the hears of those who would allow Him. Examples are the protestant reformation, the pietist movement in Germany, the Methodist movement in England, and the great awakening in America. But full recovery of the Spirit would not be seen until the 19th century.

The second awakening and the Millerite movement

Hope was seen during the second great awakening which began in 1794, led by Isaac Backus and his initiative called the “concert of prayer”. He was a baptist minister who was moved by the accounts of the Holy spirit’s movement during the first great awakening. He sent out a plea for prayer to ministers of every denomination. Soon Monday’s were set aside for prayer and revival ensued all over the nation. For the next 50 years there was evangelistic growth that some have said was like no other time in the history of the nation or the world.

This seemed to be God’s way of preparing the way for the Millerite movement. This movement became the climax of the Second Great Awakening and it became a worldwide phenomenon rooted in the study of Bible prophecy. From 1840-1844 thousands were expecting Christ to return, and Ellen White remembers it as the happiest time of her life.

The work of the Holy Spirit during those short years was working so well that the Lord could have returned shortly afterward, Ellen White believed. So many were having their hearts melted and changed by the Spirit. Over 100,000 alone in New England were preparing for Jesus to return during those years.

Yet, few of those Adventists survived the Great Disappointment of Oct 22, 1844. Some lost hope, others recanted belief in Jesus, while others took up fanatical beliefs that brought shame to Christianity and lawsuits to themselves.

Forty years afterwards, Ellen White wrote that she believed Christ could have returned sometime after 1844. Her reason is quoted here.

“If all who had labored unitedly in the work in 1844, had received the third angel’s message and proclaimed it in the power of the Holy Spirit, the Lord would have wrought mightily with their efforts. A flood of light would have been shed upon the world. Years ago, the inhabitants of the earth would have been warned, the closing work completed, and Christ would have come for the redemption of His people.” - White, GC 458.

Revelation 14:6–12 CEB

6 Then I saw another angel flying high overhead with eternal good news to proclaim to those who live on earth, and to every nation, tribe, language, and people. 7 He said in a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, for the hour of his judgment has come. Worship the one who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.” 8 Another angel, a second one, followed and said, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She made all the nations drink the wine of her lustful passion.” 9 Then another angel, a third one, followed them and said in a loud voice, “If any worship the beast and its image, and receive a mark on their foreheads or their hands, 10 they themselves will also drink the wine of God’s passionate anger, poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. They will suffer the pain of fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and the Lamb. 11 The smoke of their painful suffering goes up forever and always. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image, and those who receive the mark of its name.” 12 This calls for the endurance of the saints, who keep God’s commandments and keep faith with Jesus.

Revelation 14:9–12 CEB

9 Then another angel, a third one, followed them and said in a loud voice, “If any worship the beast and its image, and receive a mark on their foreheads or their hands, 10 they themselves will also drink the wine of God’s passionate anger, poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. They will suffer the pain of fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and the Lamb. 11 The smoke of their painful suffering goes up forever and always. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image, and those who receive the mark of its name.” 12 This calls for the endurance of the saints, who keep God’s commandments and keep faith with Jesus.

The third angel’s message, which calls for the

Revelation 14:12 CEB

12 This calls for the endurance of the saints, who keep God’s commandments and keep faith with Jesus.

It had not been proclaimed by the time of the disappointment. Although, several dozen Adventists were keeping the Sabbath, thanks to Rachel Oakes and her methodist pastor, most did not. They accepted the spirit’s work on the second coming message, but not about the Sabbath, even to the point of writing a paper a few days before Oct 22, 1844, refuting the need to keep any day holy.

Of course the Spirit would try again to wake up the people.

then based on the

the 19th century. Led by

Message to Laodicea

The few who survived the disappointment remained faithful and studied and prayed. They were sure they had the dating right but erred on the event. Thus the Spirit blessed them and over a short time the faithful remnant accepted God’s light and found many fundamental teachings such as the Sabbath, ministry of Christ in the Sanctuary, non-immortality of the soul, and the Spirit of prophecy.

Then as the Sabbath became most important, it crowded out attention to nurturing the believers in Spiritual growth. The members became less willing to engage in outreach. They became Laodicean, carefree, wordly. Just like other Christians around them. During this era of economic and industrial growth in America, Adventists were distracted like everyone and many moved out west to strike it rich with Gold and land settlements. They lost their vision for mission and the return of Christ.

Then in 1855 Ellen White wrote that she had a vision in which she saw that the Spirit of the Lord has been dying away from the church because God’s people had trusted too much to the strength of argument.”

Then over about a 1 year period in 1856 - 1857 348 articles were published in the Review and Herald by scholars and lay people alike indicating that the Laodicean message was applicable to those who professed the third angel’s message in their day. This was seen as a small revival to regain the passion the church once had.

But it was short lived. By 1859 White was writing about why the Laodicean message was not heeded by the church.

She wrote that, “I was shown that the testimony to the Laodiceans applies to God’s people at the present time, and the reason it has not accomplished a greater work is because of the hardness of their hearts..” - White, Testimonies, vol 1, 186.

The problem was with the believers expectations, not with God. God was preparing the church, but many were impatient.

The Laymen’s Revival

Even though the SDA church wasn’t helping with the third angel’s message en mass, God sent the Spirit for the church, without regard to denomination.

For example, there was the prayer meeting revival as it is sometimes called. On September 23, 1857, at the Fulton Street church in downtown New York, Jeremiah Lanphier had been hired as a missionary to reach the businessman of the city. Not knowing exactly how to do that, he printed handbills, announcing noon prayer meetings, with the title,"how often should I pray?" That first day he was joined by six men. Within a month over 100 people came. Six months later, 50,000 people were meeting every day at noon for prayer in churches all over New York and in other cities! Factories began to blow lunch whistle at 11:55 AM to allow workers to dash to the nearest church for prayer, and then the whistle would blow again at 1:05 PM. By February 1858, conversions in New York city alone were seen at a rate of 10,000 per week! Newspaper reports throughout New England revealed no unconverted adults in many towns.

Estimates are that the 1857-1859 revival brought over 1 million people to conversion in America. Recent research has shown that the prayer meeting revival had a universal impact although it lacked a central organization. This awakening spread to numerous cities in the eastern seaboard, the south, frontier west, as well as Canada, Ireland, British Empire, Jamaica, south India, China, Japan, Indonesia, Uganda, South Africa, Scandinavia, Germany, and Ukraine.

God was awakening the world to receive the third angel’s message but the shockingly sad point was that the remnant Church had not responded wholeheartedly to the Laodicean appeal made in 1856 in 1857. The church's failure was an unwillingness to persevere in faith for Christ to accomplish the deep work of repentance in their lives in order to fit them for the loud cry of the third angel. Had the Church surrendered thoroughly, Ellen White believed Christ would have come.

Ten years after the Laodicean message was meant to turn the little flock, Ellen White wrote: "God's unwillingness to have his people perish has been the reason for so long delay."

How much longer would the church be asleep in the light, while the world was asleep in the dark? Good news, in his infinite love for the lost, god would try once again to wake the church.

To recap, the early church lost its way, and the SDA church’s early revival fizzled out and they remained laodicean and it missed its opportunity to share the third angel’s message during a period of unprecedented worldwide revival.

Shutting away the spirit

Shutting away the spirit

So then, in 1844 the Advent believers failed to accept and proclaim the Sabbath, the reason for the third angel’s message. This left a disappointed remnant who went back to the Bible to find out their error. Although they discovered more truths and corrected their errors, they did not have their eyes on Jesus like before and eventually the church ended up Laodicean.

God sought to lead them back but most got distracted with worldly pursuits none the less. Without deep repentance on the part of the church, there was no third angel’s message.

As scripture says through Paul the only way to be led to true repentance is through perceiving sufficiently the kindness of God.

Romans 2:4 CEB

Or do you have contempt for the riches of God’s generosity, tolerance, and patience? Don’t you realize that God’s kindness is supposed to lead you to change your heart and life?

Romans 4:2 CEB

Because if Abraham was made righteous because of his actions, he would have had a reason to brag, but not in front of God.

() Next the Lord would attempt to try again to show His kindness and reach the hearts of the church in order for them to see their sin and repent.

Next the Lord would attempt to try again to show His kindness and reach the hearts of the church in order for them to see their sin and repent.

Thus Jesus and His righteousness came front and center like never before.

The message of righteousness by Faith

Shortly after Ellen’s husband, James, died, God encouraged her by impressing her with a message of courage and hope that things were going to change for the better for the church.

This began a new emphasis on the message of righteousness by faith. Of course righteousness by faith was not new to the church, an angel told Ellen that there were few who even claimed to believe it who understood it.

“The Lord in His great mercy sent a most precious message to His people through Elders Waggoner and Jones. This message was to bring more prominently before the world the uplifted Saviour, the sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. It presented justification through faith in the Surety; it invited the people to receive the righteousness of Christ, which is made manifest in obedience to all the commandments of God. Many had lost sight of Jesus. They needed to have their eyes directed to His divine person, His merits, and His changeless love for the human family… This is the message that God commanded to be given to the world. It is the third angel’s message, which is to be proclaimed with a loud voice, and attended with the outpouring of His Spirit in a large measure.” - Ellen White, Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 91–92.

At that time there was too little of the Spirit and and too much emphasis on the Law of God, which brought no transformation of heart.

This is the message that God commanded to be given to the world. It is the third angel’s message, which is to be proclaimed with a loud voice, and attended with the outpouring of His Spirit in a large measure.

Ellen Gould White, Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, (Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1923), 91–92.

But the message of Righteousness by faith brought to the forefront of the 1888 GC session by Waggoner and Jones was a monumental moment. Christ was lifted up like never before in the Adventist church’s history during a time when it needed Jesus most. It was suffering from a long period of excess growth and success in many areas. 646 percent growth in membership since organizing 25 years earlier. Mission work expanded world-wide and educational and health institutions were established around the world. Ministers became so skilled at defending the fundamental beliefs that that church became famous for being difficult to defeat in debate. Adventists had become doctrinarians, resulting in a feeling of self sufficiency and a spirit of lukewarmness, or Laodecianess.

Ellen Gould White, Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, (Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1923), 92.” - Ellen White, Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 91–92.

Adventists believed in the important message of righteousness by faith and the commandments of God, the problem was that this was processed at the intellectual level. The overwhelming love of Christ and His work on his or her behalf was far from being real at the personal level. In other words, the church taught accurate truth but its members had little clue of its transformative power. What was needed was the commandments of god and the faith of Jesus in their proper framework.

White commented on this. NO SLIDE

“There is much light yet to shine forth from the law of God and the gospel of righteousness. This message, understood in its true character, and proclaimed in the Spirit, will lighten the earth with its glory…” - The Ellen G. White 1888 Materials, 166.

The Ellen G. White 1888 Materials, (Ellen G. White Estate, 1987), 166.

“If we ever needed the Holy Ghost to be with us, if we ever needed to preach in the demonstration of the Spirit, it is at this very time… The baptism of the Holy Ghost will come upon us at this very meeting if we will have it so…” The Ellen G. White 1888 Materials, 72, 73.

The Ellen G. White 1888 Materials, (Ellen G. White Estate, 1987), 72.

In fact, for years leading up to the 1888 GC session in Minneapolis, Ellen had been calling the church to spiritual revival by focusing on the work and character of Jesus. So she felt that this timely message was going to be the start of a powerful outpouring of the Spirit and a time of great spiritual revival in the Adventist church.

Here was a great time to keep the momentum going. God had been working to restore Bible truths among people of the world. Finally the remnant of Bible prophecy were raised up to prepare the world for the second coming of Christ. Bible truths like the Sabbath, Christ manner of coming, and the sanctuary ministry were restored.

However, just like the Jewish people after the exile, SDA lost sight of Jesus just as the Jews lost sight of the Messiah. And just as the Jews felt proud of their understanding of God’s law and their absolute resolve not to be deceived by following Pagan deities ever again, Adventists were full of the law, without the heart of God. And this led to the shutting away of the Spirit.

The baptism of the Holy Ghost will come upon us at this very meeting if we will have it so.

The Shocking truth, the church shut away the Spirit

The Ellen G. White 1888 Materials, (Ellen G. White Estate, 1987), 72.

Unfortunately a large portion of those present at those meetings rejected the messages presented at the 1888 session. Some feared that they were a de-emphasis on the distinctives that identified the church as a prophetic movement. Others felt that this was “new light” and didn’t want to be swept away as they did with the joy of what they were discovering in 1844.

Let us commence right here in this meeting and not wait till the meeting is half through. We want the Spirit of God here now; we need it, and we want it to be revealed in our characters. We want the power of God here, and we want it to shine in our hearts.

At that time, the generalized rejection of the message of Christ our righteousness succeeded in shutting away the Spirit of God from the church’s leadership at that time.

Of course the devil knew what he was doing trying to influence the church to reject the message because he must have known his power would be broken if the church accepted and shared the message of the unmerited gift of God on our behalf.

The Ellen G. White 1888 Materials, (Ellen G. White Estate, 1987), 73.

Ellen gave a chilling assessment

“An unwillingness to yield up preconceived opinions, and to accept this truth, lay at the foundation of a large share of the opposition manifested at Minneapolis against the Lord’s message through Brethren Waggoner and Jones. By exciting that opposition Satan succeeded in shutting away from our people, in a great measure, the special power of the Holy Spirit that God longed to impart to them.” - Ellen White, Selected Messages From the Writings of Ellen G. White, Book 1, 234–235.

The enemy prevented them from obtaining that efficiency which might have been theirs in carrying the truth to the world, as the apostles proclaimed it after the day of Pentecost. The light that is to lighten the whole earth with its glory was resisted, and by the action of our own brethren has been in a great degree kept away from the world.

By exciting that opposition Satan succeeded in shutting away from our people, in a great measure, the special power of the Holy Spirit that God longed to impart to them.

Ellen Gould White, Selected Messages From the Writings of Ellen G. White, Book 1, (Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1958), 235.…

This is shocking.

Ellen Gould White, Selected Messages From the Writings of Ellen G. White, Book 1, (Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1958), 234–235.

Ellen Gould White, Selected Messages From the Writings of Ellen G. White, Book 1, (Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1958), 234.

The resistance to the message resulted in the shutting away of the Spirit’s power meant to carry the gospel to the entire world!

Of course she was left pleading and praying for the church to wake up and allow God to transform their hearts. She was constantly looking for the outpouring of the Spirit and didn’t lose faith that it would eventually fall. So she never gave up preaching about receiving the spirit.

A Taste of Revival

Let’s Rewind a bit, on the last day of the 1888 session, Ellen rebuked the group.

“If the ministers will not receive the light, I want to give the people a chance; perhaps they may receive it.”

Perhaps you are very disappointed, embarrassed, and concerned that the church Leadership rejected the righteousness by faith message as presented during the 1888 sessions. How could so many, with such a great responsibility as God’s ambassadors miss the urgency and present truth of the message? How could they reject the Holy Spirit?

As I think this way about them, I then remember my own efforts to ignore God’s pleadings with my heart in order to give preeminence to my own ideas, preconceived notions, traditions, and beliefs. I am grateful for the grace of Jesus, which I do not deserve and his patience with me to keep working on my until I allowed Him full access.

And in God’s mercy, He was patient with the church and kept working with it, in spite of the 1888 rejection.

Revival Fires

White, Jones, and Waggoner set out to share the message of Jesus’ love and righteousness with the rest of the church anyway after the 1888 session ended.

They went to conferences, minister’s meetings, churches, schools to spread the word. Although they received some kickback, there were victories here and there. The flames of revival began to be spread.

For instance, at the Battle Creek college week of prayer, the message was shared. And it was received so well that the week of prayer held Dec 15-22 got expanded to a month of prayer.

And during that time, the college president, W.W. Prescott, got up to speak to the students. He was so moved by the Spirit in repentance and revival that he couldn’t speak for 5 min because he was weeping in remorse for his past and joy in the grace of Jesus. He was previously an ardent opponent of the message of righteousness by faith. When he did speak he said “I am glad I am a Christian.”

People there were transformed. Tithe and offerings increased, sins were confessed, lives were changed.

Evidence of some revival could be seen over time People there were transformed. Tithe and offerings increased, sins were confessed, lives were changed. Revival spread all over. South Lancaster, MA

A similar situation occured in South Lancaster Academy, the forerunner to Atlantic Union College. Revival spread there to. During the Christ centered messages people were moved by the Spirit and confessed sins and pledged to live new lives in Jesus and His righteousness. Interestingly, these promptings happened naturally. There was no altar call by the minister at the close of the messages urging people to do so. It was the Spirit’s work on their hearts

That’s what the power of the Spirit does in the heart when Jesus as a personal savior is exalted. And God planned to do this for everyone in the church, but setbacks occured and the momentum fell apart.

Ellen White was asked to leave the country to begin work in Australia, which kept her detached from events in the US. Jones and Wagggoner became discouraged and eventually left the church. The Review and Herald Pub house and the Battle Creek Sanitarium burned to the ground, their success becoming their doom. And the corn flakes man, Dr. Kellogg left the church in disgrace after writing a book laced with New Age ideas. It Seemed that every major instrument the church had was had been neutralized.

As shocking as that was, God is not only the God of the remnant. He is just as passionate about everyone else in the perishing world. His Spirit will respond to anyone seeking to make a change in their lives.

This led to the greatest global revival witnessed in 200 years, of all places…in Wales in 1904

The Last Worldwide Revival

It can be said that the Welsh revival was the global climax of the world-wide awakening of the Spirit filled life with an emphasis on sanctification. This Holiness movement resulted from sincere Christians growing tired of legalistic, dry, intellectual religion, much like SDA church in the 1870-1880 (even resurging today.)

It started with attenders at a Bible conference pledging to pray for revival around the world. Then a college student named Evan Roberts travelled with others from town to town in Wales sharing the direct message of revival. Mysteriously on the spot people would break down in repentance right then and there.

The Spirit took hold of Wales in a mighty way. In 5 months half a million people became Christians. Taverns went bankrupt for lack of customers. Unwed pregnancies practically disappeared. Judges had no cases to try - robberies, burglaries, etc. Crime had simply stopped. There were emergency council meetings to decide what to do with cops on the payroll without anything to do since there was no crime to followup on. Some got creative. Instead of patrolling the streets, bars, events, the cops used their time to sing in church choirs. And so many coal miners turned their lives around and stopped using foul language that the horses used in the mines were not working as productively because they couldn’t understand the new way of talking they were hearing from the miners!!!!

This revival spread to all english speaking countries and including places like, Africa, India, Japan, Europe, Korea, Indonesia, and Latin America. It’s impact may have exceeded any other awakening in history.

Wales one in 10 Christian. Japan doubled.India 70%. Even in the US, protestant denominations saw thousands of conversions. Growth like 25%. Claiming the most remarkable growth ever during 1905. Even SDA, not directly involved in this growth movement saw great growth around 1905, particularly in the large cities, where Ellen was encouraging people to evangelize.

It was obvious God was eager to pour out the Spirit on those in the world who were ready and willing to receive it. If God could do so much with so many who didn't’ have the vast knowledge of Scripture and rich heritage as the SDA church, imagine what His Spirit will do for the SDA church that is wholly committed to receiving the Spirit as these people were!

What is shocking is that we must admit that the SDA church is replete with missed opportunities to allow the latter rain outpouring of the Spirit to do His work in the hearts of the church to prepare the way for the total and complete evangelization of the world. It’s not because the church was in open rebellion. Many are faithful believers. But we often get sidetracked allowing lesser things to get in the way of our greatest need. As a people we have not generally been willing to surrender to Him wholly so that character transformation may reflect Christ at a time when characters will be tested.

There was a historic meeting in the SDA church in 1901 GC session which brought about a pentecost type experience for those in attendance. Ellen was there and noted that people were converted, confessed sins, and aimed to mend broken relationships among the leadership. There was a spirit of forgiveness in the air. People felt it was a powerful experience and overwhelming.

Much was accomplished during the meeting as a result, including the complete reorganization of the church. But the greatest work of God was never realized: the complete surrender of the people to God and one another. There were conversions and changes in many, but not complete surrender. Ellen said it could have happened but it didn’t.

This is so shocking....

So then, the SDA of the Millerite movement missed preaching the third angel’s message to a world that could have been ready to meet Jesus. Then in the late 1850’s and late 19th centuries, the church missed being ready for the 2nd coming because they did not heed the counsel of the Laodicean message to repent. Then many at the 1888 session missed an essential opportunity to understand how Christ’s righteousness was the third angel’s message in truth. And coolness to the message led to years of leadership challenges that distracted from the cause at the very time God was reading the world with the greatest of all revivals.

This led Ellen White to say in 1901 that, “We may have to remain here in this world because of insubordination many more years, as did the children of Israel.”

We as a church have been given enormous responsibility and blessings to be able to understand these matters and know the depth of god’s love and and counsel to us. God has appealed for us to repent. He has showed us how we should live with Christ within by the power of the Spirit to such an extent that the world will be compelled to see Jesus in His people.

The Holy Spirit is still at work in the church. He has never left us. He works today through scores of faithful believers, and he will continue to do so. But he wants to do more!!

Christ waits patiently for his church to let him in, to answer His appeal to Laodicea “to buy” faith refined by love, the righteousness of Christ, and the discernment of the Spirit, so that the loud cry of the latter rain may finish God’s work with power and great glory. As Christ enter into the recessed of His people’s hearts, the world will be convinced of sin, righteousness, and judgement (); and Christ will come to take us home.

Message to Laodecia is for us

********

Message to Laodecia,

Revelation 3:18 CEB

My advice is that you buy gold from me that has been purified by fire so that you may be rich, and white clothing to wear so that your nakedness won’t be shamefully exposed, and ointment to put on your eyes so that you may see.

Gold = Faith which works through Love (James 2:5)

White Clothing = Christ’s righteousness (Gal. 3:27)

Ointment = Holy Spirit to open the eyes ()

Stay tuned. come back next week as we continue this series. Things are going to change in the church. Prepare for another installment of the shocking truth about the spirit, part 3