Impact Of Revival

THE IMPACT OF GLORY IAN JOHNSON Papatoetoe New Zealand www.papelim.org.nz

The impact of the ministry of Smith Wigglesworth in New Z ealand is still being felt to this day, my own mother in law was a young person in Sunday School at the time and her light has never grown dim even now at 92.

The brothers and sisters were so touched by the Glory of God at the time that they used to say to one another; is your heart burning brother?” They weren’t just a series of healing meetings, or an Evangelistic crusade, rather they were a release of Glory into Wellington which affected the nation. The impact of these meetings is still being felt to this day.

In 1922, when Smith Wigglesworth was ministering in Wellington, New Zealand, he called for a special prayer meeting with a group of eleven leaders. After each of them had prayed, Wigglesworth rose to seek the Lord, and the presence of God began to fill the room. Soon the glory of God became terrible. The light became too bright, the heat too intense. The other men couldn’t take it any longer. Every one of them left the room! Only Wigglesworth could continue in the midst of the Shekinah.

Another minister heard what had happened and determined at the next gathering, no matter how strong the presence of God became, he would stay until the end. Once again the scene repeated itself: Wigglesworth began to pray, the holy presence of God filled the room, and the glory became unbearable. Everyone left, except this one leader. He would not be overcome and driven out by the manifest presence of the Lord. But it was too much. Wigglesworth was caught up in the Spirit, radiant with holy fire, and even the determined minister couldn’t stand the intensity. Soon enough he was gone too!

That is the presence of God that comes with revival. It becomes unbearably intense. Its light breaks through the darkness. Its heat raises the temperature all around! It cannot be localized or confined. By its very nature, it must make an impact on its surroundings; otherwise it is not true revival. And while it will not completely change the world, it will make a radical impact. It will drive sin out!

In His message “The power of the name” July 1915 Williglesworth said

“When I was up on that mountaintop I was reminded of the transfiguration scene, and I felt that the Lord’s only purpose in taking us into the Glory was to fit us for greater usefulness in the valley”

I have seen it. When men and woman get touched in the heavenly glory of God they are ruined for the ordinary, programmed meetings no longer lift them to the lev el they want to ascend to. There are two choices to made at this point,

1) We settle back down to the mundane and live frustrated lives

2) We allow the Glory to transform us into the image of Christ, Daily changing from Glory to Glory.

There are at least six things the Holy Spirit will commonly do in times of a release of Glory and revival

1) He will sanctify (Heb 9:13-14);

?13? For if ?v?the blood of bulls and goats and ?w?the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, ?4?sanctifies for the ?5?purifying of the flesh, ?14? how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without ?6?spot to God, ?x?cleanse your conscience from ?y?dead works ?z?to serve the living God? ?15? And for this reason ?a?He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that ?b?those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.[1]

The Blood of Jesus and its ability to save mankind to the uttermost is released into the atmosphere when glory is released. If a revival has no mention of the redeeming power of the risen Lord, then you would have to say it is no revival at all. For what is it that we are reviving? . When the glory falls it is often noted that some people spin–out, why is this? It is because a religious mindset cannot cope with a God who wants to cleanse our conscience, by His work not ours.

Sanctification is a forgotten message in 2006, I am often surprised by the response of people who are confronted with the Glory. For instance I spoke to a woman in one of our meetings who had received a powerful touch from the Lord of Glory there was conviction of sin, She had been living in an immoral situation, the Grace of God offered her a way out. Time to get married and live a clean life, she chose not to because it would mean she would loose a welfare benefit. The truth is she now seems to be very unfulfilled in her life and is not walking with the Lord.