Wesley L. Duewel - Revival Fire

This book is gratefully dedicated to all prayer warriors and hidden intercessors who have invested holy hunger, fervent intercession, and Spirit-led obedience that God might send revival. Their faithfulness is not forgotten by God. It has been their eternal investment. If they did not live to see the full answer to their own prayers in their own lifetime or locality, they will see the result and their reward in the records of eternity.

All holy longings and prayer for revival are kept by God and united in His reservoir of revival blessings with other seemingly unanswered intercession. They are added to the mighty intercession of the Son of God on heavens throne. Their prayers for the extension of Gods kingdom are answered in some subsequent revival outpourings and finally in the great climactic millennial revival outpouring.

If there isnt a revival in this country of some sortwere moving toward a state that would be very much like pagan Rome. This spiritual assessment of conditions in our land today is the insightful conclusion of John Whitehead, president and founder of the Rutherford Institute. His words are frightening if we take them seriously. Rome was pagan. We only have to read the first chapter of Pauls epistle to the Romans to see the picture. The fact is there is a moral law that teaches that if men and women are left to the consequences of their own freely chosen course of action, they will go from bad to worseunless this tendency is reversed by divine grace. So we read those words of doom, Godgave them up, God gave them up, God gave them over (Rom. 1:24, 26, 28 KJV).

This is where revival comes in, as Dr. Wesley L. Duewels book, Revival Fire, abundantly illustrates again and again. When the tide of evil threatens to overwhelm the church, The Spirit of the LORD [lifts] up a standard against [the enemy] (Isa. 59:19 KJV), and spiritual recovery and revival ensue.

I have read, researched, and recorded the movements of God in revival throughout more than fifty years of ministry, and I have prayed and preached to see revival in our time. I have been privileged to discuss this vital subject with men like Evan Roberts of the Welsh revival (1904-1905), Duncan Campbell of the Hebrides revival (1949-53, 1957), and in more recent years Dr. Edwin Orr, whose works on revival are classics. I list these names in order to say that knowing these men and their literature has been enriching and enlightening; but nothing has stirred my heart to pray and preach for a mighty invasion of the Holy Spirit in our time like Revival Fire. My friend Wesley Duewel has compiled, in brief chapters, a mass of material on revival that informs the mind and ignites the heart. No pastor, lay leader, or church member should fail to read this book. I heartily commend it.

Throughout Scripture fire is a symbol of Gods presence (Gen. 15:17; Ex. 3:2; 13:21-22, et al.), Gods power (Ex. 19:18; 24:17; 1 Kings 18:24, 38), and Gods purity (Isa. 6:1-6). It is not without significance that the words purify and purge come from the Greek word for fire. What a call this is to Christian people to purify themselves by the fire of the Word of God (Jer. 5:14) and the fire of the Spirit of God (Acts 2:3) to be the instruments of a mighty conflagration that burns the barriers to revival and brings the blessing of revival! It was Dr. W. Graham Scroggie who once said that there never has been a spiritual revival which did not begin with an acute sense of sin. We are never prepared for a spiritual advance until we see the necessity of getting rid of that which has been hindering it, and that, in the sight of God, is sin. Gods promise is clear: If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land (2 Chron. 7:14 NKJV).

Revival firethats it! God stir us to pray, Oh, that You would rend the heavens! That You would come down! That the mountains might shake at Your presenceas fire burns brushwood, as fire causes water to boilto make Your name known to Your adversaries, that the nations may tremble at Your presence! (Isa. 64:1-2 NKJV).

Stephen F. Olford

Stephen Olford Center for Biblical Preaching

Memphis, Tennessee

Welcome to these pages that describe some of the unusual outpourings of Gods Spirit in holy spiritual revival over the past centuries. May God use them to cause you to hunger for His salvation power in our day. May they lead you to a deepened prayer life and closer walk with God.

Revival days are not normal days in the life of the church. They are supernormal, supernatural. They are the great days of the church when God manifests His presence in overwhelming reality. They leave you with a profound realization of Gods greatness and transcendence and of your own unworthiness and dependence on Him.

Gods presence and power are so mightily and extensively at work during revival that God accomplishes more in hours or days than usually results from years of faithful nonrevival ministry. Revival usually involves some preaching and evangelism. But revival is far more than evangelism. Man can evangelize; only God can give revival.

During revival people are moved toward Christ, people who can be moved in no other way. Many prayers that have gone unanswered for years are gloriously answered. Often the very atmosphere seems awesomely filled with Gods power. Christians recognize it as the holy presence of God. Sinners feel a fearsome awareness of Gods presence and their own sinfulness.

God may reveal His presence in unexpected ways. Accompanying His deep work in the soul may be other surprising occurrences. There may be such a sense of Gods presence and power that some people tremble. Some may be moved to weeping before God; some at times sink to the ground in physical helplessness. Others may feel almost irresistibly drawn to attend revival services or to convene at a place and time where no service has been announced.

Man-made enthusiasm and emotionalism is superficial and cheap. In real revival emotion is not produced or manipulated by man. It is a response to the unsought, unexpected, but powerful working of Gods Spirit upon the inner depths of peoples souls.

Some have become so aware of Gods presence that they could not move for some minutes. Some have been unexpectedly and instantly healed, to the amazement of unsaved people nearby. Such demonstrations of Gods power may lead to repentance and the salvation of unsaved friends or relatives.

Some have been so filled with the joy of the Lord that they have sung hymns or choruses over and over with joy almost too deep for words. Some have praised God with loud voices because they felt themselves almost bursting with holy joy and gratefulness.

Many people fear revival because of these unusual manifestations. There is nothing to be feared. If occasionally someone is too unrestrained or overexpressive of his sorrow over sin or his joy at Christs forgiveness and Gods overwhelming presence, this can be understood and accepted. People are accustomed to unrestrained exuberance at sports events or upon seeing loved ones after a long absence.

Says Dr. A. T. Schofield, One thing to be borne in mind is that since the days of Pentecost there is no record of the sudden and direct work of the Spirit of God upon the souls of men that has not been accompanied by events more or less abnormal. It is, indeed, on consideration, only natural that it should be so. We cannot expect an abnormal inrush of Divine light and power, so profoundly affecting the emotions and changing the lives of men, without remarkable results. As well expect a hurricane, an earthquake, or a flood, to leave nothing abnormal in its course, as to expect a true