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Revivalism: How it may be effectively and
profitably utilised for the advancement of The Salvation Army
by Commissioner Thomas McKie of
Australasia
The paper below was delivered at The
International Staff Council which occurred during the
1904 International Congress.
INTRODUCTION.
THE question heading my Paper might be answered in three
words; namely, The Salvation Army. The Army, as we have seen
in the last few days, is the result of the proper manipulation
of Revivalism—a revival that broke over the head of THE
GENERAL thirty-nine years ago in Whitechapel.
The firm conviction of my heart is that if, when God favours
you with a gracious outpouring of His Spirit, you follow out
the Orders and Regulations contained in the books for Local,
Field, and Staff Officers, you will reach the end we all
desire as the result of our labours.
I presume that the above does not mean "sheep-stealing," or
how to gather the fruits of others' labours; but is rather a
recognition of the fact of Revivalism, and expresses a desire
for suggestions as to how that religious experience of
communities may be created, carried on, and more largely
availed of in the operations of The Army.
DEFINITION.
A Revival is that experience in which there is an abnormal
concern amongst a people for their eternal welfare, and the
definite action of a number in deciding for Christ. These
effects are directly traceable to the enlarged manifestation
of the Spirit.
It is the spring-time of religion; the renovation of life and
gladness. It is a time when the Holy Ghost is poured out; when
saints of God become inheritors of immortal power. The Holy
Ghost within them is not an emotion, but an invisible
intelligence. It is a time of secret outpouring, individual
confessions, and surrenders to God. I t is a time when all
secret jealousies are laid down, and there is perfect unity of
the inner heart, which brings about the oneness of accord we
read of in Acts ii. It is a time when thousands get saved and
burst out with new-found life and joy, and renew everything by
their beautiful activity.
The people of God get the fire into their bones, and take up
their toil for God and souls with freshness, determination,
and energy. Youth is revived, the Bible beheld with new light,
and the soul delights in it. It teems with living promises of
abundant harvest of righteousness and peace. Souls long barren
now show forth a life of beauty and power.
CHARACTERISTICS.
It is characteristic of a place in which a Revival is
experienced that a predominant religious fervour prevails. It
is a distinct state of feeling from any ordinary condition of
things. Explain it how we may, there is a forceful spiritual
element peculiarly associated with times of Revival.
There seems to be in the spiritual realm, in manner of
manifestation, an almost erratic power exerted, which may be
thought to be so only because of our lack of knowledge and
understanding of spiritual courses, tides, or creative
influences. THE GENERAL, as an instance of blessing, was an
erratic power in the Church; and The Army is the result of his
break-away from routine. Lightning is erratic, and often
destructive; but as electricity, brought under control in
legitimate courses, it is revolutionising the world. It is the
erratic power—the break-away—in any sphere that, utilised,
often becomes an agent for good; and Revivalism, brought under
perfect Army oversight and management, would be above all
other instrumentalities.
THE ARMY AND REVIVALS.
The Army recognises Revivals. Most of us have been brought to
God through the instrumentality of Revivals. Even where this
is not so, we have been refreshed, renewed, and, in various
other ways, benefited by real, genuine Revivals.
The Army certainly must believe in them. She was born in one;
cradled and rocked in others; made strong and helped to her
present position and standing in the world by hundreds more.
The plenitude of the Spirit, the sanctifying and soul-saving
power; these things are her glory.
If she gives these up, she has lost her distinguishing
feature. Losing these, she would cease to be either blessed in
herself or a blessing to others. There are few more painful
sights than the spectacle of an Army Officer aping some
missioner, or an Army Corps patterning in any way after some
mission. When we get there, we are forgetting our origin and
training, and ignoring the secret of our past success.
The Army not only recognises Revivals, but supplements the
belief in them by the assertion that we are a people of
continuous Revival. This may be all right in theory, but it is
doubtful in fact. Probably ebb and flow are world-wide
experiences, with limitations of the ebb and of the flow in
various places.
Revivals are times of spiritual birth in a wholesale manner.
Wholesale and perpetual birth-giving—natural and spiritual—may
rob the first-born of the rights of heirship in training and
development. May not God sometimes view the situation in this
way; that where there is no spiritual home, or the likelihood
of an insufficient care for the converts, He will give no
spiritual children?
HOW BROUGHT ABOUT.
Granted the fact of Revivals as a distinct religious
experience, the question arises, "How is a Revival brought
about?"
(a) If Revivals are held to be of human origin, and within
human power of creation (by compliance with certain fixed
conditions), then how grave is the imputation against those
who have no, or only a limited, experience of soul-saving in
their midst!
(b) On the other hand, if Revivals are spiritual phenomena,
given by the sovereign act of God, then how ambitious we
should be to covet, acquire, and
then preserve to the utmost the effects of the visitation of
the Spirit.
(c) Revivals may not be distinctly or separately caused by the
one or the other, but may be said to be a combination of both
human and Divine agency.
A KNOWN DANGER.
Before suggesting anything, it may be well to state that we
understand the danger there is of exalting Revivals unduly, to
the possible detriment of the ordinary operations of The Army.
A "REVIVAL" DEPARTMENT—A SCHEME VISIONARY OR PRACTICAL,
WITH ILLUSTRATIONS FROM ANALOGY.
In America there is what is called a Hydrographic Office. As
the name implies, the office has to do with charts or maps of
the water world. The business of the officials is to gather
information of tides, currents, wrecks, storms, icebergs,
waterspouts, derelicts, and all matters associated with the
water.
Every ship-master is an agent; every ocean-going steamer is
said to be in touch with the office. Charts are used there,
marked by miniature and movable flags, showing, amongst other
things, tracks of currents, derelicts, winds and tides. Each
Captain going to sea is supplied with two books—one for good
weather and one for storm. Greenwich Time is used, and
observations are recorded. From the mass of information so
obtained, books, charts, maps, etc., are supplied to the
ocean-going steamship masters.
A SPIRITUAL APPLICATION—A "REVIVAL" DEPARTMENT -THE
CREATION OF IT.
A Revival is a spiritual tide. A bureau for gathering the
information of the flow, and for the fostering, maintenance,
and advancement of Revivals may be more than a dream. (The
name “Revival" is used only as indicating the nature of the
proposed work.)
THE WORKERS.
Specially selected men and women who are pre-eminently
soul-savers should be at the disposal of the Department.
PROPOSED FINANCE.
(a) Spiritual Fund—Above all else, Salvation Army money should
be, in some generous measure, at the disposal of a work which
has to do specially with soul-saving.
(b) Corps' Contributions—A proportionate return should be made
by Corps, but in no sense should a levy be made, and the
scheme ruined by pounds, shillings and pence claims. It is
said that "sovereigns follow souls"
(c) General Donations— many would give to a distinctly
Spiritual fund just as others give to a distinctly Social
fund.
(d) Other sources of income could surely be available for such
a work.
SOME EFFECTS.
If such a Department were formed, which gave, in a sense, a
premium to the Officers and Corps which developed spiritually
to the Revival degree, it would be an all-round encouragement
to spirituality, and the eye of the Department would be
realised to be upon them.
The Department would aim at the development of every
means—ordinary and special—whereby the Spiritual work could be
strengthened, maintained, and furthered. All-nights of Prayer,
Holiness Conventions, etc., could be arranged.
Every Officer would be directly and indirectly in touch with
the Department, as the returns of soul-saving in Corps would
be supplied to the Department; and correspondence could be
entered upon which would cheer and encourage all concerned,
and the real facts of reputed Revivals would be arrived at and
made known.
By no means least in importance, as affecting the entire Army,
our periodicals could be furnished with first-class material
of the most desirable character, now often sadly lacking.
Salvation is before all.
REFLECTIONS.
The Officers of the Department would be in a very different
position from that of ordinary Specials; as they would go, not
to plough, sow, and reap, as so many have now to do in
ordinary Specialling, but to reap where soul-saving has begun.
Thus, instead of an Officer feeling that soul-saving added to
his duties, and swamped him with additional work of increased
visitation and care of converts, he would feel that The Army
would stand by him; and where he alone could get fifty souls,
with the help of a Revivalist five hundred could be won.
Such a Revival would, as it progressed, create its own work by
Revivals springing up in places adjoining those where the
original Revival had first broken out.
Much—almost everything—would depend upon the selection of men
and women as Revivalists, or, whatever they might be called.
This is self-evident. Broken-down, half-pay people, however
good, would hardly meet the need.
The present work of P.Cs and D.Os would hardly be less
important or in any way affected by such an arrangement. It
should rather be a teaching in the first principles; of no
mean value to them.
This suggestion could be international, or arranged in each
Territorial Command. But let me come to a more detailed and
local idea.
THE PROBLEM OF HOW TO SECURE PEOPLE.
It can be used to the advancement of The Army if Officers of
all ranks will grasp the fact that this is the only way to
solve the problem of how to secure people.
There is a tendency to resort too much to human attractions to
draw people. They may be good, in a way; but when your concern
has to be sustained by all those things, then it reveals a bad
state. The empty bench problem is a big one. We have all got
them. How shall we fill them with men, women, and children?
The answer comes: “When this (Pentecost) Revival was noised
abroad, the multitude came together.” A house on fire always
attracts the people to the neighbourhood. A Corps filled with
the Holy Ghost and with Fire will not long be without a crowd.
When Moses was travelling along the highway to Horeb, he saw a
bush on fire, and yet it was not consumed; and Moses said: "I
will now turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is
not burnt."
Everybody admits that this is a hurrying, busy time. It is a
fast age. Life is too short; men cannot wait. But with all the
competition, and push, and bustle of this rapid life of ours,
if a Corps should get on fire with the Holy Flame, the people,
en masse, would turn aside to see this great sight.
THE ONLY WAY TO GET A MOVE ON.
It is recorded that they were all amazed, and marvelled. In
hundreds of places to-day things are lying stagnant and dead.
Revivalism lifts us out of ruts, and wakes up sleeping souls.
THE ONLY WAY TO SETTLE THE MONEY QUESTION.
"And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all
men, as every man had need." (Acts ii. 45) " Neither was there
any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of
lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the
things that were sold, and laid them down at the Apostles'
feet; and distribution was made unto every man according as he
had need." (Acts v. 34, 35)
From the days of the Apostles until now, whenever Pentecostal
Fire has fallen upon men, or Corps, it has invariably burnt
the purse-strings off, and filled the possessor with the
spirit of liberality. Spiritual lightning burns up all
miserliness, stinginess, and covetousness, and causes us to
give in a liberal way.
Nothing will ever protect us from a bankrupt treasury or a
burden of debt like this generosity-breeding Flame from
Heaven. Lord, send down the Fire!
MAKING SOLDIERS.
"And they continued steadfast in the Apostles' doctrine and
fellowship." A healthy mother, as a rule, gives birth to
healthy children; and a Corps spiritually strong will have
strong, vigorous, lively converts. It is important to have a
good start in everything. This is eminently true in religious
experience. There is, thank God, such a thing as being well
born spiritually. A weak Corps, if she has converts at all,
will have weak ones. She may have life and power enough to put
sinners under conviction, and perhaps get them to the
penitent-form; but she will fail in faith and power to bring
them to a place of victory. Here is the reason of the
instability and want of character in our converts; they are
not well born.
They must be well born spiritually to have the stability of
character desired.
THE ONLY WAY TO SOLVE THE CANDIDATES' PROBLEM.
"And ye shall be witnesses unto Me unto the uttermost parts of
the earth." From all real heaven-born Revivals have gone out
streams of Holy Fire in every direction, and it is for us to
see and feel that this is the secret of raising up both the
number and character of people we require.
By Advertising it.
(a) The War Cry.
(b) By all and every local means possible.
(c) Getting people to pay up debts, make restitution etc.
This will be a great source of inspiration. Others hearing or
reading of it, will awaken a desire for them to have the same
thing.
By Creating a Conscience.
(a) Soldiership.
(b) Officership.
(c) Follow up the penitent-form.
Materially.
(a) Improved position.
(b) Exchange ordinary Hall for theatre.
(c) Might beg the rent for a year.
CLASSES OF INSTRUCTION TO MAKE ALL CONVERTS FEEL CERTAIN
THINGS.
(a) That God has saved them from a burning Hell.
(b) That Hell is just as real now for others as it was
yesterday for them.
(c) That God has chosen to use them to save others from Hell.
(d) That this is the noblest work on earth.
(e) That he may die soon, therefore he should begin at once.
(I) Bible.
(g) Taught to pray.
(h) Giving.
(i) Temptation.
- Difference between that and sin.
- Reasons for it.
- Comfort in it.
- Use of it.
- How to resist.
(j) Press on to a clean heart.
(k) Officership.
When you have got them there, they will naturally want to know
how it is to be done.
You show him: Open Confession—That whatever anyone else does,
he is on the side of God. This naturally leads us on to:
(a) Uniform.
(b) Meetings, inside and out; testifying; Cry selling.
(c) Work of all kinds.
I think care ought to be taken to make it plain that he is not
merely saved that he should help the Captain, as the Captain
comes and goes; but that God means them to be His witnesses,
and that the Captain comes to help him.
Show the superiority of The Army over every other organisation
for the accomplishment of God’s purposes.
(a) Value of discipline.
The difference between The Army and the mob.
(b) The value of obedience.
(c) The power of unity:
The difference between their Corps and the Church round the
corner.
Show duty to comrades.
(a) Love for them.
(b) Faith in their success.
(c) Union with them in the War.
Duty to Officers.
(a) Loyalty.
(b) Obedience.
(c) Fidelity.
(d) Support.
Look after the children and young people who come out. The
tendency not to give children attention is great, which means
loss to The Army.
Further, in times of Revivalism, children's gatherings to
bring them to a decision, ought to have special attention.
CONCLUSION.
I think I have touched on all the vitals upon which an Officer
is graded; and if, when a Revival is upon a place, he will be
at the pains, trouble, and self-denial to do this, and train
Locals to help him, he will see an increase in:
(a) Soldiers.
(b) Knee-drills.
(c) Indoor attendances.
(d) Open-airs.
(e) Income.
(f) Juniors.
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