The Layman's Prayer Revival

“Lord what wilt thou have me to do?” prayed Jeremiah Lanphier out of his passion for the salvation of the residents of New York City. On September 23, 1857, he knelt in prayer, alone, shortly after the noon hour. Lanphier’s intercession ascended from the upper lecture room of the Old North Dutch Reformed Church. His heart was broken for the purposeless, despondent masses of New Your. A single lay missionary, he had been wed to his ministry of personal evangelism, street preaching, and door-to-door witnessing. His burden for the throngs of people had forced him to his knees. Could he have ever imagined what would soon come about? Within a matter of months, more than fifty thousand people would gather daily for prayer! The Layman’s Prayer Revival proves Matthew Henry’s old saying: When God desires to do a fresh work, He sets His people to praying.

The power of prayer was demonstrated in the union prayer meetings inaugurated by Jeremiah Lanphier. Calls to prayer had begun in some denominations before the New York union meetings, but the most significant meeting began at the North Dutch Reformed Church on Fulton Street.

New York City was in deep spiritual decline. The old North Dutch Reformed Church downtown employed Jeremiah Lanphier to influence their area for the gospel. He had bee converted in the year 1842. He was a forty-year-old single businessman filled with enthusiasm. Like most leader of this revival Lanphier was primarily a layman.

Lanphier began his assignment on July 1, 1857. He put together a folder describing the church and commending his lay missionary work. He gave the folder to everyone he met. He passed out Bibles and tracts. While he found some success, he was overwhelmed at the enormity of the task. Thus, he prayed, “Lord what wilt thou have me to do?” This led him to a novel approach.
Lanphier had found prayer to be a great source of comfort. He had noticed how the businessmen were “hurrying along their way, often with care worn faces, and anxious, restless gaze.” He presented to the church board the idea of a prayer meeting for businessmen. Their response was less than enthusiastic, but they agreed to allow Lanphier to proceed. Determining that the noon hour was the most feasible time for prayer meeting, he printed and distributed a handbill publicizing the meeting. He promoted the meeting with great zeal.

Lanphier began praying alone at noon September 23, 1857. Soon one more joined Lanphier until by the end of the hour there were six. The following Wednesday there were 20, and on the third, 30-40. Those present determined to meet daily rather than weekly. On October 14 over 100 came. At this point many in attendance were unsaved persons, many of whom were under great conviction of sin. By the end of the second month three large rooms were filled. Prayer meetings were springing up all over the city and in other cities across the nation. The prayer meetings led to many conversions, and the revival was so popular that local papers reported the conversion numbers.

One of the most moving accounts came from Kalamazoo, Michigan:

At our very first meeting someone put in such a request as this: “A praying wife requests the prayers of this meeting for her unconverted husband, that he may be converted and made a humble disciple of the Lord Jesus.” All at once a stout burly man arose and said, “I am that man, I have a pious praying wife, and this request must be for me. I want you to pray for me.” As soon as he sat down, in the midst of sobs and tears, another man arose and said, “I am that man, I have a praying wife. She prays for me. And now she asked you to pray for me. I am sure I am that man, and I want you to pray for me.” Five other men made similar statements.

“The only place you’ll ever find power coming before prayer,” commented one elderly saint, “is in the dictionary.” The Layman’s prayer revival of 1857 bears this out. If God is stirring your hearts, pray for revival.

Pastor Jeremy Lee
Twining Baptist Church

This story comes from Malcolm McDow and Alvin Reid. Firefall How God has Shaped History through Revival (Wipf and Stock Publishers 1997)

Do we need 2 Chronicles 7:14?

"If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sins, and will heal their land" (2 Chronicles 7:14).

One of the first verses of Scripture I learned early in my Christian life was the one above. It was in Bible School, Central Bible College, Springfield, Mo. (1959) This verse was drilled home to everyone, everyday, all the time. I, a new Christian, wondered what this was all about. Why the emphasis? I could not imagine a Christian needing this verse of Scripture tattooed on their forearm, their forehead, their hand, their tongue, on their brain and everywhere else.

A Christian being delivered from death and brought to life surely doesn't need to be reminded of the saving power of our Lord Jesus every day all the time does he?
Since those days I discovered the preciousness of the above Scripture. Many, many times I have used the verse above. Many, many times I have turned to God when I felt like doing the other. Thank God, by His power, His providence, I called upon him again and again. Believe me, He has always been there (I know, some would say "right He is there", well, yes He is there, He is really there, for sure).

No book on positive thinking, of bondage breaking, of a great awakening, of post modernism, of the next reformation, of being purpose driven, or an emergent manifesto has had an effect on my life like 2 Chronicles 7:14 has. Yes I am His; yes, He has healed me, and yes I have had to humble myself, pray, and call on His Name. And, yes, He has made me well from my sickness this fallow ground, this heart that still needs work on.

This I know for sure, I would not trade being a Christian. I would not trade knowing God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit even if it meant adding one moment to my life here.

I drive by the spot where I became a Christian periodically. Each time a joy, a tearful joy comes to my heart. I cannot speak. I am overwhelmed at this regeneration I received that day. The day I first talked with God I remember like it was yesterday.

The following is an alert from a man burdened over the direction of the Assemblies of God denomination, the denominational school where 2 Chronicles 7:14 was drilled in my head.

This is hard to believe. A denomination committed to the Scriptures has decided being committed to Scripture is not enough or necessary. Should 2 Chronicles be tattooed on our hand, forearm, forehead, tongue, our brain? Yes, very definitely, it should. God forgive us of our sins, our churches, our pastors, our seminaries. Our theologians have disregarded Your Word. The Assemblies of God, full of the Holy Ghost people, are dependent on anything but the Holy Ghost today.

Contemplative Prayers Seminars at Central Assembly

Greetings in the Name of Our LORD Jesus Christ,

It has been reported to me by very recent members of Central Assembly of God, our flagship church, the church where many of the A/G bigwigs attend, that Pastor Jim Bradford has hosted a Willow Creek 40 Days of Prayer seminar AND that he has scheduled a highly visible proponent of contemplative prayer to speak at Central Assembly. In fact, I verified with Central Assembly's own web site that Pastor Bradford is "so excited" to present Brennan Manning in conference starting January 30th , 2009. Just pay 25 bucks and you too can be part of this exclusive event!

NOTE: Brennan Manning's engagement at Central was cancelled 'due to [his] eye surgery.' You can verify this at Mr. Manning's own web site, BrennanManning.com. I have a screen capture of Manning's event web page as proof. And the point is not whether the event was held at Central but that it was even scheduled in the first place.

I can only logically conclude one of two things here: first, I would have to question Jim Bradford's discernment, or second, I would wonder whether Jim Bradford is not a dupe of the Rick Warrens, Brian McLarens and Earl Crepses out there, but rather a fellow disciple of the New Age (Old Hinduism). Neither alternative would be good. In the first case, a shepherd who has no warning bells go off when a wolf is near, is a danger to his flock and ought to be replaced. But, in this instance, Jim Bradford is inviting the wolf right into his sheepfold. In the second case, we have a hireling fattening his flock for the wholesale kill by Satan himself. God will not allow the introduction of Hinduism (an age old practice of inviting demons to enter into one's empty mind and daily activities) into our churches without punishment.

Why do I say Hinduism? Because contemplative prayer is simply a 21st century renaming of Transcendental Meditation, the Hindu practice of clearing one's mind to allow demons to enter in and "speak" Contemplative prayer (CP) is putting oneself into a trance. NOWHERE in the Bible is there any mention of putting oneself into a trance. The ONLY trances mentioned are those induced by God Himself! In CP, the practitioner EMPTIES their mind. When God puts us into a trance, He FILLS our mind with His thoughts and His WORD. Think on this: in nature, whose boundaries were set by God at Creation, any empty vessel makes itself prone to be filled by the next and nearest opportunity. For instance, a city built below sea level is fine as long as the levies that surround it hold. But, as in Katrina and New Orleans, when the levies broke, the sea rushed in and mixed with the sewage creating uninhabitable space. And finally, emptying our minds is disobedience to God's command in Philippians 4:8 to "THINK on these things" referring to a list of traits which concretely describe the character of God Himself. Scripturally, I could go on and on.

Jim Bradford, you have polluted God's house and for that you will be judged. There will be consequences just like those listed in several places in Jeremiah for the pastors who lead His people astray. Please repent before your soul is required of you. I'd hate to be in your shoes if you died without repentance. And then God listed all the souls who were making Hell their eternal abode because you chose to follow another gospel besides the one outlined by Jesus Christ and Paul. And you influenced those souls into Hell.

What is it Jim? A big job or a bad judgment? Heady numbers or Hell next? Leadership books or learning your Bible? Read the story of Nathan the prophet talking to King David about murdering Uriah so he can commit adultery with Uriah's wife. Nathan's punchline to King David is eternally applicable to the man who has everything from God but decides that isn't good enough and gets sloppy in his walk. Jim Bradford, YOU are the man!

Members of Central Assembly, are you going to allow a man who converses with demons (Brennan Manning), and will be encouraging you to do so as well (clever servant of the Serpent [Mr. Manning won't say that is what he is doing or that you will be doing] he'll wrap his whole speech around Jesus, love and peace and emotionally appealing stories--all the while telling you damnable lies), to enter Central Assembly? Are you going to continue to retain as your pastor someone who either can't discern the truth from a lie or is living a lie right from your pulpit? God will not hold you guiltless if you do nothing! And for some of you, walking away without saying anything to the board, the pastor, and your pew neighbors is tantamount to doing nothing since you will be feeding your fellow congregation members to the wolves. I'm not saying don't leave. Central was way down the New Age path even before this. I'm am saying, if God is speaking to you to speak to "them" before you leave, then you must obey. Are you even listening for God's "still, small voice"? Or are we all more loyal to our churches and our A/G leadership than to God?

Even So Quickly Come LORD Jesus!

Brother
Mike http://savetheag.com/2009/a_conprayersca.html

Ken Clouse
Lay Leader
N.E. Mi. Ref. Soc.