REVISTA RHEMA

WELSH REVIVAL

Evan Roberts was one of the young people chosen by the Holy Spirit to be the canal of blessing and revival in Wales, a small princedom of the British Isles and thus to amaze the world of that time.
One of the things that mostly astonished me in the revival which started in 1904, is that it was with children and young people, perhaps the oldest among all of them was Evan Roberts of 26 years of age.
When he was 13 years old, he began to go to prayer meetings , and for 13 years he didn't miss one of them, until the Lord came to him.
The Lord gave him visions and dreams, one of them was that 100,000 persons would turn to Jesus Christ for repentance.
On another occasion, he would see the mouth of hell swallowing by the thousand, for that reason he prayed to the Lord asking him to cover the mouth of hell.
According to the historical records so remarkable in that year, I believe that God granted him his wish. But, the best of this was the visitation that Jesus made for several nights: the people saw light sparkling in Evans face and tremors in his body, as a result of his visitations. As far as I could see, Roberts was filled with the Holy Spirit.
Evans had such a knowledge of the third person of the trinity that great characters of his time traveled to see him and hear him preach. There was nothing previously organized: it was the mere manifestation of the Holy Spirit. It seemed as though he himself had come over Wales and had taken control of that country. The services lasted four or five hours. The Presence of God was majestic and the prayer groups were full as well as the churches. What was extraordinary was that the bars closed because there were no customers, who in repentance of their sins, no longer attended. Jails were empty, because there were no delinquents during those two or three years that the revival lasted. The football stadiums were empty because the players were preaching about Jesus in one neighbourhood or another. Some called this revival the greatest of all Pentecostalism. The artists and famous musicians were among the people, singing hymns. Simply speaking, heavens were open for that nation and practically the rivers of the Throne of God were flowing upon the people of Wales.
Dan Roberts, Evan's natural brother, was only twenty years of age just like Sidney Evans, a friend of theirs, who then became their brother- in- law, after marrying Mary Roberts, their sister.
Mary Evan Roberts was part of a group of singers who were between 18 and 22 years of age, and was greatly used by the Holy Spirit with new and ephemeral songs.

EMBAJADORES: JOVENES Y NINOS

In this revival, great quantities of young people were attracted by the Holy Spirit to the feet of Jesus Christ. What is extraordinary is that almost immediately, they were sent to preach about the Kingdom of God everywhere. They didn't have to study for three or four years in a biblical seminary. The Holy Spirit would fill them with Christ, would lit a fire within them, giving them authority to take over the generation of their time.
Thousands of them went out testifying in all corners of Wales about the glory of God. They were the bravest and boldest as no other generation had been. The most remarkable thing of this revival as that it didn't only touch young people and adolescents but children as well, who were greatly used by the Lord; you could find them in the street, in groups, sharing the Scriptures or in groups of prayer knelt down in intercession, screaming... "send the Holy Spirit for the love of Jesus!"
The young people between 16 and 18 years of age were preaching all over the country stressing the importance of life in the Holy Spirit and sanctity.
The local newspapers announced that all the region seemed to be under a strange spiritual force, and there was no indication of when it might end.
I believe that in the Welsh revival, the Holy Spirit set forth one of the greatest demonstrations of power that any country had yet experienced. It was said that when someone arrived in Wales and made its first step on the land, felt something strange and different that couldn't be explained.

UN MINERO

Evan Roberts, a young miner, scarcely educated, was born on 8th June 1878, in a small and humble home. The same that on the following century was going to be visited by ardent Christian believers, who due to their curiosity, wanted to see the place where heavens were opened once, and perhaps, they could also be able to share a little bit of that heavenly blessing which started in that humble home.
One of the characteristics of Evan Roberts was that he eagerly accepted Lord Jesus since he was but a child. His only desire was to serve him and preach about him; this seemed to devoured him. During years he looked for an intimate relationship with the Lord, praying faithfully for a visitation of the Holy Spirit of God.
How did it start? The historians define it as the great encounter of Blaenannerch. On 29th September, 1904 (Thursday) 19 young men attended the service, Evan Roberts inclusive. On their way to the service they started to sing: "He's coming, the power of the Holy Spirit is coming! I receive him; it's the power of the Holy Spirit!"
During that meeting, Evan Roberts started to feel delivery pains. Instantly, the Holy Spirit told him: "This is what you need and immediately then, Evan cried out: "Break me up Lord, make me surrender, Lord!
After a while during the service, the Holy Spirit told him: "Proclaim it publicly." With tears in his eyes and running down his cheeks Evan began to cry out: make me surrender, Lord! Make us submit!
At that moment the Holy Spirit came upon him in such a profound manner that that night the Cross and Salvation of the souls became the focus of the revival.
After that, one night he had a vision that Wales would be lifted unto heaven. Then, he commented this to his friend Sidney... "we're going to see the most powerful revival that Wales has ever known, and the Holy Spirit is about to come now. We must be ready; we must go throughout the country and preach about it."
At that very instant he said, crying out: "Can you believe that God can give us 100,000 souls right now?
Evan was used to initiate one of the greatest works of God of all times. He did not give up the vision although he was treated like a lunatic and a fool. But he didn't lose the opportunity of seeing the revival of Wales. The motor that gave impulse to that revival was not a doctrine or an organization or a human being but the Holy Spirit, drifting his powerful wings and reviving his nest in Wales.

 

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