Genesis 26:18-19 “And Isaac digged again the wells of water, which they had digged in the days of Abraham his father; for the Philistines had stopped them after the death of Abraham: and he called their names after the names by which his father had called them. And Isaac’s servants digged in the valley, and found there a well of springing water.”
Acts 2:5 “And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven.”
Acts 1:8 “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”
Talbot Chambers, one of the pastors of the church that hosted Lanphier’s prayer meetings, described the 1857 movement as “redigging the wells of revival.” It was all about reconnecting with our faith-filled past in order to properly connect with our faith-fueled future.
Chambers also described these meetings as uniquely powerful because of the perfect combination of demographics and geography. New York City in 1857 brought the world to one place at one time in a way that enabled outreach to flourish. Chambers described it this way: “Instead of the staid, settled families of fixed principles and ordinary habits who once filled the churches there to their utmost capacity, there was now a mixed multitude which might well be compared to the heterogeneous crowd which thronged the streets of Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost.” Lanphier’s meetings, therefore, reached a broad audience that was seeking truth, purpose, and meaning, thus magnifying the opportunities for impact for the cause of Christ.
In America in 2021, we don’t live in a staid, settled world of fixed principles and ordinary habits that fill our churches to their utmost capacity. Instead, we are surrounded by a vibrant, mixed multitude that provides us our own heterogeneous crowd. Our communities reflect many of the characteristics of first century Jerusalem and nineteenth century New York City. As a result, God may have provided today’s American Christian a perfect combination of demographics and geography that can enable our outreach to flourish. Our faithfulness has an unmatched opportunity to reach a broad audience seeking truth, purpose, and meaning that can magnify our impact for the cause of Christ.
PLEASE PRAY FOR AMERICAN CHRISTIANS TO RECONNECT WITH OUR FAITH-FILLED PAST IN ORDER TO PROPERLY CONNECT WITH A FAITH-FUELED FUTURE. May we redig the wells of revival by faithfully reaching out to the heterogeneous crowd that swirls around us and provides an unmatched opportunity to reach a broad audience for the cause of Christ.
ADMIN: The Talbot Chambers quotes come from his book “The New York City Noon Prayer Meeting: A Simple Gathering That Changed The World”.
