One of my favourite, and the most amazing of stories in the context of this series on revival, and what has relevance to my story that I am unfolding here at this time, is the account of the life and ministry in the 1800s of one John Wesley Redfield.

Reluctant minister and servant of God, he had quite a life of running from his vocation, facing illness and numerous other challenges. However, when he yielded to the call on his life the LORD used him in mighty ways, and when he preached the Holy Spirit would often bring a shaking conviction of sin upon his audience. They would cry out, fall down prostrate—often people falling on top of each other under the power of God for hours.

It is reported that, despite often intense opposition from the religious (predominantly), dead churches came alive, new ones were built and many times the sick were healed.

One of my favourite stories from his life is of those who ran out of his meetings, trying to avoid conviction of sin. They would run down the streets and fall down under Holy Spirit conviction and lay there for hours. Others sitting in their homes, far from the meeting, would also fall down in conviction of sin.

In New York the policemen were confused by this phenomenon at first and thought the prostrate were drunk. Placing them side by side on the (police) station floor the policemen would wait until they ‘came to’. When they did, it was with shouts of “Glory to God!” and other praise. This happened so regularly that eventually the policemen, on their night rounds, upon seeing someone on the ground, would go over and smell their breath. If they smelled of drink the policemen would take them to the station. If they they did not smell of drink the policemen knew “they had ‘(John Wesley) Redfield disease’, and they would recover”. The policemen would leave such ones where they were knowing that if they were drunks they would not drink anymore. If they stole they would steal no more.

What strikes me is the phenomena accompanying the mere preaching of the Word and how people experienced such manifestations of the Holy Spirit upon their lives.

In subsequent posts, with this foundation from historical narratives, we shall consider biblical phenomena and then you will be ready for my story.