UNDER THE THORN TREE
When Revival Comes
By Richard Bewes
Christian Focus. 142 pages. £9.99
ISBN 978 1 527 101 067
This is an easy-to-read book on the subject of revival. Richard Bewes was brought up in Ruanda where his parents were involved in the East Africa revival.
They were missionaries where animistic beliefs and the power of the witchdoctor held sway. The steady proclamation of the cross overcame. Richard grew up bilingual and can still sing Blessed Assurance in the Kikuyu dialect! He became used to seeing crowds gather for Sunday worship. Those who couldn’t get into the church sat on the nearby grass. At the great Christian festivals some 6,000 would attend. Jealousies, rivalries, personal grudges and pride were banished and lives were transformed.
Dramatic experience of God
One Sunday, at All Souls Church, London where Richard was the minister, he met a lady from Kenya and discovered she was the granddaughter of Simeon Nsibumbi, a pastor. Richard recalls the time when Simeon met with Dr Joe Church, a medical missionary, to lament and pray over the spiritual desolation of East Africa. Joe climbed the Ndera Hill, and sat under the thorn tree where he had a dramatic experience of God’s presence. Later a team of African evangelists toured the country on foot to bring the message of Christ crucified, new birth and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to a barren mission field. Confession of sin and restitution became common and beer drinking lost its appeal.
The chapter entitled ‘Hearts, Beating as One’ looks at the history of revivals, beginning with the story of Josiah, the boy king. The next chapter speaks of the prayer that breeds bravery, followed by the impassioned preaching of the cross. There are several references to Bishop Festo Kinvengere who said: ‘Love is a time-bomb – the power of Calvary love in fellowship with the risen Christ.’ Revival also brings an uplift in public morality, illustrated by the late-18th-century revival in England. The Clapham Sect in London influenced the reputation of English business to be the most honest in the world..
The chapter ‘How the Flame is Lit’ refers to gossipping the gospel one-to-one. The Bible example given is the story of Philip and the Ethiopian. At the Billy Graham Eurofest in Brussels, the young people were asked: ‘How did you become a disciple of Jesus Christ?’ The outstanding answer was ‘through friendship with a Christian’. The bold sharing of faith in Rwanda led to hundreds of new believers .
Was it a real awakening?
The question ‘was it a true awakening?’ is answered – ultimately, time will tell as to the validity of any movement, using the yardstick of the Bible. This is shown by the six saving actions of Christ – his birth, death, resurrection and ascension, Pentecost and his second coming. This is the bedrock. The centrality of the cross is emphasised with a brilliant four point summary by John Stott on the principle of substitution – the penalty paid, God’s wrath averted, righteousness exchanged and relationship restored.
The chapter ‘When the Enemy Strikes Back’ reminds us of the awful genocide that took over in Rwanda where the curse of tribalism prevailed. Yet the great feature of the revival was the joyful exuberance of new believers, anxious to ‘go and tell’. Music also played a big part in revivals with action hymns becoming popular. The book finishes on a challenging note – ‘Begin it in me’ – reminding us that revival is not an ‘it’ but a person, Jesus himself, who promises to come and dwell in us.
