Revival Stories

Revivals of the Carolinas: North Carolina Overview


Historic revivals are not just the stuff of exciting stories and larger-than-life saints. They burst to extraordinary life in the nitty-gritty nooks and crannies of a specific time and particular place in history. It is grounded in real communities where ordinary folks once lived out their lives.Also, revival is not merely about big tents or large crowds or strong emotions. It is not about the smartest, strongest, or most zealous Christians finally getting their act together and doing church right. True revival is, first of all, a move of God Himself. It is His initiative that powerfully releases a fresh outpouring of His very presence upon a particular people, time, and place. Human choices do matter, before revival breaks out and even afterwards, but make no mistake: true revival hinges on the supernatural work of God bursting upon the scene.

God has seen fit to ignite great awakenings in locations around the world and all throughout the ages. One area that has seen its fair share of revivals is North Carolina, located midway along the eastern seaboard of the United States. One might think our powerful God would only choose the vast mega-cities like New York or LA to make His appearance, but He alone chooses the who, the where, and the when, according to His wisdom and good pleasure. By His mercy and grace, the Carolinas are no stranger to those rarified days when God’s very presence and power are unmistakable.

Here is a quick snapshot of its rich spiritual history. The earliest European settlers tried to get established in the Carolinas in the 1500’s with not much success. Exploration and new settlements continued through the 1600’s and early 1700’s. In 1712, because of political and religious tensions, the Carolinas was divided into North Carolina and South Carolina. When the First Great Awakening - led by leaders like John Wesley and George Whitefield - swept throughout the colonies in the mid 1700’s, it also spread the fires of revival into North Carolina. God fanned the flames using the vibrant and bold Gospel preaching of itinerant preachers and pastors from the Separate Baptists, Methodists, and Presbyterians. By the 1800’s the Second Great Awakening was catching fire in Kentucky and helped to trigger the Great Revival in the South, which profoundly touched many churches and denominations to spur them on to renewed spiritual life and effective evangelism. In the 1940’s, God would raise up Billy Graham, a native son of Charlotte, North Carolina, to be a mighty preacher of the Gospel in the United States and around the world. In the ensuing years, powerful prayers would be lifted up, and city-shaking local revivals would catch flame in this region.

The Carolinas, like several other colonies in early American history, was named in honor of a king. In this case, it was named after King Charles of England, whose son played a significant hand in establishing the charter for its status as a royal colony in 1729. It is somewhat fitting that God would open up deep wells of revival in this state over the centuries so that Christians here would blaze brightly, immersed in the Holy Spirit, and ultimately giving the greatest honor to the King of Kings. We pray a fresh wave of history-making revival will burn intensely once again in this place.


QUESTIONS TO DISCUSS:

  1. What places would you choose to bring waves of revival if it were up to you? Why? How do you think God chooses where to pour out His Spirit with renewed power? Why do you think the Carolinas was chosen to see many wells dug for revival?
  2. What is the role of the Church before a revival, if we want to see revival come to pass? What is her role once revival arrives? What is the Church’s responsibility after revival has cooled down but the supernatural seeds have been planted in our communities?
  3. How do you imagine you could personally give the greatest honor to the King of Kings with your life? How would this alter or refine your prayer life? How would this impact your life direction and ambitions?
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