Questions and Answers from Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones' Sermon on Revival and the Holy Spirit

What is the primary text Dr. Lloyd-Jones uses in this sermon on revival?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones focuses primarily on Ephesians 4:4-6, with particular emphasis on verse 4: "There is one body and one spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling." He examines this text in light of the account of Pentecost in Acts 2, connecting the unity of the Church with the work of the Holy Spirit in revival.

How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones distinguish between revival and an evangelistic campaign?

According to Lloyd-Jones, many people mistakenly equate revival with evangelistic campaigns. He explains that "you can't announce a revival. You can't say that a revival is going to start next Thursday, as these people do." He clarifies that while "you may have a revival in an evangelistic campaign, a revival is not an evangelistic campaign in and of itself." Revival is a sovereign work of God that cannot be scheduled or programmed.

What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones define as the "ordinary" versus "extraordinary" work of the Holy Spirit?

Lloyd-Jones describes the "ordinary work of the Spirit" as His regular, ongoing work in the church: "conviction, imparting life, conversion, giving us faith and understanding," along with incorporating believers into the body of Christ and producing fruit in individuals. The "extraordinary work" refers to revival, when the Spirit moves in an unusual, powerful manner upon many people simultaneously, lifting "the church to a new level of experience and of understanding" while bringing many outside the church to conviction and conversion.

According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, what has been the pattern of church history regarding revival?

Lloyd-Jones asserts that "the history of the church has been a history of ups and downs" throughout centuries. He describes it as "almost that the history of the church is the history of revivals and of the waning of revival and the coming back of Revival." He mentions the early church in Acts, followed by the dark Middle Ages, then the Protestant Reformation, the Puritan era, and the revivals of the 18th and 19th centuries. He sees revivals as "God's way of keeping his work alive."

What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones identify as a remarkable feature in the history of revivals?

One remarkable feature Lloyd-Jones highlights is how revivals occur at the same time in different places without human coordination. He cites examples like the 16th century Reformation happening simultaneously in Germany, Switzerland, France, and England; the 1735 revivals in America (with Jonathan Edwards) and Wales; the 1857-1859 revivals across America, Ulster, Wales and England; and the 1904-1905 revivals in Wales coinciding with revivals in Korea in 1905-1906. He sees this as evidence of the sovereign work of the Holy Spirit.

How does revival promote unity in the church according to Dr. Lloyd-Jones?

Lloyd-Jones teaches that "there is nothing that so promotes unity as a mighty spiritual revival." Unlike organizational unity efforts, revival produces true spiritual unity because the Holy Spirit gives believers "a new clarity of understanding" where they see theological truths more clearly than ever before. In revival, believers are "fused into one" by the overwhelming presence of the Spirit, creating an organic unity rather than a mechanical one. He points to how the early church in Acts "had all things in common" because "they felt they were one."

What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones say is the effect of revival on unbelievers?

In revival, Lloyd-Jones says the Holy Spirit's power draws unbelievers like "a magnet." He notes how at Pentecost, even those who had crucified Christ were "broken under conviction and cried out for mercy." He states that "when revival comes, more will happen in a day than may happen in a century of the ordinary work of the church," and that "the stoutest hearts are broken, the mightiest intellects are broken down, and men and women cry out, asking for mercy."

What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones suggest is the way to revival?

The way to revival, according to Lloyd-Jones, begins with "realizing our own impotence" and that "we ourselves can do nothing." He then emphasizes believers must be "one in doctrine, the apostles' doctrine, and fellowship and breaking of bread and prayer." He stresses the importance of sound doctrine about Christ, since "the Holy Spirit's work is to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ." Most importantly, Christians must pray persistently for God to pour forth His Spirit again, just as the early disciples prayed before Pentecost.