Wesley Center Online

Revivals of Religion

Also titled "Lectures on Revival"

By Charles Grandison Finney

August 29, 1792—August 16, 1875.

 

CONTENTS

Lecture I. - What A Revival of Religion Is.
What a revival of religion is not - What it is - The agencies employed in promoting it.

Lecture II. - When A Revival Is To Be Expected.
When a revival is needed - The importance of a revival when it is needed - When a revival of religion may be expected.

Lecture III. - How To Promote A Revival.
What it is to break up the fallow ground - How it is to be performed.

Lecture IV. - Prevailing Prayer. 
What is effectual or prevailing prayer - Some of the most essential attributes of prevailing prayer - Some reasons why God requires this kind of prayer - That such prayer will avail much

Lecture V. - The Prayer of Faith.
Faith an indispensable condition of prevailing prayer - What it is we are to believe when we pray - When we are bound to exercise this faith - This kind of faith in prayer always obtains the blessing sought - How we are to come into the state of mind in which we can exercise such faith - Objections answered

Lecture VI. - The Spirit of Prayer.
What Spirit is spoken of in the passage: "The Spirit also helpeth our infirmities" - What that Spirit does for us - Why He does what the text declares Him to do - How He accomplishes it - The degrees of His influences - How His influences are to be distinguished from the influences of evil spirits - Who have a right to expect His influences

Lecture VII. - On Being Filled With The Spirit.
Individuals may have the Spirit of God - It is their duty to be filled with the Spirit - Why the Spirit is not obtained - The guilt of those who have not the Spirit of God - The consequences of having the Spirit. - The consequences that will follow not having the Spirit

Lecture VIII. - Meetings For Prayer.
The design of prayer meetings - The manner of conducting them - Several things that will defeat the design of holding them.

Lecture IX. - Means To Be Used With Sinners.
On what particular points Christians are to testify for God - The manner in which they are to testify

Lecture X. - To Win Souls Requires Wisdom.
How Christians should deal with careless sinners - How they should deal with awakened sinners, and with convicted sinners

Lecture XI. - A Wise Minister Will Be Successful.
A right discharge of the duties of a minister requires great wisdom - The amount of success in the discharge of his duties (other things being equal) decides the amount of wisdom employed by him.

Lecture XII. - How To Preach The Gospel.
Several passages of Scripture ascribe conversion to man - This is consistent with other passages which ascribe conversion to God - Several important particulars in regard to preaching the Gospel

Lecture XIII. - How Churches Can Help Ministers.
The importance of the cooperation of the Church in producing and carrying on a revival - Several things which Churches must do, if they would promote a revival and aid their ministers

Lecture XIV. - Measures To Promote Revivals.
God has established no particular system of measures to be employed - Our present forms of public worship have been arrived at by a succession of new measures

Lecture XV. - Hindrances To Revivals.
A revival of religion is a great work - Several things which may put a stop to it - What must be done for the continuance of a revival

Lecture XVI. - The Necessity And Effect of Union.
We are to be agreed in prayer - We are likewise to be agreed in everything that is essential to the blessing we seek

Lecture XVII. - False Comforts For Sinners.
The necessity and design of instructing anxious sinners - Anxious sinners are always seeking comfort - The false comforts that are often administered

Lecture XVIII. - Directions To Sinners.
What is a proper direction to be given to sinners when they make inquiry for salvation - What is a proper answer to such inquiry - Several errors into which anxious sinners are apt to fall

Lecture XIX. - Instructions To Converts.
Several things to be considered in regard to the hopes of young converts - Several things respecting their making a profession of religion - The importance of having correct instruction given to young converts - What should not be taught - What things are necessary to be taught

Lecture XX. - Instructions To Converts (continued).
Other points on which young converts ought to be instructed - How young converts should be treated by the Church - Some of the evils resulting from defective instruction in the first stages of Christian experience

Lecture XXI. - The Backslider In Heart.
What backsliding in heart is not - What it is - What are its evidences - What are its consequences - How to recover from such a state.

Lecture XXII. - Growth In Grace.
What grace is - What the injunction to "grow in grace" does not mean - What it does mean - Conditions of growth in grace - What is not proof of growth - What is proof - How to grow in grace