THIN SPACE
This week, Prayer Hour continues the theme of REVIVAL.
We’re going to be checking out revivals from as early as 1727 to revivals that are still going strong in 2020!
Today… it’s all about the The Miracle of Mizoram
Mizoram, which translates as ‘Lane of the Highlanders’, is home to over 750,000 citizens, of which 80-95% are Christians. There are over 37 churches in Mizoram, many of which have three services every Sunday and one service on Wednesdays. 80% of the Mizoram people (the Mizo’s) attend at least one of these services every week. The Mizo people currently send out over 1000 missionaries.
But Mizoram wasn’t always like this.
Before 1894, the Mizoram people believed in a Spirit called Pathan. The Mizo people also practiced human sacrifice and they liked to remove the heads of enemies.
Mizoram is also surrounded by Islamic Bangladesh to the west, Buddhist Myanmar to the east and south and the Hindu states of Assam, Manipur and Tripura to the north, so it seems an unlikely place to find a flourishing Christian community. So how did this community become known for people a Spirit-filled, humble, generous and God-fearing community?
In 1894 two missionaries, English missionary William Frederick Savage and Scottish Baptist Missionary James H Lorraine, arrived in Mizoram. They created a written language for the Mizo people and the church began to grow.
The 1904, the Welsh revival caused a passion for prayer to see revival in India as well. In July 1905, Christians from Mizoram towns began praying for revival. When news of revival in the northern Khasi Hills came, Mizoram sent a team of 10 to walk two weeks through mountain jungle to attend the Presbyterian Annual General Assembly. Whilst there, they saw a manifestation of God’s power which they had never seen or experienced before. The team saw people’s hands trembling, a man shaking under the power of the Holy Spirit and another person weeping. God’s presence over-whelmed the team.
Whilst at the conference the Mizo people were called to the front and the 8000-10,000 people at the conference prayed for them.
However, on their journey home the team experienced a depression and the team had a bitter dispute. On the way home they stopped to preach in a village but it had no effect. The team continued on their journey and began to reconcile. The team experienced an over-whelming sense of joy as they prayed and one of the team saw a streak of fire descend into the team.
After arriving in Aizawai, the team began to have prayer meetings for revival, however there was no sign. Shortly after this, some of the team decided to part ways, in order to return to their homes in Serkawan. The team sang together ‘God be with you till we meet again’ and the Holy Spirit was poured out on the team. Their meeting lasted for hours, with people making confessions of faith and repenting of sin.
Now, there is no other Indian state or city which can lay claim to having no homeless people, no starvation and 100% literacy. The Mizo people raise the finance to send over 1000 missionaries through selling rice and firewood donated by the believers. When the women cook rice, they put a handful in a missionary bowl, which is sold at the market.
Even the Indian media recognised the dramatic social change was due to the growth of Christianity.
The Mizo people are now known for their joy and warmth, their love for music and dancing which has been incorporated into their worship and their generosity seen in re-building neighbours hurts destroyed by the annual monsoons.
Let’s pray
For our Mizo brothers and sisters. Let’s pray that their faith would continue to grow and as a result their evangelistic efforts would continue to reach many people with the gospel.
Let’s be thankful that God can turn an entire people to himself and pray that he does the same in the UK. Let’s pray for an out-pouring of God’s Holy Spirit on the UK and in Europe.
Let’s pray that God would raise up those missionaries, evangelists, pastors, preachers, shepherds, teachers, prophets, etc that are going to preach God’s word with truth, grace and power.
Let’s pray that as the Church in the UK, we would be known for being full of joy, warmth and generosity, as well as being passionate about worshipping our great God, as the Mizo people are.
He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.
And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.”
After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God. Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.
Mark 16:15-20