Your Sons & Daughters Shall Prophesy - Prophetic Gifts Today In The New Testament Church

Edward Irving, Morning Star of Renewal

In 1822 he was appointed minister of the Caledonian Church in Hat ton Garden, London-possibly one of the lowest assignments a minister of that day could receive! "Little more than a chapel to the Caledonian Orphanage, [it] was in desperate plight....Probably only a desperate church would have come to him in the first place." 3 Soon, however, Irv ing's dramatic sermons and magnetic personality had filled the chapel, and "two years to the month after Irving's first arrival in London, the foundation stone was laid for a church big enough to accommodate his new congregation [in Regent Square]." 4 Writes Larry Christenson: "High society and low flocked to hear the Scotsman preach, rather smitten than deterred by three-hour long services, and thundering denunciations of their irreligion and immorality." 5 In 1826, through Irving's participation in a prophecy conference at Albury Park, he was stimulated to seek for and expect a restoration of spiritual gifts to the Church. 6 In 1828 "prayer groups were established to seek a new outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and many were led, by Irving's assistant, Alexander Scott, to seek the 'charismata' described in the NT as part of early Christian spirituality." 7 Irving conducted preaching tours to Scotland in 1828, 1829 and 1830, which helped fan anticipation for spiritual manifestations. 8 "In early 1830 parishioners near Glasgow began to experience charismata, especially glossolalia, and understood these in light of Irving's analysis.A delega tion from Albury [where the prophecy conference had taken place] was sent to investigate and concluded that the manifestations were indeed of divine origin." 9 At this time, unfortunately, the London area general presbytery of the Church of Scotland challenged Irving concerning his views on the human nature of Christ-an indictment that cast a dark shadow over his min istry.1 0 Meanwhile the reports of the appearance of the gifts of tongues and healing near Glasgow reached London, and Irving himself investi gated.He was intrigued by what he discovered. Irving, in London, immediately began special prayer meetings with the sole object of receiving the gifts, especially the gift of tongues. The magni tude of the yearning was attested by the crowds in attendance at the 6:30 a.m. services. By July, 1831, tongues and interpretations had begun to occur. At first, Irving restrained them, but the illogical position of admit� ting that they were utterances inspired by the Holy Spirit and yet trying to restrain them became increasingly untenable. His decision to permit tongues in any service isolated his more sedate parishioners, who objected to the frequent disruptions during the Sunday morning sermon. 11 269.