Christian Revival Legacy
‘If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land’ (2 Chronicles 7:14).
With the ByFaith website, TV and missions growing brothers Paul and Mathew Backholer focused their hearts on an ongoing passion which became one part of the triangle of Christian hope for ByFaith Media: Mission, Revival and Discipleship.
Christian revival and a Holy Spirit Awakening changes everything. In the 1990s, brothers Paul and Mathew attended the Friday night prayer meetings at their church which ended at midnight, in a titanic struggle for revival. “We were pressing in,” said Mathew. “The Lord told me to sell my car and so we cycled in the rain, snow or summer heat to make it to every prayer meeting, from those in the early morning to the all-night meeting.”
In those early years, the passion for another Christian awakening was sown into Mathew Backholer’s heart. “We travelled the world to be in the presence of God,” he said, “seeking where God was moving and experiencing His power.”
Mathew began studying Christian revival history at a young age and the thirst never ended. Now with a private library of more than one thousand revival books and memorabilia, Mathew Backholer is called upon to share his expertise as a revival historian from around the globe.
“My calling to Bible College was forged in the heat of revival,” said Mathew, “and the Lord guided me to study and later write books on Christian awakenings.”
Decades on from his first encounter with the Holy Spirit, Mathew has travelled all over the world to sites of Christian revival history, to interview people, to document the glory of the Lord falling and to investigate past moves of the Holy Spirit.
“We have a global legacy of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit,” said Mathew. “Those who think the days of revival are behind, simply need to read and learn that God has and is moving worldwide. Never let the spirit of doubt steal the hope of Joel’s Holy Spirit outpouring prophecy” (Joel 2:28-29).
As the author of such books as Global Revival, Understanding Revival, Revival Fire, Revival Answers, Reformation to Revival, and the hugely successful Revival Fires & Awakenings, Mathew Backholer urges Christians never to lose sight of what God has done.
“It’s part of my mission and calling to document Christian revivals and awakenings worldwide,” said Mathew. “The books I’ve written reflect the enormous scale of God’s power being released around the world in Church history.”
Mathew believes no revival should be forgotten. “When the Holy Spirit falls and changes lives, we must honour that legacy,” he said.
His books have been a blessing worldwide and with brother Paul, they produced a DVD documentary called Great Christian Revivals which captures the story of the Welsh, Hebridean and Evangelical revivals.
After reading his revival books Gordon Pettie, CEO of Revelation TV, invited Mathew to make a several-episode TV series on Christian Revival for the network and it is shared globally through streaming services.
“We must keep reminding ourselves that God did it before and He can do it again,” said Mathew. “When people feel it’s hopeless, that sin has run amuck and the Church has lost its power – it’s precisely then God steps in. He’s looking to us to humble ourselves, pray, turn from our wicked ways and seek God’s face for another Holy Spirit outpouring to bring our nations back to the Lord. 2 Chronicles 7:14 is the doorway to revival.”
Revival historian Mathew Backholer is the author of many books. You can find them here.
