There have been extraordinary times when God has blessed the proclamation of His Word to many souls. In the following Bible examples of large-scale conversions, there are unique features that challenge our thinking. We should not gloss over these unusual aspects, even if we cannot fully understand or explain them. The sovereign purposes of God are revealed in that God uses whomsoever He wills, when He wills, and in whatever way He wills. We are sometimes surprised at His choices.
The Conversion of Gentiles in Nineveh
In this story, God used a reluctant and ungrateful servant, the prophet Jonah. When God instructed him to go to Nineveh, eastward, Jonah disobeyed. He rose up and fled westward in the direction of Tarshish.
Despite Jonah’s disobedience, God did not give up on him. This reminds us of how longsuffering and merciful God is with His erring children. Jonah’s tumultuous experiences in the storm, in the sea and in the belly of the great fish were all arranged by God for a greater purpose. God gave him a second chance, to which he responded. He finally set off for Nineveh with an uncompromising message of imminent doom and warned that, unless the people repented, divine judgement would fall after a period of 40 days. He preached and “the people of Nineveh believed God” (Jon 3:5).1 The prophet’s subsequent displeasure at this blessing is perplexing.
Nineveh was the great and magnificent capital city of the Assyrian Empire. It has been estimated that the population of Nineveh was about two million people, in which case the salvation of so many at one time was remarkable. As with most revivals, the results were not permanent. After several generations had passed, the Assyrians reverted to the evil and cruelty of former days. The prophecy of Nahum revealed that judgement would fall upon them.
The Conversion of Samaritans in Sychar
Coming into the New Testament, in John 4 we read of the testimony of a new believer affecting a whole city. The Lord Jesus travelled through Samaria where He met a single needy woman beside Jacob’s well. The encounter took place at noon. Traditionally, women visited wells to collect water early in the morning or in the evening. If, as some suggest, this woman was known to be an immoral person who had cohabited with many men, she probably preferred to come alone.
As the conversation developed, step by step, the Saviour revealed who He was: firstly, a Jew who spoke to her kindly, and secondly, a prophet who knew the details of her sinful past. The climax came when He identified Himself as being none other than Christ, the Messiah. That day the woman drank deeply of the water of life He freely offered her, and she believed on Him.
She was so thrilled at this encounter with Christ that she forgot why she had come to the well in the first place. Did she also forget to give Him a drink? She left her waterpot behind and hurried into the city to testify concerning Christ. As a result of the woman’s witness to the people of her city, many were saved. The interest of others was stirred so that they came to Christ to hear Him for themselves, and they too were saved (Joh 4:39-41).
The Conversion of Jews in Jerusalem
When the risen Lord appeared to the eleven disciples, He promised them that He would send the Holy Spirit who would give them power to be His witnesses (Act 1:8). Beginning in Jerusalem, the good news would be spread much further afield. And so, on the day of Pentecost, and after the descent of the Holy Spirit, Peter stood up and boldly proclaimed the truth before a large gathering of his Jewish countrymen: they had crucified the Messiah, but God had raised Him from the dead. This was a new and fearless Peter, not the old one who drew back and cowered in the shadows.
Three thousand souls believed that day (Act 2:41). They obeyed the Lord by being baptised and added to the company of Christians. How did the leaders organise the baptism of so many new believers? And how would they have conducted their meeting when they broke bread to remember the Lord? We can only surmise how these logistical challenges were resolved.
Following the miraculous healing of the lame man who was laid at the temple gate every day and Peter’s proclamation of the risen Christ, opposition arose from the religious leaders of the day. They were disturbed and felt threatened by the new movement that seemed to be gaining ground rapidly. Despite the authorities opposing Peter and John and holding them in custody overnight, an even greater number believed, some five thousand men (Act 4:4). The spreading flame could not be extinguished.
The Conversion of Gentiles Further Afield
Although many Jews were saved at the beginning, Jewish opposition was soon mobilised to vigorously oppose the new movement. This became so intense and virulent on the first missionary journey that Paul declared to the Jews of Pisidian Antioch that “we turn to the Gentiles” (Act 13:46). This was a fulfilment of the word brought to him by Ananias soon after his conversion (9:15). In Iconium, the blessing continued when “a great multitude both of the Jews and also of the Greeks believed” (14:1).
By the end of the book of the Acts, the gospel had spread from Jerusalem to the farther outreaches of the Roman Empire. It had penetrated to the very heart of the empire following Paul’s first imprisonment in Rome. Members of Caesar’s household had come to faith in Christ (Php 4:22).
Will there ever be such revivals again? We do not know, but God is able. Meanwhile, we still require compassion, faithfulness, boldness and eagerness in gospel activity. In the 18th and 19th centuries, large revivals affected thousands of people in New England, in the province of Ulster, and elsewhere. However meagre the harvest might seem in our generation, one day when we get home to heaven, we will surely see the bountiful fruit, the “travail of his soul” (Isa 53:11). He shall be satisfied and, if so, we shall surely be satisfied as well.
1 Bible quotations in this article are from the KJV.
