Awakening

George Whitefield, of course, was one of the great evangelists in the history of the church. However, it is interesting to note that, in contrast to many preachers today, Whitefield did not encourage people to make a public profession of faith at his services. He saw many people moved by his preaching . . . and he saw the Holy Spirit arouse sinners to deep, often overwhelming, sense of sin. But Whitefield did not call this conversion, but, rather, awakening. He believed that many were awakened, but not all of them were converted. In this regard, Whitefield refused to count converts . . . he believed that only time, months and years, of righteous living would evidence true conversion. But, even then, he said, "Only the judgment morning will reveal who the converts really are." How refreshing!