There is historical and well-documented proof of God’s Divine Will for the City of Rochester: 190 years ago, Evangelist Charles Finney held powerful religious revivals that lasted from September 1830 to March 1831. His daily preaching and revival services moved listeners and led to several thousand public conversions, including many prominent members of the city. Before he arrived in Rochester, wickedness abounded and dance halls flourished. Finney says: “It was soon seen that the Lord was aiming at the highest classes of society. The lawyers, physicians, merchants, and indeed all the most intelligent people became interested and more easily influenced…a large number of lawyers, nearly all the judges, bankers, merchants and master mechanics and leading men and women in the city were converted.” Finney came to Rochester to fill the pulpit of the Third Presbyterian Church. The congregation was without a pastor and in danger of disbanding. He was joined by his family and friends, Daniel Nash and Mr. Clary, Upon arriving, Nash and Clary sought a room for rent to begin a prayer meeting. They shut themselves in that room and began to intercede for the city. Nash and Clary would rarely be seen outside, and they remained in that self-imposed chamber where they were overcome with the spirit of prayer.
They would fast for days, prostrate themselves upon the floor, and through much weeping and wailing, make intercession for the city. Finney relied on the power of prayer as the foundation for his ministry and the key to success. Finney’s strategy for winning a city was: prevailing prayer and powerful preaching. In the years before Rochester, Finney had perfected this style and become an effective soul winner. These revivals sparked the Great Awakening and unified the country around the Bible and the power of prayer. His particular teachings on Christian perfectionism inspired the Holiness Movement of the latter half of the nineteenth century and the Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements in the twentieth century. While he was based in the Presbyterian Church denominationally, the revival was notable for its ecumenical character. Finney’s preaching attracted Protestants from multiple denominations, and he worked deliberately to affect this.
A scripture he believed and taught was Hosea 10:12-13: “Sow righteousness for yourselves, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the Lord, until he comes and showers his righteousness on you. But you have planted wickedness, you have reaped evil, you have eaten the fruit of deception. Because you have depended on your own strength and on your many warriors…”.
Finney believed that God had given people free will and they should strive for divine salvation. Seeking to establish God’s kingdom on earth, Finney promoted abolitionism, temperance, and the growing role of women. In 1851, he became president of Oberlin College in Ohio, one of the first American colleges to accept women and black students. God expects that if His people (Believers) of Rochester’s Political Administration, Civic Leadership, and specifically the Church, who are called by His name, have dishonored His Name, by their iniquity, they should honor it by accepting the punishment of their iniquity. They may humble themselves under His hand, pray for the removal of the judgment, and seek His face and favor. However, this alone will not be sufficient unless they turn from their wicked ways and return to Him from whom they have revolted. Whenever calamity befalls our region, leaders often request prayers for God’s mercy, yet we continue issuing legislation contrary to His Divine will – recorded within the Holy Scriptures.
The Word of God also declares that He will laugh at our calamity when we are rebellious and lead His people astray. The saving grace is a remedy to avert punishment for iniquity, state, and national repentance and reformation. Proverbs 1:24-33 (ESV) “Because I have called and you refused to listen, have stretched out my hand, and no one has heeded, because you have ignored all my counsel and would have none of my reproofs, I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when terror strikes you like a storm, and your calamity comes like a whirlwind when distress and anguish come upon you. Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently but will not find me. Because they hated knowledge and did not choose, the fear of the Lord would have none of my counsel and despised all my reproof.
Therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way and have the fill of their own devices. For the simple are killed by their turning away, and the complacency of fools destroys them; but whosoever listens to me will dwell secure and will be at ease, without dread of disaster.” Every person is born with a God-given purpose and a territory in which they are to effect change.
Whether or not individuals choose to accept Jesus Christ as their Savior, they are held accountable for utilizing their gifts and talents. Regardless of one’s level of education, employment choice, or economic status, individuals can strive to be who God says they are; He knew each person before being formed in their mother’s womb. (Jeremiah 1:1-10 KJV) The cause and effect of the city-wide spiritual reformation resulted in tens of thousands of residents turning from the wicked ways, bars closing down, and the city’s morale being lifted. This would strongly suggest; “a hurting city is the outcome of a weakened church.” The city of Rochester – let’s do the right thing, let us repeat the history of turning to God, individually and collectively
