Smith Wigglesworth (1859 - 1947)

“Oh, if you would only believe God! What would happen? The greatest things!”

Ah, Mr. Wigglesworth.

When you look this man up on the internet you might be surprised at what you find. In fact, if you look him up on google, it lists two things as his occupation: Plumber and Evangelist. Mr. Wigglesworth was a plumber by occupation.

Judging by the circumstances, one might have said that Mr. Wigglesworth was the most unlikely candidate for what God wanted to do. He never spent a day in school; he couldn't read or write; in fact he couldn't even talk right.

Nonetheless, Mr. Wigglesworth overcame all these difficulties, and became a man so full of faith, that he walked in another reality. Today many historians refer to Mr. Wigglesworth as the Apostle of Faith.

Born in 1859, in Yorkshire, England, into an extremely poor family, Smith Wigglesworth had to begin working at age 6. He accepted the Lord at age 8 when his grandmother took him to attend an old-time Wesleyan revival meeting.

Mr. Wigglesworth became a successful plumber, and eventually met his wife, Polly, at a Salvation Army meeting. The two were married, and together they started a church. Because Smith had difficulty speaking, his wife Polly was the preacher. And he “encouraged her to do it all.” This was the simple, ordinary routine he and his wife lived for many years.

Surprisingly, it wasn't until Smith Wigglesworth was in his 50’s that the ministry for which we remember him today began. He was first introduced to divine healing in early 1900s. The next significant milestone in his life was in 1907, when he received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. To him this was his greatest gift. Yet the ultimate turning point for him was in 1913 when one evening, after preaching a sermon, his wife suddenly died. He raised her back to life for a short period, but the Lord told him to let her go. He did, and she went home to be with the Lord. It was after this that Smith Wigglesworth began to receive and accept invitations to minister around the world. It was then that his healing ministry began to explode in unprecedented ways.

It’s important to note that during his lifetime, not everyone liked Smith Wigglesworth. He was considered controversial, and his methods were unorthodox. He was blunt, strong-willed, and forceful when it came to acting upon his faith. But it all points back to the fact that he was not in any way a man pleaser. He believed God, obeyed Him, and stood immovable. There is a reason we still talk about this man today. Some of the documented stories of this man's acts of faith and the miracles that he saw I believe are unparalleled. Below is one such account:

One time a man came up for prayer in one of Smith Wigglesworth’s meetings. The man was lying on a hospital bed, and a doctor was standing next to him. Wigglesworth approached him and said, “Whoots ūp?!” (This is how he would ask people what they wanted). The doctor explained that the man had very bad cancer, and he was going to die soon. In response, Smith Wigglesworth lifted his fist up in the air, spun it around like a baseball pitcher getting ready to pitch, and punched the man in the stomach so hard that he died right there on the spot. The doctor was shocked. He checked the man’s heartbeat with his stethoscope and said, “You killed him! He’s dead! You killed him!” Smith Wigglesworth then looked the doctor straight in the eye and said, “Ees ‘ealed” (Meaning “he’s healed,” He didn't pronounce his h’s) and then walked away to pray for the next person.

I don't know about you, but I'm sure glad the story didn't end here! Several minutes later, as Wigglesworth was down the prayer line praying for other people, the man who had died came running up to him, completely—totally healed. The man was shouting and jumping up in the air. Wigglesworth simply looked at the man and said, “Well, give thanks to God!” and then walked away to pray for the next person.

This story gives a good example of why Smith Wigglesworth was controversial in his day. His methods were unorthodox, and many were offended by him. Nonetheless, the fruit of his life was undeniable. It is documented that Wigglesworth raised 14 people from the dead—even a man who had been dead in the casket for 3 days.

When Wigglesworth visited India, one person recorded that “God worked many mighty miracles; blind eyes were opened, deaf ears unstopped, stammering tongues spoke, men on crutches put them over their shoulder and went away, stiff joints were made supple, headaches and fevers vanished, asthma was treated as an evil power and cast out in the name of Jesus.” [1]

When Wigglesworth went to San Francisco, people laid their sick on the sidewalk; The people were then healed by his shadow as he walked by. [2]

Another time, during ministry in Switzerland, this account was reported:

“A child was brought to one meeting very ill. The doctors said that the sickness had to do with the head. Bro. W. [Wigglesworth] was shown by the Spirit that it was the stomach, and as he laid hands on the stomach and prayed, a worm 16 inches long, came out of the child’s mouth.” [3]

That must have been an exciting meeting!

Looking at all the success, few people realize how much Smith Wigglesworth had to overcome to get to that place. He once said, “Before God could bring me to this place He has broken me a thousand times.” That was a very true statement. He endured many challenges in his life, but nonetheless, overcame to become the living expression of boldness. He believed what God said and acted upon it, to an extent so extreme that it shook realities.

God used him to spark revivals in a number of different nations. Below are several first-hand accounts of what happened when Wigglesworth visited Sweden and Denmark, originally published in 1921 and 1922:

Report published in Confidence, p. 23 April - June 1921

SWEDEN AND DENMARK

HERR TH PLUM (St. Annœsplads, Copenhagen, Denmark) wrote to the Editor of “Confidence” to tell him how God was using Bro. Wigglesworth greatly in Sweden, etc.

“So far, no buildings have been large enough, and hundreds have been turned away.” After ministering in a hall which holds 3,000, a hall holding 5,000 was to be obtained.

Police on horseback had to control the crowds. “Only by a great squeezing could I get into the hall, assisted by the police officers.” Piles of crutches were left behind, the blind saw, epileptic fits dealt with, etc: “I am at the feet of Jesus, and weep through my address, and God breaks up the people, and there are rows of people each night seeking salvation.”

Bro. Wigglesworth writes: “A poor lame man in hospital asked the doctor for leave to attend the meetings, but was refused permission. He was told that if he broke the regulations he would not be permitted to return. He replied that he did not expect that he would have to return, and it was so.” When Bro. Wigglesworth laid hands on him (not knowing all this) he was healed, and left his crutches with the others. [4]

Report published in Confidence, p. 22-23, 26 April - June 1922

It was wonderful to notice the effect upon the people as the power of the Lord came over them. Some lifted their hands, crying, “I am healed! I am healed!” Some fell on the platform overpowered by the power of the Spirit, having to be helped down. Others walked away as in a dream; others as drunk with new wine, lost to everything but God; but all had faces as transfigured with the glory of the Lord and magnifying Jesus.

A young blind girl, as she was ministered to, cried out, “Oh, how many windows there are in this hall!” During the three weeks the meetings continued the great chapel was crowded daily, multitudes being healed and many saved. The testimony meetings were wonderful. One said, “I was deaf, they prayed, and Jesus healed me.” Another, “I had consumption, and I am free,” and so on.

STOCKHOLM.

Here long queues waited for hours to get in. The hall held 1,800 people. At nearly every meeting crowds were unable to enter the building, but they waited on often hours and hours for the chance, if any left the building, to step into the place. Here a man with two crutches, his whole body shaking with palsy, is lifted on to the platform. (Behind him five or six hundred more are waiting for help.) This man is anointed and hands laid upon him in the Name of Jesus. He is still shaking. Then he drops one crutch, and after a short time the other one. His body is still shaking, but he takes the first step out in faith! Will it be? He lifts one foot and then the other, walks round the platform. The onlookers rejoice with him. Now he walks around the auditorium. Hallelujah! [5]

* * * * *

One time, while wigglesworth was in the car on his way to preach, the church was already full and the streets around it were packed with cars. Wigglesworth began to pray for people in their cars before heading into the church! This was the kind of boldness he walked in. [6]

Yet another time, in Australia, the host pastor decided to take him to a fine-dining restaurant. It was the finest restaurant in the city. Everyone was dressed formally, and the pastor himself was a “dignified” man. But before the they served the food, Wigglesworth suddenly tapped his glass to get everyone’s attention. He then stood up in the restaurant to speak to a crowd of nearly 200 people, and addressed them with a loud voice saying, “I have observed that you have not prayed over your food. That’s the way hogs eat, they don’t pray over their food. So I will pray for you.” The pastor said he was so embarrassed that his face turned red. Wigglesworth then prayed with a loud voice, asking God to “bless and love all these people; to sanctify the food to their bodies; and to give them strength from the food that they may serve God.” He ended his prayer and said, “Thank you ladies and gentlemen,” and sat back down. The amazing thing was that before they had left the restaurant, Wigglesworth had led two families to Christ!

Wigglesworth once said, “If the Spirit doesn’t move me, I move the Spirit.” What a bold statement to make! Some might be offended by this statement alone, but the belief that God is moved (challenged; excited) by our faith holds true of His nature.

"I am not moved by what I see. I am moved only by what I believe." - Smith Wigglesworth

One time, in London, he stood up in a bus and began preaching the Gospel. He started laying hands on the passengers, and many of them wept and were radically touched by God. [7]

When it came to taking chances, Wigglesworth said this: “It pays to trust God with all and to make no reservation.”

Another time, while in Switzerland, he recalled:

"When I was in a little room at Bern waiting for my passport, I found a lot of people, but I couldn’t speak to them, so I got hold of three men and pulled them unto me. They stared, but I got them on their knees. Then we prayed, and the revival began. I couldn’t talk to them, but I could show them the way to talk to Someone else.” [8]

Another humorous incident was when Wigglesworth attended a formal concert in which Handel’s Messiah was performed. After the choir finished singing the last note of “The Hallelujah Chorus,” he yelled out at the top of his lungs, “Hallelujah!” Shocked concertgoers shuddered at this outlandish behavior. A reporter wrote in the morning paper the next day, "I never heard such a voice in my life!" [9]

The Heart of the Matter:

Wigglesworth was not only recognized for his miracles. More than the signs and wonders, he was a man known for the Presence of God. He lived in constant communion with the Holy Spirit.

In a manner of tone reserved only for lovers, Wigglesworth would often be heard saying, “Oh, He’s a lovely Jesus." Perhaps more than any of the stories I’ve heard, the account below moves me the most.

“There were eleven leading Christians in prayer with our Brother [Wigglesworth] at a special afternoon meeting. Each had taken part. The Evangelist then began to pray for the Dominion, and as he continued, each, according to their measure of spirituality, got out. The power of God filled the room and they could not remain in an atmosphere supercharged by the power of God.

The author on hearing of this from one who was present registered a vow that if the opportunity came, he at any rate would remain whoever else went out. During the stay in the Sounds a special meeting was called to pray for the other towns in New Zealand yet to be visited. A like position to the other meeting now arose. Here was the opportunity, the challenge, the contest was on. A number prayed. Then the oldest saint began to lift up his voice, and strange as it may seem, the exodus began. A Divine influence began to fill the place. The room became holy. The power of God began to feel like a heavy weight. With set chin, and a definite decision not to budge, the only one now left in the room hung on and hung on, until the pressure became to great, and he could stay no longer. With the flood gate of his soul pouring out a stream of tears, and with uncontrollable sobbing he had to get out or die; and a man who knew God as few do was left alone immersed in an atmosphere that few men would breathe in.” [10]

Let us ponder those last few words with sweet consolation, "...and a man who knew God as few do was left alone, immersed in an atmosphere that few men would breathe in."

I believe that more than anything, this is what Wigglesworth valued the most.

In 1932 Wigglesworth asked God for 15 more years of life. The Lord granted him this request, even to the week. On March 12, 1947, at eighty-seven years old, he went home to be with the Lord.

The Secrets to His Power:

After getting married, Smith Wigglesworth learned how to read from his wife. He did so only so that he could read the Bible. And he loved the Bible. The Bible remained the only book he ever read his entire life.

He so protected his faith, that he did not permit even newspapers to enter his home, saying, “I don't permit those lies into my house. Only Truth enters my house.”

“Truly it [the Bible] is the Word of God. It brings into man the personality of God; it changes the man until he becomes the epistle of God. It transforms his mind, changes his character, takes him on from grace to grace, and gives him an inheritance in the Spirit. God comes in, dwells in, walks in, talks through, and sups with him.”  ― Smith Wigglesworth

"Some people read their Bibles in Hebrew, some in Greek; I like to read mine in the Holy Ghost." ― Smith Wigglesworth

He also took communion every day. He believed it was the “great exchange” of his life for God’s life.

Below are a few more quotes from Smith Wigglesworth:

"I am not moved by what I see. I am moved only by what I believe." ― Smith Wigglesworth

"There is something about believing God that will cause Him to pass over a million people to get to you." ― Smith Wigglesworth

“There is nothing that our God cannot do. He will do everything if you will dare to believe.” ― Smith Wigglesworth

"I can get more out of God by believing Him for one minute than by shouting at Him all night." ― Smith Wigglesworth

"The reason the world is not seeing Jesus is that Christian people are not filled with Jesus. They are satisfied with attending meetings weekly, reading the Bible occasionally, and praying sometimes. It is an awful thing for me to see people who profess to be Christians lifeless, powerless, and in a place where their lives are so parallel to unbelievers’ lives that it is difficult to tell which place they are in, whether in the flesh or in the Spirit." ― Smith Wigglesworth

"If you are in the same place today as you were yesterday, you are a backslider." ― Smith Wigglesworth

"I don't often spend more than half an hour in prayer at one time, but I never go more than half an hour without praying." ― Smith Wigglesworth

“In me is working a power stronger than every other power. The life that is in me is a thousand times bigger than I am outside.” ― Smith Wigglesworth

What I Love:

"If the Spirit doesn’t move me, I move the Spirit."

Like I mentioned earlier, not everyone loved Smith Wigglesworth. Many were offended by him. However, history proves that it is because of those who think differently, who break out of the system of “normality,” and who allow the reality of GOD to define the world they walk in, that the world becomes a better place. Smith Wigglesworth was one of those men.

It is difficult not to love and appreciate the testimony of this man’s life. He inspires me to be bold and step out in belief, even if it means I might be humbled (lose face). I so appreciate him and the life he lived with God. Above all things, he was a friend of God. That was clearly seen and demonstrated. There is much we can learn from his example.

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[1] “Brother Wigglesworth in Ceylon,” Pentecostal Evangel, May 29, 1926, 10, http://smithwigglesworth.com/index.php/smith-wigglesworth-life/1926-india-and-ceylon
[2] Hibbert, Secret of His Power, 69.
[3] A.H. Badger, “God Blessing in Switzerland,” Pentecostal Evangel, April 17, 1920, 15, http://www.smithwigglesworth.com/life/switz1920.htm.
[4] “Sweden and Denmark February-May 1921,” Confidence, April - June 1921, 26’ http://smithwigglesworth.com/index.php/smith-wigglesworth-life/1921-scandinavia
[5] “The Very Same Jesus. Divine Healing in Scandinavia, etc.,” Confidence, April - June 1922, 22 - 23, 26, http://smithwigglesworth.com/index.php/smith-wigglesworth-life/1921-scandinavia
[6] Frodsham, Apostle of Faith, 50-51.
[7] Hibbert, Secret of His Power, 36-37.
[8] Smith Wigglesworth, "Immersed in the Holy Ghost," Triumphs of Faith 41, no. 5 (May 1921) 113-114.
[9] Gary B. McGee, “The Revival Legacy of Smith Wigglesworth,” http://enrichmentjournal.ag.org/199801/070_wigglesworth.cfm
[10] Roberts, New Zealand’s Greatest Revival, 29-30.