Talk on Tuesday
This month marks the 110th anniversary of the Azusa Street Revival.
(This is the postcard that I put together for the devotional.)
It began the same as Acts 2.
A group of people came together in prayer and the Holy Spirit showed up.
They began to speak with other tongues,
strangers who came to check things out heard their life story and the goodness of God.
There were healings done by many, both young and old.
This was led by a man named William J. Seymour,
the son of slaves who had been freed due to the civil war.
He was born in 1870 in Louisiana.
Seymour worked for awhile with his parents on the plantation but wanted more for his life.
He worked his way further north to Indianapolis,
where he worked as a hotel waiter.
When racial tensions began to increase he moved back down south.
He attended a Bible College in Houston, Texas started by Charles Parham.
Through Charles Parham and a friend by the name of Lucy Farrow, Seymour became convinced that the initial evidence of the baptism of the Holy Spirit was tongues.
In February of 1906, Seymour was invited to move to Los Angeles to pastor a small gathering.
His first sermon was from Acts 2:4, preaching that tongues
was the evidence of the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
The founder of the church was so upset that she bolted the doors shut.
Seymour stayed with a member of the church who took pity on him.
Seymour spent much time praying and fasting.
Soon Seymour began to minister at a small Bible study and prayer meeting
at 214 Bonnie Brae Street. (above)
The group began to grow and the meetings would last for hours.
People were being filled with the Spirit.
They needed a larger location.
They moved to 312 Azusa Street, to an abandoned two-story building.
At the same time, there was a disastrous earthquake that occurred on April 18, 1906,
that left many dead and many more homeless.
This was good ground to plant some seed.
There were healings, creative miracles, and salvations happening continually.
Services began at 10:00 every morning and continued until near midnight.
People came from around the world and brought the revival back to the hometowns.
This was the beginning of the Pentecostal Movement.
William Seymour married Jennie Evans Moore on May 13, 1908,
and lived in the modest apartment upstairs in the Azusa Mission.
(This is the back of the postcard.)
This is an interview with two people who were children during the Azusa Street Revival.
This interview shares some of the healings that occurred during the Azusa Street Revival.
If you are interested in more details, you can listen to Roberts Liardon share his story.
God spoke to Lou Engle to have a stadium full of people in Los Angeles to
commemorate the 110th anniversary of the Azusa Street Revival.
It was a 15 hour event that was on live stream.
The above video shares Lou Engle's vision for this event.
You can view various portions of the live event that occurred on April 9, 2016,
by going to You Tube and searching Azusa Now.
I hope you enjoyed that quick little "Talk" on the Azusa Street Revival.
I know we all long to see an outpouring where whole communities are affected.
Are we really ready for the commitment this would need?
I think it's a good question to ask ourselves.
Something to think about.
Have a wonderful day!!
