AZUSA STREET 1906
The TONGUES OF FIRE Outpouring in 1906 in Los Angeles, California, better known as Azusa Street, is considered to be the origin of the modern day Pentecostal Movement. The Azusa Street Outpouring received more publicity because it was attended by and affected more people than the other two Outpourings, and it happened in a more populated area. However, the TONGUES OF FIRE Outpouring at Camp Creek located near Murphy, North Carolina, did predate Azusa Street by 10 years.
The Azusa Street Outpouring was led by a Black Preacher named William Seymour. The Revival began on April 9, 1906, and lasted approximately 9 years. It is understandable why many think or believe that Azusa Street is considered the “beginning” of modern day Pentecost because of its location, the publicity it received, and its duration of 9 years.
Although all three Outpourings were similar in nature due mainly to the presence of the “Tongues of Fire,” the Azusa Street Outpouring probably experienced many more manifestations of the Holy Spirit. There were more miracles, signs, wonders and healings reported at Azusa Street, not only in numbers, but also in frequency and intensity. This was also due to a larger influx of congregants and daily worshippers.
The Azusa Street Outpouring is considered by most Historians to be the primary catalyst of the Pentecostal Movement of the 20th Century. The lesser known 1896 Outpouring in Camp Creek received very little publicity at the time it was happening. However, which of the Outpourings gets the distinction of being the catalyst of the Pentecostal Movement is not really important. All that matters is that God began a new Movement in the hearts of men and women across this Nation which spread Worldwide and continues to do so. After hundreds of years the people of God have again begun to experience the BLESSING OF PENTECOST accompanied by TONGUES OF FIRE.
On April 9, 1906, after five weeks of preaching the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, and three days into a fast, a man named Edward Lee spoke in tongues for the first time at Azusa Street. At the next meeting six other congregants received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and began to speak with unknown tongues. Following an all-night prayer vigil on April 12, Seymour spoke in tongues for the first time.
News of the events which were happening at Azusa Street spread quickly among residents of the city of Los Angeles as the Outpouring gathered momentum. People from all walks of life began attending the meetings, and were touched by the New Outpouring of Pentecost.
Like the Outpouring in Camp Creek, there were many people, including many religious groups, who opposed this New Outpouring of the Spirit. Unlike the persecution and destruction experienced by the people at Camp Creek, the opposition to the Azusa Street Outpouring was mostly verbal and non-violent.
THE SAN FRANCISCO EARTHQUAKE OF 1906
On April 18, 1906, nine days after the Outpouring on Azusa Street began, the most destructive Earthquake in North American History took place in San Francisco, California. A deadly fire fed by ruptured gas lines finished in 90 seconds what the Earthquake failed to destroy. Some 700 people lay dead in the aftermath of the great destruction.
Many people blamed this tragedy on what they believed to be the “unholy happenings” at Azusa Street. Within hours after the Earthquake, gospel tracts were circulated in the area calling the tragedy the” judgment of God” and was not in any way related to the Tongues of Fire being experienced in Los Angeles. Whatever the cause of the Earthquake, shock waves of a different sort were being felt in both areas of California. One was an Outpouring of God’s Grace and Mercy in Los Angeles; farther up the Coast in San Francisco there was another outpouring of what many were calling the judgment of God.
EARLY SHOCK WAVES
Before the turn of the Century many Christians were seeking Revival more than they had in previous years. With the turning of a New Century men were turning to God for greater strength and power with hearts open to receive anything God would provide for them. A new Holiness Movement had begun across the Nation. The Blessing of Pentecost may not have been what they were seeking, but they knew and understood there had to be more than what they had experienced or were experiencing at the time. They were hungry to see God work in their midst.
Frank Bartleman, a Holiness Preacher from Los Angeles, had sought prayer from Evan Roberts who was the main leader of the Welsh Revival. Evan Roberts who is credited with starting the Welch Revival, responded to Bartlwman in a letter: “I pray God to hear your prayer, to keep your faith strong, and to save California.” According to Bartleman, he received the gift of faith to believe God for Revival.
Bartleman frequently wrote in Newspapers and Christian Periodicals admonishing and inspiring many people to seek Revival for their city. In 1905 he wrote in a small Holiness Newspaper: “Los Angeles seems to be the place and this the time, in the mind of God for the Restoration of the Church.” Later this statement was seen as truly Prophetic. The Revival many longed for in the Los Angeles area was realized less than 6 months later when Azusa Street exploded and burned with Pentecostal Fires.
Azusa Street was so powerful that the shock waves have been felt worldwide for over a Century. Almost every Nation in the World has been impacted by what God started in Camp Creek, North Carolina; Topeka, Kansas; and the Azusa Street Outpouring which began 10 years later. The shock waves of Pentecost and TONGUES OF FIRE Outpourings in these three areas of the Country became the catalyst of a great movement of God. These Fires of Revival cannot, and will not, ever be extinguished. A new Outpouring of the Fires of Pentecost will usher in the return of our Lord Jesus Christ during the end of days.
Many times people try to put out a small brush fire and think they have it extinguished. Suddenly, behind them they hear a noise, and in looking back they will see the fire they thought they had extinguished had again burst into flames. The TONGUES OF FIRE Outpouring which began in 1896 probably did not burn as brightly as the first Outpouring in Jerusalem, but was still very powerful. It was a BRIGHT new beginning which is leading to an even BRIGHTER future for God’s people in the last days. In order for God’s people to gather in a Great Harvest of souls Revival Fires will once again be rekindled on the Earth. God will again visit His people with a New Pentecost so the FIRES OF REVIVAL can burn brightly within His people.