A Nugget from New Life Network(from Rev. Ed and Cheryl Henderson)
Scripture for the Day – July 15, 2020
And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. (Acts 1:4-5)
We have had some great revivals in this country and around the world. Probably the greatest one of all time was the Azusa Street revival in San Francisco, CA in the early 1900s. This revival was led by a one-eyed black man named William J. Seymour. He was the son of emancipated slaves from Louisiana. His Biblical doctrines were like ticking time bombs that were just waiting to attract all the religious demons of the day. We have the same demons today.
Seymour’s beliefs sparked a Holy Ghost revival that produced many salvations and miracles of healing. Fire could be visibly seen from the roof top of the mission church which resulted in many phone calls to the local fire department. There were so many calls that the fire department finally refused to go out to the church because you could see the flames, but there was no physical fire. Here is a brief outline of what William J. Seymour believed and taught.
Baptism of the Holy Ghost -Seymour believed in a subsequent and separate experience after salvation as portrayed in the Book of Acts. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. (Acts2:4)
Integrated worship services – Seymour believed that when we were born in the natural we identified ourselves as black or white (or whatever), but when we were truly born again in the Spirit we became a new creation in Christ and those divisions should have disappeared because we are all one in Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:28).
Women in Leadership – Seymour believed in women in leadership. And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: (Joel 2:28) Neither pray I (Jesus) for these alone, but for them (that is us) also which shall believe on me through their word; That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. (John 17:20-21).
These beliefs are still ticking time bombs in the Church today, which should not be. The following are some of the comments made from the local media as this revival was happening: Religious fanaticism creates wild scene; Holy kickers carry on mad orgies; Whites and blacks mix in a religious frenzy; Wives left their husband to follow a preacher; Disgusting scenes at Azusa street church.
Seymour went through a lot of challenges and condemnations throughout this revival. After several years of this he was left with a small church, and many people say he was a failure. He was not a failure! The roots of all the large Pentecostal churches today can be traced back to Azusa Street. Church leaders from all over the world came to Azusa street during that revival. Present churches in the United States like the Assembly of God, the Church of God, the Church of God in Christ, the Pentecostal Holiness Church, and hundreds more were all linked to Azusa Street. In the early 1900s there was only a very few Pentecostal people in the United States and abroad. There are now over 400 million and growing fast. I would say that was a successful mission.
Thank you William Seymour, because I am one of those millions!!!
