2 of 5

Despite the sudden success of his ministry, biographical sketches of William J. Seymour assess him as "a meek man" and "a man of prayer." Believing that he and the other Azusa Street worshipers had received the promised gift poured out on the early church, Seymour knew they must share this gift with the world. From behind his pulpit of shoebox shipping crates, a new missiological paradigm for the 20th century emerged.

The motto of the Azusa Street Mission was best summed up by Seymour's constant pastoral admonition, "Now do not go from this meeting and talk about tongues, but try to get people saved." This Christ-centered, missionary message of Pentecostals has been highlighted by missiologist Arthur F. Glasser, who wrote: "Many evangelicals have been challenged by the immediacy and reality of God that Pentecostals reflect, along with their freedom and unabashed willingness to confess openly their allegiance to Christ. The achievements of their churches are equally impressive, reflecting their settled conviction that the full experience of the Holy Spirit will not only move the church closer to Jesus at its center, but at the same time, press the church to move out into the world in mission."

Cecil M. Robeck Jr., a Pentecostal historian at Fuller Theological Seminary, uses the word centrifugal to define the core of the Azusa Street revival. Those who were touched by it shared their experiences and touched the lives of others. Their divine empowerment was not meant for the sanctuary, but for the street. One newspaper reported Pentecostals' pervasive presence in public evangelism "on street corners and trolley cars."

The revival's leadership boldly published their priorities in a new periodical called The Apostolic Faith. Under the headline "PENTECOST HAS COME," the lead article in the premier issue (September 1906) was titled, "Los Angeles Being Visited by a Revival of Bible Salvation and Pentecost as Recorded in the Book of Acts."

In clear terms, an editorial expounded upon the leaders' understanding of the global purpose of the revival: "The power of God now has this city agitated as never before. Pentecost has surely come, and with it the Bible evidences are following, many being converted and sanctified and filled with the Holy Ghost, speaking in tongues as they did on the day of Pentecost. The scenes that are daily enacted in the building on Azusa Street and at missions and churches in other parts of the city are beyond description, and the real revival is only started, as God has been working with his children mostly, getting them through to Pentecost, and laying the foundation for a mighty wave of salvation among the unconverted."

With supernatural phenomena bursting on the scene, early Pentecostals were certain they were living in the end-time restoration of New Testament apostolic power. They reasoned that signs and wonders were a portent of Christ's imminent return. Little wonder, then, that they took off with such explosive dynamism. Many departed immediately, without adequate financing or missionary training, to far-flung destinations. In 1912, the Crouch family left Missouri for Egypt on a one-way trip. They covered most of their own expenses and expected to remain in Egypt until the Rapture, which they believed to be near at hand.

next page... |  2 of 5

share this page

April 2006, Vol. 50, No. 4