Revival

 In 1906 there began a movement in America which saw the bringing together of both black and white Christians in the Holy Spirit filled worship of God. The movement began in a small house on Bonnie Brae Street in Los Angeles, California. The small congregation soon moved to Azusa Street where it grew and began the Pentecostal movement. This movement crossed racial divides and denominational lines at first, but when it too became a denomination, it reestablished the racial divides were so entrenched at the time. The Azusa Street revival was birthed out of the holiness tradition began by John Wesley. The link between the Azusa Street Revival and Methodists is a focus on the Holy Spirit and focus on a personal experience with God.

In my study at Seminary the Azusa Street Revival seemed to be a lynch pin in my study of church history. You almost can’t understand Christianity in America or the Evangelical movement without knowing what happened there. The Holy Spirit moved, and He changed the movement of History and of Faith in our country. It seems that when He shows up in power, people of different backgrounds are drawn to the church to worship with people that are different from them. Without the Holy Spirit we tend to find comfort with those that talk like us, think like us, and look like us. I grew up in a church that held revival every 10 years or so. It was at a revival led by Wesley Putnam that I first heard my calling to ministry during the singing of Here I am Lord. I remember learning about the personal holiness that John Wesley discovers for himself when he had his heart “strangely warmed.” It occurred to me then and occurs to me now that experiencing God must be important. We can know all the right things, do all the right things but we will be no closer to understanding the character of God without meeting Him.

Revival is defined by the American Heritage Dictionary as a series of meetings for reawakening faith. I can tell by someone who has attended a revival a series of meetings is right. We went to church every night for a solid week, and we still had church on Sunday morning. This definition, however, does not speak to the beginnings of the revival tradition or the heart of the tradition. What does speak to the beginnings and the heart is not a Church Meeting, but a meeting with the Holy Spirit. When we meet God He does not leave us the same. I can attest to going to many church meetings and going home to the same problems, looking at the same me in the mirror, but I can’t same the same for the times that I met with God. Those times were ones that I could almost hear my baggage shifting around. I knew it was still in the trunk, but it would not be in the same order that I packed it. Other times, more significant times, my tunk would open spilling out baggage and though laundry would be out on the street, I was too free to collect it all again just to have it back, so I moved forward.

I am praying this month during all the business, that you find a moment to meet with the Holy Spirit. Find God and find your revival.