The legacy and ministry of William J. Seymour may seem heartbreaking, but the results of his efforts in the three short years between 1906 and 1909 produced and exploded the Pentecostal movement around the world. Today, many denominations attribute their founding to the participants of the Azusa Street church, and countless others are linked to this revival. Whenever Azusa is mentioned, most immediately think of the power of the Holy Spirit that was poured on their ranks.
As you continue to explore the great generals of our past and determine to learn from their successes, follow those, like William J. Seymour, who pressed into God's Spirit. Let his fiery sermons ignite your heart and imagination, and encourage you to a deeper walk with the spirit.
William Seymour (1870 - 1922)
Was an American Methodist born in Indiana who joined the Salvation Army in the 1890s. From his base on Azusa Street he began to preach his doctrinal beliefs. Seymour not only rejected the existing racial barriers in favor of "unity in Christ", he also rejected the then almost-universal barriers to women in any form of church leadership. This revival meeting extended from 1906 until 1909, and became known as the Azusa Street Revival. It became the subject of intense investigation by more mainstream Protestants. Some left feeling that Seymour's views were heresy, while others accepted his teachings and returned to their own congregations to expound them. The resulting movement became widely known as "Pentecostalism", likening it to the manifestations of the Holy Spirit recorded as occurring in the first two chapters of Acts as occurring from the day of the Feast of Pentecost onwards. It is believed, Charles Harrison Mason, founder of the Church of God in Christ, received the Holy Spirit at the revival.While there had been similar religious movements in the past (the Cane Ridge, Kentucky, religious movement a century before in the Second Great Awakening being one such example), the current worldwide Pentecostal and charismatic movements are generally agreed to have been in part outgrowths of Seymour's ministry and the Azusa Street Revival.
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