Pentecostal movement
The Pentecostal movement was founded by a black African American called: William J. Seymour , in April 14th 1906, through the Azusa street revival (in Los Angeles California) which began 1906 and ended around 1917, though the revival was decreasing in its effect from the location of Azusa street.
This same revival began to take form into different churches and congregations of Christian believers, by this time when Azusa street was at the highest pitch of its revival, the main stream Christian movement was the protestant movement which proceeded from Martin Luther's teachings and ideology.
Leaders from the protestant churches came to William J. Seymour's meetings (Azusa street revival) and from there they took back the fire of revival into their own churches.
This revival introduced the world to the Pentecostal movement which was proclaimed by William Seymour to be the movement that God had commissioned to restore the gifts of the spirit (speaking in tongues, healing of the sick, casting out devils etc) which had disappeared from the church, this movement was also called the revival of the miracles that were entrusted to the church as the apostle demonstrated them in the book of Acts.
William J. Seymour was also the first gospel preacher who broke the barriers of racism between black and white in the United States.
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This revival meeting extended from 1906 until 1909, and 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 Apostolic church at Azusa street in California year 1906 |
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.
Pentecostal and charismatic movements are generally agreed to have been in part outgrowths of Seymour's ministry and the Azusa Street Revival.
William Seymour died of a heart attack in 1922.
The Pentecostal movement was connected to the protestant movement because it originated from it, but because of doctrinal differences it also became a movement of its own.
Seeking a return to the operation of New Testament gifts of the Holy Spirit, speaking in tongues as evidence of the "baptism of the Holy Ghost" became the leading feature. Divine healing and miracles were also emphasized.
Pentecostalism swept through much of the Holiness movement, and eventually formed hundreds of new denominations in the United States and the world at large.
By Apostle A Ngabo
