The 1906 Asuza Street Revival (Part 2)

The Asuza Street Revival was a spiritual awakening of seismic proportions that jarred the city of Los Angeles with God’s presence and power. Open at all hours, this church would give fervent messages on sin, salvation, and the Holy Spirit. The sounds of prayer and worship filled up the old abandoned building. Fire trucks would occasionally arrive at the site when bystanders would observe what looked like a glowing fire engulfing the structure and heard what sounded like a great explosion. But there never was any physical fire, just the moving of the Holy Spirit.

Unfortunately it was also a time in our nation when Jim Crow laws were still plentiful and women were suppressed from being able to vote. So when God began pouring out His Spirit upon Asuza, He made an impact far deeper than just large crowds and dramatic displays of emotions. He turned society’s expectations upside-down through the Spirit’s presence, while at the same time bringing Christians of all stripes together under one roof.

During its early years, about two-thirds of the Asuza congregation were still white, but unlike the society of that time, segregation and barriers were virtually non-existent. During the worship services which rang out day and night, Blacks, Latinos, Chinese, and Caucasians, along with men and women and children, would gather to pray and sing together unabashedly. It was a phenomena that was unheard of outside the church. It was also one of many powerful testimonies to God’s Spirit at work. Led by William Seymour, the unknown Black preacher who was blind in one eye, this Asuza Street revival confounded people. God used Seymour to deliberately seek a deep unity among God’s people even while humbly hiding his face behind shoe boxes during meetings. When you add to this all the signs and miracles, the profound sense of God’s very presence at the meetings, and the extraordinary enthusiasm and joy of the attendees, it is not surprising that even the most determined critics would be at a loss to quickly dismiss it.

There would be challenges during the next decade or so. Criticism would come. Some division took place. Racism would rear its ugly head once in awhile. But during this period, thousands of people found salvation from hearing the Gospel, and many more would be healed or set free. The revival would blaze across this nation and by 1907 find its way into Germany, Holland, and South Africa. Thousands of folks too from around the world and of different denominations would visit LA and find themselves ignited with revival fire and a fresh touch from the Holy Spirit. Then they would take the fire back home to their nations, to their churches. Asuza may not have drawn the largest crowds in history, but it left an impressive legacy in its wake. It had helped recover the vital truth that the Holy Spirit should be supernaturally at work today in each believer and through each believer. By His intimate presence. With the whole gamut of spiritual gifts. Through His incredible power released through us. This one truth took flight far beyond the borders of California, birthing one of the fasting growing movements within Christianity. Today more than 500 million believers have been shaped by what God started at Asuza, and its fires still burn brightly worldwide.

QUESTIONS TO DISCUSS:

1. What grabs your attention as you read about the mighty move of God at the little old church at Asuza street in 1906? What aspects would still be powerful if it were seen in more churches today in our city?
2. What kind of a witness should a Christ-centered church be to the world when the Holy Spirit has His way with those in the congregation?
3. What key truths does your church hold onto and amplify each week? How are they impacting lives locally and abroad? Are there any truths that are going untouched and unlived in your faith community? What can be done to remedy this?

Tags: California, United States