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henryslavens-blog · 6 years ago

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Azusa Street Revival

Last night I felt ill, but ended up wanting to learn more about Azusa since I don’t know much about it and now live here.

One of the first things to come up when you Google Azusa is the Azusa Street Revival which I had heard of before in different contexts. I knew it was an influential religious movement but wasn’t sure it actually took place in Azusa or what the details were surrounding it.

Turns out it took place in LA, not actual Azusa. That’s because Azusa, originally, is a word the Tongva people used to describe The San Gabriel Valley and its river; it was later that the city was created and given the name.

I watched twenty. minutes of this HOUR AND A HALF documentary produced in, like, the eighties (?) by Fuller Seminary. It’s a trip watching anything made by a religious organization during that time because you’re in danger of hearing something offensive; however, this documentary seemed fairly comprehensive, but sadly very, very boring.

I discovered that the leader of the revival was a black man, William J. Seymour, and may be one of the most influential black Christian religious figures of the past hundred years. This was a claim made by the documentary and I understand that it may be because the revivals were enormous and included people from the entire world, including India and China.

The LA Times wrote an article about the revival while it was happening, and criticized it because of the strange behavior witnessed inside the meeting place (tongues, swaying back and forth for hours, the singing of the same hymn the whole night, etc). The reporter also criticized the revival for being filled with so many black people, revealing the degree of racism present in LA at the turn of the twentieth century.

I liked reading about the revival because it’s hard for me to imagine and I like trying to fill in the blanks. Today, a revival like this would surely be organized and publicized via social media, TV, etc. I wonder how people ended up in this house on Azusa St (near Little Tokyo downtown)? The Times article said there were Christian travelers from afar that visited, but that transient people and those struggling with all kinds of addictions were welcomed inside as well. Clearly there was organization happening on the part of the revivalist leaders, but that would be limited compared to today’s standards.

What was it like to listen and sing to music in a small house that was filled to the brim with people? As I imagined, I realized I know nothing about sound technology during the early 1900′s, but assume it was minimal. I prefer a light instrumental component to religious worship settings because it allows me to hear the people around me sing a little and feel almost as if we are one voice. What a wild thing to experience a charismatic worship service with hundreds of voices, that somehow fit in and around a living room (?).

You have to assume that there truly were ALL types of people there, too, right? Like, I’m sure there were plenty of very enthusiastic Pentecostal Christians present, but likely there were friends of friends who had never been to something like this event, those who weren’t religious, or a few who were utterly unsure of what to make of the setting and the message surrounding it. How strange and wonderful.

Anyway, I wish this would have happened in Azusa. That was my goal starting off the night: learn about Azusa’s history. Well, I did see that Azusa is something like the heart of where the Tongva people settled, so that encourages me to dive deeper into learning about them. Also, I did see some other semi-intriguing stuff about Azusa, like what I think is a space technology company that sits down the street from me. More to check out.

Looking forward to unearthing more about my new home.

#azusa #azusastreetrevival #williamjseymour #azusahistory #tongva

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made2flourish · 2 years ago

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Did you know that October 31 is a significant day in Revival history🔥? Contrary to popular views, Halloween is not the “day of the devil.” Halloween was actually originally a day to honor the saints and martyrs and was to be a holy day, established in 609/10 A.D. It is God’s day, full of inheritance where He birthed two major Reformation and Revival movements that are still impacting us today, hundreds of years later. Both the Reformation (October 31, 1517) and the Welsh Revival (October 31, 1904) were both catalyzed on this special day in history. There is great momentum for us to step into on this significant day in revival history. October 31st is a time for revolutionary shifts to happen. It is a day pregnant with world-changing movements waiting to be catalyzed as we fiercely follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, even in unusual ways. It is a day of religious freedom and of freedom from the religious spirit. It is a day when God is waiting for His yielded ones to remember what He has done in history and to be ignited with a fresh fire for more of Him. Wherever you are in the world, I encourage you to gather with friends this October 31st to share Holy Ghost stories, pray and worship together on this significant day in revival history. Let’s gather together with one agenda, simply to worship Jesus and lift up His name on high. Together, we can tap into what God wants to do in our day by giving Him higher praise. Let's take back this significant day in history by releasing the fragrance of worship that pleases the heart of God, causing the darkness to tremble. Learn more about the history and true inheritance of October 31st link in bio or go to JenMiskov.com/blog #repost @JenMiscov #halloween #October31 #October31st #reformation #martinluther #welshrevival #evanroberts #azusastreetrevival #newjesuspeoplemovement #revivalfire #igniteazusa #fastingforfire #schoolofrevivalfire #christianblogger #trustgod #faithoverfear #wearyourfaith #faithbasedclothing #christianfaith #thewordofgod #godisincontrol #christianstore #fearnot #repyourfaith #womenintheword #KnowAngelique (at Wilmington, North Carolina) https://www.instagram.com/p/CkHL_8TAwxe/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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