Why We Don't Need Another Azusa Street Revival

I knew that title would get your attention so before you read me the riot act, let us go over some historical facts. The Azusa Street Revival was mainly about seeking the manifestation of tongues through the baptism of the Spirit. As a result of fasting and praying, William Seymour received this gift along with other manifestations of God's Spirit. I started to think about what happened in that upper room the first time the disciples received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. 

When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. (Acts 2:1-4)

As you can see this wondrous gift came from heaven. I thought about the curious misunderstanding many of us have about the baptism of the Spirit. Many believe that if you don't speak in tongues you are not "spirit filled." How can this be? If Jesus lives in us doesn't that mean we are "Spirit filled." For those who consider ourselves "Spirit filled" Let me ask you something... does the Holy Spirit come from above or from within? Remember that we are on the other side of the prophecy by Joel, "‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh." 

(Acts 2:17)

On the day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit was poured out from above on all flesh. As believers He comes from within. The Holy Spirit baptism is only granting the Holy Spirit permission for manifestation. He already lives in us. When I got baptized in the Spirit for the first time, it bubbled up from my belly and came flowing out my mouth like a river. 

He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” (John 7:38)

My point is this...we are already Pentecostal! Some of us not only speak in tongues but prophesy and heal the sick. We have what they received on Azusa Street already. What we need is the Welsh Revival. I'm not trying to sound partial here but the Welsh Revival caused national change. The bars no longer had drunks, the policeman had nothing to do and workers stopped their swearing. Here are four keys that caused the Welsh Revival success!

1. Confess all known sin

2. Deal with and get rid of anything ‘doubtful’ in your life

3. Be ready to obey the Holy Spirit instantly

4. Confess Christ publicly

The first key and most highly contested of all...is the message of repentance! My friends there is a great push right now to do away with the message of repentance but without it men cannot enter a relationship with God. You can say the sinner's prayer but without repentance it is not a true conversion. Jesus never asked people to pray the sinners prayer but He did ask people to repent, deny themselves and follow Him.

Secondly, another message that is also being contested, is dealing with sin in the life of believers. Compromise runs rampant in the church while some deny the existence of sin! The bible says that if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 1 John 1:8 

The third key is being obedient to the Holy Spirit. Doesn't seem life changing but if a Christian just prayed and obeyed what the Holy Spirit told them they would be doing the "greater works!" Someone being led of the Holy Spirit would be executing the commissioning of Mark 16:15-18. We forget the Holy Spirit came so that we would become witnesses! 

I was talking to fellow friend and revivalist Chad Taylor this week when I shared this observation. If 120 people turned the world upside down when they left the upper room why can't a stadium full of Christians change America? I have seen thousands upon thousands of Christians in those mega churches on TV, yet things remain unchanged. Why?

I am going to tell you why. We have not left the upper room! We still have not executed key number four...the public confession of Christ. I will even go further by saying that it is the lack of the powerful demonstration of genuine love, and a holy lifestyle that people aren't convicted to live for God. Honestly, if your lifestyle does not convict anyone than you have not followed through with keys number two and three. People fail to see that the largest reason for the success of the Welsh Revival was key number four! They had massive conversions because they went all over Wales bringing the genuine message of repentance. They saw thousands come to Christ. This is what caused national change!

My friends, if we are going to see America return to God we need to stop chasing after manifestations, signs and wonders. We need to be more concerned with the character of Christ being formed in us. There are way too many messages that focus on self. As I spent reading 1 Corinthians 13; I realized that we can claim to have a revival but it still may not hold any weight. Why? Because outside of the motivation of love all we have is the people in Matthew 7:21-23 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ 

God is not impressed with all the supposed sacrifice, manifestations, tongues, prophecy, martyrdom, knowledge, degrees, and good deeds we may claim we do. Outside of the motivation of love which compels us to obey Him, our works are nothing short of annoying and unprofitable. If we are going to truly bring change in the short time we have here on earth we must make it our goal to actively have a public confession of Christ that represents who He really is. Jesus was a love revolutionary! Let's become one too!

Where Is Jesus?

I can't explain the grief I feel in my heart as yet more scandals break out among Christian leaders and churches here in America. I got on my knees this morning and took my husband's hand to ask God to give us more character. I know that if my heart is breaking, that God's heart is breaking even more as wanton lawlessness continues to spread through the church like a virus. There are whole groups of people out there that would rather turn the blind eye than to look at the spots, wrinkles and blemishes on Christ's bride. I don't know about you but I hate getting stains on my clothes. Most people do. As soon as something drops onto our clothes our immediate reaction is to try to clean it off. Yet, churches keep their stains behind pulpits defiling the masses of people who hear them make excuses for their greed and licentiousness. God will not wink at sin no more. and He will not accept a bride who has stained the bridal clothes He has washed in His precious blood. 

And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead. 

Acts 17:30-31

I see it in the newslines almost everyday as Christians around the world suffer severe persecution for their faith. Children picking through trash in Egypt, Christian missionaries requiring immediate help out of their countries or face death. Where is the money for their release? It is being spent on lavish homes, vacations, and buildings. Recently, they found a pastor and his wife, guilty of funneling money to his wife's Hollywood pop star career. They justified it by saying they were trying to crossover into secular media and be an influence there. How can they be? When his wife is seductively dressed and looks nothing like Jesus. Instead of the church being a Joseph in the time of famine, millions of dollars are misspent on lavish living all the while American parishioners struggle with homelessness, hunger and widespread poverty. It sickens me and it sickens God.


“I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot,I will vomit you out of My mouth. Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked— I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. (Revelations 3:15-18)
In the above scripture, Jesus, lets the church know that even though they think they need nothing and are quite content with their status quo, that they are actually blind to their spiritual condition. His counsel is for them to buy gold refined in the fire. There is no other way to rid ourselves of the spiritual blindness, lukewarmness, and shame; other than to be baptized in fire. It is the only way to gain heaven's riches and get our robes to become white again! It is fire that will cause us to reflect the Jesus everyone is looking for!

In this very hour of apostasy, the masses are crying out where is Jesus?! Many wander around from church to church trying to find Him. Others have given up their quest to find this wonderful Jesus they read about in their bible. Instead they spend their time watching an image on TV from a distance that will not disappoint them. Some of them don't realize that the reason Jesus has been hard to find is because He can no longer be seen in their own lives. They have allowed the sin of others to cause their own fire to grow cold. The good news is that your heart can receive a fresh new baptism of His holy fire causing you to return to the passionate, fervent love that you had when you first met Him!

For those of you who are discouraged, I want to encourage you to find Jesus in places you never thought of looking. Jesus is behind the prison walls declaring God's freedom to the captive. He is sitting on the street with a homeless sign and laying in the hospital waiting for your prayers. He waits eagerly in the morning for your eyes to open so He can speak to you. He looks back at you when you look in the mirror. He waits for you to be His hands, His feet and His voice to this world. 

Where are the Mother Theresa's of this hour? Who dragged the sick and dying sinners out of the mud of Calcutta. Where are the William Booth's who called sinners to sing a new song unto the Lord? Where are the William Seymour's who make themselves of no reputation and who hide their faces from men so that they can be seen of God? Where are the Moses' who forsook the treasures of Egypt, refusing to take the name of Pharaoh's daughter and chose to be counted among his suffering brethren? Where are the disciples who do not find themselves worthy to suffer on the cross as their savior did? Where are those who like Jesus, do not love their lives unto death that they might have a better resurrection? Where is Jesus?! He is waiting to be made manifest through you!

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We Must Decrease That He May Increase

Thus says the Lord:
 Jeremiah 6:16
Love is so attractive and in essence that is who He is. If we are to have revival we must become love. We must decrease so He can increase. So my friends there lies the root of the problem. We have increased ourselves so much in the sight of others that they don't see Him anymore! The only solution is to take up the cross and deny ourselves. We must put away selfish ambition and empty conceit; esteeming others higher than ourselves. Philippians 2:3-4 We must humbly concede all of our plans to God so that He can take over our services and ministries. Then we must become like that humble man (William Seymour) at Azusa Street who buried his face between wooden crates and prayed for God's presence to visit His people.
Love is so attractive and in essence that is who He is. If we are to have revival we must become love. We must decrease so He can increase. So my friends there lies the root of the problem. We have increased ourselves so much in the sight of others that they don't see Him anymore! The only solution is to take up the cross and deny ourselves. We must put away selfish ambition and empty conceit; esteeming others higher than ourselves. Philippians 2:3-4 We must humbly concede all of our plans to God so that He can take over our services and ministries. Then we must become like that humble man (William Seymour) at Azusa Street who buried his face between wooden crates and prayed for God's presence to visit His people.

“Stand in the ways and see,
And ask for the old paths, where the good way is,
And walk in it;
Then you will find rest for your souls.

What people are really looking for is the presence of God. Not another song, another motivational speech, conference or guest speaker. They just want Jesus but we get in His way because we want to be seen. This world just wants to see Jesus but they see human flesh and are turned off by it.

Our mantra should be the cry of the Welsh Revival "bend us." Their plan of action:

1. Confess all known sin

2. Deal with and get rid of anything ‘doubtful’ in your life

3. Be ready to obey the Holy Spirit instantly

4. Confess Christ publicly

If we as a church were to truly just put into practice the 1st principle and humbly confess our sin; that alone would cause a great move of God! Before we can ever experience the times of refreshing we must come with penitent hearts. However, if we go around and act as if we are in need of nothing, we will not experience the very thing we need the most. The current mantra is: we have no sin, we need no conviction and we need no law! We are fine the way we are. The lukewarm church in Revelation also held the same view they did "not know that they were wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked." Yet the counsel of God remains the same, "I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see." (Revelations 3:18) It is only through the baptism of fire that may obtain the precious gold crown that Jesus wants to bestow on us.

My friends we can not wear a crown if we won't carry the cross. We have become ashamed of the gospel and rarely preach being crucified with Christ. We have replaced these biblical principles with modern doctrines that have steered us away from taking personal responsibility for the awful shape we are in. Yet, the bible warned us long ago... For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. ⁴ But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief.
(1 Thess. 5:3-4) 

Could it be that the pregnant church has not given birth to revival because of the lack of repentance? Jesus warned us “Take heed that no one deceives you. ⁵ For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many." Matthew 24:4-5 It is those who come in His name that we need to be worried about in these Last Days. Jesus tells us how we will know they are false prophets, "Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. ¹² And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold." Matthew 24: 11-12 These are the mark of false prophets. They are lawless and Jesus will say to them in that day, "I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!" These ministers thought they could work mighty signs and wonders yet be living outside of God's laws and principles. There will be no such thing! Our sin will never enter into the Holy of Holies; nor will we, be able to flaunt our works before a holy God.  

My friends, is there anything doubtful in our lives? Any sin? Let us confess to God what is causing us to stumble. Forgiving others who have hurt us. Laying down our pride. Picking up our cross and denying ourselves. Esteeming others higher than ourselves. Loving others unconditionally. It is what Jesus did. "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, ⁶ who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, ⁷ but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. ⁸ And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross." Philippians 2:5-8 

Oh Father, make us humble bondservants. Give us the mind of Christ. Give us that love. Help us decrease. Increase in our lives. Father let us never be ashamed of preaching the cross that you so humbly died on. Bring revival to our nation and to our lives in Jesus name.

Excerpts from my book Be Attitudes of Revival

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