Showing posts with label Azusa Street. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Azusa Street. Show all posts

Monday, March 12, 2012

100 Year Old Prophecies of Revival Are Coming to Pass!


The great Azusa Street Awakening, which over the years resulted in 600 million being swept into the Kingdom of God and gave birth to the Pentecostal Movement, began in 1906. It was one of the greatest outpourings of the Spirit of God since Pentecost. Multitudes were saved, healed, and filled with the Holy Spirit. Incredible miracles occurred.

This great revival moved from Los Angeles to its new focal point of Chicago, Illinois. The two great centers of revival in Chicago were the North Avenue Mission and the Stone Church. Pentecost swept from Chicago to Canada, Europe, South America and Africa. One of the greatest outpourings occurred at Stone Church in 1913. The renown evangelist Maria Woodworth Etter began a revival on July 2, 1913 at Stone Church.

The services were to last until the end of July but continued for six months. This was a time of divine appointment for the city of Chicago; God rent the heavens and came down!! Scenes from the days of the Early Church began to occur at Stone Church. Word began to spread throughout Chicago of miraculous healings, deliverance from demonic possession, conversions, and of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit happening in these meetings. Advertisement was no longer necessary! The city was incredibly shaken.


Word spread of the miraculous intervention of God. Thousands came on trolleys, buggies, and trains, while many walked. Some came from distances of 1,600 miles away. 1200 to 1500 packed into Stone Church each night. The basement was filled and many stood out on the street. Street meetings were held to accommodate them. Three services were held on Sundays!

As Christians prayed around the altar one evening, Sister Woodworth-Etter and others gave the following powerful prophecy and divine promise, which they prophesied would occur within 100 years of the 1913 Chicago Visitation. She prophesied of this coming End Time Revival....

“We are not yet up to the fullness of the Former Rain and that when the Latter Rain comes, it will far exceed anything we have seen!”

Rev. William Seymour, the leader of the Azusa Street Awakening, also prophesied that in 100 years there would be an outpouring of God's Spirit and His Shekinah Glory that would be greater and more far reaching than what was experienced at Azusa.

It has been almost 100 years since these prophecies were given. In my own beloved church, I am seeing the beginnings of this prophecy being fulfilled. Young adults, married couples, youth and older adults are being converted. We have set up a new converts class in which 22 are enrolled! Our nursery, which for so long was near empty, is now crowded. Healing and miracles are occurring! The anointing of the Holy Spirit on the services is heavy and growing each week. Something IS happening!! I believe that we have reached the time of the fulfillment of these 100 year old prophecies. We must be diligent to pray, intercede and protect what the Lord is doing. We must encourage and edify one another as never before. We must crucify every critical, judgmental and religious spirit that may be within us. We must put on the holiness and righteousness of Christ. Our time of divine destiny has come. We are about to experience what Brother Seymour and Sister Woodworth-Etter foresaw. God is about to rend the heavens and come down! The greatest revival in the history of the church is at hand!

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Angelic Choirs Singing During the Great Revivals of History




 Angelic Choirs Singing During the Great Revivals of History


During great awakenings and historic revivals, Heavenly choirs have joined in with the  people of God to worship the Lord. During the Hebrides Awakening of 1947, Rev. Duncan Campbell and others were crossing the moors to minister to a nearby village. Suddenly, the heavens were filled with the voices of angels singing. The group dropped to their knees in great reverence and worshiped God. A similar occurrence took place in the Azusa Street Awakening of 1907 in Los Angeles. The following are a few of the exciting historical accounts of the angelic choirs responding to the divine move of God on earth.

INDIA:
I sat enthralled as a humble Indian man addressed a large congregation in Adelaide, South Australia. Rev. Larno Longchar was describing an amazing revival sweeping the length and breadth of his home state of Nagaland. His local church alone now had 15,000 members. Four times in one year its building had to be extended to accommodate those who were being saved.
The 'outpouring' began in 1976 after the 'Baptist' churches in Nagaland had kept their pledge to pray for revival. Their twenty-four-hour-a-day prayer chain had continued unbroken for an entire year.
As a direct result of the revival, the state's smoking, drinking, cinema attendance, divorce and suicide rates all dramatically fell. A flabbergasted magistrate reported that in six months only one criminal case had appeared before his city's courts. Repentance was so widespread and genuine that precautions like locking houses became quite unnecessary. Former Hindus and head-hunters joined the ranks of fervent Christians confessing their sins and praying for hours at a time.
I could detect no boasting in Rev. Longchar's address. He spoke of himself surprisingly little. A major recurring theme was that there was nothing unique about his state's experience. He insisted that we could have the same type of revival.
The following is a slightly condensed transcript of part of the message I heard on March 8, 1981. (Used by permission) The incident described would have occurred no more than five years previous. Rev. Longchar told us:
'In one of the district capitals, near Burma, we had [a] revival meeting for four days. There were 35,000 people in a crusade.
'One of our friends was preaching. God used him in a very wonderful way that morning. About 10,000 people rushed to the pulpit to confess their sins - to acknowledge the lordship of Jesus Christ in their hearts. There was a deep confession of sin going on. We were helping the people - about five hundred of us - as counsellors. When we were praying, we heard a sound of angels singing - a huge group of people singing in the sky above. [It was a] very lovely song:"Jesus is coming soon:
Troublous times,
Jesus is coming soon.
Repent, repent, repent."
[My comment: If you think this prophecy to be premature, I don't know what you will make of Revelation 22:20.]
'It was so lovely.
'For ten minutes the angels continued to sing. We didn't see them, but we heard the sound. Oh, it was so wonderful!
'One of my friends took his tape recorder and recorded this song.
'Our people love to sing that song - all over Nagaland today. They receive much blessing through singing it.' [Emphasis Larno's]
Rev. Longchar's description of the angelic singing as 'so lovely' should not be taken lightly. After visiting Nagaland, Pastor Des Short, of New Zealand, described the Naga people as 'exceptionally musical.' He claimed that, in marked contrast to western people, the majority of Naga people are born with perfect pitch. Even children at play sing in four-part harmony.

WALES:
Commencing at Beddgelert in 1817, a powerful move of God resulted in the salvation of multiplied thousands of Welsh people. From the midst of this move comes a report of people transfixed by what seemed to be massed heavenly choirs in the air singing songs of praise. (Orr, p100)
Decades later, (1851-2) in a small Montgomeryshire village, angelic singing signalled the commencement of a local Welsh revival. It was heard by a few disheartened Christians leaving their church after a seemingly fruitless week-long series of prayer meetings for revival. The 'indistinct' (Because it was in an angelic language?) but melodious sounds seemed to come from high above the church they had just left.
Next day, they discovered that many others in the district had heard the same beautiful music. Some had even gone outside to hear it and concluded it must be angelic. No other explanation was ever found.
Soon hundreds were flocking to the churches and experiencing the prayed-for outpouring of the Spirit. (Brown and Butterworth, p391 f)

FRANCE:
A remarkable parallel occurred across the English Channel, nearly two centuries earlier.
A revival in 'the valleys of Dauphiny,' amongst Protestants in late Seventeenth Century France, was cited by John Wesley as proof that God acts in a supernatural way. (Wesley, vol. X, p56b) This Cevennol revival was preceded by widespread reports of 'strange sounds in the air: the sound of a trumpet and a harmony of voices.' And in Orthès it was said that in every house resided at least one person who had heard heavenly music. (Heath, p121, 126)

Friday, October 16, 2009

The Great Chicago Visitation of 1913 and Prophecy





"The Great Chicago Visitation of 1913 and Prophecy"
by Michael Edds


The ancient prophet once cried out, “Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down!” That cry has been echoed all down through the generations of those who have hungered for the manifestation of the presence of the living God. Throughout the history of the church, God has rent the heavens and intervened on behalf of His people. The Great Chicago Visitation of 1913 was such a time. It was one of the most powerful visitations of divine presence that this city has ever experienced.

Maria Woodworth-Etter, a well-known evangelist, had been invited to hold a series of meetings at the Stone Church, located at 37Th and Indiana, beginning on July 2, 1913. Posters had been placed throughout the city to advertise the meeting. The services were to last until the end of July. This was a time of divine appointment for the city of Chicago; God rent the heavens and came down!! Scenes from the days of the Early Church began to occur at Stone Church. Word began to spread throughout Chicago of miraculous healings, deliverance from demonic possession, conversions, and of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit happening in these meetings. Advertisement was no longer necessary!
Incredible healings were reported. A woman, who had been blind 15 years and had never seen her children, was instantly healed. A paralyzed man, whose joints were ossified, could not move any limb or his head, had to be fed with a spoon, and could barely speak, was prayed for. For eight years, he suffered the confines of this prison of infirmity. Sister Woodworth-Etter commanded him in the name of Jesus to rise and walk. The power of God fell on him. He jumped from his wheel chair, ran down the isle of the church and a half a block down the street. Many followed him outside and waved their hats in the air yelling, “Hurrah for Jesus.” He ran back into the church and shouted praises to God. A young woman, who had lost total hearing in one ear and was losing hearing in the second ear, came for prayer. She was instantly healed. During one song service, four crippled people were healed and began to walk without the use of canes or crutches.
Word spread throughout the city of the miraculous intervention of God. Thousands came on trolleys, buggies, and trains, while many walked. Some came from hundreds of miles away. 1200 to 1500 packed into Stone Church each night. The basement was filled and many stood out on the street. Street meetings were held to accommodate them. Three services were held on Sundays. No services were scheduled for Saturdays so that the ministers could have a day of rest. However, some came on Saturdays and were met by Christians who prayed for them. A crippled woman, not knowing that services were not held on Saturdays, came on the trolley. She got off and hobbled down the street to the church. A German woman met her at the church and informed that no services had been scheduled for Saturdays. However, she invited the crippled woman to come into the church and she and others would pray for her. As soon as the woman walked into the church, she was instantly healed. A father traveled from Oklahoma bringing his two daughters with him. One could not use her limbs nor talk. The other was born deaf and dumb. Both were instantly healed. One of the girls wept and laughed when she heard singing for the first time in her life.


God had rent the heavens and come down into Chicago. Thousands were healed, incredible miracles occurred; multitudes were saved, and thousands were filled with the Holy Spirit. The meeting, which was scheduled to last for a month, lasted for six months. Sister Woodworth-Etter and believers dug a deep well of revival.

The Chicago Visitation possessed several remarkable characteristics:
1. The success of the work was not due to preaching of profound theological doctrine and differences. Instead, the Gospel was presented in its simplicity. The people were drawn by the manifestation of the presence and power of God.
2. There was extraordinary unity among Christians. Denominational lines vanished. Christians from all backgrounds joined in the work. Great harmony prevailed among believers. Controversy was not tolerated and was absent. It was a “strife-free zone.”
3. Worship was in its purest form. Entertainment and obvious display of talent did not exist. Music, singing and praise were to glorify God and Him only.
4. The entire Body of Christ was involved in ministry. Laying - on of hands was not regulated to the evangelist or pastor. People ministered to one another.
5. Ministers and members from all denominations were baptized in the Holy Spirit.
6. A prophetic word was given the last night of this six-month long meeting.
As Christians prayed around the altar, Sister Woodworth-Etter and others gave the following powerful prophecy and divine promise for the future........
“We are not yet up to the fullness of the Former Rain and that when the Latter Rain comes, it will far exceed anything we have seen!”

Frank Bartleman, the chronicler of the Azusa Street Awakening of 1907, once wrote, “In order to understand what God is going to do, we must understand what He once did.” It is imperative that we study and understand these “old wells of revival.” We need to understand the divine dynamics of these moves of God. We need to know the promises that God has made in the past, which will impact us in our day.


God has ways of reminding His people of His promises. In 1999, before I had any knowledge of the Chicago Visitation of 1913, I had a dream. In the dream, I was standing with a small group of believers in the basement of Stone Church. A pastor friend of mine asked us to form a circle and offer up “pure praise and worship” to God. I looked around and saw many, many rooms filled with hospital beds containing the sick. In these beds were people suffering from a diversity of illnesses and infirmities. Caring for them was an elderly head nurse. As we began to worship and praise God, the nurse left the sick and came and joined in the worship. As the worship continued, I saw all of the sick rise from their hospital beds. They were instantly healed and came to join in the worship! I awoke from my dream. Now, ten years later I understand the meaning of the dream. The same things that occurred in the Visitation of 1913 will happen again. Pure worship and praise will ascend unto God. The blind will see, the deaf hear, the lame walk and the dumb will talk. Healing and miracles will flow again throughout this great city. God IS going to reopen this “old well of revival” in Chicago! Why, because He promised that He would and that it will far exceed the Visitation of 1913!

What is our responsibility in the reopening of this old well of revival? Second Chronicles 7:14 gives us that needed direction, “If My people who are called by My Name, shall humble themselves and pray, seek My Face and turn from their wicked ways, I WILL HEAR FROM HEAVEN AND HEAL THEIR LAND.” It is time to come clean with God, to be honest about our wicked ways and repent. As Joshua
told the Israelites the day before crossing the Jordan River into the promised land, “Sanctify yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you.” May we heed that call today!!