April 18 - Breathing New Life: The Press Coverage That Grew the Azusa Street Revival

Spiritual Authority Beyond Credentials

This is the day the Los Angeles Times published a story about the Azusa Street Revival in 1906, helping to launch Pentecostalism as a worldwide religious movement.

In today's lesson, we will explore how God authenticates spiritual leadership through deep relationship with Jesus rather than formal credentials. What qualifies someone to speak with divine authority? Why does God consistently choose unlikely messengers to carry His most powerful movements? Where might you be overlooking spiritual insight because it comes from unexpected sources?

312 Azusa Street.

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"When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus." - Acts 4:13 (NIV)

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This Date in History

The presses of the Los Angeles Times rolled on April 18, 1906, carrying a story that would change the religious landscape forever. A small, unassuming mission at 312 Azusa Street had caught the attention of reporters who described strange occurrences and unusual spiritual manifestations happening in the humble building. William J. Seymour, a one-eyed Black preacher and son of former slaves, stood at the center of what the paper described with alarm as people "breathing strange utterances" and practicing "the most fanatical rites." What the Times intended as a sensationalist warning became an unexpected beacon, drawing spiritually hungry seekers from across the nation and eventually around the world.

Seymour had arrived in Los Angeles just months earlier, invited to preach at a small Holiness church on Santa Fe Street. After being rejected for teaching that speaking in tongues was evidence of Spirit baptism, a doctrine he learned from Holiness preacher Charles Parham in Houston, Seymour found himself locked out of the church. Unable to secure a formal pulpit, he began holding prayer meetings in the home of Richard and Ruth Asberry on Bonnie Brae Street. On April 9, 1906, during one of these humble home gatherings, attendee Edward Lee began speaking in what participants believed were unknown languages, followed by several others including Seymour himself.

Word of these spiritual manifestations spread rapidly through Los Angeles. The growing crowds soon overflowed the modest home, with so many people pressing in that the front porch collapsed. Needing a larger space, Seymour and his followers quickly secured an abandoned Methodist Episcopal church building on Azusa Street. The two-story structure had most recently been used as a stable and warehouse, with the upper floor serving as a tenement. After clearing out debris and setting up simple plank benches, they held their first meeting on April 14 with approximately 100 people attending.

What made the Azusa Street Revival particularly remarkable was its breaking of powerful social barriers that defined American society in 1906. In an era of strict racial segregation and Jim Crow laws, the services featured Black, white, Hispanic, and Asian worshippers praying together. Men and women of all classes mingled freely, with the Los Angeles Times noting with apparent shock that "colored people and a sprinkling of whites" composed the congregation. Women preached alongside men, and the poor worshipped beside the educated, all equal before what they believed was a powerful outpouring of God's Spirit.

The revival services defied conventional religious structure. There were no programs, no choirs, and often no sermons. People sang spontaneously, prayed aloud simultaneously, and claimed dramatic healings. The Times reporter described how worshippers fell to the floor, speaking in unknown languages and reporting visions. What outsiders viewed as chaos, participants experienced as divine order, believing God directly led the services without human planning. This apparent disorder, coupled with the revival's interracial character and emotional expressiveness, drew harsh criticism from established churches and newspapers alike.

The Los Angeles Times article that ran on April 18th described the revival with ridicule and alarm, using phrases like "weird babel of tongues" and "wild scene." Yet this very publicity, intended to discourage attendance, instead acted as a catalyst. Curiosity seekers came to observe the spectacle, and many stayed as participants. Religious leaders traveled great distances to investigate, with some becoming converts themselves. By September 1906, Seymour launched a newspaper called "The Apostolic Faith" to spread news of the revival worldwide. Within months, missionaries from Azusa Street carried the Pentecostal message throughout the United States and to nations across Europe, Asia, and Africa.

The impact of the revival spread far beyond its humble origins. Frank Bartleman, an early participant, wrote that "the color line was washed away in the blood" at Azusa Street, though this radical interracialism would not survive in many Pentecostal denominations that later formed. Multiple denominations trace their roots to the revival, including the Assemblies of God, the Church of God in Christ, and the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel. From these humble beginnings in a former stable on Azusa Street, a movement emerged that today claims over 600 million adherents worldwide, making Pentecostalism the fastest-growing segment of Christianity in the 20th century.

Historical Context

Pentecostalism emerged from the Holiness movement of the late 19th century, which itself grew out of Methodism and emphasized personal piety, moral perfection, and a "second blessing" of sanctification after conversion. Charles Fox Parham, a Holiness preacher in Topeka, Kansas, added a critical new element in 1901 when he began teaching that speaking in tongues (glossolalia) was the "Bible evidence" of Spirit baptism. After Parham's students began speaking in tongues during a New Year's Eve prayer meeting, he developed a theological framework connecting this phenomenon to the biblical Day of Pentecost described in Acts 2.

This theological innovation distinguished Pentecostalism from other Christian movements of the time. While mainline Protestant denominations and the Roman Catholic Church had long embraced a cessationist view that miraculous spiritual gifts ended with the apostolic age, Pentecostals insisted these gifts remained available to contemporary believers. Methodists and Holiness adherents taught sanctification as a second work of grace, but Pentecostals added a third experience—the baptism of the Holy Spirit with speaking in tongues as evidence. This three-stage understanding of salvation (conversion, sanctification, and Spirit baptism) set early Pentecostals apart from their religious contemporaries.

The Azusa Street Revival occurred amid significant transitions in American Christianity. The Social Gospel movement was gaining traction among more liberal Protestant denominations, emphasizing societal reform and downplaying supernatural aspects of faith. Fundamentalism was simultaneously emerging as a reaction against modernist theology and higher biblical criticism. Pentecostalism, with its emphasis on direct spiritual experience and supernatural manifestations, offered a different path—one particularly appealing to those marginalized by established churches, including racial minorities and the economically disadvantaged. This appeal across racial and social divides made early Pentecostalism remarkably countercultural in the Jim Crow era, though most Pentecostal denominations would eventually re-segregate along racial lines.

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Did You Know?

• The Los Angeles Times article that publicized the Azusa Street Revival was published on April 18, 1906—the same day as the devastating San Francisco earthquake—which some Pentecostals interpreted as divine confirmation of their movement's spiritual significance.

• Seymour's publication "The Apostolic Faith" reached a circulation of over 40,000 copies within a year, spreading news of the revival globally before modern mass communications existed.

• The Azusa Street Revival defied social norms not only through racial integration but also by elevating female leadership, with women serving as missionaries, evangelists, and pastors—roles denied to them in most other denominations of the era based on Paul's teachings in 1 Timothy.

• The initial negative press coverage called the revival participants "Holy Rollers" and "Holy Jumpers," derogatory terms that would later be embraced by some Pentecostals as badges of honor.

• Despite being the catalyst for a movement now claiming over 600 million adherents worldwide, William J. Seymour died in relative obscurity in 1922, as the movement he helped birth grew beyond his leadership and often beyond his original vision of racial reconciliation.

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Today’s Reflection

The Los Angeles Times reporters who covered the early days of the Azusa Street Revival in 1906 couldn't help but notice something peculiar. William J. Seymour, the one-eyed son of former slaves with little formal education, was somehow leading a spiritual awakening that drew people from across racial and social divides. The religious authorities of the day were baffled. How could someone without proper seminary training, pulpit polish, or institutional backing command such spiritual authority?

Yet through this unlikely vessel, a movement that would eventually claim over 600 million adherents was born.

"When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus." Acts 4:13 (NIV)

This pattern of God choosing the credentially unqualified has repeated throughout sacred history. The religious authorities who questioned Peter and John couldn't reconcile their boldness with their lack of rabbinic training. These were, after all, ordinary fishermen who had never studied under respected teachers. What gave them the right to speak with such authority?

The answer was simple yet profound: they had been with Jesus. Their authority came not from diplomas hanging on walls but from time spent in the presence of their Master.

We live in a world obsessed with credentials. Advanced degrees, institutional affiliations, and professional certifications often serve as shortcuts to determine who deserves to be heard. Even in Christian circles, we unconsciously filter spiritual insights through the lens of the speaker's credentials. We readily listen to the seminary professor while dismissing the insights of the factory worker or stay-at-home parent who has spent countless hours in prayer and Bible study. This credentialism often blinds us to the spiritual authority that comes from intimate relationship with Christ.

Jesus himself faced this credential-based rejection. When he taught in the synagogue, people were amazed at his wisdom but quickly dismissed him by asking, "Isn't this the carpenter's son?" Matthew 13:55 (NIV)

They couldn't reconcile his profound teaching with his lack of formal rabbinic training. They stumbled over his credentials rather than recognizing the divine authority evident in his words and works. Similarly, the Apostle Paul, despite his impressive rabbinic education, came to consider his credentials as "garbage" compared to the surpassing worth of knowing Christ.

What does this mean for us today? First, it challenges us to examine how we evaluate spiritual leadership in our communities. Do we unconsciously favor those with impressive degrees over those who simply demonstrate the fruit of deep communion with Christ? Are we missing God's voice because it comes through unexpected messengers?

Just as the Los Angeles Times reporters couldn't see past Seymour's race and lack of education to recognize the movement of God, we too can miss divine work when it doesn't come through expected channels.

Second, this principle liberates us from feeling inadequate in our own spiritual calling. Many believers hesitate to step into ministry or leadership because they feel they lack proper training or credentials. They silence their prophetic voice because others in the room seem more qualified. Yet throughout scripture and church history, God consistently chooses to work through those who simply stay close to Him, regardless of their human qualifications.

Your spiritual authority comes not primarily from your training but from your proximity to Jesus.

Finally, this truth calls us to a profound revaluation of what constitutes true spiritual preparation. William Seymour spent hours in prayer before and during the Azusa Street Revival. The disciples spent three years walking with Jesus before their public ministry began. Moses spent forty years in the wilderness.

True spiritual authority is forged in the crucible of divine presence, often away from public view and institutional validation. The question isn't whether you have the right credentials, but whether you've been with Jesus.

Today, will you value your time in God's presence as your most important credential? Will you look past human qualifications to recognize spiritual authority in unexpected places? The religious establishment rarely recognizes God's movement when it first appears because it often comes through those deemed unqualified.

Are you willing to listen for God's voice from unlikely messengers, and are you willing to speak with the authority that comes not from human validation but from time spent with the Master?

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Seriously, it makes me feel special.

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Practical Application

Identify someone in your life whose spiritual insight you've overlooked because they lack formal credentials or training. Make time this week to have coffee with them and intentionally listen to their perspective on a spiritual matter you're wrestling with. Additionally, spend thirty minutes in silent meditation on Acts 4:13, asking God to show you areas where you may be relying more on credentials than on His presence. In your prayer journal, record instances when God has used you despite feelings of inadequacy, and reflect on how proximity to Jesus rather than qualifications empowered those moments of ministry. Consider sharing these reflections with a trusted friend who can help you discern where God might be calling you to step out in spiritual authority beyond your perceived credentials.

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Closing Prayer

Heavenly Father, we thank You for choosing the foolish things of this world to confound the wise. Thank You for William Seymour, the disciples, and countless ordinary believers through whom You've accomplished extraordinary things, not because of their impressive resumes but because they had been with You. Forgive us for the times we've valued human credentials over divine anointing and for when we've silenced our own voices because we felt inadequate.

Lord Jesus, draw us into Your presence, for that is where true spiritual authority is forged. Help us recognize Your voice even when it comes through unexpected messengers. Embolden us to speak and act with the authority that comes not from human validation but from time in Your presence. May we value our prayer closets more than our diplomas, and our intimacy with You more than the approval of religious gatekeepers. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.

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Final Thoughts

The credentials that matter most in God's Kingdom aren't framed on office walls but are forged in the secret place of prayer. What qualifies you isn't where you've studied but Whom you've followed. True spiritual authority flows not from human recognition but from divine presence. This is the revolutionary truth that continues to turn religious hierarchies upside down, opening space for God to speak through those society deems least qualified. The question is never "Are you qualified?" but always "Have you been with Jesus?"

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THIS IS THE DAY Last Year

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