In 1906 something very unusual began happening in a small meeting in Los Angeles. People testified that the Spirit of God was coming upon them and filling them with joy and power and praise for God. Their lives were transformed. It was the beginning of the Azusa Street Revival which was the leading contributor to the biggest movement in the Christian church in centuries: Pentecostalism. It was also the second largest social movement of the 20th century after communism – and unlike communism it was still skyrocketing by the end of the century. In the year 2000 over 500 million Christians worldwide considered themselves Pentecostal or charismatic.
The pastor of the church that hosted these meetings on Azusa Street was a black man named William Seymour. The meetings were filled with whites as well as blacks and many other nationalities. As news of the meetings spread many ministers spoke against the movement. Some even went to the meetings to denounce them in person.
Evangelist Glenn Cook was one of these. When his turn came to speak he told the people that they were in the wrong. He railed against Pastor Seymour but Seymour just remained behind the pulpit and smiled at the speaker until he felt condemned by his own speaking! The longer Cook spoke the more he was convicted that “Seymour was right.” “Before he was through speaking, he was on his knees asking for forgiveness.” (1) Other critics had similar experiences at Azusa Street.
In this way Seymour was a model of humility for all of us. He understood that he was the pastor of a revival that had become famous yet when verbally attacked in his own church meeting he remained humble and meek. One visitor wrote that Seymour’s “strength is in his conscious weakness and lowliness before God.” Other descriptions of Seymour included the words “”quiet”, “soft-spoken”, “unassuming”, and “gentle”. A visiting pastor remarked “He is the meekest man I ever met” and “is as simple-hearted as a little child.” (2)
It was common for leaders in the holiness movement from which Seymour had sprung to employ a more confrontational style in their ministry. Seymour swam against this current and God blessed countless thousands through his ministry – millions if we count their descendants.
It is okay to be humble, even if everyone else is being showy. Of course it is good to show our enthusiasm but it is also good to be quiet and let God do the work.
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(1) Cecil Robeck, The Azusa Street Mission and Revival: The Birth of the Global Pentecostal Movement (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2006), 92. Most of the history in this post comes from this book, which is probably the best book on the Azusa Street Revival. Written by a top expert on Pentecostal history.
(2) Ibid., 91-92.
