by Jennifer A. Miskov, Ph.D. written April 11, 2024

The Delay is for a Reason

I was blown away at the Kairos moment I stepped into this weekend in Georgia. I was originally supposed to go to Georgia last year around this time but because my dad passed away the week before this engagement, I had to cancel my trip and send my team instead. As time went on, because I still had my plane ticket to Georgia and didn’t want it to go to waste I suggested we reschedule since the trip was already paid for. This past weekend, April 5-9, 2024, I headed to Georgia. Part of this trip included going to Macon to minister at a ministry called Ahava. I knew I would be there on April 8 which is the eve of the Azusa Street Revival anniversary (April 9, 1906). Then I realized April 8 was the same time as the rare full eclipse. Things were lining up and I was beginning to recognize the divine timing of the Lord over this delay.

Divine Appointments

After God moved significantly and beautifully in Thomasville, Georgia, me and the team headed to Macon to minister at Ahava. The divine connection to this community happened when I was at the Asbury Outpouring in Wilmore, Kentucky in February 2023. I went back to my seat to get a copy of Ignite Azusa to give to a young man named Evan who we were about to pray for in the hallway to be baptized in the Holy Spirit. Another guy who had previously been sitting in my same seat came back looking for his lost wallet at the same time. He recognized me somehow and then when I grabbed the copy of my book Ignite Azusa he realized that’s how he knew me, because he had read that book! Long story short, since I was hosting an online School of Revival session that day on site, I went into that anointed hallway at Hughes Auditorium and had our School of Revival family pray and prophesy over Jacob and his assistant pastor Matt who was also there. They got rocked and it was a special moment.

So, after one year of delay, I finally made it out to Georgia and preached at Ahava the evening Sunday April 7. I shared about how to steward the oil and God broke out in a wild way. People were getting marked, free, and healed in the fire of God’s love. The next day I had prepared to speak on the Azusa Street Revival since it was the eve of the anniversary. When I woke up that morning for my daily devotions, I was shocked.

Kairos Moment

Each year I read the Bible all the way through. I start in Genesis in January and go at my own pace to finish in a year or less. I literally read through chronologically and don’t use any Bible plans. So, Monday April 8, while I am reading through Ezra in the Old Testament, I nearly stopped after chapter 7 but then decided to just read one more chapter. There was nothing highlighted on that page and nothing exceptional in the beginning of chapter 8. If I would have stopped after chapter 7 and not turned the page, I wouldn't have seen what followed until the next day. As I was reading that chapter and turned the page, I was blown away! The new page started with Ezra 8:15 that says:

“Now I gathered them by the river that flows to Ahava, and we camped there 3 days.”

Ezra went on to share how they were taking captives back to rebuild Jerusalem but they needed more Levites to come with them. All of these Levites they gathered to join the journey were designated by name (8:20). Then as I continued reading on, I came to Ezra 8:21 and saw the word Ahava a second time:

“Then I proclaimed a fast there at the river of Ahava that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from him the right way for us and out little ones and all our possessions.”

Here is the sense of consecrating themselves, with fasting and prayer to seek God for direction and protection.

            Then I came across a third time Ahava was mentioned in Ezra 8:31-32:

“Then we departed from the river of Ahava on the twelfth day of the first month, to go to Jerusalem. And the hand of our God was upon us, and He delivered us from the hand of the enemy and from the ambush along the road. So we came to Jerusalem…”

 I couldn’t believe it! There is only one chapter in the entire Bible that mentions the word Ahava and it is in Ezra chapter 8 where it is mentioned three times!!

I just happened to read that particular chapter while I was in Georgia ministering at Ahava that day. What are the odds of me reading that precise chapter, unplanned, on the exact day I was going to speak at Ahava about Kairos moments, one year after I was originally supposed to be there?! You can’t make these things up!

Divine timing. Divine alignment. I was stepping into a Kairos moment.

God broke out in a special way that night. Instead of loud manifestations, He actually brought us into a time of intimate beholding His beauty and led us into an extended time of silence where people were laid out in His kabod glory. It was truly divine.

God Knows Us by Name

The Lord knows the Ahava community by name. He also knows our names and has designated us by name to the assignments He has prepared beforehand for us to walk into (Ephesians 2:10). He knows the exact times and seasons for us to be where we are.

The divine intersection at the Asbury Outpouring, my dad’s transition to heaven, the cancelation and rebooking of flights a year later, my rescheduled trip to Georgia were all in God’s perfect timing.

The delay is for a reason. Even if it doesn’t make sense in the moment, God is redirecting us for His greater divine purposes.

I bless you to recognize the divine Kairos moment we are currently in. May you step into the river of His presence, fully yielded to the Holy Spirit, and move where He is moving, led by the underwater currents of His love.

To read more about what a Kairos moment is and to see the full story of my transition with my dad check out my latest book and/or ecourse Sustain the Flame. 

by Jennifer A. Miskov, Ph.D. Revival Historian

Welsh Revival (1904-05)

Less than 20 people (17 people) gathered at Moriah Chapel October 31, 1904 when Evan Roberts preached. All present gave their lives to Christ. When these 17 people came to Christ, Roberts knew that the revival he had been praying his whole life for had come.

In less than six months, over 100,000 people got saved and the entire nation was radically transformed. This later became known as the Welsh Revival and released impartation for the Azusa Street Revival. Roberts, only 26 years old at the time, led that first catalytic meeting with less than 20 people present.

Azusa Street Revival (1906)

On April 9, 1906 in a little home on Bonnie Brae St. in Los Angeles, less than 20 people (around 15 people), many of whom were on a 10 day fast, gathered together with one agenda, to be baptized by the Holy Spirit. They wanted to tap into what those at the Upper room waited for. As William J. Seymour preached on Acts 2, the Spirit fell upon them, baptizing several of them in power. A few days later, after their porch fell through because of the weight of the increasing people coming who were hungry for an all-consuming encounter from God, they moved to Azusa Street, Global Pentecostalism was birthed, and the rest is history. But, it all started with a remnant of hungry ones. Around 15 people gathering in a home with no other agenda than to position themselves and call out to God for Him baptize and utterly consume them with the Holy Spirit.

Asbury Revival (2023)

Fast forward to today. On February 8, 2023, in Hughes Auditorium at Asbury University in Wilmore, Kentucky, less than 20 students (around 19 students) remained to linger in God’s presence after a required chapel service where the speaker shared about Romans 12. Other students began to filter back into the chapel later throughout the day. More people continued to be drawn to this well of revival. People gathered non-stop in the auditorium for a few weeks with eventually over 25,000 people came to partake of this well in a town of only 6,000.

This would be the 9th revival since 1905 that was birthed from this deep well at Asbury, many occurring in February. This fire has since ignited many other revival fires around the globe. It has given people permission to linger.

The re-opening of the well of revival at Asbury was catalytic to unstop wells around the globe all at the same time. There was some anointed in this Kairos moment where He used that well as a key unlock and cause other wells to spring up and new wells to arise.  It gave people permission to linger.

In letter to intercessor Frank Bartleman, Evan Roberts wrote:

“Congregate the people together who are willing to make a total surrender. Pray and wait. Believe God’s promises. Hold daily meetings. May God bless you, is my earnest prayer. Yours in Christ, Evan Roberts.”

We don’t need huge crowds; we just need the hungry.

Remember, it was less than 20 people who were a part of catalyzing the Welsh Revival, the Azusa Street Revival, and the 2023 Asbury Revival.

Do not despise the day of small beginnings (Zechariah 4:10). Gather the hungry, pray, seek the Lord with no other agenda than to love Him with everything inside you.

In another letter from Roberts to Bartleman, he says,

“I believe that the world is upon the threshold of a great religious revival, and pray daily that I may be allowed to help bring this about. Wonderful things have happened in Wales [Asbury] in a few weeks, but these are only a beginning. The world will be swept by His Spirit as by a rushing, mighty wind. Many who are now silent Christians will lead the movement. They will see a great light, and will reflect this light to thousands now in darkness. Thousands will do more than we have accomplished, as God gives them power.”

I wonder what would happen if we substituted the word “Wales” for “Asbury” above… They were in Kairos moment in the early 1900s, a special window of opportunity where God accelerated the expansion of His kingdom all around them. We are in another Kairos moment today.

We are alive for such a time as this. We must keep our eyes on Jesus. The Tsunami wave of revival we have been praying our whole lives for has already begun and is upon us. It’s time to lean in for the ride of your life and don’t let Him go.

by Jennifer A. Miskov, Ph.D.  

 On April 6, 2022, the day before launching my next online School of Revival on the theme of Martyrdom, I headed down to a beach I rarely visit but is known as a historic well of revival in Southern California. One of the last times I visited Pirate’s Cove was during the COVID-19 lockdown. My friend Jessi Green with Saturate Global was hosting a revival meeting there on August 7, 2020. On that day, also the final day of our School of Revival intensive on Pioneering Revival, many people were baptized in the Pacific Ocean just like so many new believers were in the height of the Jesus Movement in the 1960s and 1970s.  

 On my latest visit to Pirate’s Cove, I thought I would enjoy a secluded, mid-week quiet time with God. To my surprise, when I walked down the stairs toward the parking lot, I noticed it was filled with media trucks, tents, and people bustling around. Then, when I got to the overlook, I saw that the cove had been turned into a movie set! My curiosity led me further to investigate.  

When I got to the sand, it felt like I was transported to the early ‘70s. I was surrounded by hippies! When the crew broke for lunch, I approached someone to learn more about what they were filming. I knew I was in a significant well of revival where legendary Lonnie Frisbee baptized people during the Jesus People Movement and wondered if this movie was going to re-tell his story. It turned out I was talking with one of the film’s directors and writers, Jon Erwin. Erwin was so kind to stop and chat with me for a bit. He told me the movie they were shooting, titled Jesus Revolution, does in fact include Lonnie.

Growing up in Southern California in the Vineyard movement led by the late John Wimber, I often heard stories about a hippie evangelist named Lonnie Frisbee who had helped birth the Jesus People Movement and had been catalytic to release the Holy Spirit in the Vineyard movement. One story stood out: Mother’s Day in 1980 Frisbee was invited to speak at the Anaheim Vineyard for the first time. When he welcomed the Holy Spirit to come in power, it is said that when he lifted his hands up in a V-shape, people fell out in the Spirit in the same direction as his hands. Something broke open that day and there was a radical release of the Holy Spirit that shaped our movement to this day. I consider myself so blessed to have grown up in and continue to live in the momentum and ripple effects of one hippie preacher’s “yes” to be yielded to the Holy Spirit. I was thrilled to discover his story would be featured in a major movie.

 As I was talking with Erwin, Greg Laurie walked up, and Jon introduced me to him. Laurie is pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside and played a significant role in the Jesus People Movement himself. He was greatly impacted by Frisbee and had also been present at many of the historic baptisms that took place at Pirate’s Cove. I later found out that the movie is largely based around Laurie’s story.

Before I left that day, I gave Jon and Greg a copy of one of my books on the Azusa Street Revival because it tells the story of other deep apostolic wells of revival here in Southern California. When Jon received my book, he noticed that the subtitle of Ignite Azusa: Positioning for a New JESUS REVOLUTION had the exact name of their movie in it! I hadn’t realized that at the time I gave him the book. Before I left, Jon invited me to come back the next day to be an extra.  

So, there I was, a Southern Californian revival historian at a well of revival simply in awe of what was unfolding before my eyes. When I returned the next day, now as an extra, I saw Jonathan Roumie, who plays Lonnie Frisbee in the film (and Jesus in The Chosen). He was doing a recreation of the baptism scenes. As they filmed, I could feel the presence of God on the set. It felt authentic as if people were really getting baptized. I prayed, God do it again! Let the synergy of these anointed saints re-digging this well of revival catalyze a new Jesus Revolution in our day!  

It was amazing to see how God brought together just the right people at just the right time to recover this important and often misunderstood story. The timing of this film is prophetic especially in a time where cancel culture has become more prevalent. Lonnie’s contribution to the body of Christ needs to be recognized. It provides hope for us that God can and will use anyone, regardless of their faults, who gives a yielded yes to the Holy Spirit. I am so grateful that this film is celebrating his legacy and honoring his impact to the body of Christ.  

Seeing this revival story captured on film feels significant. Could it be a divine prophecy that once again God wants to move through this generation in an incredible way? Might God be stirring up a new Jesus Revolution in our day? He did it once before; He can do it again. Maybe, just maybe, if we have eyes to see, we might even recognize that it’s already begun!   

by Jennifer A. Miskov, Ph.D.

One of the best things about teaching a class on the History of Revivals this past semester at Vanguard University is that I got to explore more revivals throughout history than I had previously done. I also got to do it together with fresh minds who were eager and hungry to learn and process together. The following is one thing I learned during this journey of exploring the History of Revivals with my students at Vanguard.

What I learned by teaching History of Revivals class

1. God can move freely outside of and even within, tight structures

In the diametrically opposite structures of these revivals, the one constant was that space was created for the spontaneous moving of the Holy Spirit.

Case Study: Revival of 1857-59

Before I taught History of Revivals class at Vanguard University, I believed that there was one constant in revivals that was important to keep in mind when positioning for and stewarding revival in our day. Because I have spent so much of my time and heart focusing on two of my favorite revivals, The Welsh Revival and the Azusa Street Revival, I previously made the assumption that one mark of revival is that

“Time is irrelevant when God shows up.”

The meetings in the Welsh Revival had no start or stop time. At Azusa Street, there were continuous meetings around the clock. God moved in a significant way in both of these movements and in a similar way in many other revivals. Eye witness of the Azusa Street Revival Frank Bartleman, described the meetings like this:

The services ran almost continuously. Seeking souls could be found under the power almost any hour, night and day. The place was never closed nor empty. The people came to meet God. He was always there. Hence a continuous meeting. The meeting did not depend on the human leader. God’s presence became more and more wonderful. In that old building, with its low rafters and bare floors, God took strong men and women to pieces, and put them together again, for His glory. It was a tremendous overhauling process. Pride and self-assertion, self-importance and self-esteem, could not survive there. The religious ego preached its own funeral sermon quickly.[1]

The Lord wrought very deeply. Several were under the power all night on one occasion. There was no closing at 9 o’clock sharp, as the preachers must do today in order to keep the people. We wanted God in those days. We did not have a thousand other things we wanted before Him.[2]

When it was time to teach on the Business Prayer Meeting Revival of 1857-59 that happened in New York, it messed up my theory based off of the Welsh and Azusa Street revivals. I thought God really liked to move in revival when there were no constraints placed upon time. As we studied this revival, we noticed that there was strictly one hour set apart for businessmen to gather together during their lunch break to pray. There was a clear start and stop. And the crazy thing was that even in this tight structure, God moved and spread revival throughout the land all in the model of a one hour lunch break prayer meeting model. As we continued to dive deep into studying revivals and looking at each uniquely while seeing the broader scope as well, I struggled with this one hour reality.

I had spent so much of my own efforts trying to break this box. When I stewarded our meetings at Destiny House every Friday, I made it a core value to not have a set stop or end time but just finish whenever the Holy Spirit was done. That was the one day a week where I didn’t want to put a time constraint on God or box Him in in anyway. I modeled our meetings after the similar core values found within the Welsh Revival.

The Revival of 1857-59 didn’t fit nicely into any of my previous paradigms. But then in the midst of teaching this class and processing with the students, I realized that there was a similar pattern between this revival and the Welsh and Azusa Street revivals.

Even though their structures looked very different, the constant theme in each of these and others was that in however long or short the time was, they all made space for the Holy Spirit to move freely and spontaneously through whomever He chose. While the Businessmen’s Prayer Revival had a time limit of one hour, within that time, there was a priority to make space for the Holy Spirit to move through whomever felt a burden from the Lord. There was protected space and invitation for each person to bring something to the table and have a voice. Each was encouraged and invited to pray however they felt led by the Spirit. There was no platform. It was an even stage where each member of the Body of Christ could “play.”

While there are many patterns and insights we can learn from revival history, we can’t necessarily imitate previous revivals to get the same results. We can learn from history in how to better steward revival but the only way to get there ourselves is by walking in communion with Jesus and yielding to the leading of the Holy Spirit by saying Yes to whatever that looks like.

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[1] Frank Bartleman, How Pentecost Came to Los Angeles, 58-59. “…We had no ‘respect of persons.’ The rich and educated were the same as the poor and ignorant, and found a much harder death to die. We only recognized God. All were equal. No flesh might glory in His presence. He could not use the self-opinionated. Those were Holy Ghost meetings, led of the Lord. It had to start in poor surroundings, to keep out the selfish, human element. All came down in humility together, at His feet. They all looked alike, and had all things in common in that sense at least. The rafters were low, the tall must come down. By the time they got to ‘Azusa’ they were humbled, ready for the blessing. The fodder was thus placed for the lambs, not for giraffes. All could reach It.”

[2] Frank Bartleman, How Pentecost Came to Los Angeles, 102. “…And He did not disappoint us. One sister sang and spoke in ‘tongues’ for five full hours. Souls were saved. The saints were wonderfully built up and strengthened by the presence of the Lord. A number received the ‘baptism,’ and the mission became full fledged for ‘Pentecost.’ One Sunday night the hall was packed out, to the middle of the street. I went to the hall one morning to look up the folks, who had not come home. Several had stayed all night. I found them lost to all but God. They could not get away. A very shekinah glory filled the place. It was awesome, but glorious.”

Jennifer A. Miskov, Ph.D., taken from Ignite Azusa: Positioning for a New Jesus Revolution

If we have eyes to see, history can prophesy into our future. In a time when we desperately need to SEE MORE of God and understand His heart, learning about the life and legacy of African American, William J. SEYMOUR (pronounced “See” “More”) can open our eyes to give us prophetic vision into rewriting our future narrative. I believe there are keys within the Azusa story that will prophesy into how to navigate through our present storm of racism to unlock a greater destiny.

One of the greatest movements in history was ignited when handful of African Americans met together in a home with their only agenda to encounter more of God. William J. Seymour, son of slaves, blind in one eye, humbly paved the way and was used by God to ignite a revival fire that has since spread around the globe introducing millions of people to Jesus and to the Holy Spirit in a powerful way.

On April 9, 1906, just before leaving for the prayer meeting, Seymour's friend Edward Lee began to speak in tongues after he laid hands on and prayed for him. After this, Lee, Seymour, and the others walked the couple blocks up the street to the Asberry home on Bonnie Brae Street for the 7:30 p.m. prayer meeting. There, a handful of African American saints gathered together because they wanted to encounter God in a greater measure. There were only about fifteen people including children present at the meeting. They had a song, a few prayers, and several testimonies released. Seymour shared the testimony of how Lee spoke in tongues less than two hours before. Even though Seymour had yet to receive the “evidence” of speaking in tongues, he continued to preach about it from Acts 2 that night.

When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. Acts 2:1-4 (NIV)

Then something happened that they had all been waiting and longing for. God crashed into that meeting like never before. Ruth Asberry’s cousin Jennie Evans Moore, who lived across the street, was resting on a stool, when she suddenly fell to the ground and began to speak in tongues. She is known as one of the first women in Los Angeles to speak in tongues during this time.

 She recalled that it felt like a vessel broke inside of her and water “surged” through her entire being. When this rush came to her lips, she spoke in six different languages that she had seen earlier in a vision. These tongues were each interpreted in English. Following this release, Jennie, who had never played the piano before, walked over to the piano and played it under the anointing while singing in tongues. She recounted the story in an article called “Music from Heaven” in the Azusa Mission’s newspaper called The Apostolic Faith:

For years before this wonderful experience came to us, we as a family, were seeking to know the fulnes of God, and He was filling us with His presence until we could hardly contain the power… On April 9, 1906, I was praising the Lord from the depths of my heart at home, and when the evening came and we attended the meeting the power of God fell and I was baptized in the Holy Ghost and fire, with the evidence of speaking in tongues…As I thought thereon and looked to God, it seemed as if a vessel broke within me and water surged up through my being, which when it reached my mouth came out in a torrent of speech in the languages which God had given me…I sang under the power of the Spirit in many languages, the interpretation both words and music which I had never before heard, and in the home where the meeting was being held, the Spirit led me to the piano, where I played and sang under inspiration, although I had not learned to play.

-Jennie Moore, The Apostolic Faith 1:8 (312 Azusa Street, Los Angeles, CA: May, 1907), 3.

A few days later on April 12, 1906, Seymour spoke in tongues for the first time after waiting upon the Lord and praying with a white brother, not giving up until he “came through” and spoke in tongues at nearly four o’clock in the morning.

Crowds of both black and white people from different churches in the area came to the house on Bonnie Brae Street to see and partake in what God was doing. At one point, the house swelled with people so much that the front porch caved in. No one was injured, but they realized that they had outgrown the house. Within a week, they moved to a vacant building at 312 Azusa Street. 

During a time of heavy racial segregation, Seymour, the leader of what became known as the Azusa Street Revival, created a place where everyone would be welcome regardless of their skin color or nationality. One of the biggest breakthroughs at the Azusa Street Revival was that the walls of race, gender, and age were broken down. Eyewitness and historian Frank Bartleman observed that “the ‘color line’ was washed away in the blood.” This was in relation to racial divides being abolished by the blood of Jesus.

To have people from different races worshipping alongside one another and praying for each other during a time when lynchings were common and many years before Martin Luther King, Jr. came onto the scene is truly remarkable. Seymour’s early leadership team was racially mixed and also included women. Regular participants of the Azusa Mission in the early years included people from various ethnicities and backgrounds including African-Americans, European Americans, Hispanic Americans, Asian Americans, Native Americans, and more. Visitors would come to Azusa and experience such love and humility present in the people. One person said, “From the first time I entered I was struck by the blessed spirit that prevailed in the meeting, such a feeling of unity and humility among the children of God.”

The early days of the Azusa Street Revival were marked by unity, humility, and love regardless of ethnicity, race, or gender. Seymour emphasized the need to develop the fruit of the Spirit, especially love. In 1908, the leadership at Azusa said, “The Pentecostal power, when you sum it all up, is just more of God’s love.” Love was what was needed for this baptism of the Holy Spirit experience to be sustainable. They realized that love heals, love restores, and love is the way forward.

They also wanted more of God in those days no matter what it looked like. They “did not have a thousand other things” they wanted before Him. Nothing was going to stop them from encountering more of Him. They were all in it together no matter the color of their skin. These early Pentecostal pioneers paved the way for us in such a remarkable way. We are greatly indebted to these beautiful saints who said yes to pursuing Jesus wholeheartedly no matter what the cost. Now it’s our turn build on their breakthroughs.

How will we build on the momentum of William J. Seymour and those at Azusa Street, of Martin Luther King Jr., and of so many others who have gone before us? How will we take what they have done for us and go even further in our day? What will happen in our day when love supersedes all differences and we run toward Jesus together with total abandonment? What does it look like to say yes to radical love today?

To learn how to let your voice of justice, love, and racial reconciliation be heard and to make a difference, join our 5 Day Ignite Azusa Challenge that has now been turned into an Ecourse.

Jennifer A. Miskov, Ph.D., is a Revival Historian, Author, Teacher, Writing Coach, and Itinerant Minister who loves to lead people into life-changing encounters with Jesus and invite them into the fullness of the Holy Spirit. Jen is the founding director of the School of Revival which focusing on raising up leaders to steward the upcoming billion soul harvest. Jen also facilities Writing in the Glory Workshops around the world to catalyze authors to write their first books. She has supported Bill Johnson in his Defining Moments book as well as authored Walking on Water, Ignite Azusa: Positioning for a New Jesus Revolution, Writing in the Glory, Life on Wings, Spirit Flood, and Silver to Gold. She founded Destiny House (2012-2019) and also taught activation classes at Bethel School of Supernatural Ministries (2014-2020). She currently teaches at her alma mater Vanguard University and also at The King’s University in Texas and recently launched The School of Revival. She is ordained by Heidi Baker with Iris Global and received her Ph.D. in Global Pentecostal and Charismatic Studies from the University of Birmingham, U.K.

by Jennifer A. Miskov, Ph.D. excerpt from Ignite Azusa

During a time of heavy racial segregation, leader of the Azusa Street Revival, William J. Seymour created a place at the Azusa Street Mission where everyone would be welcome regardless of their skin color or nationality. One of the biggest breakthroughs at Azusa Street Revival in 1906 in Los Angeles was that the walls of race and gender were broken down. Eyewitness and historian Frank Bartleman observed that “the ‘color line’ was washed away in the blood.”[1] This was in relation to racial divides being abolished by the blood of Jesus. To have people from different races worshipping alongside one another and praying for each other during a time when lynchings were common and many years before Martin Luther King, Jr. came onto the scene is truly remarkable.[2] In fact, it was when Seymour was praying alongside a white man until the early hours of the morning that he first spoke in tongues.

Seymour’s early leadership team was racially mixed and included women. Regular participants of the Mission in the early years included people from various ethnicities and backgrounds including African-Americans, European Americans, Hispanic Americans, Asian Americans, Native Americans, and more.[3] Visitors would come to Azusa and experience such love and humility present in the people. One person said, “From the first time I entered I was struck by the blessed spirit that prevailed in the meeting, such a feeling of unity and humility among the children of God.”[4]

The early days of the Azusa Street Revival were marked by unity, humility, and love regardless of ethnicity, race, or gender. Seymour emphasized the need to develop the fruit of the Spirit, especially love. In 1908, the leadership at Azusa said, “The Pentecostal power, when you sum it all up, is just more of God’s love.”[5] Love was what was needed for this baptism of the Holy Spirit experience to be sustainable.

These early Pentecostal pioneers paved the way for us in such a remarkable way. They wanted God in those days and nothing was going to inhibit them from encountering more of Him. They were all in it together. Now it’s our turn build on their breakthrough. What will happen in our day when love supersedes differences, when we recognize that every person is created in the image of God no matter what the color of their skin is?

To learn more about the significance of the Azusa Street Revival and why it is important for us today, join our Ignite Azusa 5 Day Challenge Ecourse available HERE

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 FOOTNOTES:

[1] Bartleman, How Pentecost Came to Los Angeles, 54.

[2] Unknown author, “Beginning of World Wide Revival,” The Apostolic Faith 1:5 (312 Azusa Street, Los Angeles, CA: January, 1907), 1. “It is a continual upper room tarrying at Azusa Street. It is like a continual campmeeting or convention. All classes and nationalities meet on a common level. One who came for the first time said, ‘The thing that impressed me the most was the humility of the people, and I went to my room and got down on my knees and asked God to give me humility.’”

[3] Robeck Jr., The Azusa Street Mission and Revival, 14.

[4] Louis Osterberg, “Filled with God’s Glory,” The Apostolic Faith 1:7 (312 Azusa Street, Los Angeles, CA: April, 1907), 4. “And before the meeting was over, I was fully satisfied and convinced that it was the mighty power of God that was working. From that time on I hungered more and more and felt that I could not be fully satisfied until the blessings of the Pentecostal life were mine.”

[5] The Apostolic Faith 2:13 (312 Azusa Street, Los Angeles, CA: May, 1908), 3.

by Jennifer A. Miskov, Ph.D. Excerpt taken from Ignite Azusa: Positioning for a New Jesus Revolution

One of the greatest movements in history that contributed to the rapid spread of Christianity began when God crashed in on a handful of family and friends who were hungry for more of God. The Azusa Street Revival actually began as the “Bonnie Brae Street Revival” before it contributed to the spread of global Pentecostalism. The fruit that was released from this little tribe who gathered together in a home on Bonnie Brae Street is incredible. There is something significant about seeking God together with friends and inviting Him to invade even the intimate spaces of family.

Revival begins and is sustained in family

In this next era, Christianity will burst from the seams of churches, communities, homes, families, and intimate spaces and be carried over into the world. The Sunday morning worship celebrations will be important to testify and share more widely about what God is doing in the city, the region, and the world. The place of intimacy and connection will also need to be cultivated in smaller communities as more people enter into the family of God.

Being intentional with community will be an important factor in stewarding this next move of God like it was for those at Azusa. Doing life together with a small tribe of our people will be an important aspect of stewarding and discipling this incoming harvest. Staying known in a close-knit community with others who burn for Jesus is a key for sustaining revival and finishing well. Evan Roberts, a prominent leader of the Welsh Revival, isolated himself many times from community, and the revival died down shortly after. Healing evangelist Kathryn Kuhlman got herself into some marital trouble when she wouldn’t listen to her friends. Cultivating healthy community is important for continuing to burn—and to not burn out.

Preparing to Steward the Next Great Awakening

In the wild, no matter how strong a zebra is, if it is away from the pack when the lions come, it gets picked off and killed. It’s not the weakest that fall; it’s the ones who stray from their tribe. We need each other to fulfill our truest destiny. We can’t do it alone. There are keys to our destiny that are hidden within the lives and hearts of those whom God has positioned us to run with in each season. The way to access these keys in each other is to intentionally do life together, be vulnerable, love each other well, and go after the things of God together.

As we begin to go after praying for stadiums full of people being saved, at the same time, we need to realize the importance of going deeper with the few. We can only go deep with a handful of people at one time. Jesus had the twelve, but then He also had Peter, James, and John, with John as His most intimate friend. They lived together, traveled together, ate together, ministered together, and did life together.

There is something important about doing life together in God’s presence. Close community was crucial to the beginnings of the Azusa Street Revival just as it was for Jesus in His ministry. Homes represent intimate spaces of family and deep friendships. It’s easy to blend in with the crowd in larger settings and slip out without really letting anyone in. People can’t hide or avoid the deeper things of the heart in a home or small community.

The keys to our destiny are found in intimacy with Jesus and in family

Examples in history of this include the Moravian community in Herrnhut, Germany which started the 24/7 prayer movement and also those in the Jesus People Movement who opened community houses for the new believers to name a few. Family hosts the fire of God in a greater way than an individual can do alone.

I wonder what it would look like to invite God into the home in a greater measure today. What does it look like to cultivate a burning fire within the context of family? And what might be the potential effects for the world when that happens? What does it look like in our ministries or churches to become family, to do life together, to be present in intimate places and spaces with people? How can we cultivate that in this season?

I encourage you to ask God to highlight a few people in your life right now who you can pursue deeper connection with. Then, I challenge you this week to take a risk, be bold and courageous, and pursue deeper connection and vulnerability with at least one person highlighted to you. Watch and see what God wants to do in your midst in and through your community.

As your fire for Jesus burns even brighter, I pray that you would burn with other burning ones and that God would place you in family and in covenant relationships so that you are known, loved, championed, and never alone.

*Copyrighted material, excerpt taken from Ignite Azusa: Positioning for a New Jesus Revolution by Jennifer A. Miskov with Heidi Baker, Lou Engle, and Bill Johnson (2016)

by Jennifer A. Miskov, Ph.D.

When in transition and on the journey to discover your new church family, it is important to choose a healthy revival community that is full of Jesus, gives room for the Holy Spirit to move, gathers around the very presence of God, and feels like family to you. You want to be planted somewhere that you are received as the gift that you are. It is also important to play your part and serve the body of Christ, breaking off consumer Christianity. Sometimes God will hide you from being seen by leadership because it’s either not your time or it’s not your fit. It is important to invite the Holy Spirit into your process to direct you to your new spiritual family in this season.

We all are the church and that can come in lots of different shapes and sizes (1 Peter 2:5). Ultimately, the kingdom of God is all about family, however that might look in our day.

Connecting together regularly with the wider Body of Christ and also meeting with our tribe within a tribe are significant keys to our maturity. Once you do find the church community that is a fit, greater growth happens when asking God to highlight a tribe within a tribe. These can then gather outside of the weekly celebration meeting to go deeper together. Some might share a passion for evangelism and want to hit the streets together. Others might be interested in going deeper in the Word or in the Spirit together. Others might want to learn how to step out in the prophetic or healing. Still others may want to simply cultivate a safe place to be family together gathered around God’s presence. The structure itself is not what is most important. The regular meeting together around God’s presence in a smaller more intimate community within a community is what accelerates growth.

It is important to have people in our lives that we can be vulnerable with. We usually find these people we can go deeper with in smaller groups. Cultivating family is essential for growth. This connecting heart to heart is in alignment with and obedience to the Word of God (Hebrews 10:23-25, James 5:16, 1 John 1:7). Connection is key however that might look in this season.

When I was leading Destiny House, where at one point we had up to 21 people living in intentional community (which is too big by the way), we had a Monday night family time where we shared a meal and connected just with each other. Then we also had an open Friday morning worship and ministry time where all were welcome to join. There, we gathered around God’s presence and ministered together as a family. We also went to church on Sundays. I know three meetings a week is not realistic for many in other life situations, but we were all in a season of full-time ministry training, so it worked well for us.

Similar to the rhythm described in the Book of Acts who met together daily (Acts 2:46-47, 5:42) I believe that elements of the rhythm we had at Destiny House can be adapted and integrated into our lives. In addition to regularly going to church, a smaller group can meet once a week or a few times a month to connect at a heart level. Or maybe home groups might meet consistently each week and once a month all meet together for a larger corporate gathering. Maybe some will share a similar rhythm as we did in Destiny House. The structure is not what is important here, the heart and consistency of regularly meeting together is. Connection is crucial because the keys of our destiny are found in intimacy with God and in being deeply connected with our tribe. So however it looks to get connected and go deeper with our tribe, whatever rhythm of life that looks like, it’s important to dive in. I think some of the key questions for us all to ask ourselves are:  

Who am I running with in this season?

Where am I showing up regularly to know and be known together?

If you don’t yet know the answers to these questions, I encourage you to ask God who He is highlighting for you to build with during this season. Then wait on Him and listen to what He says. Once several are highlighted, take some risks to initiate times to connect and grow deeper together and see where God takes it from there.

 In this hour, I believe it is crucial that we find our tribe and then dive in wholeheartedly to run together after the things of God. There is a Billion Soul Harvest on its way. God is shifting and aligning people with their tribe in this season so that they can grow into maturity to help steward and carry this massive revival.

Be encouraged, in this season, you are a perfect fit somewhere, but not everywhere. You are a unique shape. There is a community out there that has a “you” shaped hole. Don’t get discouraged if you try to fit somewhere and it doesn’t quite feel right. Rejection is redirection to somewhere better. God is in charge and over it all. It may take a little time to explore several communities before you find your people to run with. And once you find each other, it may take some time to build those relationships. This investment of time and heart is well worth the effort though because when you do find your tribe, you find your destiny. Keep going and don’t give up, you might just be one more risk away from finding your spiritual family to run with in this season.

You are an important part to what God is getting ready to release over our generation in this end time harvest. You will only be able to step into the fullest measure of your God-given destiny when you are rooted in the family of God (Ephesians 3:20). On this journey of discovery, I pray that you have grace to embark with fresh hope. I declare acceleration over you as you seek Jesus first above all things and take risks to find and grow deeper with the tribe God highlights to you in this season. Blessing you with divine appointments in finding the kindred spirits you were born to run with for such a time as this.

**To learn more about our rhythm of doing life together at Destiny House, see the Walking on Water E-course that goes into great depth with several sessions exclusively about our story and community life there.

by Jennifer A. Miskov, Ph.D.

This week I had the opportunity to visit the home of Aimee Semple McPherson, a healing evangelist who has pioneered and paved the way for women in ministry. I was like a kid in a candy store when I walked in. So much epic revival history in the same place I was born at. We had a wonderful tour by Jackie who is in her 80s and still as vibrant as ever. So inspiring to see how she partners with the Holy Spirit to welcome people into Aimee’s home. This home in the heart of Los Angeles carries so much peace and glory.

At the end of our tour, we got to play a few worship songs on Aimee’s piano and the presence of God was so thick there. At one point a few dropped to their knees and God ministered beautiful healing and encounter right there in Aimee’s living room. When we walked out of the doors, it literally felt like we walked out of one heavenly glory realm back into the real world. It was such a sharp contrast. I love how God decided to send Aimee all the way over from Canada to dig a deep well in the heart of the City of Angels.

Even though I have studied Aimee’s life and even taught classes on her legacy, this was the first time I made the trip to visit her home. It was also so special to have two passionate Jesus loving friends, Tiffany and Yesenia, join me on this adventure. Here’s some pictures and a little more about Aimee’s legacy below.

“Oh, Lord, I am so hungry for your Holy Spirit. You have told me that in the day when I seek you with my whole heart you will be found by me. Now, Lord, I am going to stay right here until you pour out upon me the promise of the Holy Spirit for whom you commanded me to tarry, if I die of starvation. I am so hungry for Him I can’t wait another day. I will not eat another meal until you baptize me.”

— Aimee Semple McPherson about her 1908 Spirit Baptism encounter

Aimee moved to Los Angeles where she felt called to build a large church with only $5,000 right before the Great Depression. This got finished and fully paid off in cash. She also fed more people than the Red Cross during that time. Aimee became the first woman preacher on the radio. She was also friends with many movie stars who attended her church. She was known for presenting the gospel in a creative way that spoke to the culture of her time. Angelus Temple later released missionaries around the world and birthed the Foursquare movement which is continuing to impact the world for Christ today.

When Canadian born Aimee felt called to plant her roots in California, she tapped into a gold mine of apostolic inheritance deep within this land. So many powerful and radical Holy Spirit movements have since been birthed in this soil. From the Jesus People Movement with Lonnie Frisbee to Calvary Chapel with Chuck Smith to the Vineyard Movement with John Wimber to Iris Global with Heidi & Rolland Baker to Bethel Church with Bill Johnson and so on. And we must not forget what came before all of these in 1906 when a little band of friends hungry to see a move of God in their day who were desperate for a fresh baptism of the Holy Spirit gathered at a little house in Los Angeles. From that little Holy Ghost prayer meeting led by a one eyed African American man, son of slaves, William J. Seymour, the Azusa Street Revival was born.

I could go on and on about the rich revival history in California but I do want to say that God is doing a new thing in this land of revival for all who have eyes to see and ears to hear. The nations will once again be shaken by the mighty move of God that’s being birthed here in our era. May hunger for more of the Holy Spirit, which was at the foundation of most of these movements, lead us to a place of unyielding courage to run after Jesus with everything inside of us today.

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*To learn more about Aimee’s legacy, there’s a whole chapter on her life in Bill Johnson’s Defining Moments. And to learn more about the move of God in California at the Azusa Street Revival, see Ignite Azusa below.

by Jennifer A. Miskov, Ph.D. and author of Ignite Azusa: Positioning for a New Jesus Revolution

Can thousands of people gathered together for one purpose shift a generation into the next Great Awakening? What if the date and location of this gathering tapped into one of the deepest wells of revival we’ve experienced over the last century?

On April 9, 2016, which was also the 110th anniversary of the Azusa Street Revival, our generation was inaugurated into a new era. Lou Engle and TheCall, in partnership with Bethel Church in Redding, California, hosted over 60,000 people in an event called Azusa Now. People from all around the world gathered together in the rain at the Los Angeles Coliseum to make the name of Jesus famous once again. The day was filled with worship, prayer, healing, miracles, prophetic acts, and signs and wonders. During the week preceding this event, Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry, Circuit Riders, Youth With A Mission, Iris Global, and many other ministries sent out armies of Jesus lovers to flood L.A. with the love and power of God. Deaf ears were opened, people got up out of wheelchairs, many were welcomed into the family of God, and signs and wonders were released.

Because of the prophetic words and impossibilities connected to the Azusa Now story, it is important to pay attention. This was not just another Christian worship event. Deep wells of the Azusa Street Revival (1906), which birthed over half a billion Christians and has spread to nearly every country in the world over the past century, were accessed on Saturday. At Azusa Now, many different streams of Christianity came together in unity for one purpose. Profound reconciliation occurred. Worship filled the stadium. Ripple effects that will impact the world and eternity will result from what was poured out at Azusa Now.

We Walk by Faith Not Sight

Something powerful and profound happened at Azusa Now whether we see and understand it now or not. Many stepped out in great faith to see God’s kingdom come to this generation. If all of this was done and only one person got saved or healed, it would have been worth it. What if that one person will later become the next D.L. Moody or Billy Graham we may never know. However, we do know that many entered into God’s kingdom and many others were restored, healed, and set free that day. We don’t know how many lives these ones will touch in the future but these will be the inheritance of what was poured out at Azusa Now.

In the evening session at Azusa Now, evangelist Daniel Kolenda shared how God marked him at TheCall D.C. over ten years ago. He was impregnated with a hunger and passion to see souls saved. He’s since brought thousands into the kingdom of God. The impact of what was released when he attended TheCall D.C. might not have become visible the next week or even the next year, but something significant happened that later contributed to the momentum of hundreds of thousands being led to the Lord. Whether we see profound results today or in the next ten years from what happened at Azusa Now, we said yes to what God asked of us. That is something to celebrate. We need to trust Him with the results as we continue to dive even deeper into His presence.

Healing on the Streets

When I was doing my Ph.D. on revival history while living in England, I helped my church set up Healing on the Streets in the city square where many youth gathered. We set up chairs in the middle of the square and put up a flag that said Healing. Anyone walking by who wanted prayer would sit in a chair and we would pray for him or her right out in the open. We did this every month and saw many miracles take place: legs grew, depression lifted, cigarettes disappeared, and people even grew taller. However, there’s one story I want to share that will help demonstrate the unseen impact Azusa Now will have in the future.

One time when we were out on the streets, we met a teenager named Ben. He had been hit by a car and his leg was in a cast. He was a rough looking kid but had allowed us to pray for him. As our team laid hands and prayed for him in the middle of the town square, the presence of God fell on him powerfully. However, when he left, he hobbled away, still on crutches with no visible sign of healing. Did we fail? Did we not have enough faith to bring him into his healing? I think not. I believe that every Holy Spirit-led act of faith is something to celebrate. Our job is to obey God. He is in charge of the results.

The next month we went back to the same spot and saw Ben running out to greet us. He shared how a week after we prayed, he was totally healed and even went out jogging!!! We hadn’t seen the effects in the moment we prayed, but God was working behind the scenes. Furthermore, one year after Ben got healed, we were all drinking coffee in a Starbucks and sharing testimonies after our ministry time on the streets. I noticed the Holy Spirit was doing something in Ben so I asked him what was going on. His grandmother had just passed away and he heard her favorite song come on which made him emotional. We prayed for him right there in the Starbucks and he began to weep. Then he said to me, “Jen, I never told you this before but a year ago when you all prayed for me, I had so much anger and rage inside of me that I was going to beat someone up that day. After you all prayed for me, that anger left and I have never been the same.” We found this out one year later!

We don’t always know or see the results of stepping out in faith, worshipping in unity, or doing prophetic acts led by the Spirit, however, in due time, these will surface. Azusa Now may or may not have been what we all imagined. We may have seen incredible miracles and salvations or we may not have seen what we were hoping for. However, something powerful was released either way that will impact generations. We must be content knowing that heaven is celebrating us each and every time we step out in faith to follow the leading of the Spirit. Yes, many people got saved, healed, and delivered which is incredible. However, Azusa Now was just the beginning of more to come.

The Rudder of Our Ship Has Shifted

The prophetic act of thousands of people worshipping together in one place, in one city, and on the anniversary of the Azusa Street Revival synergized and shifted us into a new era. What we did that day is like shifting the direction of a rudder on a large ship. Our generation may or may not recognize the radical change and the momentum that will carry on for generations from now from what was released at Azusa Now. However, even the slightest of changes on a rudder will re-direct the course of that ship. Over time, that ship will arrive at a completely different destination.

We are now going in a new direction, even if ever so slightly. This change will take us to a greater reality than any could ever have hoped, dreamed, or imagined. The New Jesus Revolution has already begun. Sometimes this happens in the smallest of ways. Never underestimate the power of Jesus working even in one small shift, one great decision made, or one person saved. Remember and record what happened in your life on Saturday April 9, 2016 and celebrate each seed of hope that was released. This is only the beginning. These seeds will one day grow and emerge into giants as they are saturated by more of the Holy Spirit.

I close by quoting a song by Bob Dylan. I encourage you to imagine God singing it over you and our generation:

“The storms are raging on the rolling seas

And on the highway of regret

The winds of change are blowing wild and free

You ain’t seen nothing like Me yet

I could make you happy, make your dreams come true

Nothing that I wouldn’t do

Go to the ends of the earth for you

To make you feel My love”

God has already gone to the ends of the earth to make you feel His love when He sent His Son Jesus. I pray that in this new era, your eyes are opened more than ever before to see and to receive a fresh revelation of the Father’s great love. I pray that you become a target for His blessing, favor, and presence. May your heart increase in capacity to be able to receive the great love God is pouring out and to overflow it to others. May you be apprehended by God’s extravagant and unceasing love like never before. Hang on tight, we’re in for the wildest ride of our lives! 

*See book Ignite Azusa: Positioning for a New Jesus Revolution by Jennifer A. Miskov with Heidi Baker, Bill Johnson, and Lou Engle to learn more about the Azusa Street Revival and the new move of God in our day.