Azusa Street Revival building 1905-1908.        Pastor William J. Seymour 
 FoundationsInChristianity.org (excerpts), by Ken Horn:  It was an old abandoned building on a run-down street.  It had last served as a livery stable - before that, a warehouse.  Just an "old tumbled-down shack;" but it became the tabernacle of the Lord's presence to people hungry for the glory of God.  In 1905, Charles Parham opened a Bible school in Houston, Texas.  An African-American believer named William J. Seymour eagerly received the teachings there regarding the fullness of the Holy Spirit.  Earlier, a Baptist pastor in California, Joseph Smale, heard of a tremendous revival occurring in Wales under Evan Roberts.  Smale went there and Roberts encouraged him to seek such a revival in Los Angeles.  When Smale returned, he instituted prayer meetings and other similar prayer meetings began to break out in the area.  While California believers prayed for a mighty move of God, the humble Seymour sat in Texas learning about the ways of the Holy Spirit.  Next, God orchestrated a divine appointment that would launch the fledgling movement to unprecedented heights.  A woman from one of the California groups met Seymour in Houston and was impressed by his Godliness.  On her recommendation, Seymour was invited to pastor in Los Angeles.  He accepted, but he preached about a fullness of the Holy Spirit accompanied by speaking in tongues.  This message was foreign to his hearers' ears; thus, although many accepted the teaching, he was locked out of the church.  He moved to a private home on Bonnie Brae Street to preach.  Here, on April 9, 1906, seven worshipers were struck by the power of God and began to speak in other tongues.  Soon people from all races and a rich variety of church backgrounds were attracted - and many spoke in tongues.  It initially produced a movement that was color blind.  Soon word spread that the Bonnie Brae house was too small.  The meetings moved to an old building that had originally been an African Methodist Episcopal Church at 312 Azusa Street.  This became the home of the revival.  People visited the Apostolic Faith Gospel Mission there in large numbers.  There was a continuous revival for three years.  It was not uncommon for a meeting to go from 10 am to midnight; yet there were none of the trappings often associated with a large revival.  In this, Azusa was much like its overseas companion, the Welsh revival.  Offerings were never taken, but could be left at the door as people left.  Spontaneity was the unofficial order of service.  Even the messages were generally spontaneous.  When the sermon was completed, the altars were opened and people flooded to them.  Witnesses marveled that preaching so simple was attended by a power so great.  As the Spirit moved, people would "fall prostrate under the power of God."  They often got up speaking in tongues, with lives dramatically transformed.  The movement did not exalt the gift of the Holy Ghost and speaking in other tongues.  Seymour set the tone for Pentecostal doctrine early on, when he said, "Now don't go from this meeting and talk about tongues, but try to get people saved."  He preached that a power for service could be found in the Baptism in the Holy Ghost and fire - and that tongues would surely follow this Baptism.  The move of God changed people significantly.  A tremendous conviction of sin turned people to Christ.  It brought unbelievers and backsliders to the cross, worldly Christians to a deeper walk with God, and those who were seeking more of God, much of the Holy Spirit.  The revival influenced people all over the world.  They came and went - taking the fire of Pentecost with them - to Chicago, New York City, Oregon and throughout the US; to England, Norway, Sweden and other countries.  

Commentary:  In the event that the gift of the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking in other tongues is foreign to you, you can find the Biblical teachings about the gift of the Holy Ghost in Acts Chapter 2.  It was originally given to the apostles, with over 100 other believers, on the Jewish Day of Pentecost, after Christ's crucifiction and ascension.  This great outpouring of the Holy Ghost happened, just as Jesus said it would (Luke 24:49).  Many people do not realize that the Holy Ghost, with the evidence of speaking in tongues, is still available to God's people today, to those who ask and seek after this gift from God.  It is very sad how many do not experience the outpouring of God's Spirit.  Instead, what you find are a lot of "dead" churches today, where you can't even hear true Bible doctrine preached, let alone have a "Holy Ghost filled service."  You can find "Rock n Roll" style churches and "Progressive" churches, where people are taught that Jesus is not the only way to God and they are merging with other apostate religions!  God forbid a minister should preach against sin in many of these churches.  Jesus talked a lot about sin and the consequences of sin; He preached about hell on nine different occasions, as recorded in the Book of Matthew.  Jesus spoke to the religious hypocritical leaders of the church in His day, saying to them, "You serpents, generation of vipers, how can you escape the damnation of hell?" Matthew 23:33.  Ministers today are afraid they will lose church members (and their offerings) and they don't want to "offend" people, so they stay away from the real truth.  Their messages mostly consist of only half of the Bible truths, not all of them, only the blessing parts.  A few photos below will give you an idea what some are doing; but the scriptures tell us, "The time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but after their own lusts, they will heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears" 2 Timothy 4:3

This is an abomination.  Trying to mix the things of the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ is against Bible teachings.

"Come out from among them and be separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing and I will receive you" 2 Corinthians 6:17.  "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world.  If any man loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him" 1 John 2:15.  "Who gave Himself for us that He might redeem us from all iniquity and purify to Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works" Titus 2:14   
 If you are interested in learning more about the gift of the Holy Ghost, I would like to invite you to visit The Comforter page of this site.