Day 59: Pentecost in Topeka

In October of 1900, in Topeka, Kansas, a small band of believers led by Charles Parham started Bethel Bible School. The only textbook was the Bible. Their concerted purpose was to learn the Bible, not just in their heads, but to have each thing in the Scriptures wrought out in their hearts.

In December 1900, Parham sent his students to work to diligently search the Scriptures for the Biblical evidence of the baptism in the Holy Spirit. They all came back with the same answer— when the baptism in the Holy Spirit came to the early disciples, the indisputable proof on each occasion was that they spoke with other tongues.

According to Parham, after midnight on January 1, 1901, during a watch-night service, he laid hands upon a student named Agnes N. Ozman: “I had scarcely repeated three dozen sentences when a glory fell upon her, a halo seemed to surround her head and face, and she began speaking in the Chinese language, and was unable to speak English for three days. When she tried to write in English to tell us of her experience she wrote the Chinese, copies of which we still have in newspapers printed at that time.”

Within 10 years, that tiny prayer meeting in Topeka spread out far and wide to start the Azusa Street revival under William J. Seymour and the healing ministries of John G. Lake and F. F. Bosworth. That meeting ultimately gave birth as well to the Assemblies of God, the Church of God, the Church of God in Christ, and the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World. Thousands of missionaries went out and Pentecostal churches sprung up in Canada, Mexico, South America, all over Europe, Africa, the Philippines, China and even Australia.

All of this was accomplished in 10 years without any formal organization and in spite of the obvious limitations on communication and travel at the turn of the century. These people seemed to have no hesitation to leave everything behind to spread the message that God wanted to pour out His Spirit on all flesh, all nations —Jews and Greeks, slaves and free, male and female, rich and poor. They knew that everyone could come and be filled.

What is the Holy Spirit saying to me?

ACTIVATION

• Re-read Acts 2 and imagine you were there to experience the wind and re of the Holy Spirit for the very first time.

• Ask God to rush into your life in that same way, with that same power today.

• Don’t take the Holy Spirit’s presence for granted. Honor Him by operating in His power and strength.

FURTHER STUDY

Acts 2:42–47; Luke 18:27; Mark 16:17

Pastor Larry & Pat Downing
Foothills Community Church
Collections of thoughts from varied sources
Scripture verses from KJV or NIV unless specified