The History of the Pentecostal movement

In 1734, Northampton village in the colony of Massachusetts experienced a remarkable revival that became the catalyst for revivals throughout the Colonies and in England, Scotland and Germany. In the early 1740s, revival events dominated Colonial newspaper headlines from Boston to Charleston. They reported on itinerant preachers thundering out messages of eternal damnation and salvation to frightened, wailing and repentant crowds on city streets, in parks and at meetinghouses.
One of colonial best known Christian theologians was pastor Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758) of Northampton. In1736 Jonathan Edwards wrote an article called “A Faithful Narrative of the Surprising Work of God. This article soon became a popular book relating to how people had been converted and saved. On July 8, 1741 Jonathan Edwards delivered a sermon, “Sinners in the hands of an Angry God” was example of the Great Awakening of hell-fire and brimstone preaching.
Revival sermons like Jonathan Edwards caused people in attendance to weep and scream. Jonathan Edwards believed that the Great Awakening was the work of God and had resulted in many genuine conversions. Just as quickly the Great Awakening began it was brought to a halt. By 1749 the Church had returned to its ordinary state, one of the well-known revivalists Gilbert Tennent stated that The Great awakening was dead.
Pentecostalism is arguably the most important mass religious movement of the twentieth century. Today, this movement is the second largest sub-group of global Christianity. It has over 30 million American adherents and a worldwide following of 430 million. Pentecostalism grew out of the Holiness revival during the second half of the nineteenth century. This revival was an expression of both social and theological discontent among the nation’s lower and middle-class groups. Not content to remain in mainline churches, they formed new religious communities committed to the theological doctrine of perfectionism. (Stephens)
Former Methodists, Presbyterians, and Baptists believed they were experiencing a renewed outpouring of the Holy Spirit much like the early church experienced in the book of Acts. When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. (Radmacher, Allen and House)
Pentecost mean an annual festival, a new dispensation, the birth of the Church, and a glorious experience for believers. (Hamill)
When Jesus ascended he fulfilled his promise of the Holy Spirit, the comforter who Jesus said “I will not leave you comfortless I will come to you” (Radmacher, Allen and House) came and appeared to the disciple as tongues of fire. This allowed the disciples to speak in unknown tongues. This outpouring of the Holy Spirit on human flesh was also prophesied by the prophet Joel (Joel 2:28-29)
After being empowered by the Holy Spirit the disciples went out into the streets preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. Not only did they preach with boldness, but by miracles and spoke in the native languages of the people. The dispensation of the Holy Ghost, the power and anointing of the spirit, which had rested only upon selected Old Testament individuals called to a particular service now was available to all believers. (Hamill) In 1906 the Pentecostal Movement Revival and the birth of a spiritual renewal took place in Los Angeles, CA. The Azusa Street Revival was the beginning of the restoration of the New Testament Christianity. There thousand came to attend the revival at Azusa Street Mission. They all claimed to have received a renewed purpose and a new passion to serve Jesus Christ. The Azusa Street Revival in Los Angeles was led by William Joseph Seymour who was an African American preacher from a Black Holiness Church. There were personal experiences of tongues speaking earlier, but Azusa Street ignited worldwide Pentecostalism. (Shelley)
The praise and worship at Azusa Street used a style that came from the Appalachian Whites and Southern Blacks and included dancing and shouting. The unity of blacks and white was unusual and almost unheard of in 1906. The Azusa Street integrated worship did not last long after the Revival. The African Americans organized under the Church of God in Christ and the White Pentecostals congregated as the Assemblies of God denominations, both coming from the Azusa Street Revival.
Works Cited
Hamill, James. http://enrichmentjournal.ag.org. 20 April 2012.
Radmacher, Earl, Ronald Allen and H. Wayne House. NKJV Study Bible. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1997.
Shelley, Brucee. Church History in Plain Language. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1798.

Works Cited
Hamill, James. http://enrichmentjournal.ag.org. 20 April 2012.
Radmacher, Earl, Ronald Allen and H. Wayne House. NKJV Study Bible. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1997.
Shelley, Brucee. Church History in Plain Language. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1798.