One revival can often be the catalyst for another revival. That certainly seems to be the case for an unprecedented worldwide move of God in the first few years of the twentieth century.

I remember, years ago, wondering what happened to the Pentecostal experience of Acts chapter 2. Within a couple of hundred years, with a few exceptions, speaking in tongues had all but disappeared from the church. Now, I understand what happened because, as history always does, it repeats itself. Solomon said in Ecclesiastes 1:9, “There is nothing new under the sun.” For some reason, we struggle to learn from the lessons of the past.

Nowadays, fewer and fewer people are hungry for the baptism of the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking in tongues. Only a few even know the story of the Pentecostal renewal of 1906. It began before then, but a series of events thrust the 1906 revival into the headlines.

While the name “Azusa Street” is the most recognizable, the revival actually began on April 6, 1906, in a home on Bonnie Brae Street. The crowds quickly overflowed the house, and they had to move to 312 Azusa Street. The first meeting was held on Easter weekend in 1906. There was a train depot about a half mile from the mission. The power of God was so strong that when people exited the train, they fell under conviction. People by the thousands were saved, and untold numbers of people were healed.

One of the things that distinguished the Azusa Street revival is that when people were baptized with the Holy Ghost, they spoke in languages they had never learned, but that could be understood by people who were there, exactly as it happened in Acts chapter 2. There are numerous stories of people who came from regions of the world that spoke a rare dialect but heard their own language spoken fluently and perfectly. People became missionaries to nations who spoke the language God had given them at Azusa Street. The revival transcended racial and cultural boundaries.

At times, people would spontaneously burst into song, all singing in different languages. I experienced this on one of my trips to the Holy Land while in the Upper Room. God’s presence was overwhelming as people from various nations around the world were praising God. At Azusa Street, a visible cloud would fill the room. The only explanation they could give was that it was the Shekinah glory of God. If you’ve ever experienced this, no one can rattle your faith; you know it’s real.

There are said to be over six hundred million Pentecostals around the world today, and it sprang from Azusa Street in 1906. We have always needed revival, but in my lifetime, I’ve never seen a greater need than now. The falling away the Bible speaks about seems to be unfolding right in front of our eyes. We need a move of God.