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BRIEF HISTORY OF PENTECOSTALISM
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Pentecostal
churches constitute the fastest growing group of churches in
Christianity today, representing already a quarter of all Christians
worldwide Depending on the definition, the global number of Pentecostal
adherents may range from about 250 million to over 500 “Pentecostal”
describes Christian churches and movements that emphasize the work of
the Holy Spirit, spiritual gifts such as; speaking in tongues,
prophesy, deliverance, divine healing and expressive worship.
The
work of the Holy Spirit was a central part of the early Christian
Church, following the miraculous events of the Day of Pentecost, Acts
1-2. But already in the 2nd century AD, the practice of spiritual gifts
began to shift as the church became more institutionalized and gained
political power. However, the Holiness (or ‘Sanctification’) movement
in the USA is considered by most historians to be the most direct
influence on Pentecostalism: ‘The Holiness movement believed in the
need for a personal and individual experience of conversion and the
moral perfection (holiness) of the Christian individual’
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unique Pentecostal movement began with the preacher Charles F. Parham’s
Bethel Gospel School in Topeka, Kansas, where his student Agnes Ozman
first speaks in tongues on January 1, 1900 at 11 pm. Parham was an
ex-Methodist, an independent preacher, and a healer in Kansas.
While
Parham’s movement swept across the states, various other revivals
involving speaking in tongues, healings, revelation, gifts of prophesy
and other charismatic expressions were taking place around there world.
Pentecost was occurring in South India after 1860 and later in Wales
(1904), Korea (1907); and Chile (1909). |
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AZUSA STREET REVIVAL |
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However,
it was the 1906 revival in Azusa Street, Los Angeles, that came to be
considered as the birthplace of modern Pentecostalism. It was led by
the African American preacher William Joseph Seymour, who had been a
student of Parham and accepted his views on the baptism in the Spirit.
Seymour’s preaching on the work of the Holy Spirit, combined with a
strong belief in being inclusive of men, women, all ages and
backgrounds; both black and white members in the congregation, caused
him to be evicted from the small storefront Holiness church where he
was preaching. He subsequently started the Apostolic Faith Mission on
312 Azusa Street in 1906.
For
the next three years the revival in Azusa Street was the most prominent
center of Pentecostalism. Seymour’s periodical The Apostolic Faith
reached an international circulation of 50,000 at its peak in 1908. At
least twenty-six different denominations trace their Pentecostal
origins to Azusa Street, including the two largest: the Church of God
in Christ and the Assemblies of God.
Pentecostal
missionaries were sent out all over the world from Azusa Street,
reaching over twenty-five nations in two years. Pentecostalism
originally maximized being inclusive; the participation of the whole
community in worship and service, the inclusion of visions and dreams
into public worship, and an understanding healing through prayer.’ The
Pentecostal movement became a movement where the marginalized and
dispossessed could find equality regardless of race, gender or class. |
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PROGRESSIVE PENTECOSTALISM |
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Progressive
Pentecostalism embraces the fundamental principles and expressions of
traditional Pentecostalism, while embracing the continued progressive
principles of human inclusion, social justice, ecumenism and political
action. In Acts 2, the Church began as an inclusive body of believers
who “...spake in languages that all understood”. The Azusa Street
Revival mirrored Acts 2, with Black and White worshipping and in
fellowship together during the height of racial segregation. This
confirms our belief that a hallmark of Pentecostalism is not only the
demonstration of the Holy Spirit, but also the eradication of racial,
ethnic, orientational and other barrier which is evidence of Christian
love. |
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THE FELLOWSHIP OF INCLUSIVE UNITED PENTECOSTALS INTERNATIONAL
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The Fellowship was birthed out of this fusion of traditional Pentecostalism and
the progressive move of the Holy Spirit. Due to a fresh move of God’s
Spirit in the specific work of founder, Apostle Joseph Devlin , and the City Of Refuge and Hope Church International. From it’s humble beginning with 12 members in
2001, The City of Hope and Refuge Church International experienced explosive growth with a membership
of 150. Through Apostle Devlin leadership and the anointed
ministry of The City Of Hope and Refuge, other Churches and Pastors
have sought spiritual covering and nurturing. Due to their strong
belief in Pentecostal empowerment through the Holy Spirit to build
welcoming and biblically functioning communities that share the Gospel
with relevance, the Fellowship Of Inclusive United Pentecostals International
has been birthed.
Pastors,
leaders and Churches around the country being spirit-led and inclusive
in nature have unified to birth The Fellowship Of Inclusive United Pentecostals International. |
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