William Parham, a former Methodist minister is recognized by 20th century Pentecostals as the father of the “classical Pentecostal doctrine.” Unfortunately, his teachings did not gain wide acceptance, initially. In 1905, he moved his headquarters to Houston, Texas and founded “The Bible Training School.” That was where he met and taught William J. Seymour, a black evangelist from Louisiana.
Seymour embraced Parham’s Pentecostal teaching. In the winter of 1906, Seymour was recruited to be the pastor of a storefront church in Los Angeles, California. He accepted the offer and journeyed by train to assume his new pastorate. Seymour preached just a few sermons before he found himself locked out by his congregation. His members were not ready to accept his doctrine of Spirit baptism. He was rejected.
Homeless and jobless, Seymour was given a temporary shelter, and he dedicated himself to a time of intense prayer. Later on a family invited him to stay in their home. They also persuaded him to hold services in their abode. His messages were received so much so that he drew a large crowd to his services. They had to secure a new building to accommodate the onslaught of people who were coming to the services.
The building acquired was a former church building on 312 Azusa Street. The church was called the Apostolic Faith Mission, and they began their services in April, with Seymour as their pastor. In case the name of the street on which the church was located did not give you a hint, William J. Seymour was the catalyst behind the Azusa Street Revival. And rejection was the vehicle that navigated him to this accomplishment.
Seymour was rejected by a storefront church, and the rejection “re-ejected” him to be the pioneer of a 3 year revival characterized by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and a global Pentecostal movement whose impact is still resonating today. But how was Seymour able to get to this point? He was rejected.
People might hold you back from doing something, but God uses their hindrance to release you to fulfill His purpose for your life. The enemy will try to use rejection to set you back, but God uses it to set you free. Every time you hear people talk about the Azusa street revival, remember that the means through which that movement exploded, and the vehicle which ignited the man behind the explosion, is rejection (David W. Dorries, Spirit-Filled Christology (San Diego: Aventine Press, 2006), 260-263).