Azusa Now organizer believing for “revival”
LOS ANGELES—Azusa Now Rally organizer Lou Engle is believing for a “revival in the church” that will fan “flames of fire” 24 years after what he called a “negative revival” as seen in the Los Angeles Riots of April, 1992.
The Azusa Now event is free to the public but those wishing to attend need a ticket which can be obtained by registering at: www.AzusaNow2016.com.
These six days of riots also known as the South Central Riots came in the aftermath of the acquittal of four Los Angeles Police Department officers for use of excessive force in the arrest and beating of Rodney King after a high-speed police chase. The riots which started on April 29 required the California Army National Guard, the 7th Infantry Division and the 1st Marine Division to join with law enforcement to stop the looting, assault, arson and killing that resulted in 55 people killed, 2,000 injured and 1 billion dollars in damages.
Soldiers of the (Mechanized) Artillery, 40. Infantry Division (California Army National Guard) patrol the streets of Los Angeles in 1992.
“I had a dream four months ago where the Lord woke me up five times with the scripture from Jeremiah 34:8” said Engle. “This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, after King Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people who were at Jerusalem to proclaim liberty to them: that every man should set free his male and female slave.”
“This nation is under siege,” said Engle. “Our only hope is to let go of our slaves and forgive. Bloodshed brings a curse upon a nation,” said Engle. “The Lord wants us to walk in the shoes of others pain. I feel the race issue today is driving us to the Jesus movement.”
According to Engle, Azusa Now is about the parable of the unforgiving servant in Matthew 18:35 “So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart does not forgive his brother his trespasses.” Engle said, “if we don’t forgive others, then we will become the slaves.”
Azusa Now is a stadium-sized prayer gathering in which many diverse ethnic communities will come together en mass to worship and celebrate the unifying power of Jesus Christ at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on April 9, 2016.
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum is an outdoor sports stadium located in the University Park neighborhood next to the University of Southern California and is the home to the USC Trojans football teams and the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League for the 2016-2018 seasons until their new stadium in Inglewood is completed. The facility has a listed seating capacity of 93,607, making it the largest football stadium in the PAC-12 Conference. The attendance for the exhibition game on March 29, 2008 between the Boston Red Sox and the Los Angeles Dodgers, was 115,300 setting a new Guinness World Record for attendance at a baseball game.
Over 83,000 participants and a thousand churches and organizations have registered to attend the event as of April 2nd. Organizers are believing for 110,000 attendees. The biggest event held at L.A. Memorial Coliseum was a Billy Graham evangelistic meeting with 134,000 attendees in the late 1940s with 20,000 attendees turned away.
One of the speakers sharing at Azusa Now is evangelist Daniel Kolenda of Christ For All Nations. Daniel Kolenda is a modern missionary evangelist who has led more than 17 million people to Christ face-to-face through massive open-air evangelistic crusades. Kolenda is the successor to world renowned evangelist Reinhard Bonnke and is the president and CEO of Christ for All Nations. He is a fifth generation preacher who received a calling to take the Gospel to the nations as a young boy and is a graduate from the Brownville Revival School of Ministry in Pensacola and Southeastern University in Lakeland, Florida.
Evangelist Daniel Kolenda speaking to the media during an African crusade.
“According to Rachel Holden, CEO of The Call, the Pasadena-based host of Azusa Now, “We want to humbly learn how to bless our differences while joining together for worship and the proclamation of the Gospel. Our hope for Azusa Now is that the body of Christ would begin, even in a small way to fulfill the great prayer of Jesus in John 17, to make us one as He is one.”
Fred Berry of the Azusa Street Mission said “Azusa Now is celebrating the legacy of William J. Seymour who broke the barrier on race relations in Los Angeles before Martin Luther King ever lived. The color line is washed away in the blood of Jesus.”
The Azusa Now event is free to the public but those wishing to attend need a ticket which can be obtained by registering at: www.AzusaNow2016.com.
Michael Hernandez, is co-founder of the Citizens Journal and is a former religion editor, news editor and daily news reporter. He can be reached at (818) 263-9881 or by email: [email protected].
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Azusa Now is to see racial barriers dissolve in the love of God.
As the collaborative effort continues to spread across Los Angeles, over a thousand churches and organizations now share the mission of unity. In the atmosphere of prayer and worship, a major goal of Azusa Now is to see racial barriers dissolve in the love of God. Organizers believe this could form a model of healing for both California and the nation.
According to Rachel Holden, CEO of TheCall, the Pasadena-based host of Azusa Now, “One of our goals for this gathering is to begin to repair the pain, wounds and division among different nationalities, denominations and backgrounds throughout the body of Christ. We want to humbly learn to bless our differences while joining together for worship and the proclamation of the Gospel. Our daring hope for Azusa Now is that the body of Christ would begin, even in a small way, to fulfill the great prayer of Jesus in John 17, to make us one as He is one.”
Leaders from across the ethnic spectrum are talking about the unity brought together by the event.
Apostle Fred Berry of the Azusa Street Mission testifies, “Azusa Now is celebrating the legacy of William J. Seymour who broke the barrier on race relations in Los Angeles before Martin Luther King ever lived. He was a pioneer who led the first modern multicultural experiment. We celebrate Lou Engle and the Azusa Now team for living a lifestyle of reconciliation! I can testify that Lou took the giant step to call and reconcile with me after many years of disconnection! The application of the blood of Jesus to our hearts exemplifies the message from the Azusa Street Revival of 1906: ‘The color line is washed away in the blood of Jesus.’ My prayer for Azusa Now is to make us one in the name of Jesus!”
According to Gabe Ahn, Senior Pastor and Executive Producer at HRock Church, “One of the greatest attributes of TheCall is its priority for racial reconciliation. I have witnessed, time and time again, “the call” to unite ethnicities together, which is not just prayed, but rather, displayed before, during, and after each event. I’m looking forward to seeing the body of Christ unite again on April 9, 2016 at Azusa Now, knowing that unity is always a precursor to Revival. Now, more than ever, we
need to stand together as one, reminding ourselves that there is no color line in heaven. It’s time to bring that truth to Earth.”
Luis Cataldo, Director of Missions for the International House of Prayer-Kansas City, added “What excites me about Azusa Now is the biblically-grounded, shared experience we can engage in across all denominations, ethnicities and generations. I’m aware of our differences, but as a Hispanic leader, I know I have more in common with everyone who is trying to follow Jesus and walk in unity and humility, than I have with anyone who is not. I’m all in!”
Shawn Bolz, Producer, Pastor and Author at Bolz Ministries, also commented “Azuza Now represents an injection of miraculous faith into the whole body of Christ during one of the most critical times in history. It’s amazing to gather all of these believers from different backgrounds who are believing that Christianity is going to make a transformational difference on the Earth right now. We get to focus and respond together about what God is doing, as well as what He wants to do. Never in my lifetime has there been a gathering like this with the intention to bring a wholehearted agreement for God to manifest his great love nature on the earth across denominations, races and countries.”
Historically, one of the most startling evidences that the original 1906 Azusa Street Revival was a true move of God was the profound sense of love and racial harmony that unexpectedly bonded African-, Asian-, Hispanic- and Anglo-Americans together during a deeply segregated period of American history. Azusa Now hopes to restore this rich legacy of Christian friendship and blessing by turning hearts toward one another as a counter-cultural response to the deepening trends of divisiveness and rancor in the ethnic, political and socio-economic spheres of our nation.
Those wanting to volunteer or participate in this gathering can find more information at www.AzusaNow2016.com.
“This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, after King Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people who were at Jerusalem to proclaim liberty to them: that every man should set free his male and female slave.” (Jeremiah 31:8-9a)
I watched and shouted as you went throughout the day. I too have been praying out here in West Virginia, for years. I too pray for another move of Holy Spirit!! I had a vision a few years ago of a tsunami of the Spirit going across our nation in huge waves of Glory. I posted a declaration to that effect on our county commissioners building. This too has begun here within the last month. Praise Jesus we will see this take our great nation once again. Holy Spirit is calling all believers in Jesus to unite in One Accord.