April 9th 1906 in Los Angeles California, Reverend William J. Seymour led the Azusa Street Revival where America saw some of the greatest revival meetings that were soon to touch the neighboring cities and the world at large. In a time where the Jim Crow laws and segregation experienced by African Americans were at their peak, the Lord chose to anoint mightily a young black man. Seymour’s dream of preaching about the work of the Holy Spirit had just been cut short when some churches rejected his teaching.
It just so happens that a Christian family in the area which had received this teaching in their hearts, needed to know more and welcomed the rejected preacher. They began hosting Bible studies in their home, and these later turned into the primary catalyst of the spread of Pentecostalism in the world as of the 20th century. The eye-witnesses of this revival stated that absolutely nothing humanly extravagant was done or seen at these meetings except for a supernatural move of the Holy Spirit. There were no fancy instruments, no trained vocalists or instrumentalists, no smoke and lit up stages to portray grand entrees of the worship team, nor five aisle auditorium space to host the meetings, but God worked mightily through His yielded vessels. There were healings reported, baptism in the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues, restorations and many souls won to Christ.
Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore. KJV
When you read the story of the Azusa Street mission, you realize that most of the works that happened in these meetings originated from individuals that came together and truly enjoyed being in the presence of God. The Psalmist in our theme scripture reiterates the truth that we see recreated in these meetings, that in God’s presence is fullness of joy. As the story of this revival continued to grow, it is said that people who had never so much as sung in their bathrooms were overtaken by the Holy Ghost and began to sing with wonderful voices and people that had never played an instrument in their lives sat on a piano and the spirit of the Lord came upon them and they played the piano better than the trained. There were songs that were never recorded because they were sung in the moment under the influence of the Holy Spirit and nothing could scientifically explain what was happening in that once abandoned building because it was divine.
The Hebrew rendering of the word ‘thy presence’ is paneka, which originally denotes ‘your face – God’s face’. In other words the psalm would go: before God’s face is fullness of joy, meaning that joy is completely independent of outward circumstances when the lover of your soulis before you. With this understanding in mind, allow me to explain the dangers of ministering with the sole or primary intention to provide joy and fun to the congregation and how this quickly strays from revealing Christ. The things that are determined as ‘fun’ or as ‘enjoyable’ vary from individual to individual because it is a question of morals and because this variation exists the rule of judgment would also be subject to the moral character of the one judging the matter. For example, two gentlemen from two different families graduate from the same college and the same field of study. One is raised in a liberal family that has no religious roots whatsoever while the other is born in a Christian and prayerful family that has instilled scriptural standards in its children. The two gentlemen will both go home to celebrate their milestone but celebration will be different for both individuals.
One could consider great home cooked meals, family and friends and some great worship a spectacular celebration, which they will crown with prayers and more praise dances. They will thank God for provision throughout the semesters even if they have no lack but recognize that apart from God nothing can be done. The other will have an elaborate celebration with a great DJ, loud edgy music, alcohol to boost the mood and a solid night at the club letting loose because after all school is not easy and he finished where some don’t. Both have celebrated, but the moral agent in the heart of both individuals defines what a good celebration will look like for each individual.
For us as believers, the moral agent that determines right from wrong is clearly defined in : You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ Fortunately, God did not leave us to guess about how He judges matters. He clearly sets a standard that every intelligent worshiper may know that every action no matter how small or big it may seem, if done without taking into account the supreme love for God and equal love for man, is done in vain. If it is not pleasing to God, it can be counted as sin because in God there is no gray. This now leaves us to examine our ways because we understand that anything will be judged as wrong or right based on the intention and moral agent driving the very action.
That is why in Paul commands ‘whether you eat or drink, do it all to the glory of God’. While it may seem like a simple command, it is a very profound standard of comparison that enables one to see eye to eye with God. For an animal, it is innocent to kill and eat simply because it must gratify the appetite and it cannot be counted as sin because it has no moral conscience (agent) to it. On the other hand, when it comes to you and me, eating to simply gratify an appetite is sin because you are indulging into satisfying a lust of the flesh On the contrary, if you look at eating as a means to strengthen your body so that you may continue to perform the works of the Lord, you are eating and drinking to the glory of God.
Therefore, moral agents such as conscience in human beings, even more so born again christians – we are under a higher law, the law of the Holy Spirit given to us as a gift We are bound by this law and anything we do as an attempt to merely gratify the desires in our hearts not taking into consideration the one whom we ought to love above ALL THINGS will be counted to us as sin. Likewise, the presence of the Lord, whether at church or in the secret place of a believer is only enjoyable to the degree that an individual has received the revelation of who they worship and the importance of nurturing this intimacy, by deadening the flesh for His glory. Those that have truly learnt to be in His presence cannot fail to love it and because in His presence is fullness of joy and treasures immeasurable, you do not need to constantly be seeking for the next tea party, ladies night, men’s talk, youth DJ as a means to maintain attendance yet the hearts are further and further That is why when these innocent amusements have decreased in number, so shall the saints on the pews.
As much as no degree of affliction caused Israel to repent except for the disruptive power of love made flesh in the person of Jesus, no degree of amusements will cause a man to repent if as ministers we don’t deal faithfully with their souls, telling the hard truths that awaken it to their dire need for their Savior. [SELAH]
If you have never given your life to Jesus Christ, and you feel that this is the perfect time, pray this prayer:
“Lord Jesus, I thank you because you died for my sins and you were raised for my glory. Today, I receive you as my Lord and Savior. I am born again. Amen.”
