Six and 76

For years the name Billy Graham has been a household word. Mention his name to many and visions of stadiums still come. Stadiums where faith-not football-was preached, where thousands responded to a simple Gospel message given by, as he was often called, Mr. Graham.

There was another person named Billy who preached the Gospel. This Billy preached in the late 1800s and up unto 1935, the year after Billy Graham received salvation. The other Billy was Billy Sunday, a one-time professional baseball player who became the leading evangelist of his day.

Billy Sunday was influenced by J. Wilber Chapman whose ministry, in turn, was encouraged through the life of one F.B. Meyer. Meyer’s own ministry grew under the tutelage of Dwight L. Moody who was won to Christ by his Sunday School teacher, Edward Kimball, in 1858. 

In Charlotte, North Carolina, one of Billy Sunday’s converts was a young man by the name of Mordecai Ham. I read that in 1934 Billy Sunday was invited to preach in Charlotte but couldn’t. Instead, Mordecai Ham, himself now a minister, came and ministered. In one of those services 16 year-old Billy Graham gave his life to Christ. 

Six individuals over 76 years. Each one obedient to go and speak life to multitudes, or the one. Too often we look at numbers for marking success. God’s markings may be more on the one, the seed of many to come. Your faithfulness to God’s plan for your life may be marked more by that one than those masses. 

Edward Kimball, Dwight L. Moody, F.B. Meyer, J. Wilber Chapman, Billy Sunday, Mordecai Ham, and Billy Graham would, no doubt, agree.

© Hubert Gardner Ministries 2019-2024

Real Heroes of Success

For all the success those in front of the camera enjoy, that success  is made possible by the efforts of those laboring behind the scenes. Lighting, sound, makeup, and costuming are but a few of the numerous areas critical to a product’s success on the screen. Rarely-if ever-seen, those in these and other areas are real heroes of a work’s finished product.

It’s the same with God. Too often results are looked at without comprehending the process. The most important parts of any process are people. People like Daniel Nash and Collins Steele. 

Father Daniel Nash was a Presbyterian minister who was the main person of prayer behind the highly successful meetings of Charles G. Finney in the early 1800s. Arriving weeks before Finney’s services were to being, Father Nash, occasionally accompanied by another person of prayer, would spend his time in prayer on the behalf of those in need of salvation, and for a move of God in the services. 

For all of Finney’s preaching ability, the behind-the-scenes prayers of Father Nash and a few others was what made the real-and lasting-difference. Church historians agree that 80% of those won to Christ under Finney’s ministry stayed faithful to God. But that success would not have been possible had Finney not had the prayer backing of Father Nash. 

One measure of Father Nash’s prayers was that after his death in 1831, Finney never had the same evangelistic success he enjoyed from the fruit of Father Nash’s prayers. Another reason we pray for our church services. Their success is so dependent on the prayers of people like you and me.

During Finney’s 1830 meetings in Rochester, New York, nearly the whole town got saved. Even today there is a Charles Finney School in Rochester, named in the honor of one whom God used mightily to win so many in that city to Christ. 

Only eternity, however, will tell the part of Father Daniel Nash, the one who never attended Finney’s meetings, choosing rather to pray behind the scenes for the seen to succeed. For me, a real hero of success.

Our next post will cover Collins Steele, another behind-the-scenes hero. Join me.

© Hubert Gardner Ministries 2018-2024

The Value of Church History

History is a fascinating subject. Whether talking about a person or event from thousands of years ago or within the last 20 years, history is always about only the past. Never now or the future. Some reading this remember persons and/or events from as far back as 50 years ago. Perhaps less. 

 The same is true concerning church history. By church I mean the Church-God’s Church-the Body of Christ. Believers in the lordship of Jesus Christ. We believers also have a history. People and events from the past who and which have helped influence where we are as the Church today.

 Throughout Church history many events have taken place. God has used a great number of people like you, to accomplish His plans and purposes. At times those, with such last names as Wycliffe, Tyndale, Augustine, Luther, Wesley, Whitfield, Finney, Woodworth-Etter, Sunday, and Graham have been greatly used by God to bring about God’s love and power.

 For some reason it grieves me that so many believers-especially charismatic Christians-know little or nothing about their heritage. Recently I was at a large meeting, attended by christians from many states and countries. When asked if she had ever heard of Zion, a product table volunteer replied that she had not. Yet her employer, a well-known speaker, regularly teaches on divine healing. 

 Some may say, “What difference does it make, knowing Church history?” Others go to the other extreme, knowing historical details while missing the real message of the moves of God. Another opportunity for balance. 

 Some may remember my three posts from years ago, highlighting people and places in church history who/which have profoundly influenced multiplied millions in the areas of divine healing and speaking in tongues, during the last 120 years. Not just in America but worldwide. Two cities, Zion and Topeka; one place, Azusa Street. You’ll find all three of them mentioned under older posts, beginning March 24, 2017. 

 Knowing church history will hopefully raise awareness of how the present came to be, as well as increase appreciation for those who were wonderfully used of the Holy Spirit to give us a taste of heaven on earth.

May both your present and future be blessed by knowing your past.

© Hubert Gardner Ministries 2018-2024

What's Your Christmas Theology?

Depending on where you are at this moment, it's either Christmas Eve or actually Christmas. It's the day where the birth of Jesus is celebrated by millions around the world. Even those who don't believe in the birth of Jesus rejoice, because of potential income derived from retail sales of everything from food to family pictures, from the functional to the frivolous. Getting something on sale is all the justification some need for purchasing that item that comes with buyer's remorse, sometimes after the bill arrives. But what about all the Christmas music being played? Stores, stations, and sidewalks sound forth songs of the season. Songs which have become Christmas "staples" include: Silent Night,  Away in a Manger, The First Noel, O Little Town of Bethlehem, and O Holy Night-my favorite-to name but a few.

With any song, words are important. Such is certainly the case with each Christmas song, some which date back over 200 years. While I enjoy most Christmas carols, I respectfully disagree with many lyrics which I hear and/or have sung as part of group caroling.

The following are parts of songs which are clearly out of line with the Bible:

Away in a Manger: "No crib for a bed" makes Joseph out to be poor, which he, as a carpenter, certainly wasn't.  Paying yearly taxes made for lots of rooms being used, resulting in Joseph having a stable being used for lodging.  As a carpenter, he made a good living, resulting in him prospering. The hotels of the day were simply booked full.

We Three Kings: Who says there were only three kings? There could have been dozens for all we know. Perhaps the song mentions three due to gold, frankincense, and myrrh (three items) being brought. It's not ours to speculate on how many kings there were, but rather to let our focus be on the birth of Jesus.

What Child is This: The child Jesus isn't the same as baby Jesus. Manger scenes show kings bowing before Jesus, laid in a manger. In truth, the kings found the child Jesus at around two years old. It took them that long to make the journey from the Far East to where Jesus lived. This helps to explain why King Herod ordered all male children, aged two and under, to be killed-not just all male babies.

The First Noel: "was to certain poor shepherds..." Who says the shepherds were poor? This carol also refers to "...a cold winter's night." Jesus wasn't born on December 25th; it's the day set aside to celebrate His birth. In reality Jesus was born when it was warmer.

While I could go on and on, suffice to say that Christmas carols ought not be relied upon for biblical accuracy. Enjoy them, for sure. Go caroling, sing your favorite carols in church and home, and really enjoy celebrating the birth of Jesus, the Savior of the world.

Just base your faith on what the Bible actually says, rather than "Christmas Theology."

Merry Christmas, everyone.

312 Azusa Street

Zion, Topeka, and Azusa Street are the three most prominent names in the last 125 years of church history in America. Two previous posts highlighted Zion, Illinois and Topeka, Kansas. As mentioned in my last post, William J. Seymour was in Houston, Texas, where he heard Charles Parham teaching in his Bible school. Through a series of divinely-orchestrated appointments Seymour arrived in Los Angeles, California, in early 1906, bringing the message of Pentecost with him.

Finding favor with local residents, William Seymour began laying hands on those desiring to be filled with the Holy Spirit. On April 6, 1906 they were filled, with the initial evidence of speaking in other tongues. Thus began the Azusa Street revival. Crowds soon necessitated moving the meetings to a deserted warehouse, that once housed an African Methodist Episcopal Church. The address for the larger space was 312 Azusa Street.

Only 60 x40 feet, the building was hastily cleaned and made ready for the growing numbers of those hungry for this Pentecostal experience. Seymour presided over the daily services, often with a wooden box over his head. When God told him to remove the box, the Spirit of God began to move, often in miraculous ways. A humble man, William Seymour was mightily used by God to minister salvation, the infilling of the Spirit, and miracles.

Thousands of healings took place at 312 Azusa Street over the course of 3+ years. Goiters came off, the sick were made whole, the lame walked, the blind saw. Jesus, the Great Physician, was making house calls there. Then there were the miracles: arms growing out of empty sockets, eyes formed where none had ever had been. Legs grew out; new teeth replaced the rotting old. There was a reverence for the Presence of God that is rarely seen today.

The Azusa Street Revival had world-wide influence. People came from around the world to receive what God was offering through yielded vessels, such as William J. Seymour and others. Just over 100 years after its beginning, the effects of what took place at 312 Azusa Street are still being felt around the world. Major denominations, such as the Assemblies of God, the Church of God in Christ, the Church of God (Cleveland, TN),  the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel, and many others trace their roots back to God's doings on Azusa Street.

Tommy Welchel met the children of Azusa Street in the 1960s, hearing their stories of what God did during the Azusa meetings, both through others and through them. God worked many healings and miracles through children and teenagers. Their stories are preserved in Tommy's book entitled, "They Told Me Their Stories." In this book the youth and children of Azusa Street tell their stories of what God accomplished at 312 Azusa Street, in Los Angeles, California. I strongly encourage you to get your own copy, as I have. Like me, you'll never be the same.

Zion, Topeka, and Azusa Street: three prominent names in church history. I hope you've enjoyed reading about these places, as well as their contributions to all of our lives today.

If you've enjoyed any or all of these posts please let me know. I'm always interested in others being blessed by what God has done in the past, knowing that God is the same today as He was in Zion (1896), Topeka (1900), and at 312 Azusa Street (1906-1909).

Charles Parham and Topeka

My previous post: Zion, Topeka, and Azusa Street, mentioned the significance of each of these three locations in church history. Zion was highlighted, giving a brief overview of its significance. Today's highlight is Topeka, Kansas, holding a place in church history of greater significance than just being Kansas's state capital. As an itinerant preacher, Charles Fox Parham made his headquarters in Topeka, where he started Bethel Healing Homes, for those who came placed their trust in God for healing. Through a series of events Parham started Bethel Bible College in 1900,  in an unfinished mansion, dubbed "Stone's Folly," after the original builder.

Seeking for a deeper experience with God, Parham instructed his students to study the Scriptures, to determine if there was a connection between being filled (baptized) with the Holy Spirit and speaking in other tongues. After a diligent search, the students concluded that, yes, there was a connection, and that speaking in tongues was the initial evidence of being filled with the Holy Spirit.

On New Year's Eve, 1900, after prayer, a female student, Agnus Ozman, became the first person there to receive the infilling of the Holy Spirit, with the evidence of speaking with other tongues. News of this spread, with many others receiving this divine experience, including Charles Parham himself.

Parham was later used of God to minister healing to hundreds in Kansas. He traveled to Zion, Illinois to meet Dr. John Alexander Dowie, whose healing ministry had influenced Parham.

Charles Parham eventually went to Houston, TX where, in early 1906,  he ministered to many, including a young, one-eyed, black man named William J. Seymour. It was later that year that God used Seymour to carry the message of Pentecost to Los Angeles, California.

Notice how God brought people to specific locations for specific purposes: Dowie from Australia to Chicago, Illinois, Parham to Topeka, Kansas, and, as we'll see in my next post, Seymour from Houston, Texas, to Los Angeles, California. Three locations; three purposes.

I hope that you're learning something from each of these two posts, and that you're looking forward to reading about 312 Azusa Street, the most famous address in modern church history.

© Hubert Gardner Ministries 2017-2024

Zion, Topeka, and Azusa Street

Over the last 120 years three names stand out in Church history: Zion, Topeka, and Azusa Street. Two are cities; the other is the name of a street in Los Angeles, California. Millions of Christians have experienced being filled with the Holy Spirit, with the evidence of speaking with other tongues. Millions have also received healing in their physical  bodies. Sadly, far fewer have heard of Zion or Azusa Street. Those who hear of Topeka usually do so in the context of it being the capital of the state of Kansas. It is, but there's more to Topeka than being a state capital. Far more

Today's and the next two posts will give an overview of and tell why each is important.

Zion, Illinois, located north of Chicago, will be forever linked to Dr. John Alexander Dowie. Dr. Dowie, a Scottish-born minister, received a revelation of divine healing while pastoring in Australia in the 1870s. Instead of congregants dying, they lived following Dr. Dowie laying hands on them. Moving to America in 1893, Dr. Dowie was mightily used of God to reintroduce divine healing to this country.

In 1896 Zion City was founded by Dowie and followers of his ministry as a veritable heaven on earth, with an emphasis on divine healing. Healing homes were set up where people lived in an atmosphere of healing. Many documented healings took place. My great grandfather, Dr. John G. Speicher, and his wife, were part of Zion's founding. Later, they were in charge of one of the healing homes. Being both a medical doctor and minister, Dr. Speicher was among the first to stand with Dr. Dowie's ministry, now over 120 years ago.

Despite errors in leadership and doctrine, the healing anointing on Dr.Dowie's ministry continued outside Zion's borders through many, including these notable individuals:

John G. Lake left Zion to go to Africa, starting 500 churches in five years. He returned to America, starting Healing Rooms in Spokane, Washington. 500,000 documented healings took place over 5 years, leading Spokane to be dubbed "the healthiest city in America."

F.F. Bosworth left Zion with a healing ministry encompassing public meetings as well as radio broadcasts. Thousands wrote in to testify of their healing while listening to the anointed broadcasts. Bosworth went on to write the healing classic: Christ the Healer.

Gordon Lindsay, founder of Christ for the Nations, in Dallas, Texas, was born in Zion. He edited The Voice of Healing, the leading publication of the Healing Revival, from 1947-58.

Raymond T. Richey, who had an outstanding healing ministry, lived in Zion as a boy.

The last time I saw Grandma Gardner, Dr. Speicher's daughter, she was 95. How well she remembered crutches, wheelchairs, and other "trophies" of God's healing power on the wall at Zion's Shiloh Tabernacle. Grandma even remembered playing the piano in church.

Sadly, Grandma asked me whether anyone believed in healing (this was in 1986). I assured her that yes, people still do. I'm thankful for the stories Grandma told about Zion!

Zion is tied to both Topeka and Azusa, beginning with Topeka in my next post. I hope you'll enjoy reading and, hopefully, learning about the outpouring of God's Spirit in Topeka, and its tie to Azusa Street.

© Hubert Gardner Ministries 2017-2024