Greetings! We’ve finished our series on Revelation chapters 6 and 7. So that means it’s time for a palate cleanser. That brings us to our fourth installment of our series on the Azusa Street Revival. In our first three installments, we talked about Charles Fox Parham whom the Lord used to bring forth the baptism in the Holy Spirit with the gift of speaking in tongues. Then we talked about William Seymour, whom God used to usher in the Azusa Street Revival in Los Angeles, California. Next, we talked about the Azusa Street Revival itself. Now in this fourth installment on the Azusa Street Revival, we’re going to focus specifically on the mighty acts of God—the miracles and the signs and wonders. Prepare to be amazed!

The Azusa Street Revival

Fourth in a Five-Part Series
by Karen Thompson

Astonishing Miracles, Signs, and Wonders

The power of God was on full display during the Azusa Street Revival in Los Angeles, California in 1906. The Lord had just introduced the baptism of the Holy Spirit with the gift of speaking in tongues to the body of Christ. Holy men of God, like Charles Parham and William Seymour began to preach and teach about this powerful gift. Untold numbers of men and women flocked to Azusa Street to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit with the gift of tongues. Miracles and signs and wonders were on full display, miracles the likes that had never been witnessed before. Astonishing miracles.

As is the Lord’s pattern, the Lord always shows His approval through supernatural miracles and signs and wonders. In Acts 2:22, it says the Father showed His approval of Jesus’ ministry with just that: “…Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, (KJV). God showed His approval of Jesus with miracles and wonders and signs.

We see this same approval with the apostles. After Jesus was caught up to heaven, Mark 16:20 says the apostles, “…went forth and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following.” As they went forth preaching the Gospel, the Father showed His approval by working with them and confirming the word with “signs following.”

Throughout the history of the Church, we see this pattern of the Lord showing His approval with miracles and signs and wonders. And we certainly see that same approval in the Azusa Street Revival; God was working with them with miracles and signs and wonders. Whoever walked through the doors of the mission on Azusa Street looking for and needing a miracle, never left disappointed. That’s what we’re going to look at in this blog—the astonishing miracles, signs, and wonders that happened at the Azusa Street Revival. 

The Healing Power of God Was Available 24/7 for 3 ½ Years

With the presence of the Shekinah glory in the mission, everyone that needed a miracle got one. And healing was available no matter what time of day you came to the mission; the healing power of God was available 24/7 for 3 ½ years. Cancerous growths simply fell off of people. Empty eye sockets were suddenly filled with brand new perfect eyes. People with missing body parts like arms and legs grew new ones! All was possible during the Azusa Street Revival.

There was a group of young people who were on fire for God and they ministered at the mission nearly every day. They were quick to minister to and pray with those who came to the Azusa Street mission with a need. These young ministers were bold to pray with the most seemingly hopeless cases. They prayed with confident boldness because God healed every person that came looking for a miracle.

Woman’s Ear Grew Back After Being Bitten Off!

A woman came to the mission with her head wrapped in a bandage. She was in great pain. Sister Carney, one of the young ministers, immediately went up to her and asked her what was wrong. The woman said she had caught her husband with another woman. The two women got into a fight, resulting in the other woman biting off the wife’s ear. When Sister Carney looked at her ear, she said it looked like a piece of bloody meat. As Sister Carney began to pray for the woman, the pain ceased immediately. Then Sister Carney looked at her wound again. And much to her astonishment, right before her eyes, a brand new ear began to grow out! She cried out, “Oh my God!” It was the very first miracle God wrought through Sister Carney’s prayers. It would be the first of many to come.

People in Wheelchairs Were Healed

There were a lot of people in wheelchairs that came to the mission, either sick or crippled. Sister Carney prayed for so many of them that she had developed a pattern of faith. Before she prayed for people in a wheelchair, she would always put up the footrests. She knew after she prayed for them, they would rise up out of their chairs. So she always got ready for it by putting up the footrests before she prayed. The other young ministers followed suit. It became known as the “Carney Rule.”

One such wheelchair-bound man arrived at the mission. He was a handsome man in his 30s and suffered from Parkinson’s disease, which caused him to violently shake all over. Before Sister Carney prayed for him, she first put up the footrests of the chair. Due to his shaking, it took her a moment to “grab his head” in order to pray for him. When she did, she took authority over the disease and commanded it to “go in Jesus’ name.” He immediately began to calm down. Soon, he was out of his wheelchair, up and dancing.

Hands Crippled With Arthritis Healed

There was a man that came whose hands were crippled with arthritis. He had been part of the worship team of a large “star-studded” church whose membership boasted the likes of Roy Rogers and his wife, Dale Evans. He could no longer play the piano because of his swollen hands. Brother Sines, one of the young ministers at Azusa, approached him and asked him if he needed prayer. The man explained he was no longer able to play the piano because of arthritis. Brother Sines told him to sit down at the piano bench. He sat down and Brother Sines laid his hands on him and prayed. Then he said to the man, “In Jesus’ name, play!” He started to play but his hands were still swollen. That didn’t deter Brother Sines. Once again, he commanded, “Play!” The man started to play the piano with his swollen hands. But as he played, the swelling in his hands began to disappear. The man returned to his church and got his job back.

The Blind See

A man came to the mission drunk and slurring his speech. When Brother Riggs approached him, he was surprised to realize the man was blind. Riggs asked, “You can’t see, can you?” The man said, “No, that’s what I came here for.” When Brother Riggs prayed for him, he was instantly healed. And not only that, he became sober instantly. Most people, after experiencing a miracle, become joyful and jump up and down. This man, instead, began to sob. When he could finally speak, he simply said, “Well, it’s true. I’m healed.” He gave his life to God right then.

There were a few people that came to the mission who lacked the proper demeanor. But that never stopped the healing power of God from flowing. A wife brought her blind husband to the mission. She approached one of the youths and oddly demanded, “My husband is blind. Heal him!” Brother Christopher said to her, “I can’t heal him, but I can pray for him and Jesus will heal him.” She then demanded, “Okay, do it!” Christopher prayed and the husband was instantly healed.  

The reactions of people when they experience a miracle can be quite dramatic. A woman who was blind from birth came into the mission. The whites of her eyes had never developed so her eyes were all dark. Brother Brown prayed for her, and she immediately received her sight. When she opened her eyes, she could see for the very first time. She let out a “bloodcurdling scream.” It so startled and frightened Brother Brown that he jumped back. When she recovered from her shock, they both rejoiced!

Man’s Gangrene Arm Healed

A man came in with a badly burned arm; the arm became infected and green with gangrene. The infection was so severe that the doctors advised him to amputate it. Brother Christopher prayed for him and told him to go home, clean the wound, and then put a new bandage on it. He went home and did as Christopher instructed. When he came back the next night, the wound was completely healed.

Boy Healed of Brain Hemorrhage

Parents brought their son who had suffered a brain hemorrhage. He had been brain damaged for five years. The parents asked Christopher, “Will God heal him?” Brother Christopher said, “Yes!” Christopher started talking to the teen, but the parents said to Christopher that he didn’t understand what he was saying. Christopher replied, “Do you want him healed? Then leave me alone.” He explained that, yes, he was talking to the boy but he was also talking to the devil. He then turned back to the teen and said, “I don’t care what anyone says. You’re going to be delivered.” All the young people that ministered to the sick at the Azusa mission talked that way, full of confidence in God’s healing power. Christopher continued talking to the teen and said, “You’re going to be normal and you’re going to be used of God. Satan did this to you but Satan is a liar.” He said the boy who was not supposed to be able to understand him, actually got bubbly and happy. Christopher put his hands on the boy’s head and began to rebuke the damage the devil had done. Then he commanded, “Not tomorrow! I want it done now, in Jesus’ name!” With that, the teen fell down off the platform onto the floor kicking and jerking. The parents, as you could imagine, got really upset. But Christopher told the parents, “If you’re in fear, then go away.” The parents reassured them they were okay. Then the teen stopped jerking and kicking. Christopher commanded, “Now get up!” Within ten minutes, the teen was running and leaping and praising God! Completely healed! When he became an adult, he went into the ministry!

Man Healed of Club Foot

A young man with a club foot came to the mission. He was obviously self-conscience about it and tried to hide his disfigurement. He told Brother Anderson that he didn’t want people to feel sorry for him. But Brother Anderson replied, “Are you aware of the Shekinah glory? You don’t have to live with this.” Brother Anderson then began to preach to him how Jesus provided healing for us on the cross. He then prayed for him. Shortly after praying, the foot started to slowly move outward. Both men began to run and shout praises to God. In just a few minutes, his foot was perfectly healed!

People Healed of Growths and Tumors

Many people came to the mission with various growths and tumors to be healed. One such woman came with a huge knot right above her wrist. It was so painful that she couldn’t use that hand. Brother Anderson prayed for her and as soon as he touched the knot, it was gone … in seconds! Like so many others, she broke out into a happy dance.

A woman came into the mission with a much more serious condition. She had a growth the size of a basketball on the side of her head. At all times, she had to support the growth with her hand. She was dying. The doctors were not able to help her and had given up on her. She had heard miracles were happening at the Azusa mission and came seeking one for herself. She thought, “What have I got to lose?” As soon as she entered the mission, the ministry workers immediately surrounded her. Brother Anderson told her God was going to work a miracle for her. Because the growth was so large, she couldn’t respond. She simply nodded her head “yes.” As soon as the workers began to pray for her, the growth began to shrink right before their eyes. She gasped. When she got her voice back, she yelled “I’m healed!” Her life was saved. Like so many after receiving a miracle, she entered the ministry.

One of the young ministers was a woman named Sister Goldie. Goldie prayed with many people with any kind of disfigurement. In fact, she was drawn to them. Whatever the disfigurement, she would walk up to someone and boldly tell them, “God can clean that up.” After praying for the first few people, she learned to bring with her towels and dustpans to clean up the growths and tumors that fell off of people. One time a woman came in with a very large malignant tumor. Goldie prayed for her and the tumor actually came off and fell onto the floor. Goldie examined the cancerous tumor and was surprised to see “little black things” moving around. In all, the Lord used Goldie to pray for 3,000 people who had tumors or growths during her years at Azusa.

Woman’s Short Leg Grew

A woman came into the mission seeking a miracle. One of her legs was four inches shorter than the other. Sister Lucille prayed for her. Those at Azusa learned to pray with their eyes open, otherwise you might miss seeing a miracle take place right in front of you. As Lucille prayed, she watched the woman’s leg grow out four inches. When the woman got up to walk, she almost fell over because she wasn’t used to having both her legs the same length.

An Anointing to Pray for Bad Teeth

Very often the ministry workers were anointed to pray for specific ailments. Sister Lucille was anointed to pray for teeth, rotten teeth. People would come in with bad breath, and she would know they had rotten teeth. Her method of praying for bad teeth would be off-putting to many people. Lucille would have them open their mouths, then she would stick her finger on top of the bad tooth or teeth and pray for healing. When there was no tooth present, just an empty gap, she would stick her finger right on top of the person’s gum! Lucille said, “In fact, I would push against the gum and let the new tooth push my finger up.” There would be people who came into the mission where all their teeth were rotten. When she prayed, all the bad teeth would fall out and new teeth would grow in the place of the rotten teeth. Even crooked teeth would straighten out when Lucille prayed.

A mother brought her young child to the mission. Because of an improper diet, her child’s second set of teeth grew in all black. The mother asked, “Will God heal this?” Lucille said, “God would heal anything.” Before she prayed, Lucille got ready by grabbing a cup and handkerchief. This is a method Lucille perfected after praying with so many people with rotten teeth. Lucille held the cloth over the girl’s mouth and prayed. As she prayed, all the blackened teeth came out in the handkerchief. Lucille then put all the old teeth into the cup. The little girl was now toothless. But Lucille was not done praying. She said to the little girl, “Jesus is now going to give you a new set of teeth.” Lucille prayed and a new set of perfect teeth came in. In talking with the little girl afterward, the said she didn’t feel anything when the rotten teeth all came out. But when the new teeth came in, she said it tickled!

Deliverance From Burps and Hiccups

People came in with unusual conditions. Such was the woman who came seeking prayer for a condition she had for 15 years. Her condition? Burping. It began when she was at a family reunion. After she ate a bowl of soup, she started burping every five to six minutes. And it never stopped. A ministry worker named Sister Laura prayed with her. Laura then told the woman to come back tomorrow and “tell me if the burping has stopped.” But Laura didn’t have to wait for tomorrow. The woman came back within an hour with the good report saying the burping had ceased. She said to no longer burp “feels so good.”

Another unusual case was of a man that came in with a condition he had for 23 years. His problem wasn’t burping. Instead, he had the hiccups! He said, “I don’t know why. All of a sudden, I started hiccupping.” Every minute, he would hiccup. The sad thing is that it destroyed his dream of becoming a country western singer. One of the ministry workers, Brother Cantrell, laid his hands on him and prayed for deliverance from hiccupping. The man left only to come back a couple hours later with the news that he hadn’t hiccupped once. He was totally delivered from the hiccups!

The Deaf Are Healed

A sign language teacher brought his entire class of 35 deaf students to the mission. Brother Fox, a ministry worker, approached the man and said, “You’re going to be out of a job after tonight.” The teacher was in disbelief saying, “You’re talking like they are all going to be able to hear.” Brother Fox replied, “They are.” Brother Fox gestured to the deaf people to form a circle, holding hands. Because of his lack of faith, Brother Fox asked the teacher to stand aside. Brother Fox prayed for the deaf man next to him and he received his hearing. The others got excited. And one by one, like dominoes, they all got healed. And just like Brother Fox said, the teacher was out of a job.

Woman Healed of Cancer

Every day, desperate people came to the mission. Ministry worker Sister Laura noticed one such woman walking slowly into the mission. Laura approached her and said, “Mother, what can I do for you?” She said, “I won’t live through the night if God doesn’t heal me. I’ll die. The doctors say my lungs are ate up with cancer. I can hardly breathe and I’ve been losing weight for about a year.” This woman was 5’6” tall and only weighed 65 pounds. She lived two miles from the mission yet it took her three hours to get there. Because of the cancer in her lungs, she could barely breathe. She literally had to take baby steps. She placed her walking staff in front of her, then she scooted her feet up to it. She repeated this slow and tedious process until she reached the revival meeting. Sister Laura laid hands on her and prayed. Immediately, the woman was able to breathe normally. She exclaimed, “My lungs are not hurting. I can breathe like when I was young.” While she sat during the meeting in the midst of the Shekinah glory, she miraculously gained 40 pounds!

Young Boy Healed of Facial Disfigurement

The young ministers at the Azusa mission didn’t wait for people to come up to them to ask for healing. They actually searched the building looking for people that need a miracle. Sister Dundee saw a family walk in with a five-year old child that was disfigured. When the child was just 2 ½ years old, he fell down a staircase onto a concrete floor. The side of his face that took the brunt of the fall sagged lower than the other side. He had scars all around his head from the doctors’ efforts of trying to piece his face back together. In spite of the doctor’s efforts, his appearance was still horribly disfigured. Sister Dundee noticed he wasn’t normal mentally either. After speaking to the family, Sister Dundee surprised them by saying, “Oh how marvelous! God gets glory when things like this happen.” Shocked, the father asked, “Things like what?” She declared, “God gets glory when he is healed.” With the parents’ permission, she held the child in her lap, laid her hands on his head and began to pray. She said that while she prayed, she could feel the child’s face shifting and moving! When she was done praying, the boy’s face was perfectly normal. And his mind was healed too. Here’s the surprising part. This little boy grew up to be a famous, Hollywood movie star. In 1937, he was nominated for an academy award for best actor in the movie, “Might Must Fall.” His daughter, Elizabeth, would become a famous actress, starring in the TV show called “Bewitched.” This once disfigured five- year-old boy that grew up to be a handsome leading man was Robert Montgomery!

Missing Limbs Grew Back

The most astonishing miracles, to me, are when missing limbs grew back. A ministry worker, David, was present when a man’s arm grew back. The man didn’t even have a ball joint in his shoulder. The entire arm had been ripped out. When the man was prayed for, David watched as, all of a sudden, he saw the bones appear and then flesh formed on the bones. David said it happened so fast, like the arm just shot out in what seemed like mere seconds. The man was shocked.

Brother Lankford talked about a man who came in who was missing two of his fingers. His hand got caught in a machine and two of his fingers were ripped off. The man heard about the astonishing miracles taking place at Azusa and came with the expectation of healing. Brother Lankford said to the man, “Let’s ask God to grow them out.” He grabbed the man’s hand and instructed him to put it up in the air. Holding the man’s hand up high, Brother Lankford and his wife began to pray. And the man got his miracle. His fingers grew back! Mrs. Lankford passed out from the sight of such a miracle. The man too was in shock. Even the man’s fingernails grew back.

These are just a very small sample of the amazing miracles that happened at the Azusa Street Revival.

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