Invitation to a Revolution
When did we get boring? When did we decide that good enough was enough? When did we decide dying faithfully mattered more than living faithfully? How did we get here?
We come from a rich heritage that breaks down barriers, surpasses expectations, and does what has never been done before. Somehow, we have allowed ourselves to be tamed… domesticated. However, the wild and unbridled nature of the Holy Spirit is still surging within us, longing to move us past the natural and experience the supernatural.
As Pentecostals, our roots take us back to when Agnes Ozman courageously stepped into something new when she was the first to speak in tongues as a part of the revival in Topeka, Kansas that sparked so many others.
William Seymour stepped into a new environment to do something new in the Kingdom of God. Racism kept him from the classroom, so he listened from the hallway.
The Azusa Street Revival was the epicenter of the new things God was doing, marked by cultural and ethnic diversity almost unheard of in those days.
Our Pentecostal heritage is all about moving into the new things that God has for us.
In the Assemblies of God, our foundations were laid by men and women willing to do what had never been done before.
The first Christian radio and TV stations were started by AG Ministers. Assemblies of God ministers revolutionized Christian education with one of the world’s first distance learning programs. They pioneered ministry to the deaf, blind, and those with special needs. One AG Minister reshaped how we think about freedom from addiction, developing strategies to help people escape their life-controlling issues. The Assemblies of God has led in changing the way the world does missions, by training those from the culture to be reached how to connect the Gospel to their own culture, in its own way.
As Hispanics in the Assemblies of God, we are blessed to have our own set of pioneers and trailblazers.
Dr. Jesse Miranda raised the bar for the educational expectations and visibility of Hispanic ministers.
Jose Giron and Demetrio Bazan pushed our movement beyond its early boundaries. Giron had the vision and strength to multiply leaders and divide authority, and Bazan followed God’s call in a dream to leave Texas and plant a church in Denver—propelling us outward with purpose.
And a 14-year-old boy in Ricardo, Texas, who had only been saved for 10 days, started the whole thing when he heard God call him to reach Hispanics with the Gospel. He went from house to house saying the only thing he knew how to say in Spanish: “Domingo, por la tarde, en la escuela.”
We have the spiritual DNA of giants and heroes running through our veins. Our predecessors never looked at what was and left it that way. They created new realities. Brave men and women have sown tears, and even their own blood to get us where we are today, and it would be the ultimate disrespect toward them if we choose to live and lead as domesticated preachers and Believers.
There are times when we worry about stepping beyond our traditions, but we come from a long line of innovators and pioneers. Innovation is our tradition. Unconventional is our tradition. Doing a new thing is our tradition. We were born with an identity to step out and step in to something new. We were created with the fingerprints of boldness and courage pressed into us. To do anything less than push beyond the status quo would be a violation of our heritage and who God created us to be.
Through the creation of the AG Hispanic REACH Center, we step into this moment — a spark with the potential to light a new fire and ignite the flames of innovation and advancement like we have not yet seen in our generation. We have the potential to embark on something new and join those giants of the faith who have done the impossible before us.
We cannot wait for a hero of mythological status to arise and stand for us, so we must determine amongst ourselves that we will stand together. Together, we can do more than we could ever do separately. “We” is always greater than “me.” If we will set our eyes on the possibilities of our unity, we can see miracles take place.
If this sounds like the language of a revolution, that is because that is precisely what it is. This is not an invitation to rebel against the governing authorities above us, but a clarion call to revolt against isolation and narrowed vision. This revolution is about returning to the boldness of our roots. This revolution is about embracing the innovative and creative nature of our foundational leaders. This is a revolution against average… against mere survival.
This is a revolution against the natural so that we can embrace and inhabit the supernatural. As we stand together under the umbrella of the AG Hispanic REACH Center, we unite to see healthy pastors leading healthy churches and impacting their communities for Christ. This is the supernatural revolution to return to our roots and walk together in unity that we need, and it is the one I believe we will see.
