To know the history of the Pentecostal movement, you need to know what they believe. Pentecostalism is a movement within Christianity that places particular emphasis on the direct personal experience of God through the baptism in the Holy Spirit. During Pentecost the Holy Spirit descended on those who were in the cenacle. Acts 2:1-4 says, “When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw tongues of fire separating and landing on each of them. 4 They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues[as the Spirit gave them." (1,3)The Pentecostal movement began in the late 19th century with revival movements in Great Britain and the United States of America. Within this movement greater attention was paid to the person and work of the Holy Spirit. Some people felt that the church lacked the power and authority they had read about in the Bible. We will look at the Pentecostal movement of the past and examine it to this day. (1) The earliest date given for the start of the Pentecostal movement is January 1, 1901. A man named Charles Parham began teaching that the act of speaking in tongues was biblical evidence that someone was filled with the Holy Spirit. He began teaching it at Bethel Bible College in Topeka, Kansas. Over time, Charles Parham moved to Texas to teach. While Charles spoke in Texas, William J. Seymour was present. William J. Seymour traveled to Los Angeles where he led the Azusa Street Revivals in 1906. The beginning of the w......middle of paper......ecostals. It is important to know where we come from to know where we are going. The future is bright for the Assemblies of God if they rely only on God and the power of the Holy Spirit. Works Cited1. Wacker, Grant. Heaven Below: Early Pentecostals and American Culture. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 2001.2. Miller, Donald E. and Tetsunao Yamamori. Global Pentecostalism: the new face of Christian social commitment. Berkeley, California: University of California Press, 2007.3. Hollenweger, Walter. Pentecostalism: origins and developments around the world. Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers, 19974. Burgess. Encyclopedia of Pentecostal and Charismatic Christianity5. Blumhofer, Edith L. Restoring the Faith: The Assemblies of God, Pentecostalism, and American Culture, 19936. www.ag.org