Rev. Charles Parham
A Child with a Purpose
“And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets: Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions. Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight” (Hebrews 11:32-34).
Who would have guessed that a sickly, weakened child could be the instigator for a century of revival?
As his mother lay dying, watching her seven-year-old son’s tearful face, how could she have guessed where his need for God’s healing would lead him in ministry?
To look at him, he was fragile and gaunt, often suffering abject poverty, ill health, sparse food rations, and an even greater void of love since the loss of his mother. Our eyes would likely have passed over him for leadership; choose another. Choose one stronger, smarter, with better educational advantages.
The popular theories on eugenics of the time period viewed him as undesirable, perhaps even unworthy of human life.
But isn’t that just like God?
Truly, God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; and base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are” (1 Corinthians 1:27-28).
Charles Parham appears to have been the first on the scene as the modern revival of the Holy Ghost outpouring began, although Biblical history reveals God has never left us without a remnant of believers.
Despite beginning life in the worst of circumstances, Charles Parham felt his initial call to the ministry before he even reached his teen years; he answered at the tender age of nine.
Countless times, his fragile earthly shell obstructed his efforts. It was this characteristic that directed Charles Parham to greatness however. At one point in his youth as he sought to find direction for his life, sickness would again wrack his body in pain.
Lying on his deathbed, Rev. Parham renewed his consecration to his calling and exclaimed in faith, “If Thy will is done in me, I shall be whole!” He was healed in that very moment…and was made whole by understanding his role in God’s kingdom: he would bring the healing of the Lord to the masses!
Please don’t misunderstand; this miracle didn’t mean that he would never battle sickness again! Oft times, we must battle the same enemy over and over again.
King David did it! We all know that Goliath was a Philistine but the Philistines challenged David repeatedly throughout the course of his reign. We, likewise, battle some enemies repeatedly, but that doesn’t mean God is not with us!
In fact, Rev. Parham also battled heart disease in his early ministry. One account recalls that as he struggled with his weakened heart, his first child came down with a deadly fever. In the latter nineteenth century, this could be fatal for a child due to lack of advancements in medications and medical knowledge.
Amidst this turmoil, he was asked to leave his home and pray for another man who was sick. Setting his own suffering aside, he obeyed. During his prayer, he later recounted that he heard a voice, saying “Physician, heal thyself.” A moment later, he realized he had been healed. Returning home, he later found his child healed as well.
As we can now see in hindsight, had Charles Parham quit during these early trials, he would not have been on the scene for the greatest revival our hemisphere has ever seen! It was these physical ailments that inspired him to position himself right where the revival spark would hit—in a home designed to bring divine healing to the hurting that he and his wife opened.
This home for divine healing was eventually expanded to encompass a small bible school. As part of their studies, Rev. Parham began asking the students to study particular events and phenomena within scripture. The shake-up began when the students were assigned the book of Acts. After several days of study, they each concluded that every time someone in scripture received the Holy Ghost, the event was evidenced by them speaking in other tongues.
As Rev. Parham and the students gathered in prayer during their Watch Night Service, the first infilling of the nationwide revival was just about to happen. Student Lizzie Agnes Ozman asked Rev. Parham to lay hands on her that she might receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. Despite not having experienced it himself, he acquiesced; she immediately began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave her utterance!
Over the course of the next three days, more students and Rev. Parham himself were filled with the baptism of the Holy Ghost!
The excitement swept through the surrounding cities until language experts were summoned to study the occurrences at the bible college. They ascertained that over twenty-eight different languages, including several different Chinese dialects, were being spoken fluently by believers whom had never studied them!
Revival had begun!
Despite repeated setbacks along the way, Rev. Parham lived his life, preaching the gospel. He toured the United States sharing the good news until his untimely death in 1928 at the age of 56.
What is so beautiful is that he had inspired something in his children. With one son already preaching the Word, the youngest quit his job when his father took to his deathbed with heart failure. In the early morning hours of January 29, 1929, Rev. Parham’s youngest son, after days of prayer and fasting, admitted his call to the ministry; that admission marked a passing on of the mantel as Rev. Parham took his last breath in calm assurance that he had “fought a good fight,” he had “finished his course,” and he had “kept the faith” (II Timothy 4:7).
His was a life lived in victory…thanks to the battles he fought!As several resources have so fittingly pointed out, it was in response to Rev. Parham’s dedication that the newsboys could take to the streets, shouting, “Pentecost! Pentecost! Read about the Pentecost!”
Let us not allow that to be the last time that cry is heard.
Let us shake ourselves for there is yet a world in need of healing and of God’s divine mercy before us.
“Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us” (Hebrews 11:1).
