Aimee Semple McPherson (1890-1944)

Aimee Semple McPherson (1890-1944) was a woman ahead of her time who pioneering a new way of preaching in her generation. She was the first evangelist who utilized the radio to release her message, even launching her own radio station. Her unique expression of communicating the Gospel brought the likes of Charlie Chaplin and other Hollywood stars to attend her meetings. A few years before the Great Depression, with only $5,000 down, she stepped out in faith to build her 5,300 seat Angelus Temple. She also fed more people than the Red Cross and all other organizations in Los Angeles. While miracles, signs, and wonders followed her ministry, she was most passionate about leading people to Jesus and baptizing them in the Holy Spirit.

She said, “If there is any humble little ministry that the Lord has given me, it has been mainly that of praying for those seeking the baptism of the Holy Spirit.”

See Aimee’s personal writings below as well as a mini biography and account of her defining moments in Defining Moments by Bill Johnson with Jennifer A. Miskov.

Aimee Semple McPherson, This is That: Personal Experiences, Sermons and Writings of Aimee Semple McPherson (Los Angeles, CA: The Bridal Call Publishing House, 1919), 48, 431

Aimee’s Personal Encounter of Being Baptized in the Holy Spirit (1908)

“Friday I waited before the Lord until midnight. Saturday morning, rising at the break of day, before anyone was astir, in the house, and going into the parlor, I kneeled down by the big Morris chair in the corner, with a real determination in my heart. My Bible had told me ‘the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.’ Matt. 11:12. I read the parable again of the man who have knocked for bread and found that it was not because he was his friend, but because of his importunity, that the good man within the house had risen up and given him as many loaves as he had need of. Now Jesus was my friend; He had bidden me knock, and assured me that He would open unto me. He had invited me to ask, promising that I should receive, and that the empty He would not turn hungry away. I began to seek in desperate earnest, and remember saying:

                  ‘Oh, Lord, I am so hungry for your Holy Spirit. You have told me that in the day when I seek with my whole heart you will be found of me. Now, Lord, I am going to stay right here until you pour out upon me the promise of the Holy Spirit for whom you commanded me to tarry, if I die of starvation. I am so hungry for Him I can’t wait another day. I will not eat another meal until you baptize me.’

                  …After praying this earnestly, - storming heaven, as it were, with my pleadings for the Holy Spirit, a quietness seemed to steal over me, the holy presence of the Lord to envelop me. The Voice of the Lord spoke tenderly: ‘Now, child, cease your strivings and your begging; just begin to praise Me, and in simple, child-like faith, receive ye the Holy Ghost.’”

Waves of Electricity

“Oh, it was not hard to praise Him. He had become so near and so inexpressibly dear to my heart. Hallelujah! Without effort on my part I began to say: ‘Glory to Jesus! Glory to Jesus! GLORY TO JESUS!!!’ Each time that I said ‘Glory to Jesus!’ it seemed to come from a deeper place in my being than the last, and in a deeper voice, until great waves of ‘Glory to Jesus’ were rolling from my toes up; such adoration and praise I had never known possible.

                  All at once my hands and arms began to shake, gently at first, then violently, until my whole body was shaking under the power of the Holy Spirit. I did not consider this at all strange, as I knew how the batteries we experimented with in the laboratory at college hummed and shook and trembled under the power of electricity, and there was the Third Person of the Trinity coming into my body in all His fulness, making me His dwelling, ‘the temple of the Holy Ghost.’ Was it any wonder that this poor human frame of mine should quake beneath the mighty moving of His power?

                  …Almost without my notice was my body slipped gently to the floor, and I was lying stretched out under the power of God, but felt as though caught up and floating upon the billowy clouds of glory…The desire to praise and worship and adore Him flamed up within my soul. He was so wonderful, so glorious, and this poor tongue of mine so utterly incapable of finding words with which to praise Him.

                  My lungs began to fill and heave under the power as the Comforter came in. The cords of my throat began to twitch – my chin began to quiver, and then to shake violently, but Oh, so sweetly! My tongue began to move up and down and sideways in my mouth. Unintelligible sounds as of stammering lips and another tongue, spoken of in Isaiah 28:11, began to issue from my lips. This stammering of different syllables, then words, then connected sentences, was continued for some time as the Spirit was teaching me to yield to Him. Then suddenly, out of my innermost being flowed rivers of praise in other tongues as the Spirit gave utterance (Acts 2:4), and Oh I knew that He was praising Jesus with glorious language, clothing Him with honor and glory which I felt but never could have put into words…

                  Hearing me speaking in the tongues and praising the Lord, the dear Sister of the home in which I stayed, came down stairs and into the parlor, weeping and praising the Lord with me. Soon Brother Semple and other saints gathered in. What shouting and rejoicing! Oh hallelujah! And yet with all the joy and glory, there was a stillness and a solemn hush pervading my whole being…

                  The next day was Sunday. The storm had cleared away; the sun was shining down in its melting warmth. Attending the morning services at the Mission, we partook of the Lord’s Supper, and as we meditated upon His wonderful love, His blood that was shed for us, His body that was broken on the tree, it was more than I could bear, and I went down to the floor under the power again. Oh who can describe that exceeding weight of glory as He revealed Himself, my crucified Savior, my resurrected Lord, my coming King! School-mates and friends were standing up to look over the seats to see what in the world had happened to me, but I was lost again with Jesus whom my soul loved, speaking in tongues and shaking under the power.”

-Excerpts taken from Aimee Semple McPherson, This is That: Personal Experiences, Sermons and Writings of Aimee Semple McPherson (Los Angeles, CA: The Bridal Call Publishing House, 1919), 43-52.