(Translation
of
an article written on the occasion of the centennial jubilee (1997 -
2007
) of the Pentecostal Movement in the Netherlands)
Before Jesus returned to heaven he promised his disciples that they would receive power when the Holy Spirit would come upon them (Acts 1:8). He came when they were all together in one place. With the nearness, support and power of His Spirit they went preaching and teaching into the wide world.
After the first empowering by the Holy Spirit many believers received the same baptism with the Spirit. Church History tells of courageous men and women that preached the Gospel with the same power as the first disciples and with supernatural signs and wonders followed them too.
History shows sadly enough that lukewarm and rigid institutionalisation of churches dispelled and quenched the dynamic and often ecstatic reception of the holy, fiery power of the Holy Spirit. Believers who sought for and received the power of the Holy Spirit were often looked upon as fanatic heretics and not seldom persecuted. The doctrine of the Roman Church states that the Spirit is present in the Church since the first outpouring and that new, personal empowering experiences are not necessary and were even dangerous. The churches of the Reformation, such as the Dutch Reformed Church, believe that the Spirit is present in the pure, biblical Word of God and the preaching of it. They taught therefore that seeking for the Spirit with the expectation of the manifestation of same supernatural powers as in the book of Acts and some letters of the apostles is totally unnecessary.
Around the change of the 19th to the 20th century young Christians in a Bible School in America reached through much study the conviction that they needed the same empowering as the first Christians if they were going to be as effective in the work of the Gospel as those first believers. They prayed with earnest passion for the Spirit with the result that the power of the Spirit fell upon them with the same manifestations such as speaking in new tongues as the believers did in Acts 2. The news about these experiences spread fast over America and the whole world. Many American pastors went to that school just to see what was happening there. When the Azusa Mission in Los Angelos, California, opened its doors for those seeking for God and His Spirit believers from all over the world came to that humble place where the outpouring of and empowering with the Spirit was preached and experienced. The fire of the Spirit spread rapidly as many returned to their churches totally renewed and changed by the power of the Spirit. Everywhere, in Europe also, churches were set ablaze. The first Christians in Holland were in 1907 baptized with the power of the Spirit. This is the reason why the Pentecostal Movement of Holland celebrates this year - 2007 - her one hundred years jubilee.
It is a jubilee year in Holland. But what has a century of Pentecostal experiences meant for Holland? Statistics of the Dutch population show that the Pentecostal Movement has remained in the margin of our society as far as numbers is concerned. The movement has however given many a new realization and consciousness of the empowerment of the Holy Spirit and the following manifestations with her continual emphasis on the baptism and filling with the Holy Spirit with the original manifestations. In Roman Catholic- as well as in Reformed as in Evangelical Churches many received the baptism with the Holy Spirit with the signs following with the result that in many churches there are now believers, even pastors, that speak in new tongues, prophesy and lay hands on the sick. And so there has come an powerful and influential Charismatic Movement since the middle of the previous century as a result of the Pentecostal outpouring at the beginning. And though the influence of the Pentecostal Movement is small in our Dutch society, the blessings in individual lives are many and great: lives changed for the better and wonderful physical and mental healings that sometimes become front page news in our newspapers.
The Pentecostal movement shall give thanks to God that He fulfills His promise in these, our days, in our country. She shall however also realize that more power and earnestness are necessary to reach the millions in our society with the glorious Gospel. Studies show that churches run empty - but almost everybody can witness that - and society give less and less importance to the faith in the only, true God and His Son Jesus Christ, our Saviour.
When we sing at Pentecost: "Fill us again with the power of the Spirit," we must realize that if the Spirit falls indeed again our normal life might be turned upside down and He will ask of us to sacrifice our comfortable and easy lifestyle. The question is if we are prepared for this when we pray: "Lord, fill us again with your Spirit."
The Netherlands,
8 May 2007
or some time I have
felt an urge to share prophetic scriptures about the last days and the
coming of the Lord and compare current events and developments with
them.
I like to make plain that it is not my intention to be dogmatic in my
interpretations
and comments.
T. J. de Ruiter, Dutch Pentecostal Pastor and Bible Teacher, March 2007
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