We often look at Europe as being barren of Christian influence, but it is obvious that it is not all that it seems from the outside. There is increasing evidence that the Holy Spirit is at work beneath Europe’s secularized exterior.
During Pentecost Sunday weekend in May, over 60,000 believers attended a Christian conference in Holland, CBN reports. This is an exceptionally high number for any Christian conference in a European country, but it is even more remarkable considering that Holland is one of the more secular countries in Europe. Recent statistics show that over 57% of the population considers themselves as having no religious affiliation, meaning that most fall into the atheist (29%) or agnostic category. In addition, polling shows that 69% have never attended a religious service. But this conference was also unique in another way due to its Pentecostal/Charismatic emphasis, because those in Holland who don’t believe in the filling of the Holy Spirit or the spiritual gifts would have little interest in attending. It is estimated that approximately 63,000 believers attended the 54th annual Opwekking Pentecost Conference in Walibi Holland and incredibly another 700,000 listened online. The conference was sponsored by the Opwekking Foundation, which was started by Ben and Wiesje Hoekendijk and Peter and Else Vlug in 1960. The foundation was …
The Bible talks about a Second work of grace, after salvation, where believers are filled with the Holy Spirit. It through this Baptism of the Holy Spirit that we can be empowered like the early church.
“That times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord …” (Acts 3:20 ESV) Over the past few months, we have seen stories of mass baptisms in America, but what has intrigued me is the mention of people being saved, healed, and filled with the Holy Spirit during these meetings. These are classic indicators that God is also pouring out His Spirit at these events. And we see it happening again. This time it took place on the streets of France, but it didn’t involve a water baptism but rather March for Jesus Rallies held in Paris, Metz, Lille, Strasbourg, and Nantes, on May 25, 2024, CBN reports. The rallies included believers from nearly every type of Christian background, from Pentecostal to Roman Catholic. “I met Catholic, Pentecostal, charismatic brothers and sisters. I saw Baptists, I even saw Orthodox!” said Pastor Jean Luc Trachsel who spoke at the Paris rally. “Thus, it is not ‘a religion’, nor even ‘a church’ that Christians have come to promote but a single name, that of Jesus,” …
It has been interesting watching Russell Brand’s faith journey. Brand is a British, comedian, actor, and podcaster. It started showing up last year when Russell spoke of an increased interest in the Bible and spiritual things, which he shared in Instagram and X posts. Then earlier this year, he started posting about water baptism and asking people what they thought about that. This led to him eventually being baptized in the River Thames, on Sunday, April 28, 2024. The full immersion baptism was performed by another reality star, Bear Grylls. Since then, Brand has been posting about what may be the next step in his spiritual journey, getting baptized or filled with the Holy Spirit. Though we are uncertain what church he is attending, it seems to be charismatic, and the Vicar’s name is Dave, suggesting it might be a charismatic Anglican church. In a recent X post, Brand stated that he was at church on Sunday, May 19, 2024, which was Pentecost Sunday, Charisma News reports. The feast of Pentecost takes place 50 days …
By Dr. MIchael Brown
2,000 years ago, the disciples were told to wait for the coming of the Holy Spirit, without which they could not complete their mission (see Luke 24:49; Acts 1:8.) Similarly, today, many Christians are praying for a fresh outpouring of the Spirit, recognizing that without it, they, too, cannot complete their mission.
OpentheWord.org 