Revival is now
Sometimes it can seem like there are not that many of us Christians. At least, when I look at my surroundings, as a Christian, I can sometimes feel like an ‘odd one out’, as a Dutch proverb says, when you have the feeling of being an outsider. Most of the people around me, sadly don’t believe. Family, friends, acquaintances and colleagues… in fact, most of them unfortunately do not know the love of Jesus (yet😉). The media likes to go further by saying that the churches are emptying out. Yet, I know in my heart and in my head these are lies and I recently experienced that too. Let me take you through my experience with “Opwekking”! In shock “Opwekking” is a three-day Christian “festival”, so to speak 😊. Since 1971, this event has been organized in the Netherlands during the Pentecost weekend, and thousands of Christians come together. I had never been there before, but it had been on my wish list for a long time. Every year, there was something different on the schedule that made it impossible to attend… until Pentecost weekend 2024! Completely unexpectedly, my friend and I managed to get tickets for the second day of “Opwekking”. Of course, I had often seen photos and videos from other years on social media, among other things. But you just don’t get a complete picture of the event, as I also found out that Saturday, the 18th of May. After a car ride of an hour and a half, I arrived at the site, where many volunteers where ready to guide the masses of cars to their parking spots. This is where I got the first shock, LOL. Once the car was parked, I walked with the crowd towards… yes, where exactly? I didn’t really know 😊. My friend was waiting for me at the entrance and had already texted me, “Just follow the people”. So, like a blind sheep, I just followed the people. We met at the entrance and walked further into the terrain together, and the closer we got, the more overwhelmed I was! What A Crowd!! Hallelujah!! I seriously didn’t know where to look and as my friend walked happily chatting next to me, every word she said went in one ear and out the other. I walked with her like a headless chicken, LOL. There were tents all over the immense site where all kinds of seminars were given for young and old, for families or for children. There was something for everyone. I didn’t know where I wanted to go first or where to start. But first…coffee I really had to take it all in; I was not prepared for this: thousands of Christians in one area (Officials indicated +/- sixty thousand visitors spread over three days)!!! First a cappuccino! We got one from one of the many food/drink trucks, and sat down on the large lawn. The immense cross reached high into the sky adding a shade in the grass. It was a sunny and warm spring day. Beautiful worship filled the terrain, and tears filled my eyes. What a glorious image this must be for our Lord from His throne in heaven! So many of His children, enjoying each other and His Word. I quietly said, “Lord, so many people have gathered together for You! A tent full of hundreds of books about You, so many written words about Your goodness, Your faithfulness and Your love for us. So many lessons to learn and dreams about You.” Jesus lives! I was really touched. Thousands of people danced and sang along with the worship at the top of their lungs, including many young people. What an encouragement I found this! Seeing so many teenagers dancing and singing for their Savior, praying together and for each other, and enjoying His presence. The youth are our society for the future, and what do we want our society to be like in the future? If we want a society with Biblical values and norms and where God has a place again, we must start with our families, our children. Seeing all those young people like that gave me hope, and after seeing everything that day, the lies of the world also disappeared: The church is more alive than ever! Faith is still current! The Bible is the most read book And JESUS IS ALIVE!! This is what the world needs: God in our midst. God in our society. I want to encourage you: you are not crazy, LOL; you are not the only “Jesus freak”. There are thousands, millions with you! On that one single day, in our little country, the Netherlands, I was allowed to see a small glimpse of the fact that there are many, many brothers and sisters. Even though, like me, you may sometimes feel lonely…. You are not alone!