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I felt I
needed a deeper fellowship with God. My soul thirsted for Him …. One evening,
after work, I heard inside me a voice inviting me to go to the cattle-shed and
to kneel down in that 'upper room', where I often prayed. I obeyed the voice
of the Lord, I knelt down before the Living God and I presented myself to
God. After I had prayed for some time, I felt an extraordinary force came
upon me and seized all my being. I began to pray more intensely, having only
Jesus before my eyes, and I realized that my prayer was becoming more and
more intense. Suddenly I saw something like a bright ray coming from heaven
and I realized that God was pleased with my prayer. It was as if I was taken
into an indescribable splendour and my poor words cannot express what I felt
during those moments; something like a current passed through all my body and
seized my tongue so that I spoke a river of words that I did not understand.
I was still conscious, even though I did not realize what was happening to
me. Rather, I even tried not to speak those words by biting my tongue. I was
also frightened when I realized, after a few moments, that I could not pray
in Danish and that those strange words were continually coming on my lips.
When I stood up, I began to weep thinking I had to ask God to forgive me for
my conduct. The fact is that I had been told that some people who had
meditated deeply on Christianity had become fanatics and some of them had
gone mad. |
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Actually,
I had not reflected or meditated much, but I had simply believed in God and I
had prayed to Him and that incomprehensible power had come upon me …. |
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I slipped into
my bed, trying to control myself, but I was a prey to that strange
phenomenon. I did not dare to talk with my wife about it, for I feared she
would think I was crazy, and in addition to this I did not want to trouble
her. When I was with my friends who belonged to the 'Community Movement' and
we prayed together, that strange phenomenon occurred again and I had to
control myself, using all my strength. I even put a handkerchief over my
mouth so that nobody could hear what I was saying. It was a terrible time;
nobody understood me and I did not know what to do! |
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One
evening we were invited to a meeting in the house of an elderly Christian
governess; a preacher belonging to another church, who was passing, was
scheduled to speak. After the message and some comments made by some of us,
we knelt down to pray. Then in my heart I asked God to guide me through the
Holy Spirit, without realizing that strange phenomenon I was experiencing was
due to the presence of the Holy Spirit of God in me. Anyway, also that
evening I was seized by an irresistible power, which lifted me without anyone
of those who were gathered noticing. |
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Before I
realized what was happening, I found myself on the other side of the room. I
had been literally lifted over the heads of those who were praying beside me.
I had also a heavenly vision that I will never forget and which I cannot
describe by word of mouth. There is undoubtedly analogy between this vision
and the experience described by the apostle Paul in his second epistle to the
Corinthians: "It is not expedient for me doubtless to glory. I will come
to visions and revelations of the Lord. I knew a man in Christ above fourteen
years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I
cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to
the third heaven. And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the
body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) How that he was
caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful
for a man to utter" (2 Corinthians 12:1-4) |
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Then I
began to shout with all the strength I had: 'I am free! I am free!' Some of
my friends were frightened and confused and rushed out of the house, while
others began to praise God. Some others asked me if I was sick for I was
trembling. |
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I could
not understand what was happening to me, but I was absolutely sure I had been
in the presence of God. However, nobody would dare to explain that incident.
Then my friends advised me to go back home and they helped me to put on my
coat. On the way home some asked me if I knew what had happened to me, but I
did not know what to say. I just said that a supernatural and indescribable
joy had seized me, and that joy was still flooding me. |
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The following
day I read in the Bible these words: "But this is that which was spoken
by the prophet Joel; And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I
will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters
shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall
dream dreams" (Acts 2:16-17). Nevertheless, I still did not understand
what 'God will pour out of His Spirit' meant. However, I knew that the vision
I had had came from God. |
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Later the
elderly teacher came to inquire about my conditions. Then I asked her what
had happened to me the evening before. She explained to me that the Holy
Spirit had come upon me. Thus she spoke to me about the baptism with the Holy
Spirit according to the teaching of the Bible, showing me how the four
Gospels spoke about it. Particularly, she pointed my attention on Mark 16:17.
In that passage the 'glossolalia' (or speaking with tongues) is indicated as
one of the signs following this experience "and these signs shall follow
them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils [demons]; they shall
speak with new tongues ….". Therefore the
mystery had been resolved, my strange experience was
nothing but the baptism with the Holy Spirit. |
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Then I
told that teacher that phenomenon had occurred often at that time while I was
praying and I had made all my efforts to avoid speaking those strange words.
She was moved and encouraged me not to repress them when they came on my lips
because what I had received was nothing but the gift of the Holy Spirit. |
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Many
people - she told me - go from one meeting to another for years in search of
what you have received while your were alone with God into a cattle-shed!! |
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All these
things happened to Martinus Bjerre in |
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From: Martinus Bjerre, Come un Padre [As a Father], |