Pentecostals: who are they, what do they believe in?

Orthodox Christianity is the leading religion in the post-Soviet countries. The last decades began to openly declare themselves various sects and confessions. One such area is the Pentecostal. Who are they and what religion do they preach?

The Pentecostal church is a religious organization of Christians of the Gospel faith. The basis is the doctrine set forth in the book of the Acts of the Holy Apostles. After the resurrection of Jesus Christ, on the fiftieth day, the Holy Spirit descended into the twelve apostles in the form of tongues of flame, and they were filled with the Holy Spirit, and for the first time they began to speak in other languages, receiving the gift of prophecy, preaching the Good News to all nations.

At present, Pentecostal Christians number from 450 to 600 million people. This is the largest Protestant denomination, which ranks second in number among all Christians. There is no single Pentecostal congregation, there are many local churches and associations.

Pentecostals - who are they, and when did this movement begin? In 1901, the United States began the "Movement of Holiness". A group of students, studying the causes of the decline of faith among Protestants, came to the conclusion that this is a consequence of the lack of the gift of "speaking with tongues" among Christians. To receive this gift, they devoted themselves to the earnest prayer, which was accompanied by the laying on of hands, after which one of the girls present spoke in an unfamiliar language. Simplicity of receiving the gift and unusual experiences during the speaking of languages became the reason for the rapid spread and wide popularity of the arisen direction.

Thus appeared the Pentecostal Christians. Who they are, they first learned in Finland, which at that time (in 1907) was part of the Russian Empire. The Pentecostal Church in Russia was first established in St. Petersburg in 1913, when some groups of believers began to experience the baptism of the Holy Spirit and received the gift of speaking with tongues. During the Stalinist persecutions, the Pentecostal movement went underground. But neither the authorities' actions to destroy the Pentecostals nor attempts to dissolve them in other communities led people to abandon their faith.

Modern Pentecostal Christians - who are they, what are their theological features? They believe that the baptism of the apostles by the Holy Spirit on the fiftieth day after the resurrection of Christ is not only a historical fact, but also a phenomenon that every believer must experience. In our country and in some other countries Pentecostals call themselves the Church of Christians of the Gospel Faith. They believe that the only, most reliable infallible guide for the life of Christians can only be the Bible, claiming that it is available for reading and study to any person. Preachers and pastors call to believe the Holy Scripture, read it and independently explore it, and build your life according to it. Pentecostals hold prayer meetings, baptisms, organize Sunday schools for children, engage in charitable and missionary activities.