Johann Gerhardus Oncken and Evangelism in Denmark

The year 1839 marks the beginning of the Danish free church movement, when a clear biblical message of salvation was reintroduced to Denmark. While visiting in the country, Julius Köbner, himself a converted Danish Jew and co-worker of the German Baptist preacher Johann Gerhardus Oncken, met with several individuals of similar doctrinal convictions. Undoubtedly at Köbner’s request, Oncken came to evangelize in Denmark. That same year, 1839, Oncken baptized several people and planted a new church, the first non-state church in the country (Copenhagen’s still-existing Baptist Kristuskirken).

Oncken's theology and message has been described as conservative, Calvinistic (Reformed), and evangelistic. He was a zealous, fearless evangelist who through passionate preaching and evangelistic efforts laid the foundation for evangelism and the planting of free churches in Denmark. The following quote gives clear indication of the substance and evangelistic thrust of Oncken’s preaching:

“The two great truths which from the day of our conversion to the day we enter into heaven the Lord teaches those who shall be saved are in reference to ourselves that we are poor, lost, helpless sinners, who, if left to themselves, must perish for ever, and in reference to God, that out of boundless compassion He has sent His only begotten Son into the world to atone for the guilt of all who should believe in Him, and then in this glorious Savior more—infinitely more—has been brought back to all who believe in Him, than ever was lost by Adam's transgression and our own sin.”

Sound biblical doctrine and evangelistic passion go hand in hand, and the spread of the Gospel of Christ requires utter passion for the Good News. Yet there are too few today with Oncken’s fiery passion. And just as in America and the rest of Europe, Danish churches are susceptible to the kind of doctrinal fads which lack the sound biblical foundation that brought the free church movement to the country 173 years ago and transformed the lives of so many under Oncken’s Spirit-empowered preaching. If God did it once, He can do it again.

PRAY that passionate Bible-based evangelism will arise in Denmark to bring many to repentance and faith in Christ and thereby shake the very foundations of Danish life and culture.

PRAY that God will raise up an increasing number of gifted evangelists in Denmark with a biblically-based passion for the Gospel that was so evident in Oncken’s preaching.

 

PRAY that Danish believers increasingly will recognize their part in the spread of the Good News whenever they give testimony to others of their personal experience of God's saving grace and the hope they have in Christ (1 Peter 3:15).

2012 Danish Summer Camps and Conferences

Danish summer ministries are set to begin the last week in May and continue on into August. Danes love to get away in the summer months. As in previous summers, there will be many camps and convocations sponsored by the free church denominations as well as numerous Bibelcamps sponsored by the several Folkekirke revival movements. Though Satan appears to have a hold on Denmark, “greater is He that is in you, than he (Satan) that is in the world” (1 John 4:4, KJV).

The country stands in awesome need of a stirring of the Holy Spirit in a genuine revival that would turn this small but influential nation into a spiritual powerhouse affecting all of Scandinavia and ultimately all of Europe. The Holy Spirit stands ready to ignite revival this summer as committed believers gather in Christian camps and conferences. The key is fidelity to the Bible, God's inspired Word.

Though assuredly we do not have information on all of the country's Christian camps and conferences, the list below provides a fair and hopefully accurate sampling of opportunities available this summer. Further information can be found on the indicated webpages. It should be noted that many of the activities listed have special programs for children and teenagers and some for seniors.

FREE CHURCH DENOMINATIONAL CAMPS AND CONFERENCES:

Pinsekirker Sommer-Camp (Pentecostal) at Mariager, July 14-20.

Information available at www.sommer-camp.dk

Baptist Missionsstævne at Mariager, July 29-Aug 4. wwwsommerstævnet.dk.

Apostolskkirkens sommercamping, July 14—19, at Kolding www.stævne.dk

Vineyard Copenhagen and Roskilde (Vineyard Norden Summer Camp 2012) at Nyhem, Mullsjö, Sweden, July 15-21. wwwkbh-vineyard.dk-inspireret-summercamp/

Metodistkirkens Landsmøde 2012, May 25-28 at Idræts-efterskole, Lægården, Holstebro.  www.metodistkirken.dk/

Nazaræeren Kirkens Sommerlejr, July 6-13 at Tømmerup Efterskole, July 6-13. www.grevefrikirke.dk  

Danske Missionsforbundet Sommerkonference 2012, July 24-30,  to be held in conjunction with the Baptist Missionsstævne (as above) at Mariager.  www.sommerstaevnet.dk/

Calvary Chapel Scandinavia Conference 2012 at Ekebyholm (30 minutes outside Stockholm, Sweden), August 1-5. www.calvaryscandinavia.blogspot.com/

Kristuskirken (Reformed Baptist), Bjeringbro is hosting a highly recommended Reformation Resurrection Bible Conference 2012 to be held at Skroedstrup Boarding School in Mariager, July 10-13.  The keynote speaker will be Phil Johnson, associated with the ministry of Dr. John MacArthur at Grace Community Church, Sun Valley, California.  The theme of the conference is “True and False Gospels,” a topic of great importance to Danish evangelicals.

http://onceuponacross.blogspot.com/2011/10/reformation-resurrection-2012-phil.html

FOLKEKIRKE REVIVAL MOVEMENTS:

IM (Kirkelig Forening for den Indre Mission) will have numerous camping programs, including Bibelcamping, Teencamping and Seniorcamping events during the summer throughout Denmark,  including Haderup, Lystruphave; Valby, Sønderborg, Bornholm, Tullebølle, Hadsund, Fårevejle, Hurup, Sæby, and Allingåbro.

www.bibelcamp.dk/kalenderen/

LM (Luthersk Missionsforening) has scheduled several Bibelcamping events in July at both Haderslev-Næs and Virksund. www.bibelcamping.dk/Virksund

ELM (Evangelisk Luthersk Missionsforening), meets for its Bibelcamping 2010 at Bækkely i Snogebæk, Bornholm, July 16-25. elm.dk/index.php/nyheder/ 269-bibelcamping2012-13-22Jul.html

NYT LIV (Forbund for Evangelisation i Danmark) will hold its Bibellejr 2010 at Fjellerup, July 10-17. http://www.nytliv.dk/?Bibellejr_2012%26nbsp%3B
 

OASE (Dansk Oase) has scheduled its SommerOase 2012 family camp at Odder, July 14-21. http://danskoase.dk/index.php?id=2057

PARACHURCH ORGANIZATIONS:

Friluftsmissionen.  Beyond the list above are many parachurch organizations with greatly stepped-up activity during the summer, among them Friluftsmissionen (Danish Open Air Campaigners) led by our good friend Torben Østermark). Torben reports that the Jesperhus Gospel event will take place on Pentecost Day (May 28) and Sommerevangelisering at Gammelbro Camping in Sønderjylland, July 9-20. For further information on these and other Friluftsmissionen activities, see the ministry’s webpage at www.friluftsmissionen.dk

Such parachurch organizations as Youth with a Mission, Operation Mobilization, and Youth for Christ also offer practical ministry opportunities during the summer months whether in Denmark itself or in other nations

PRAY that in a new and unusual way the Spirit of God will grab hold of the hearts and minds of the organizers, speakers, seminar leaders, counselors, and hundreds of attendees at these important summer activities as they present and hear the pure Word of God without error-prone post-modern trappings.

PRAY that the truth of the Word of God will be presented in an attractive and passionate manner in every venue and that there will be a holy hush as hearts are stirred and challenged to lifechanging decisions for Christ.

PRAY that sessions will be marked by a revival atmosphere of confession and repentance that would (1) fan into flame a resurgence of commitment to the Bible as the divinely inspired and infallible Word of God and (2)  lead to a great wave of biblical evangelism and the planting of true-to-the Gospel churches throughout Denmark.

New Denmark Networking Group

PrayforDenmark.com has inaugurated a networking group for those who sense God’s call to minister the gospel to the Danish people. The group provides a way for members to share, interact, support and pray for each other.

Membership is by approval of the group moderator, who will consider the following factors in deciding whether to grant membership:

1. A candidate's commitment to Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.

2. Whether the candidate agrees with the Statement of Faith of the World Evangelical Alliance (http://www.worldevangelicals.org/aboutwea/statementoffaith.htm) or, in the United States, the National Association of Evangelicals (http://www.nae.net/about-us/statement-of-faith). 

3. Candidate's conviction that God is calling him or her to serve in Denmark.

4. Candidate's background, including Danish ancestry, knowledge of contemporary Christianity in Denmark, attendance at a reputable Bible College or seminary, experience in ministry, awareness of and respect for Danish immigration laws, etc.

Members are expected to display Christian love and respect, especially regarding controversial topics. Interactions are expected to remain confidential. The group is not for doctrinal discussion or for people who simply wish to emigrate to Denmark. Membership may be terminated at the moderator's discretion. 

If you would like to request membership, click on the following link:

https://groups.google.com/group/pray-for-denmark/subscribe

 

PRAISE God for answered prayer!  The young couple mentioned in last month's post have found a sponsoring church and expect to leave for Scandinavia next month.  They value our continuing prayers on their behalf.

PRAY that the new PrayforDenmark.com group initiative announced above will provide helpful interaction between group members as they share information, provide mutual encouragement and prayer support and seek God's direction and timing to serve as ambassadors of Jesus Christ in Denmark.

Sponsor Needed

Some fine young friends of ours have felt God’s call to minister in Denmark. They have completed their training and are further preparing themselves toward that end. Recently, they were commissioned by their local church for overseas ministry in Denmark. Their hope is to be able to take up residence in the country this year, as God leads. They write: “Please continue to pray for a sponsoring church in Denmark. We feel that having this puzzle piece in place would make for a smoother transition, but we want to continually submit these plans to the Lord.”

Denmark has tightened immigration and residence requirements in recent months. For this fine Christian couple to have a place of ministry in Denmark, they will need an existing church or Christian organization to agree to sponsor them for their residence and work. As Pray for Denmark has noted previously, free churches in the country have been experiencing difficulty filling vacant pastoral positions. Older pastors are retiring and an insufficient number of young people appear to be interested in or seeking the Lord’s direction in training for the ministry. We believe therefore that vibrant, well-trained, and biblically and spiritually sound workers from other countries could help immeasurably to pick up the slack. We believe our friendscould give a great boost to the Lord's work in Denmark.

PRAY that an established Danish church or Christian organization would welcome the opportunity to sponsor our friends mentioned above and would welcome the opportunity to partner with them in their efforts in church planting and evangelism.

PRAY that all visa and immigration processes will flow smoothly for this committed family and that the Lord would make it clear to them where they should engage in language study once they have established residence in Denmark.

PRAY that in the larger context Danish believers themselves will actively seek God’s will and respond to His call for training and ultimately for pastoral ministry so that free church churches will not be faced with long-term pastoral vacancies.

The Greatest Gift

The Advent Season culminates in a day in which we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, born of a virgin at Bethlehem 2000 years ago. There is no Christmas without Christ. His birth gave him the name Immanuel—God with us. He was indeed the Son of God and the Son of Man —God in human flesh. Deny that and the heart would be ripped out of Christianity. His birth cannot be separated from two other events, that is, His crucifixion and three days later his bodily resurrection from the dead. Bethlehem and Calvary, Christmas and Easter, are inseparably connected. The Son of God took on human flesh and it was that One who was equally God and man in His person. The purpose of His coming was to be the one and final sacrifice for man’s sin and alienation from God. Christmas is a wonderful celebration for Christians all over the world because of these truths. Can there be any doubt that Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior was God’s greatest gift to humankind, including the Danish people?

I am sitting at my computer here in California writing this and thinking about Christmas in Denmark. There is a small core of believers in that beautiful little country, the home of my ancestors, who have committed their lives to the Savior based on the truths stated above. They will gather joyfully in their churches at Christmastime to celebrate the birth of Christ and some of the traditional Christmas customs will mark the celebration. However, for the majority of Danes who out of tradition will flock to churches on Christmas Eve simply because its sort of Danish to do so have little or no understanding of or life-changing commitment to Jesus Christ. Christmas has become embedded in Danish hygge and encrusted with ideas and customs that stray far from the simple truth of who Jesus was and why He came as he did as the babe in Bethlehem’s manger ultimately dying in our place to save us from sin and to give us eternal life in Him. How unfortunate it is that the real meaning of Christmas has been obscured in Danish culture and become just another folk holiday.

Jesus Christ, God’s greatest gift to humankind, was His gift to every one of the nearly six million Danes. The country is desperately in need of an evangelism that will call Danes to repentance and saving faith in Christ.

Will you PRAY with me that God will raise up a host of Danish evangelists with a passionate message rooted in the saving truths of the Word of God that given voice would penetrate the hearts and minds of the Danish people. The Apostle Paul wrote of his fellows Jews , “My heart’s cry for Israel is that they might be saved” (Romans 10:1, KJV). My burden could be stated this way: “My heart’s cry for the Danish people is that they might be saved.” The greatest gift for Denmark would be a new forthright and uncompromising proclamation throughout the land that “Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners” (1 Timothy 1:15).

Faithful readers of Pray for Denmark.com, PRAY with me that Denmark and Danes would accept God’s greatest gift—His Son, our Savior, and the salvation He offers! That above everything else would really make Christmas really Christmas in Denmark.

For Urgent Prayer . . .

I was deeply grieved the other day to read about the dilemma of a solid evangelical and well-educated brother in Denmark, far better educated in the inerrant Word of God than almost any evangelical pastor in the country. This dear servant of God, brother M, has a call and sincere desire to serve the Lord full-time and is well-equipped to do so. It is why he spent so many years in preparation at one of the world’s finest evangelical theological seminaries. However, the small Danish assembly with which he is connected is unable to provide for the support of his family. As a consequence it became necessary for him to seek full-time secular employment in order to keep ministering to the small flock while at the same time providing for his family.

The job brother M has involves very menial labor, work that most others would consider far beneath them. Understandably, that limits his time for the important work of study for teaching and preaching the Word of God. Right now this dear brother is considering moving with his family to another country where he has been offered a full-time ministry position. Given his current situation, it is not difficult to understand the attraction of such an opportunity. I am grieved because it seems to me that it would be a tragic and even strategic loss for Denmark where there is such a tremendous need for a man of his passion and ability.

There is an imperative for ministry in Denmark as in any other area of the world. The nation desperately needs pastors and teachers, like brother M, with a heart for evangelism who anchor their ministry in this truth from John 3:7: I må fødes på ny (You must be born again!). The biblical imperative of the new birth, the core and impetus of evangelism, must be reclaimed and reemphasized over and over again in Denmark. That will not happen unless there are pastors and teachers like brother M who can lead people to Christ, help deepen their walk with the Lord, and train them through sound biblical instruction and doctrine to reach others.

There are some friends in other lands preparing and praying that they will be able to minister in Denmark. We can only rejoice that the call and spirit of missions is alive and well in the world. These messengers of the gospel will come to Denmark with full support from churches in their homeland, though it will take some years before they will be able to learn the language fluently and be able to evangelize in Denmark. What grieves me sorely is that a native-born Dane without the support incoming missionaries will have has the language and is in place for effective ministry.

PRAY that the Lord will provide the resources through His people so that brother M would be freed to minister full-time in Denmark with adequate financial support for his family to make that possible. With God all things are possible!

Does Denmark Need to be Re-Evangelized?

An article that recently appeared in Folkekirken’s Inter-Church News (Folkekirkens Mellemkirkelige Råd) summarizes startling results from a Rambøl Analysis published in the Jutland Post. Apparently only 48% of Danes over age 17 believe that Jesus was crucified and only 26% that Jesus rose from the dead. Among them, more women than men and more seniors than the rest of the population, believe the crucfixion and resurrection were real events. The strongest percentage for belief in the resurrection came from North Jutland (37%) and the weakest from the Copenhagen area (18%). If four out of five seniors call themselves “believers,” one wonders how younger people skew the overall results.

Responding to the Rambøl Analysis, professor Hans Jørgen Lundager Jensen at Aarhus University opined, “I thought the Danes would be even more skeptical about a supernatural event. On the other hand I’m also surprised that so many are skeptical about the crucifixion, which in no way breaks with our concept of a realistic event. But in my experience belief is not a permanent dimension.”

Dr. Marie Vejrup Nielsen, who produced the Religion in Denmark 2010 report, stated that “Danes are not particularly atheist or traditionally religious. They just do what suits them. They accept the religious offers that are tended and they don’t mind the church being among the tenderers. They just don’t use them.”

Peter Luchau, a sociologist of religion from the University of Southern Denmark, commented on a recent book, Minor and Major Changes: Danish Values Since 1981, saying that “Figures in the book show that 72% of Danes call themselves ‘believers,’ and we ought to take that seriously. We know that Danes are fine with God and life after death, but that’s about it. We generally like things that offer hope.”

Luchau concludes, “We have become individualized, and no one any longer tells us what to believe or not to believe. But we have no idea what we actually mean by a ‘believer.’ The collectivity of faith has disappeared. There is no doubt that young people are less religious than the over-65s, but there is no saying that this trend will increase. Today there is no youth rebellion involved in being a non-believer, so there may well be a change in the next generation.”

For the Bible-believing and committed Christian, it would appear that apostasy is stalking the land. “ . . . Danes are fine with God and life after death, but that’s about it”? What’s missing here is the element of sin, repentance, and faith in the finished work of the cross of Christ. That is the gospel of grace apart from works and that is where and in whom (Jesus Christ) true hope that Danes are looking for is to be found. Does Denmark need to be re-evangelized? The answer has to be a resounding, “Yes, indeed!”

PRAY that God would raise up Bible-believing evangelists and a great surge of evangelism to reach the Danish people, most of whom lack any true sense of what the gospel of Christ is all about.

PRAY that the Holy Spirit would draw thousands of Danish younger people to a biblical understanding of sin, repentance and faith in Jesus Christ so that in turn they would become strong witnesses for the gospel of grace to fellow Danes of all ages.