Don’t Turn Movements Into Monuments!
A monument is what is left after a moment has passed on. It is all there is left as a record of what once was real.
The moment a movement of God begins in the Spirit, a man usually quickly appears on the scene to capture and structure it.
The moment a movement is given a name, a building, a structure, a self-appointed leader, an address, dates, and times — it dies. The structure may remain, but the Spirit departs.
This pattern has repeated itself throughout history.
Every movement born in the Spirit eventually withers into nothing more than a natural address lorded over by natural men — producing lot’s of noise, but no true spiritual substance or context.
I thank God I was graced to never built structures around His movements, for in doing so, one becomes both a prisoner and a victim of that structure, dying alongside with it.
Movements are not meant to be preserved as monuments; they are meant to end in the lives of those they touch, so that the movement becomes the people, and the people become the movement.
Let us learn from this and evolve into people whom God can trust. Facilitators of His movements, not owners or captors of them.
Let us release what we must let go of, allowing God’s purpose to flow freely.
Seasons come and go, and we are privileged to be no more than faithful role-players in them.
~ Johann van der Hoven
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Johann van der Hoven has followed the Holy Spirit on a transformative journey since 1990. From 1991 onward, he has experienced and walked in the profound reality of God’s Presence, a journey that has shaped his life and message.
Dear brother Johann, I wanted to contact you, but there appeared a note that you can’t be reached.
My words to you “who are you” may have been too harsh. My apologies for that. Neither I am a prideful nor an arrogant woman. We are all humans, we are not GOD. We are all here because we are believers in Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We are here to build up, to admonish and / or to share our walk with the LORD, our trials and our testimonies. This platform was and is an outstanding place of freedom in speech. Again, thanks be to the admins and to the participants, and thanks be to GOD for having this place.
In the Eastern Orthodox Church today is New Year’s Day. One more fixed date by our forefathers to symbolically and / or astronomically start anew. After some earnest Farewells I posted here before, today is another day to go ahead into the new season. If I have hurt some, I ask for forgiveness. I forgive those who have done wrong against me, too. Please, pray THE LORD’S PRAYER on a daily basis, and be blessed, in the mighty name of JESUS CHRIST.
The 1st comment was too long, so I dare to set now a date where all who join in can see and listen, what nowadays can happen in the most mocked and despised church buildings. I know that sermons and hymns, spoken and sung in these buildings, travelled around the world and brought many to tears, to repentance and to joy.
All who know me, know that I publish the following information not for me, but for all in and out the buildings and houses:
Zoom Meeting ID: 950 9439 6439 Password: 203719 IPC Church Zurich, Swiss time Sunday January 19, 13:00 = 1 PM = US East Coast time 7 AM.
We are a small choir, but the song BY FAITH will be presented very powerful. I am persuaded it will spread wide and do what THE LORD wants to be done. I close by now with 3 Scriptures from GOD’s Word: 1. Do not despise the day of small beginnings. 2. Do not quench the Spirit of the LORD. 3. Where the Spirit of the LORD is, there is freedom !
Brother, though I decided in the last days of 2024, to not write here any more comments, confirmations, payer requests or thanks to the authors, I MUST answer you. First: Yesterday I’ve read your article here about persecution. I am very thankful for that, for it was powerful truth. But today… I can’t agree with your message concerning the movements of GOD and The HOLY SPIRIT. You claim that the Spirit departs or even dies, when there are structures of buildings, addresses and time. You claim that every movement, born in the Spirit, withers into nothing more than an address or date. Brother, this happened in parts in the past, but who are you to say, all the once Spirit-born movements have all died as soon as building or structures or addresses and dates came in ?
I am a humble witness of what the LORD has already done through 1 song in a church building. Sure, I know, we need no buildings and addresses and self-loving leaders, but only GOD KNOWS how much multiplication for His Word and His purposes came through the walls of houses and buildings. The ground shook, the walls trembled, the hearts were touched, the movements went far and wide and it has never ever stopped. Soon there will be no more houses left. No stone unturned, so to say, when GOD’s Judgement fully arrives. I understand your sadness or even anger into what some loud noise churches turned, but you can’t say in general, all movements have died in buildings or addresses.