Pentecostal church it is a protestant christian movement which gives great emphasis to the day of Pentecost and that it presents some differences in comparison with other denominations.
The Pentecostal movement began in 1906, in Los Angeles, when William J. Seymour preached, giving rise to the Azusa Street Revival. Elements of the Pentecostal Church consider the baptism in the Holy Spirit essential in the way of salvation. Spirit baptism is a charismatic phenomenon characterized by glossolalia, known as the gift of tongues (1 Corinthians 12:10).
Pentacostalism spread very quickly in the United States through the Church of God in Christ, and it evolved quite a lot mainly within the Afro-descendant community. In addition, the Assemblies of God became very popular in Chile, Brazil, Indonesia and South Africa. From 1945 large popular missions were organized, where preachers used advanced technical resources. Many of these churches are present at the Pentecostal World Conference, which has been held every three years since 1949 in different cities around the world.
The term Pentecostal comes from the word Pentecost, which is a Christian feast that takes place 50 days after Easter, ending the cycle of festivals. It commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles, where "tongues of fire" appeared over the heads of the apostles, and people who received the Holy Spirit began to speak in tongues. This episode is described in Acts of the Apostles 2:1-13.
Pentecostal churches are often known as charismatic churches because they reveal manifestations of the Holy Spirit.
Some of the main differences between the Pentecostal and Baptist church is that Pentecostal believes that the gift of tongues is for anyone who has the Holy Spirit, while Baptists believe that the Holy Spirit empowers every disciple with at least one gift that should be used for the building of the Church.
(Historical) Baptists believe that baptism in the Spirit goes along with conversion (accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior) and there is no outward manifestation; Independent Baptists believe that a person receives the Holy Spirit at the time of conversion or thereafter and can be accompanied with the manifestation of a gift (such as the gift of tongues); Pentecostals believe that baptism in the Spirit and conversion are distinct events that may not happen simultaneously, but always manifested through the gift of tongues.
Some of the best known Pentecostal churches in Brazil are: Pentecostal Church of Jesus Christ, Pentecostal Church God is Love, etc.
See too: what is the day of Pentecost?
