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Hans R. Waldvogel

Hans Rudolf Waldvogel (1893 - 1969). Swiss-American Pentecostal pastor and evangelist born in St. Gallen, Switzerland. Emigrating to the U.S. as a child, he grew up in Chicago, working in his family’s jewelry business until a conversion experience in 1916 led him to ministry. In 1920, he left business to serve as assistant pastor at Kenosha Pentecostal Assembly in Wisconsin for three years, then pursued itinerant evangelism. In 1925, he co-founded Ridgewood Pentecostal Church in Brooklyn, New York, pastoring it for decades and growing it into a vibrant community emphasizing prayer and worship. Influenced by A.B. Simpson, Waldvogel rejected sectarianism, focusing on Christ’s centrality and the Holy Spirit’s work. He delivered thousands of sermons, many recorded, stressing spiritual rest and intimacy with God. Married with children, he lived simply, dedicating his life to preaching across the U.S. His messages, blending Swiss precision with Pentecostal fervor, remain accessible through archives
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Sermon Summary
Hans R. Waldvogel shares his personal journey of following God's call to ministry, emphasizing the importance of complete trust and commitment to the Lord. He recounts the emotional struggle of leaving behind loved ones and a comfortable life to embrace a divine calling, illustrating how God guides and leads those who are willing to follow. Waldvogel encourages listeners to put on the whole armor of God and respond to Jesus' call, assuring them that God will lead them from darkness into light. He highlights the necessity of surrendering one's life to God, as He is deeply invested in each individual's journey. Ultimately, he invites everyone to join the army of God, equipped and ready to fulfill His will.
Scriptures
Following Jesus (Hrw's Call to the Ministry)
Selected Verses: Psalm 37:5. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. Psalm 32:8. I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye. Opening: I told you how for a whole year I cried and prayed, and prayed and cried, and cried and prayed, and prayed and cried, until I had no more tears to shed, because God was leading me. I didn’t mean that I didn’t like to follow Him, but it meant to forsake everything on this earth—everything that was dear to me, everything. That didn’t bother me one bit either: good career in business, two churches had been offered to me. I could have just sat in and had a salary offered me, and a choir to direct, and Sunday school to take care of, and lots of people who loved me. And to give all that up—all those things did not bother me. But to give up my father, who was the dearest friend I had on earth, and my mother, and to break their hearts: that was one item that I could not enjoy. And so for a whole year I cried and prayed because God made that way before me so clear. And I said, “God I will go, but I can’t—I don’t know how.” And then the Lord opened the way for me in a marvelous way. And He led me out of that church that I was in, into a Pentecostal assembly—a Pentecostal church—and gave me a Pentecostal experience, and a Pentecostal call. That’s 48 years ago, before you were born. … Selected Quotes: I saw that it was “not by might, nor by power, but by the Spirit of God…” And even though He led through me through a dark valley, here He led me to Himself! … He really led, and He is really leading, and He will still “bring it to pass,” thank God! I don’t care how long eternity is; He’ll be my Guide, He’ll be my Pilot, praise the Lord! Whether the universe bends back on itself like Einstein says or not, I don’t know… But I know that “He will bring it to pass,” as long as I let Him lead; and that’s the privilege of every child of God: “I will guide thee with mine eye.” But He says, “Don’t be as the mule, or as the horse.” How many of us are like mules, and like horses? And no matter how many blows we get, we’ll still have our own way. … The wonderful thing about this Guide is that He is within you. He is the Pilot of this jet airliner: this body doesn’t belong to me, it belongs to Him; this life is not mine, it’s His. It’s His life! He’s as interested in my life as He is in His own! … Now, surely the Lord Jesus is calling us to go forward. How many will heed His call? How many will “put on the whole armor of God” that’s been tailored to your size by God Himself: the girdle of righteousness, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, the shoes of the preparation of the gospel of peace, the sword of the spirit, and the shield “wherewith you can quench all the fiery darts of the wicked”? Who will be recruited today anew into the army of the great Champion of your salvation? As sure as we’ve been sitting here in His presence, Jesus Christ has been marching up and down in this place and looking into hearts, and calling hearts, and calling men and women after Himself, and boys and girls too; because the Lamb is going to go through this earth with a triumphant march: and “they that are with Him are the called, and the chosen, and the faithful.” And if He’s called you, you can make yourself chosen by getting up and “putting on the whole armor of God,” and “hearkening diligently” unto the voice of the spirit. He will never mislead you. He will still lead you “out of darkness into light,” and lead you “from glory to glory.” And that goes for everyone in this meeting. Who will sign up tonight? … “I have not been slack in making you know My will. I’ve spoken out of high heaven so many times that every one of you could say and honestly confess that you know the will of God. And you know exactly what I want you to do, and you know exactly the way that I am leading you. And don’t you know that ‘heaven and earth will pass away, but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever’? What are you waiting for? Come on, put on the whole armor of God and make the devil know that he’s a defeated foe, and that you are one of the overcomers because you are following the great Champion of your salvation.” … Illustrations: An illustration of the power of God at the start of HRW’s ministry as he spoke briefly at a Pentecostal convention: “All I remember saying was, ‘Well, Jesus really leads!’ …And then something happened that frightened me: the power of God fell upon that place, and the whole gang rose up, and they lifted their hands and they began to shout and laugh and yell and clap their hands and stamp their feet; and the power of God swept through that place. ‘My goodness, what did I do?’ I thought. ‘I sure made a fool of myself.’ …God just did that somehow to give me a start to a Pentecostal ministry.” (at 2:39) An illustration of HRW’s friend letting him handle the yoke of a jet airliner: “You know, if I had continued that, I wouldn’t be here tonight. We’d sure had a crack-up. And if you continue guiding yourself, you’ll have a crack-up as sure as you live. But here’s Jesus: ‘I will guide thee,’ and He really does.” (from 7:52) Date: “The Lord gave me…a Pentecostal experience and a Pentecostal call. That’s 48 years ago.” The year of the experience to which He is referring is probably 1920.
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Hans Rudolf Waldvogel (1893 - 1969). Swiss-American Pentecostal pastor and evangelist born in St. Gallen, Switzerland. Emigrating to the U.S. as a child, he grew up in Chicago, working in his family’s jewelry business until a conversion experience in 1916 led him to ministry. In 1920, he left business to serve as assistant pastor at Kenosha Pentecostal Assembly in Wisconsin for three years, then pursued itinerant evangelism. In 1925, he co-founded Ridgewood Pentecostal Church in Brooklyn, New York, pastoring it for decades and growing it into a vibrant community emphasizing prayer and worship. Influenced by A.B. Simpson, Waldvogel rejected sectarianism, focusing on Christ’s centrality and the Holy Spirit’s work. He delivered thousands of sermons, many recorded, stressing spiritual rest and intimacy with God. Married with children, he lived simply, dedicating his life to preaching across the U.S. His messages, blending Swiss precision with Pentecostal fervor, remain accessible through archives