by Vince Wilcox
Just as the Jewish feast of Passover found its fullest expression in the Lord’s Supper, fifty days later the feast of Pentecost would be remembered as the day God poured his Holy Spirit into a bewildered group of disciples, transforming them into bold and compassionate world-changers. Since then, God’s people have celebrated Pentecost as the “birthday of the church.”
Jerusalem, God’s holy city, was ground zero for this defining moment. The Lord had torn the veil of the holy of holies from top to bottom, moving his residency from a temple built by human hands to the hearts of believers consecrated by the blood of his Son, the Lamb of God. These Spirit-led witnesses would move outward in ever-expanding circles from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth.
Here are four things Luke’s account of Pentecost in Acts 2 can teach us about true worship:
1. True worship requires obedience and prayer
Before ascending to heaven, Christ commanded his disciples to stay in Jerusalem and wait until his Father sent the Comforter (Luke 24:49, Acts 1:4-5). Days later, the Holy Spirit came upon them when they were gathered in one place—presumably in one accord and in prayer. God blesses our worship when we conform our hearts to his Word and his Spirit. Worship is not our work for him; rather, from first to last, worship is God’s work in and through us. Obedience and prayer precede true worship.
2. God’s presence can be unpredictable and disconcerting.
It’s one thing to seek God's will, but quite another for God’s supernatural power and presence to break into our reality. At Pentecost, God intended the mighty wind, tongues of fire, and speaking in other tongues to be dramatic. To be honest, I can feel uncomfortable when God does something in a worship service that’s not printed in the bulletin—but Pentecost teaches us to expect the unexpected. Those in attendance at Pentecost were amazed and perplexed and asked each other, “What does this mean?” (v. 12). God’s presence will surprise, confuse, confront, and ultimately transform us.
3. True worship transcends race, culture, gender, and age.
At Pentecost, people from all over the world heard the gospel in their own languages ( vv. 6-8). In the sermon that followed, Peter preached that God’s Spirit would be poured out upon sons and daughters, young and old alike (v. 17). True worship is inclusive and expansive in its reach, style, and attitude. It seeks the widest expression in the most personal terms. There is a “both/and” about worship that gives us freedom to bless God in our own cultural context while creating a setting for our sisters and brothers (and mothers and fathers) to do so in a way that also resonates with them.
4. True worship results in a hunger for God’s Word and desire to serve others.
If worship is our response to God’s revelation of himself, then true worship can’t be restricted to what happens in a worship service. Luke describes the post-Pentecostal church as defined by biblical teaching, fervent prayer, the Lord’s Table, frequent miracles, deep fellowship, profound generosity, and sustained growth (vv. 42-47). True worship requires that we engage our world as well as extol our Lord.
Even though some Christian traditions differ on the specifics of how God’s Spirit chooses to work, the church is united in her understanding that the Spirit is the catalyst for salvation, the means for sanctification, and the power that preserves, guides, and glorifies the redeemed. Indeed, the Holy Spirit is heavenly oxygen that infuses the believer with life.
This Pentecost, whatever our denominational distinctive, let’s celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit and his comfort, peace, and compassion. And as we worship, let’s embody the lessons exemplified at that first Pentecost after Christ’s resurrection.
