God is omnipresent. God’s presence fills space and time; God’s presence transcends space and time. God’s omnipresence means that God is not confined within, or limited to, a specific time or place (Acts 17:24). Even so, God has, at times, revealed God’s self locally, in a specific time and place.
Throughout the Scriptures, God reveals God’s self in theophanies and anthropomorphisms. God walked in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve (Gen. 3:8). God appeared as a burning bush to Moses on Mt. Sinai (Ex. 3:2, 6). God’s glory filled the Temple (2 Chron. 5:14), and God’s glory departed from the Temple (Ezek. 10:1ff). God’s omnipresence does not suggest that God’s presence is static, but dynamic. God moves. God is present in the depths of Sheol; God is present in Heaven (Ps. 139:8). But God’s presence is differentiated. God’s presence in Sheol is different from God’s presence in Heaven.
The Incarnation of the eternal Word exemplifies how God’s presence may be differentiated. John declares, “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory” (Jn 1:14). The Word “was with God, and the Word was God” (Jn 1:1). In other words, the eternal Word shares all divine attributes with the Father and the Spirit – including omnipresence. Even so, in the Incarnation, the omnipresent Word became localized in the womb of the virgin Mary, and in the body of her divine-human Son. Jesus Christ is fully human and fully God. To be fully God means that in Jesus Christ “the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form” (Col. 2:9; cf. 1:19; Heb. 1:3). God’s presence is not confined in the person of Jesus, but is fully localized in the person of Jesus.
Before ascending to heaven, Jesus told his disciples, “I am sending forth the promise of My Father upon you; but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high” (Lk. 24:49). The disciples of Jesus gathered in anticipation in an “upper room” (Acts 1:13). On the tenth day of waiting the promised gift came.
When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting (Acts 2:1-2, emphasis mine).
The disciples of Jesus gathered in one place – an upper room in Jerusalem. The Spirit came at an appointed time – the day of Pentecost. In that place at the proper time, the omnipresent Holy Spirit “filled the whole house” and then filled each believer. God’s localized presence transforms common space and time into sacred space and time. The presence of God, the very ousia (substance) of God touches, rests upon, and fills space and time. The omnipresence of God means that God was already present in the upper room, and all rooms everywhere at all times. But the outpouring of the Spirit in the upper room on the day of Pentecost was different; the divine presence was differentiated and localized within the upper room. Pentecostals have referred to the differentiated presence of God as the manifestation of divine glory or the demonstration of divine power. The differentiated presence of God is revelation with the purpose of communication. This is more than divine speech, it is the communication of God’s grace, love, power, and glory in such a way that believers are partakers of the divine nature. The outpouring the Holy Spirit made Pentecost a holy day, the upper room a holy space, and the disciples of Jesus a holy people. The revealed presence of God provokes terror, astonishment, perplexity, conviction, and lament; as well as joy, comfort, salvation, healing and celebration.
As believers gather in places of worship on the Lord’s day we should anticipate that the Holy Spirit will fill the house where we gather. We should be aware that we are on holy ground, in the presence of a holy God. Therefore, “let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe” (Heb. 12:28).
