Wait for the Work of the Holy Spirit and Get Ready

Introduction

Today is Pentecost : the day the Holy Spirit came down. That same Spirit who was given to the first disciples continues to guide you and help you, in worship as in your daily life, in this year 2026. Pastor Rutz invites you to walk through Acts 2 to 4 to rediscover what God did at the beginning of the church, and to ask this simple question : what does He want to do through you, today ?

We live in a privileged time. The disciples saw Jesus in the flesh, walked with Him, received the Spirit in Jerusalem. You are living just moments before the Lord's return. Right before His coming, He will do great things. And He chooses to do them through those who walk with Him. This article is a call to get ready : to actively wait for the work of the Holy Spirit, and to stand ready to walk with God all the way to the end.

Article outline

1. Waiting together in prayer (Acts 1)

After the ascension, Jesus tells the disciples : "Do not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father." From the upper room where about a hundred and twenty people were gathered, they persevered in prayer. Around them, persecution was rumbling : some religious leaders were hunting the disciples down to make them abandon their faith. Despite the fear and the hostility, they stayed together, they trusted the Lord, they obeyed His word, and they prayed with one heart.

That is already a lesson for you. God's great works often begin in a quiet room, with a small group agreeing together to wait on the Lord. Do not despise this time of silent preparation.

2. The Holy Spirit came down (Acts 2:1-4)

On the day of Pentecost (the Jewish feast of Shavuot, seven weeks after Passover), suddenly a sound came from heaven, like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the whole house. Tongues as of fire rested on each of them. "They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance."

This was not some mystical frenzy. These were real foreign languages that these Galileans had never learned. Why ? Because Jews from all over the world were gathered in Jerusalem for the feast, and God wanted to proclaim Jesus to them in their own language. The Spirit always moves in the service of the salvation of souls.

3. Peter preaches and three thousand people are saved (Acts 2:14-41)

Some mocked : "They are filled with new wine." Peter stood up and recalled the prophecy of Joel : "And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh" (Joel 2:28-32). That word was being fulfilled before their eyes, and it is still being fulfilled today. The Lord promises to pour out His Spirit on sons and daughters, on the young and the old, on men and women.

Peter proclaimed Jesus : His death, His resurrection, His exaltation to the right hand of the Father. And he dared to tell the crowd : this Jesus, whom you crucified, God has made both Lord and Christ. They were cut to the heart and asked : "What shall we do?" Peter answered : "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." Three thousand people believed and were baptized that day.

4. A miracle at the Beautiful Gate (Acts 3)

A man lame from birth begged every day near the temple. He was expecting money. Peter told him : "I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk." The man rose, walked, jumped, and praised God. Peter seized the moment to preach : the miracle was not for his own glory, but for that of "the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, who has glorified his servant Jesus." It was "faith in the name of Jesus" that made this man strong.

God's signs are never meant to put a man forward. They open a door so that hardened hearts can meet Christ. Pastor Rutz shares his own testimony : his mother, after hip replacement surgery in Korea, had been told she would never be able to sit on the floor again. When she returned to Japan, the church prayed for her, and she was healed on the spot. He himself was healed of thyroid cancer after servants of God prayed for him. A pastor friend, held down every morning by back pain, was instantly set free during a shared time of prayer. God still acts, when He decides to, for His glory.

5. Persecution and boldness (Acts 4)

Peter and John were arrested because they were proclaiming Jesus. Before the Sanhedrin, they answered with a clarity no one expected from simple fishermen from Galilee : "Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard." Once released, they went back to their brothers and sisters, and together they prayed : "Lord... grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness." The place where they were gathered was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.

Fear is a weapon of the enemy. It whispers to you : "If you speak up, people will mock you, they will shut you out, you will lose something." Do not believe it. The Holy Spirit who lives in you will remind you of the right word at the right moment.

6. The church, a family that shares (Acts 2:42-47 and 4:32-35)

The whole group of believers was of one heart and one soul. They shared everything they had, they broke bread from house to house, they praised God and found favor with all the people. The Lord added to the church each day those who were being saved.

That is true for you today as well. What God has entrusted to you, money, time, wisdom, a gift of comfort, a gift of healing, a skill, material blessing, is not private property to be guarded. It is a treasure to be put at the service of your brothers and sisters, in simplicity and joy. A church that loves, that prays, that shares : that is the church the Lord chooses to reveal His power through and to draw souls to Himself.

Key takeaways

• Pentecost is not just a memory : the same Holy Spirit is given to those who walk with Christ today.
• God's great work always comes through persevering prayer, repentance, and faithfulness to Jesus's command.
• Gifts and miracles are never meant to glorify man, but to open hearts to salvation.
• Persecution and fear must not silence you : the Holy Spirit will give you boldness and the right words when you need them.
• A church filled with the Spirit becomes a family that shares everything : a living testimony that stops the world in its tracks.

Personal application

• Are you ready to wait for God's work through persevering prayer, or do you first look for your own solutions ?
• What habit, preconceived idea, or fear might be holding back the Holy Spirit's work in your life today ?
• What gift has the Lord entrusted to you, and how can you put it at the service of your church this week ?
• Who around you can you tell about Jesus, even timidly, trusting the Holy Spirit to give you the words ?
• Is there a sin you need to concretely turn away from, so that your heart is ready to receive everything God wants to entrust to you ?

Verses cited

• Acts 1:4-8 · Waiting for the Father's promise and receiving the power of the Holy Spirit.
• Acts 2:1-4 · The Holy Spirit comes down at Pentecost.
• Joel 2:28-32 · The prophecy of the outpouring of the Spirit.
• Acts 2:37-41 · Repentance, baptism, and the gift of the Holy Spirit.
• Acts 2:42-47 · The newborn church, united and sharing.
• Acts 3:1-16 · The healing of the lame man at the Beautiful Gate.
• Acts 4:19-20 · Obeying God rather than men.
• Acts 4:29-31 · The prayer for boldness and the fresh filling of the Spirit.
• Acts 4:32-35 · One heart, one soul, everything held in common.
• 2 Corinthians 12:9 · "My grace is sufficient for you."

FAQ

How do you concretely wait for the work of the Holy Spirit ?

By persevering in prayer with other believers, staying under the Word, repenting each time the Holy Spirit puts His finger on a sin, and obeying what God has already shown you. Biblical waiting is not passive : it is a posture of active availability, like that of the hundred and twenty disciples gathered in the upper room.

Are miracles and healings still for today ?

Yes. Pastor Rutz shares healings experienced in his own church : his mother healed of her hip, he himself healed of thyroid cancer, a pastor friend set free from back pain. God acts when He decides to, according to His wisdom, always for His glory and for the salvation of souls, never to put man forward.

How do you overcome fear when it is time to speak about Jesus ?

Remember that fear comes from the enemy, not from God. Like Peter and John, lean on the presence of the Holy Spirit, who will give you "what you ought to say" at the right moment. Pray with others to receive boldness, the house where the disciples were praying was shaken, and they spoke the word with boldness.