arises from historical drama, responsive actions, and continual reminders.
Depending on Israel’s response, Israel would know YHWH as either a
gracious or betrayed suzerain according to the events in their national
history, for “God makes himself known through His mighty works, both
in nature and in history.” 57 In other words, knowing God arises from
the materiality of history—spanning past, present, and future—and one’s
response to the covenant: “Knowledge of God, in the fullest sense, is inev-
itably an obedient knowledge.” 58 For Pentecostals, charismatic existence is
missional existence, an obedience to the eschatological mission. Covenant
knowledge thus is holistic knowledge.
This materiality leads to the importance of embodied worship.
Because worship is the “primary traditioning act,” 59 how Pentecostals
understand and practice worship will impact how the current and sub-
sequent Pentecostal church will know and relate with God. This is why
Simon Chan warns against reductionistic worship and builds a case for
worship that is centered on the Eucharist, for the Eucharist holistically
integrates the charismatic, in transforming the participants into the char-
ismatic body of Christ, and the evangelical, in celebrating, remembering,
re-enacting, reappropriating, applying, and proclaiming the mysteries
of the faith. 60 An important facet of the suzerainty treaty was its non-
reductive means of revelation that incorporated YHWH’s mighty acts
of history to establish a material relationship. YHWH is interested in
creating a relationship based on mercy, obedience, and the reality of his
presence through both blessings and curses. Israel’s response to the law
would have affected the way they knew God and would have brought
about the reality signifi ed in the law. This liturgically shaped obedience
expresses faithful living, one that points to a liturgical ontology. 61 Thus,
the Exodus 20 narrative provides a clear picture of the materiality, the
grittiness, of the Old Testament worldview that does not subjugate the
material to the spiritual, the physical to the cognitive.
A P ROPOSAL FOR PENTECOSTAL LITURGY
Divine encounter is a means for holistic knowledge of God. This knowl-
edge registers cognitively and affectively and is continually reinforced
through the material acts of Pentecostal worship, such as prayers for
healing and responding to altar calls. Pentecostal worship exemplifi es the
freedom of the Spirit to blow wherever the Spirit desires; Pentecostals
are always open to the surprising work of the Spirit. However, Exodus
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