The Holy Spirit & Indeterminacy

Recently, when I was preaching, I turned the page of my notes, and everything went blank. I had no idea what had happened. The remaining pages made no sense at all.

After a few awkward moments, I abandoned my notes and my plans. A silence fell on the audience.

A man testified afterwards that, as soon as I stopped speaking, he was filled with the Spirit. Many others also spoke to me later about the significance of that moment.

It seems as if God had an agenda which was outside mine. We find similar occurrences in the Book of Acts.

In Cornelius’ house, Peter was shocked when his message was interrupted by the Holy Spirit (Acts 10:44-46).

In Lystra, Paul’s message was also curtailed by a miracle (Acts 14:9-10).

These events have been described as ‘sermonic indeterminacy’, which is another way of saying that preaching can be unpredictable.

For someone, like myself, who likes preparation and order, unplanned interruptions can be uncomfortable. But, if they are orchestrated by the Spirit of God, they must be embraced.

Do you allow the Holy Spirit to interrupt your messages?

Do you allow room for spontaneity in your life?

Or, conversely, do you use your impulsive personality to excuse your lack of planning?

Robert