Interrupted By The Holy Spirit

Scripture: Acts 10:44-48 Call to Worship - Psalm 98

Title: Interrupted by the Holy Spirit

This sermon is about the Interruptions of the Holy Spirit that occurred on the Day that the Holy Spirit fell on Gentiles. It deals with how we are to be open to Holy Spirit interruptions and how we are allow the Holy Spirit to always be in Control.

I. We see that the Holy Spirit Suddenly Interrupted Everything - verse 44

II. We see that the Holy Spirit interrupted the "Correct Order" (Ordo salutis) - v. 44 -48

III. Finally, we see that the Holy Spirit interrupted Peter's traveling plans - v. 48

INTRO:

Grace and peace from God our Father and from Jesus Christ our Savior and LORD who came to take away the sins of the world!

One of the most memorable lines that came out of a recent movie about the life of Winston Churchill called "Darkest Hour" happens when newly elected Prime Minister Churchill is trying to talk over someone who is doing their verbal best to get their point across. Winston, full of bluster shouts out - "Will You Stop Interrupting Me While I Am Interrupting You."

Apparently, throughout his life that was a favorite saying of Winston Churchill. He would get so caught up in what he wanted to say that he would bull dog his way into a conversation and do his best to take it over. Often he would interrupt people mid sentence to get his point across.

We have all had our conversations interrupted and we have at times interrupted other people's conversations as well. According to social psychologists and linguists who study the art of conversations even though most people understand that it is impolite to interrupt someone speaking most of us do it anyway and often we think that it is okay to interrupt.

Men are more guilty than women at interrupting and by a very large margin. In a recent study done by George Washington University (2014) it was discovered that when men were talking with women, they interrupted 33 % more often than when they were talking to men. In a normal three minute conversation the average man interrupts 2. 1 times whereas in the same three minute conversations a woman will only interrupt one time. Apparently, when it comes to interrupting, men are a great deal like Prime Minister Winston Churchill.

However, language experts also tell us that not every verbal overlap should be labeled either rude or unwarranted. Sometimes interruptions are warranted and absolutely necessary. Those would include for example: Public warnings about oncoming storms, tornadoes or some other imminent danger. Public warnings about a child being lost or abducted. Public warnings about some health crisis or global tragedy.

We may not like it when our favorite TV show or sports event is interrupted by Breaking News or Breaking Weather Reports, but if it directly involves us then it is not so bad. Other types of interruptions we are not so sure about. Sometimes we think that the media station could take some of their commercial time for those interruptions but then that would mean that they would be cutting in on their own profits. Not going to happen.

Believe it or not, some teachers even welcome their students to interrupt them. Some believe that students need to have the ability to interrupt the teaching material, if they are getting lost in the thick of it all. They believe that too often by the time the teacher sees a raised hand the student may be so lost that they can't find their way back. They believe that the goal is to be actively listening, looking for an open opportunity to ask a question if need be and then go for it. But it all has to be done in a very controlled and polite matter. One therefore does not interrupt unless it a part of that teacher's classroom protocol.

Most of us have also had someone help us finish our sentences. This could be seen as another type of interruption. In sharing a story we seem to hesitate for a moment and someone around us helps us finish our words and the conversation goes on. It is not unusual for us to overlap one another's speech. Sometimes what seems to be bad manners may actually assist a conversation to continue and develop. At other times, however, we all know that interruptions are not so needed or so welcomed.

It was normal for Jews at the time of the Early Church to interrupt one another especially when they were discussing scripture and theology. Ancient bible schools were a hot bed of overlapping conversations with questions and answers flying throughout the room. Someone would start teaching, someone else would chime in and soon there would be all kinds of conversations, opinions and thoughts flying through the air. What sounded to anyone on the outside like shouting and arguing would be just the normal means of teachings and conversing with one another in that day. It should be noted also that the majority of those classes involved men so it shouldn't surprise us that there would be a lot of noise and interruptions.