Special Talk

BRO. AUDEE VILLARAZA:

Today, we celebrate Pentecost Sunday. It’s beautiful to commemorate the time when the Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles and changed the lives of everybody during that time. I believe that the Holy Spirit is still doing that. He’s still changing lives.

We’re going to take a page from the Acts of the Apostles:

Today, I want to focus on just one word from this verse. It’s a word that’s repeated in the New Testament at least 41 times. It’s a word that signifies how God moves in our lives. A word that means when God shows up, something happens.

There’s a transformation. There’s a holy shift. It’s a word that inspired the song by Olivia Newton John and Cliff Richard in the 1980s.

The word is suddenly. It’s repeated in the Bible again and again.

Get Ready for Suddenlies

Let me give you some events in the Bible that happen suddenly:

1. Suddenly, an angel appeared before Mary announcing that she was going to be the mother of the Messiah
2. Suddenly, an army of angels appeared to the shepherds announcing that the Messiah had been born.
3. Suddenly, an angel appeared before Mary of Magdala and said that Jesus was no longer in the tomb.
4. When the two disciples were walking to Emmaus, Jesus suddenly inserted Himself in that journey.

Suddenly means quick –but also unexpected.

My question to you is: “What’s your suddenly?” What is that moment when your life suddenly changed and you became a better person?

You were praying for healing. Suddenly, healing happened. You were praying for opportunities. Suddenly, opportunities happened. I imagine that all of us have suddenly moments.

Today, I want to talk about the God of Suddenlies. We don’t ever see God’s plan but when God shows up, the plan usually changes because that’s when the God of Suddenlies comes.

My message to all of you today is: Get ready for your suddenly.

Put your hand over your heart and say this with me:

“Lord, bless me today. I want to hear You. The truth is I’m tired and I’m confused and I have a lot of issues. But I pray that today, You speak over all of these burdens that I’m going through. I’m listening. In Jesus’ Name. Amen

Thy Word is a Lamp unto my feet And a Light unto my path.

Suddenlies in the Bible

Honestly, I’m not a fan of suddenlies. I’m the kind who likes to know the plan.

When I was younger, I was a procrastinator but as I grew up and especially when I became a preacher, I learned the value of preparation.

But the problem is we have a God who is defined as a God of Suddenlies.

He shows up all of a sudden and sometimes, He’s quick. Sometimes, God doesn’t tell you or doesn’t give you all the details. When Jesus told the disciples to wait for the Holy Spirit,

Jesus never told them how long they needed to wait.

If I was in that same room, my question would be: “How long will You ask me to be there Jesus? Do I have time to buy popcorn? Do I have time to take a nap?”

God doesn’t always give us the details because God wants us to trust in Him and in His timing.

Here are ‘Suddenlies’ in the Bible:

 1. Elijah suddenly hears a whisper.

 Elijah was worried over a problem and the Lord told him to wait on Mount Horeb for the Lord to pass. Elijah was somehow expecting the Lord to show up in an earthquake, or through a fire, or even through the wind.

But suddenly, a voice came to him saying: “What are you doing here, Elijah?” The Lord showed up through a whisper.

Sometimes, God doesn’t show up in power. He shows up in peace.

2.  Jesus is suddenly announced by an angel.

They had no idea that an army of angels would show up and announce that Jesus was already born.

3. Paul and Silas are suddenly freed from prison.

Paul and Silas were locked up in prison for preaching the Gospel because Caesar did not like it. While they were waiting for their trial in prison, they were worshiping God. Suddenly, a massive earthquake occurred, shaking the prison to its foundation. And all the doors immediately flew open and the chains

of every prisoner fell off.

4. The stone is suddenly rolled away.

Magdalene was worried that she would not be able to anoint the body of Jesus because there was a huge stone covering the tomb. One woman would not be able to roll that stone.

5. The Holy Spirit suddenly came.

The disciples were waiting for the coming of the Helper that Jesus promised.

While they were waiting, they were also worshipping.

Pattern: How God Moves

The Bible stories we pointed out have a pattern of how God moves.

1. Elijah was
2. The Jews were
3. Paul and Silas were worshipping
4. Mary was
5. The disciples were waiting. These stories point us to one truth:

It seems that God suddenly always shows up after some waiting, after some worrying, and after some worshipping.

Wherever you are in your life today– after you’ve done some waiting, after you’ve done some worrying, after you’ve done some worshiping– get ready because God will suddenly show up.

Nina’s Story

I’d like to call my good friend, Nina Siglos, to join me onstage. I met Nina six years ago. Her parents are here. They approached me in PICC where we used to hold our Feast.

I had no idea what she was going through and the first thing that her parents asked me was: “May you pray for our daughter?”

She was then already 16 years old. What happened between the time I met her six years ago and this time that she needed a pray-over?

NINA: I was undergoing a routine checkup for hormonal imbalance until the doctor ordered me to undergo an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging– to create images of the body’s internal structures to help doctors diagnose and treat a wide range of medical conditions. https://www.google.com/search?q=MRI&oq=MRI+&gs_)

The test, in my case, was basically like a brain scan.

The results showed there was a tumor growing in my head.

It was called a Pituitary Microadenoma. It means that the tumor is near the pituitary gland. That’s why all my hormones were going crazy. We consulted four more doctors. They all said I had Pituitary Microadenoma in my head.

My grandmother goes to The Feast every Sunday. To pray for my healing, we went with her to The Feast for the first time. By God’s grace, it was also the first time we met Bro. Audee. After The Feast session, we asked him to pray over me. That was 2019. At the time, I was getting my blood monitored every other week. At the same time, I was required to do the MRI every year.

But then, the Coronavirus Disease Pandemic hit the world in 2020, followed by lockdowns to prevent the spread of the disease. So, we were not able to go out for my MRI for three years.

When the lockdown was lifted, I went back for my MRI. The result showed the tumor was gone! Suddenly. Praise God!

Six months later, I underwent an MRI again. Unfortunately, the result showed the tumor grew back. My family and I were really baffled. We were really sad.

But at this time, our faith was already so deep that we believed nothing could shake us anymore. If God healed me before, He could absolutely do it again.

Today, it’s been six years since that last test. Recently, I underwent another series of tests. I had a blindness test — to see if the tumor had affected my sight. I underwent blood tests again. Plus a second MRI.

The results showed the tumor was gone!

Why the Lord Shows Up at the Last Minute

Nina added: “I think that deserves a clap offering for the Lord. My miracle healing happened twice. The first time it happened, some might say it was just a coincidence. But then it happened for a second time. That’s no longer a coincidence. That’s the Lord moving.”

On behalf of Nina, I must point out we have a God who suddenly moves and when He moves, great blessings happen.

I love the story of Nina because it shows that life can be headed in different directions. You may be suffering from something but then God just suddenly shows up and there’s a holy shift — a divine intervention.

Some of you might be wondering: “Why does it seem that the Lord always shows up at the last minute?”

Do you ever feel that? Like God shows up only when you’re down to your last resort? When you’re down to your last option? When you’re already clinging to the last thread of hope?

I’ll tell you the reason. If the miracle showed up too early, chances are you’re going to attribute that to coincidence or even human effort. But because the breakthrough and the miracle showed up at the very last minute, when you truly needed it the most, you would know that without a shadow of a doubt, it was the Lord moving on your behalf– because that’s the way the Lord moves. He moves all of a sudden.

But here’s the thing: When God moves, we think it’s quick. But in the Lord’s process, it’s very slow. The Lord had been preparing this over time– but we see the result only at His perfect moment.

I want you to pretend and imagine that you are back in college. It’s final exam. You studied hard for this exam. When the teacher walks in, she hands over the test papers. You flip it over and then suddenly, your mind goes blank. You can’t remember a single thing that you studied. You’re so worried. You’re looking around and then, you see your teacher sitting at the desk slowly sipping that Starbucks coffee. She has no care in the world. You’re wondering why she is silent and why she is not helping you.

Then, you realize that life is like this. The teacher is silent not because she’s absent. The teacher is silent because it’s test time– it means it’s time to trust that the student studied for the exam.

God is also a teacher. The Lord allows you to experience all these tests not because He doesn’t care about you– but because He’s watching if you’ve learned the lessons in life that He needs to teach you. If you keep on repeating that same class, the Lord knows that you still need to learn that lesson.

But the moment the class is done and you’ve excelled in that class, God is going to be the first one at the door to tell you: “Well done!”

Let’s move on to the next lesson…

My wife’s best skill is baking. Kristel bakes the best cookies in the world.

Whenever she bakes, everything always starts peacefully. There’s music in the background and she prepares ingredients like she’s Rachel Ray (American cook, host of syndicated daily talk and lifestyle program Rachel Ray,)

Kristel starts quietly. Then, all of a sudden, our table looks like a Taal Volcano that exploded. There’s powdered sugar in the air like incense.

There’s butter in places where I didn’t realize butter could go to. Our kitchen is like a war zone…

But suddenly, there is a basket or a plate of golden and glorious cookies just waiting for the kids and I to munch.

Sometimes, that’s how the Lord works. Life can be like a messy kitchen.

You don’t know if you’re mixing the right ingredients, or if you got the right recipe.

You need to realize that God is in the mess. He’s there working quietly and faithfully.

Then, suddenly, the result is there– golden and glorious. Without a shadow of doubt, you know that it was the Lord who was helping you bake.

If you’re in a messy situation, know that God is in the mess. Maybe, it’s a sign that the Lord is cooking something great for you.

I started smoking at the age of 13. I started doing drugs at the age of 17.

I started stealing from people at the age of 18. I had this disorder called kleptomania. I would steal random stuff from people and from establishments. I struggled with pornography for many years.

But at the age of 30, something happened. I encountered the Lord in a real way through a faith community called the Light of Jesus Family, otherwise known as The Feast.

Let me tell you the good news. In 2008, I walked into Valle Verde Country Club (Pasig City). Bro. Bo Sanchez was preaching about the Lord Jesus.

That’s how I met the Lord for the very first time. I gave my life to Him.

From that moment on, I’ve never walked away from the Lord. I have been serving in this Community for 17 long years now.

Life has changed me forever because of that suddenly. That’s what happens when the Lord comes all of a sudden. You’re no longer the person that you once was.

If you are clinging on to a breakthrough, get filled with the Spirit. If you are waiting on God for that miracle, stay close to the Spirit. If you’re that person who is worrying but you’re also worshiping, the Spirit is working through you because it’s the Spirit who sustains your suddenly.

On my own, I can change. But after one week, I’m going to be the same person again. The only way that we can sustain all of these changes is through the Holy Spirit working through us.

Phone Call… and Suddenly…

We actually had a suddenly this morning. This morning, I woke up to bad news.

At 6:15 a.m., I turned on my phone and I got all these bunch of messages from servants here at The Feast: “Bro. Audee, there is no electricity here in Rizal Park Hotel.”

I knew exactly what to do. I went to our venue and I texted all our leaders wherever they were:

“I need your prayers. We need to unite, to believe in God’s Presence, Power, and Protection that there will be power here.” Suddenly, in two minutes, the power was restored!

In case you’re struggling to believe in big things, this message is for you.

God is not just in the business of restoring power. He’s also in the business of restoring our faith in Him. I need you to believe that God can do it. Sometimes, He shows up at the last minute but we don’t call them last-minute- blessings.

We call those perfectly-timed blessings– because God is never late. He’s always on time.

There was a time in my life when I was so discouraged because I was wondering if I was really growing or progressing or just staying stuck in this position.

You know how the Lord answered me?

I opened my phone. I logged on to my Facebook page. I clicked on the notifications.

Suddenly, the memories of that day appeared. I started scrolling and I saw old photos and old lessons. I realized I have been actually progressing.

The problem is this: Sometimes, I don’t see what I want to see because the wait for it is long. But when the shift comes, it’s sudden.

In the middle of the processing of His blessings, the Lord is always slowly preparing you. He’s setting you up little by little because He knows that 10 years later, you’re going to need this exact lesson that you’re going through right now.

That breakup, it’s not really meant to hurt you. It’s really meant to strengthen you because God knows along the way that you’re going to need that strength. When the time is right, the Lord suddenly shows up.

As we celebrate Pentecost Sunday, we receive this privilege to allow the Spirit to work through us.

While you stand there, what if your suddenly is just one praise away?

What if your suddenly is just one wait away? What if your suddenly is just one worry away? What if your suddenly is just one worship away?

Let us pray:

“Heavenly Father Thank You so much for being in our midst.

Holy Spirit, we know that you’re still working today, the very same way 2000 years ago that You descended upon the apostles. We believe that You’re still doing the same work.

And as we bask in Your Presence, we believe that You are changing us from the inside out and You’re moving like the wind and the whisper.

We pray for the people who encounter You today. May each one’s life and heart be changed forever according to Your Will.

Father, we want to encounter You. Send us Your love. Send us Your Presence right now as we worship You. Amen.

This story was first published in the Feast Family Online News Magazine
Published by THE FEAST (June 15, 2025)