What Is This Thing Called 'The Anointing'?
Everybody talks about 'anointing' and 'the anointing'.
For many it's some strange mystical thing; something they 'feel' when there is a certain atmosphere in a church service. What does the Bible say about 'anointing'? What does it mean and why is it important?
In the Old Testament:
Throughout the Old Testament, anointing was an outward sign of separation (consecration) to God's service. It is a sign that someone was made holy for service to God. It was a sign to:
i) The persons themselves
ii) The people they led
iii) God
Two groups of people were anointed throughout the Old Testament:
i) priests (for spiritual worship): Exod 29:21: Aaron & sons were 'consecrated' with oil on their person and garments; Lev 8:12, 30; Exod 40:15
ii) kings (for practical leadership): eg. 2 Chr 23:11: anointing with copy of covenant
Whenever someone in the OT was anointed it was a significant event. Often, they displayed supernatural empowerment which they had not had previously. For example:
- Saul: 1 Sam 10:1,6, 9, 11. Then Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on Saul's head and kissed him, saying, "Has not the LORD anointed you leader over his inheritance?…The Spirit of the LORD will come upon you in power, and you will prophesy with them; and you will be changed into a different person…As Saul turned to leave Samuel, God changed Saul's heart, and all these signs were fulfilled that day….
When all those who had formerly known him saw him prophesying with the prophets, they asked each other, "What is this that has happened to the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?"
- David: 1 Sam 16:13 'So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the LORD came upon David in power...'
Even the articles and furnishings in temple were consecrated with anointing. Everything in the temple was to be separated/made holy in this way (cf Exod. 40:9)
In the New Testament:
In the New Testament, we read about two types of anointing:
1. Physical anointing with oil:
- to heal the sick. Mark 6:13 'They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.'
2. Spiritual power through the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit:
- this anointing does two things:
i) separates us from everyone else as true followers of Jesus:
- 2 Cor 1:21-22 'Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.
ii) enables us to supernaturally meet needs in Jesus' name (as Jesus' would do):
- cf. In 1 Cor 14:1 'spiritual gifts' is literally 'supernaturals'.
In the Life of Jesus:
From the very outset of his public ministry Jesus told us what his work was to be about (and where the power would come from to do it):
- cf. Luke 4:18 'The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed.' Here, Jesus was quoting Isa. 61:1
The writers of the NT recognised that it was God's 'anointing' on Jesus' life - his special separation to God's service - which enable him to do miracles.
- cf. Acts 10:38 'how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.'
Jesus was called 'God's anointed one' - cf. Acts 4:26
The 'anointing' on Jesus' life was how God moved through him to work miracles and do supernatural things - it was a visible sign that he was called and separated by God, and the means by which he did great miracles.
In the Church:
In the church age, the anointing no longer resides just in one Man. It is found in His Body, the Church. We all share the anointing which was on Jesus because we are filled with the same Spirit.
No one of us, however, has all the anointing of Jesus. We each have aspects of it, which are manifest in what Paul calls 'spiritual gifts' (more literally, this is 'supernatural manifestations' )
- cf. I Jn. 2:20 'But you have an anointing [chrisma: a special endowment of Spirit] from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth.'
So, anointing is much more than atmosphere ('goosebumps') in church. The anointing is the presence in your life of the Holy Spirit. He does two things in your life:
i) Marks you as set apart to God's service
ii) Empowers you to do the supernatual works of Jesus, in response to human need.
Your 'anointing' is how God manifests his supernatural power through you. Or how God meets needs through you in supernatural ways (beyond your natural giftings).
Many Christians are unaware of what their anointing is for. They cannot say as Jesus did, 'the Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to [do the following]…' (Luke 4:18). The anointing, the ability to meet needs in supernatural ways, is already within us but we must release that anointing.
The anointing is not released by 'accident' or only when 'circumstances are right'.
Whether or not the anointing of God is released through your life is a matter largely of your decisions.
Are you willing to live the kind of life which will bring the power of God into your situation? God is looking for people who are willing to do this
- cf. 2 Chr 16:9 'For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.'
What kind of decisions do we need to make to release the anointing of the Spirit in our lives?
1. Responsibility:
- the OT priests were to be examples to people of a disciplined life
- Lev 21:10 'The high priest, the one among his brothers who has had the anointing oil poured on his head and who has been ordained to wear the priestly garments, must not let his hair become unkempt or tear his clothes.'
- Even in mundane, practical things they were to lead an exemplary life: a life worth imitating! Note: it was not just a talent worth imitating! The world is impressed with the façade, the image, the celebrity, but God is impressed with the heart. David was talented, but he was known as a 'man after God's heart'.
2. Leadership:
- the OT priests were given both a spiritual and a practical leadership role.
- Num 4:16 'Eleazar son of Aaron, the priest, is to have charge of the oil for the light, the fragrant incense, the regular grain offering and the anointing oil. He is to be in charge of the entire tabernacle and everything in it, including its holy furnishings and articles.'
- Priests were leaders in very practical as well as spiritual ways. They had to do their job, not just leave the 'little things' to someone else.
3. Passion:
- Col 3:23-24 'Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.'
- Passion is not emotion, melancholy or sentiment. Passion is the commitment to give something all you have, to hold nothing back!
- While ministering in the anointing, Jesus sometimes felt virtue go from him. Ministering in God's supernatural anointing can be physically, emotionally and psychologically draining. If our ministry is effortless and without any physical cost, we are not operating in the anointing of God. (Note: this does not excuse workaholism of simply trying to do things in our own strength.)
- Real passion comes out of a deep love for the Lord; a close walk with him. Passion will take two forms:
i) A fierce commitment to the Lord and the honour of his name
ii) A deep desire to meet needs in people [and a real opposition to what Satan tries to do to people]
- I once asked Reinhard Bonnke, the famous German evangelist, what motivates him. He said, 'I see what the devil does to people and I get so angry!'
4. Boldness, Fearlessness:
- Prov 28:1 'The wicked man flees though no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion.'
- We will not see the anointing at work until we step out and take risks. In Luke 4 the disciples caught nothing until they pushed their boat out 'into the deep' with nothing more than Jesus' word to go on. Is the word from God enough for you?
- The Holy Spirit is often a fiercely courageous Spirit, who waits for us to take a bold stand in faith, throwing all we have on him.
5. Prayer
- Many of Jesus' greatest miracles occurred following times of intense prayer. Actually, Jesus lived most of his life in intense prayer, but there are specific instances recorded for us.
- the anointing of the Spirit in your life is not something you simply turn on and off at will. It is not something which is always powerfully at work through you even if you are living a sloppy life.
- The anointing is the presence of the Spirit. The anointing is His, not yours. He is a person and you need to keep your relationship close. Like any relationship, that takes effort. But it's worth it!
In the Bible:
- in the Old Testament, when priests and kings were anointed to:
- consecrate them to God's service
- empower them in supernatural ways to carry out God's will
- in the New Testament, Jesus is called 'God's anointed one'
- all of the anointing of the Holy Spirit rested on him, so that he was able to supernaturally meet any need
- Jesus knew what his anointing was for, what result it would bring (Luke 4:18)
- in the church age, from Acts until the present, the church has inherited the anointing corporately
- none of us possesses 'all' of the anointing of Jesus, but we each manifest that supernatural empowering in different ways, to meet different needs (cf. 1 Cor. 12 & 14)
God anoints all Christians.
- I Jn 2:20 'But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth.'
That anointing is the presence of the Holy Spirit manifested in visible ways in our lives. It is given to:
- consecrate us to his service
- empower us to meet needs in supernatural ways (i.e. beyond their natural ability)
Many Christians do not know what their anointing is for, or how to release it
- whether we act in our supernatural anointing is not based on whether the atmosphere is right; it is based on our decisions
How do I know what my anointing is for? That is, how do I know what it will empower me to do?
Your anointing is linked with your:
1. Personality
- Your anointing will be suited to your personality b/c God is building you into a 'whole' person (cf. 'saved' often means 'made whole' or 'made complete')
- Rom 12:2 'Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is-- his good, pleasing and perfect will.'
- conform = be shaped into the mould, pattern yourself after
- transform = lit. metamorphose (cf. Modern 'morphing')
- mind = thoughts, feelings, will
- renew = renovate
- As your thoughts, feelings and will are 'morphed' by the renovation of your mind, you show what God's will is in your life (you begin to function in your anointing).
2. Vision, Dreams
- Ps 37:4 'Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.'
- As you make the Lord your delight (i.e. you find your greatest pleasure in him and what pleases him), he shapes your desires to line up with his and then fulfils those desires. His desires become yours.
3. Experiences
- Another word for 'anointing' might be 'favour'. Your anointing is the visible favour of God upon your life.
- The favour of God 'looks different' on one person than on another:
- David: victory in war
- Elijah: miracle power
- Daniel: ability to interpret dreams
- Joseph: ability to manage resources
- Abraham: riches
- Solomon: wisdom and understanding
- Esther: ability to stand up to a king
- Ruth: loyalty that brought blessing
- You anointing is how God manifests his supernatural power through you, to meet needs of others
4. Surroundings
- Anointing given to allow you to meet needs in supernatural ways
- God will put you in situations where your anointing will be of most benefit
- You can tell a lot re. your anointing by the kinds of needs you are presented with
Three things will help you discover what your anointing is:
1. Time:
- You grow into your anointing (you grow to fit it, as you would grow into a coat that belongs to an older brother. Jesus is your 'older brother' and the anointing is his. It has been passed on to you.
- Your anointing grows as you exercise it, as you build spiritual 'muscle' and moral character
2. Ministry:
- applying yourself fully to whatever ministry God has given you now
- 2 Cor 9:8-11 'And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. As it is written: "He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor; his righteousness endures forever. Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness." You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.'
- As you walk in your ministry, and learn to be generous with it, God will increase your resources so that you can invest even more.
- As you invest in the ministry God has put before you now, you learn how to 'drive' your anointing (where to step on the gas, when to brake)
3. Exposure to Need:
- you can't discover how your anointing works alone on a mountain top
- all revelation is conceived in mystery but birthed in history
- anointing looks for a practical outlet, as way to meet a need
- Jesus' response after the mount of transfiguration experience was to go back down the mountain and minister to needs.
Preaching in the Anointing
What do we mean when we talk about 'preaching in the anointing'?
- we mean that someone is releasing their anointing through their calling to preach or teach
- sadly, not all those who preach are actually called by God to this role, and of those who are called, not all have really learned to exercise and rely on their anointing
If anointing is how the Spirit meets needs through us (supernaturally), then those of us who are anointed to preach should see a noticeable outworking of his power into people's lives.
- unless our preaching 'closes the circuit' so that the 'current' of God's strength flows into people's minds and hearts, we have not done our job
Anointing to preach will give us the ability to:
- inform: equip people with practical instruction so that they can live the Christian life
- impart: impact people at a spiritual level, so that they know they have been deeply affected by God's power
What does it look like when we are 'preaching in the anointing'? What does really anointed preaching look like? What principles must we apply in our preaching to release the anointing, the manifest presence of God's Spirit to meet people's needs?
1. Polemic
- All preaching is, by nature, polemic. It speaks in terms of black and white
- unlike philosophy and art, which ask questions, preaching makes a point of giving answers based upon the revelation of God's word
- Preaching is not the place for philosophising or analysing ideas. When it is not black and white, it loses its inherent power and is of no benefit.
- Cf. 1 Cor 14:8 'Again, if the trumpet does not sound a clear call, who will get ready for battle?'
- One of problems for European church today is that it has often become too uncertain in the call it is giving, so people have not known how to respond.
- Preaching is a call to war - and it must be clear.
- We do not mean that good preaching is legalistic or pharisaic. Far from it - preaching calls us to enjoy the benefits won by grace, by living 'set apart' lives.
2. Christ-Centred & Bible-Based
- Jesus taught that the Holy Spirit will come to lead us into all truth and to remind us of the things he has taught us
- The Holy Spirit cannot anoint preaching which is not Bible-centred and Christ-exalting
- No matter what our subject, it must be clear that it is based on the written word and exalts the Living Word.
- One old preacher defined preaching as 'A living encounter with the Living Word through the written Word' (we might add: 'via the spoken word').
- This type of preaching will:
- Give respect for the word of God, so that people are encouraged to use it in daily life
- Create faith so that people can reach out to God for themselves
- Rom 10:17 'Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.'
- As we open the Christ-centred word of God to them, people 'hear' from God, they have revelation re. their situation.
- 'Hearer-friendly', or relevant, should never mean 'Bible-light'. You don't have to be reading everything from the text (e.g. in evangelistic preaching), but it must be clear that the Bible is your basis!
- What we say must be based not just on research into the world, but research into the word!
- We must be like lawyers who are showing people the great things they have inherited in God's 'New Testament' to them!
3. Authoritative
- Preaching must be captivating and given in a way which commands respect
- This is not a matter of volume, nor does it come from a sour demeanour. It has to do with the preacher's passion, personal experience of the subject (revelation) and commitment to living out what he/she is preaching
- Mark 1:22 'The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law.'
- This was the moral authority that comes from living what he preached!
- Preaching is not like speaking to an individual or a small group of individuals; a very different dynamic is needed if we are to release the anointing of God and have people ready to touch God and apply the message.
- TV vs. Preaching
Small frame large frame
Small body movements large body movements
In a home in a crowd
Monotone dynamic
4. Memorable
- Preachers must find the right metaphors (word pictures) to carry their ideas, so that people are given:
- Illustration of what the truth 'looks like' when applied to daily life
- Something to remember!
- Jesus' parables were spoken many times in many places. They were remembered because of their powerful imagery.
- The images we use must be:
- Relevant to the particular audience (culture, daily life, language)
- Clever enough to capture attention (but not so 'clever' that they are confusing!). By clever, I mean they must powerfully show the truth you want to represent.
- Simple! They must be focussed on representing one truth (some people try to use one metaphor to carry through every point of the message)
- Not too many! (Just one or two per message really good pictures are better than five or six weak ones).
- A couple of examples from my preaching:
- E.g. God's 'unzip' file is the Bible; through his word he unzips all the power of the kingdom which has come to dwell in you through Christ.
- E.g. there is 'spiritual Internet' from which you can download hope, life etc; the modem is your faith.
5. Focussed and Straightforward
- Great preaching takes one major idea or theme and 'unpacks it', breaks it down into its parts to make it more easily understood and applied (not more confusing!)
- One of the major functions of all preaching is to 'expound'. This even applies to evangelistic preaching, where you might not be reading many scriptures but you are certainly trying to explain what the Good News means!
- Don't have so many scriptural texts that the key message gets buried in your clever exposition
- Remember:
- Preaching is not our platform to impress but to impart!
- Simplicity means you understand it well
- It takes more skill and effort to present an idea clearly and simply than it does to make it sound confusing. - Those who make it sound confusing are usually confused!
- Real communication is big ideas expressed in small words!
- Nothing is taught until something is learned. The measure of good communication is whether anyone has taken your message into his or her life.
6. Well Constructed
- the message must be constructed very deliberately to carry people from one thought to another (without them even being aware of the process you are using)
- it must not be disjointed, jumping from one point to a completely different one without connection
- Sermons are 'people carriers': you must work to carry them to the destination God has for them, without having them 'get off' along the way!
- You must think through how to present the message in the most logical and inspiring and interesting way possible!
7. Pragmatic
- Preaching should always aim at a clear result
- The word from which we get 'pragmatic' is actually found in the Bible, in the mouth of Jesus himself!
- Luke 19:13 'So he called ten of his servants and gave them ten minas. 'Put this money to work [lit: 'pragmatizeo', or, 'make a profit'],' he said, 'until I come back.'
- Jesus expects us to make a profit for the kingdom using the gifts he has invested in us - including our preaching gift!
- Before you begin to prepare, ask yourself the key question: 'what practical result does God want from this message? What change should it make in people's lives?'
- There are two major results which come from anointed preaching:
- People are inspired to reach out to God in faith
- People are equipped to live daily on the Word, in a way that is pleasing to God.
8. Physically and Emotionally Demanding
- Billy Graham once said that he finds it more tiring to preach for an hour than to put in ten hours of manual labour on his property.
- Preaching is, in one sense, a form of spiritual warfare, in that the preacher is wrestling for the souls and minds of people whom God loves.
- If preaching doesn't feel like it is costing you anything, you're not doing it the right way!
- Jesus himself found ministry to people's needs draining:
- Mark 5:30 'At once Jesus realised that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, "Who touched my clothes?"'
- Mark 6:31 'Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to [his disciples], "Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest."'
- Operating in the anointing of the Holy Spirit is draining, which is why we, like Jesus, need times of both spiritual refreshment (in prayer) and emotional re-charging (through rest, social time, entertainment, sport etc.)
- If you are to keep ministering in your anointing for a long period of time - reaching your full potential over time - you will need to have a balanced lifestyle.
9. Bold and Fearless
- There is no place in preaching for timidity or fear. We are not speaking in our own authority, but in the authority of God's word.
- Jer 1:9-10, 12 'Then the LORD reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, "Now, I have put my words in your mouth. See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant…[Then] the LORD said to me, "You have seen correctly, for I am watching to see that my word is fulfilled."'
- God gave Jeremiah the authority with which to carry out his prophetic call - he was speaking God's word, not his own.
- Because it was God's word, God was watching over it to bring it to pass. Jeremiah simply had to proclaim it with full authority.
- That same prophetic calling rests upon every preacher.
- The apostles never once prayed for power - after Pentecost. Instead, they prayed for boldness with which to proclaim Christ.
- They preached 'with great boldness' and 'great favour' came upon them all. People were even a little afraid to join the church at times, because there was so much power in their midst (cf. Acts 1-3)
- Cf. Acts 4:13 'When they saw the courage [or, boldness] of Peter and John and realised that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.'
- Note: this boldness did not come from learning or natural 'charisma'; it came from their relationship with Jesus.
- They knew, as he had done that as long as they were doing 'what the Father does', they could be bold, expecting a supernatural result - no matter what the opposition!
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