The Anointing Part III

The Anointing Part 3

I was thinking of my own anointing, more specifically, how it came about. I was always somewhat academically smart I suppose, but I now know that there is a difference between academia and anointing. There are many who are well educated, even in the scriptures but they are not easy to listen to. They can rattle off scriptures and are very impressed with their knowledge, but somehow they are not able to move the people to whom they minister, to the place the word should take them.

The moment you begin to instruct others, you become a leader. It doesn't matter if you have been appointed or ordained, or not. Those who follow you should be able to follow more than the words you speak, they ought to be able to follow the life you live before them and God. The anointing is God working with and through you. If there is no anointing in your ministering, then it is evident that God is not working with you. But why would that be so? It is not always due to a lack of knowledge. There are ministers who do not know the deep mysteries of God, but they know and understand holiness. They also walk in as much as they know to walk in.

My Uncle and Aunt were such ministers. Their words made you want to be saved and live holy. As they spoke that which they knew of God, the yokes of bondage were broken in the lives of those who heard them. This is the working of the Holy Ghost. But remember, I said the life you live unto God is what determines the anointing in your ministry and your everyday living. You may not be a “minister” by appointment or ordination, but the Spirit of the Lord can use you just the same. The life you live unto God is what is being judged by God. If you are yielded to the Spirit, then he will manifest His presence in you to the world.

John 14:31

31 But that the world may know that I love the Father; and as the Father gave me commandment, even so I do. To love the Father is to obey him in all things.

This is the life that must be lived unto God. People may think of you as a very nice person. But the Lord knows things about us that people do not know. He knows the true counsels of our hearts. He knows the truths we have accepted as law for our lives and those we have not. Though doubt and unbelief may seem to be hidden in the depths of the soul, they are naked before the eyes of the Lord. It behooves us to remember that unbelief is a sin. Some of these things may seem insignificant to some ministers.

Example: A pastor is pastors a church that is a part of an organization structured by the apostolic order of God. He was appointed to that work by his apostle. The pastor may be a very good teacher of the word. His people love him and enjoy listening to him teach. However, there may be some reserve in him as to the present truth the ministry is receiving at the time. Because he doesn’t seem to oppose that truth he simply maneuvers his messages around it. However, the gospel calls for a complete abandonment of self, opinions, and ways. It demands that we follow the lead of the Holy Ghost without hesitation. But because there is no visible opposition to the truth, the congregation thinks the leader to be in submission. But God knows the shadows of turning we have in our hearts. The scripture below says it best.

John 3:31

31 He that cometh from above is above all: he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth: he that cometh from heaven is above all.

When the heart is not in agreement with God, you are judged as earthly or carnal minded. And as the scripture says, there will be a degree of earthiness, either in your message, or your spiritual disposition, in light of the message. God will see even if others look the other way.

John 3:32

32 And what he hath seen and heard, that he testifieth; and no man receiveth his testimony.

The testimony of the Father was given to Jesus and the Church in the Holy Ghost. John 3:33 He that hath received his testimony hath set to his seal that God is true. When the testimony of the Holy Ghost is received, the son of God should set a resolve in his spirit that he can do nothing against that truth. But some ministers, as is the case with the pastor sited in the above example, are unable to do that; because there are reservations and uncertainties in their heart. These also manifest in a reluctance to participate in spiritual activities beyond their immediate sphere of influence and comfort zone. So instead of resolving these issues by seeking out the wisdom of others, pride and complacency, overrule the righteousness voiced by the conscience. Such a minister has not fully embraced the present truth. Though he is not committing any outward sins of the flesh, He is not walking in the Spirit either.

His way and his opinions have separated him from God. He is a fervent leader, a good pastoral administrator, and a good preacher. But it is possible that all of that can be mistaken for the anointing.

To go a bit further, I want to show you how hesitation can play out in the congregation. The anointing destroys the yokes in the lives of the people. It makes them want holiness. But there is a difference between wanting holiness and wanting to hear someone preach holiness. You see, the one who preaches holiness, but does not obey the Spirit, can never lead that congregation to walking in the Spirit. He doesn’t enter into a complete abandonment of self, therefore he is not able to lead them to it. If his or people are to get there, they will have to follow someone else.

Because the fullness of the truth is not always ministered, there will be gaps in that congregation’s spiritual development. You will begin to see two sets of people emerging; those who will adopt the disposition of their local leader, (apathy, complacency, judgmental, and self-serving); and those who will reach out to the apostleship to involve themselves in whatever the Holy Spirit is offering. These people will attend spiritual functions online or in person, that the local leader thinks it not necessary to attend. They will think it robbery to miss lessons and training that are being offered. They will have a sense of urgency, which is the unction of the Holy Ghost, to get to certain meetings or conferences that others will interpret as just a desire to travel. They may not be the preachers or the teachers, but they will outgrow their leaders; and will walk in the Spirit to the pleasing of the Father.

They are the fruit of the apostolic anointing, not the preaching and teaching of their pastor. This is not a material or a financial issue; it is a mindset that is not the mind of Christ. In ministry, the anointing produces the fruit of righteousness, steadfastness, and long-suffering. It produces doers, not those who are complacent, apathetic, and willing to settle for simply attending service. The anointing in your life, makes people want to truly know and experience their God. They long to walk in the Spirit of their leader. Please do not take a nonchalant attitude regarding this truth. Embrace it and live.