Anointing for Ministry

Many in the Body of Christ are praying and fasting daily in search of the anointing for ministry. It seems this anointing is oh so elusive even to those who are faithful in all their church affairs. I submit to you that the anointing they seek is within them; nevertheless, there are criteria for it to manifest in your life and ministry. As you study this lesson, it is my prayer that you will not only see these criteria, but also be ushered into the power of the Son of God that you are.

I. THE MAKING OF A MINISTER

Ephesians 3:7

Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power.

We are living in the dispensation of grace which came by Jesus Christ. It is a time where the hearts of men and women are divinely influenced by truth and the indwelling of the Spirit of God. This influence is then reflected in the life they live. It must be evident that our hearts have been affected and changed by the indwelling of the Spirit. The scripture says Jesus was full of grace and truth. If He is our example, then we too, must be full of the same.

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1 Corinthians 12:4-7

4 Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.

5 And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord.

6 And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all.

7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.

Gifts, administrations and operations in the Body of Christ are all the manifestation of the Holy Spirit. Jesus once said, “Out of your belly shall flow rivers of living waters.” That living water is a manifestation of the Holy Ghost. Therefore, the anointing is simply the workings or movement of the Holy Spirit. Either He is doing the work or He is not, that is the bottom line.

1 Corinthians 12:8-11

8 For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;

9 To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;

10 To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:

11 But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.

The Holy Spirit is the personage of God. All ministry begins and ends with Him. But God is love. In this age of grace, the Father fills us with His Spirit and exposes us to the purity of His Word so that His love might be manifest in and through us. It is left to us to believe that which is revealed. Those who embrace such will in turn experience the life of Jesus Christ which is the love of God; His emotions, desires, purpose, and faith. It is to those that the Holy Spirit will dispense a measure of manifestation.

This manifestation of the Holy Spirit is called the anointing. It not only serves to bring deliverance to those who are blessed to entertain it, but it also has an effectual work in our individual lives. It conditions and develops us by allowing us to see our own circumstances, situations, and relationships both past and present, through the eyes of Christ. The anointing is able to direct our experiences and the experiences of others, through the Word of God.

This directing is called revelation and allows us to be His witnesses. If you have not discerned the experiences of your own life or if you do not yet understand why you have gone through trials, temptations, or negative circumstances then your testimony is void of life, which means it is void of an anointing. The Holy Ghost does not work in the midst of confusion, uncertainty, fear or doubt. You must allow or embrace with all your heart the truth He lays before you. In your development, the Holy Ghost will allow trials which may reveal weaknesses in your faith or obedience. He will allow you to examine yourself in what I call a season of self-judgment. He will cause the Word to be a righteous mirror by which you are to judge your deeds, thoughts, mindsets and emotions.

James 1:23

For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a looking glass:

The man who is just a hearer of the Word sees the truth about himself but goes away and forgets what sort of man he saw. This man simply refuses to deal with that which the Word reveals about him. He also disregards the unction of the Holy Spirit as it will bear witness with his spirit concerning the truth. But whoso looks into the perfect law of liberty, which is the word of God that makes us free from sin, and continues therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. If you do not continue in the perfect law of liberty, you will attempt to work ministry without the administration of the Spirit of God.

2 Corinthians 3:18

But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

The above is one of the most powerful scriptures I have ever read regarding the impression the Word made on my heart. We are supposed to be able to look into the Word of God which will render to us a reflection of the glory of the Lord in the face of Christ Jesus. But as we do so, we are to behold our own faces changing into the same image of Christ as we move from the glory of the flesh to the glory of the Spirit. The reward of obedience to God is to experience the life of Christ, not just the supernatural power of ministry. This experience includes going through trials, tribulation, and all manner of suffering with the power of the Holy Spirit as a comforter. Walking in this life of Christ establishes you in the faith and purpose of God. It is then that you experience the power of your salvation. This is called experiential knowledge. It is what makes us peculiar.

II. CALLED TO SERVE

2 Corinthians 6:1

We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.

We are called to serve. It is our call to present the Kingdom of God to the world. We hold the key to life within us. But it is possible to have the indwelling of the Spirit without manifesting His power in your ministry. However, you must consider that if you do not have the manifestation of the Holy Spirit in ministry, then it is quite certain you do not have His power manifested in your life. This must be your utmost concern. The life you live before God and man is what births the responsibility and trust for ministry.

2 Corinthians 6:2

(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)

You have prayed and pleaded with God to save you. He did. Now you are praying for Him to use you in His work. He will, but only if you allow the Word to establish you in the mind of Christ. This can only be accomplished by making the following scripture law for your life.

2 Corinthians 6:3-10

3 Giving no offence in any thing, that the ministry be not blamed:

4 But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses,

5 In stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in fastings;

6 By pureness, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned,

7 By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left,

8 By honour and dishonour, by evil report and good report: as deceivers, and yet true;

9 As unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and, behold, we live; as chastened, and not killed;

10 As sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.

These passages describe a state of being. They are not a list of do’s and don’ts, but a life. It is the life of Christ. To live such a life is to manifest the glory of the Spirit of God.

1 Corinthians 12:9-10

9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.

If the anointing of God is not flowing as it should in your ministry, then you need to examine your response to the grace He has poured out in your life. Do you take pleasure in persecutions, infirmities, necessities or distresses for Christ’s sake? If not, then you are not of the mind of Christ and cannot walk in the anointing of Christ. But if you are indeed willing, even now the Father is calling for us to submit to the will of the Spirit, and the anointing will begin to flow out of us as rivers of living water.