The Anointing In The Local Church
We need to connect with the anointing. In other words, when you connect with people, their success becomes your success. When you connect with the anointing, you connect with God.
God took one hundred and twenty faithful people on the Day of Pentecost and expanded the anointing on their lives to the ends of the earth. What started in Jerusalem was taken to the ends of the earth.
Acts 1:8 - But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.
The anointing on your life is not a local anointing, but extends to the ends of the earth. Make sure you associate with people who are anointed so that their success can rub off onto your life.
Those who work in unity with others release a powerful anointing.
Psalm 133:1-2 - Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments; It is like the dew of Hermon, Descending upon the mountains of Zion; For there the LORD commanded the blessing - Life forevermore.
1 Corinthians 12:12-14 - For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit. For in fact the body is not one member but many.
Jesus prayed for unity
Real unity flows down from the person of Jesus Christ, Who is the Head of the Body.
Those who open their hearts to what God is doing concerning unity will become vessels that God will use to spark the fire of a great move of His Spirit.
Jesus prayed for a body of believers that would be one on the earth. This unity would convince those in the world to believe in Jesus.
Walking in Biblical unity with the other members of the Body of Christ is not easy. It takes a very deliberate, intentional decision. Unity requires an investment of time and energy but the results are tremendous.
The Church was incubated in the upper room in an atmosphere of unity and exploded out onto the streets of the cities that were turned upside down by the anointing and witness of those early believers. God is the same yesterday, today and forever and this same pattern can be a manifest reality in the present day church. How much stronger, healthier, and effective would the church be in our cities and communities if every believer would regularly examine themselves regarding God’s true desire for His church
Understanding the corporate anointing
The anointing flows strongest within the context of being joined together with other Spirit-filled people of God. This concept of corporate anointing is especially true for those in ministry.
All the parts of a body form one body but each part, regardless of where it is, has its own place and function. We need each other because each individual believer is but one member of many members.
Perhaps one of the most powerful examples of a corporate anointing is the ointment that was compounded and used to anoint the whole house of God. Only when these members are joined together can they function properly as a body. The body of Christ can only be revealed in the fullest sense when all the parts are joined to form one body.
Many embrace the concept of unity intellectually but in reality, it is not always in operation. God has and will continue to use gifted individuals, but there is a marked shift in emphasis to a corporate anointing in the present-day church.
Individuals who are functioning by themselves need to be joined to the visible body. Although they are joined spiritually by virtue of their conversion to the invisible body, they cannot and should not exalt themselves above the other members.
When each believer takes his or her rightful place in the body of Christ, the collective anointing multiplies and compounds. The anointing upon many is far greater than the anointing on any individual.
Jesus promised He would be present as part of that union wherever two or more are joined together in His name.
Examples of corporate anointing
The Bible is filled with examples of those who flowed together for good, or suffered together because of their corporate complicity in sin:
* The people with one language and speech who gathered together to build the tower of Babel.
* The army of Joshua marching together around Jericho.
* The trumpeters and singers making one sound together in praising and thanking the Lord at the dedication of Solomon’s temple.
* The families each rebuilding their part of the wall, as recorded in the book of Nehemiah.
* One hundred and twenty men and women gathering together in the upper room awaiting the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
* The believers in the early Jerusalem church living together and having all things in common.
* The apostles and elders convening together to pool their collective wisdom at the Counsel of Jerusalem.
The 21st century is presented with a unique opportunity to position itself with the full power and anointing afforded to it by the Holy Spirit.
In order to experience this full measure of God’s favor and design, the Church must earnestly and passionately desire an unhindered flow of corporate anointing and power. It should embrace the following five-fold foundations:
Christian character
The measure of the corporate anointing depends on the degree of consecration and sanctification in the individual lives involved.
God anoints individuals, despite their character flaws or level of maturity. The same is true in this corporate setting, but the corporate anointing flows out of and is affected by each individual’s willingness to prefer others above themselves.
Jesus taught that reconciliation and forgiveness come before the gift of worship.
God is not interested in religion. There was already plenty of religion around before Jesus came to sacrifice His life on behalf of mankind. Religion is what is offered to God when people are not seeking Him in relationship. Religion is man-made.
Relationship is God-made. Jesus said His Glory would be seen when His people manifest true love for one another and the whole world will take notice of the reality of the demonstration of His Glory.
Each individual is vital though believers may approach the coming together with different motivations, different personalities, and backgrounds.
Those who have received Him have been made one from all races, nations, classes, and genders. The church cannot receive God’s fullest blessing until it walks together in love and agreement as individual members of his body. Love binds individual believers together as a supernatural family.
Gifts of the Spirit
Just as the various parts of the human body are essential for it to function properly, spiritual gifts are essential to the body of Christ. Spiritual gifts are not rewards, but gifts of grace.
Only the anointing of the Spirit releases gifts in the body for all-round ministry.
Every believer has already been given at least one spiritual gift. These gifts need to be identified and exercised.
Although individuals receive spiritual gifts, they remain gifts for the body and for the common good of all, not merely for the individual.
God’s purpose in the distribution of gifts is to strengthen the corporate unity and to build relationships. If the body is to function properly, every gift must be exercised willingly and with confidence. There should be a clear distinction between natural and supernatural gifts.
Although the Spirit may provide believers with more gifts, it is their responsibility to seek gifts not yet given.
Spiritual gifts are not a measure by which believers compete with one another.
The release of the full abundance of spiritual gifts brings a body of believers into a full corporate abundance through the anointing. It should be noted that the gifts do not do away with the need for leadership.
Throughout history, some anointed believers have been dismissed as being out of God’s will, when in fact they are functioning in their God-given anointing to the body of Christ. When God’s messengers are dismissed, the very plans God had for those believers may be dismissed by them as well.
These plans originate from God and those who may have been turned away could have the very gift that is needed to see a dream come to pass.
Five-Fold Ministry
Spiritual maturity is not a prerequisite for the anointing. The corporate anointing includes each individual member of the assembly right where they are. However, each one should be growing more mature each day; otherwise the dynamic of the corporate anointing decreases proportionately to the degree of selfishness and unbelief in the individual members gathered.
The five ministry gifts to the Church are apostles, prophets, teachers, evangelists and pastors. The effective operating and function of these offices is key to the corporate anointing because they fulfill pre-conditions for a body operating in perfect harmony. Their mandate is to bring the entire body together in unity and to ensure that each individual works together effectively.
When measured by these criteria, it is apparent that the church has not yet even moved into the elementary things of God.
An important step in bringing maturity to the church is to identify anointed five-fold offices that would be willing to work together in order to release a greater corporate anointing.
Teamwork
When God’s people work together as a team, individuals in that team contribute their different anointing and skills. When all these individual components are made available and placed together, an effective ministry team emerges.
The Gospel works best with people in relationships. Two in a relationship serving Jesus show the rest of the world what a true relationship can be like. Teamwork is foundational to everything. God designed us to be with one another.
Jesus summoned His disciples and began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over unclean spirits.
The Lord did not send his disciples out alone. He sent them out in pairs. Pairs are more effective than a single person in accomplishing the work of the ministry.
Several Jewish principles were behind this. First, testimony needed to be at the hands of two or three witnesses. Second, two are stronger and more effective than one. To this, Jesus adds a third principle which declares that where two or three gather together, He is present as well.
No matter how strong we are, we need a partner. Even the apostle Paul needed his co-workers and friends to fulfill his ministry. We need each other to do God's work and accomplish God's mission.
The apostles went about in teams witnessing to the things that Jesus was doing and the signs He was working by healing the sick and casting out demons.
It is wonderful to team up with fellow Christians in order to witness the work of Christ in the life of others.
Prayer works very effectively when believers gather as a team. Jesus said that when two people team up in agreement, then God Himself joins that team. This is a wonderful picture of heaven and earth agreeing together and working together as a team.
Working in a team makes knowledge, experiences, and views on a situation available. Each complements the other by contributing their God-given gifts, abilities, and qualities.
The double portion
Elisha desired a double portion of the anointing and received it. Five of the virgins in the parable of Jesus had it. The present-day
Church has a destiny characterized by it. This double portion of the anointing should be accessed in order to fulfill that destiny. Elisha and the parable of the virgins seem to illustrate some Kingdom dynamics for the church to heed to in order to manifest a greater corporate demonstration of God’s power.
Elisha was sovereignly selected by God to receive Elijah’s prophetic mantle. Though sovereignly chosen to receive Elijah’s anointing,
Elisha still had to respond to the call that he obeyed.
After Elisha’s zeal for the double portion is conceived, it is tested again and again, even prior to his actual requesting of it. He had to overcome the opinions of his peers, the fifty sons of the prophets, and the seeming indifference and rejection of Elijah.
Similarly, those desiring a double portion will be subject to the same type of sifting and refinement. As Elisha endured his testing by seeing with eyes of faith what was not yet manifest in the physical, so too will those desiring the double portion overcome by keeping their eyes on that which has been revealed to them by God’s Spirit.
Believers can access a double portion of God’s anointing on others when they submit to leaders and are prepared to be mentored and prepared for ministry.
Hindrances to the corporate anointing
Only one thing can hinder the flow of God within the body of Christ and that is the church itself.
Jesus did not perform mighty works in Nazareth because of their unbelief. The commandments of God were also made ineffective because of tradition.
One of the major obstacles to the corporate anointing is disunity.
Real unity cannot be created. Men have tried through the ages and failed. It can only be kept.
A house divided against itself cannot stand. It will become a wasteland and this also applies to the house of God.
Many leaders and churches are consumed with their own agenda with little or no contact with the wider Christian community, thus limiting their effectiveness.
Jesus appointed seventy leaders to go two by two into every city and place where He was about to go. They were to bring His light into a dark place.
From the moment of conversion, every single believer becomes a part of the body. They were never intended to grow on isolation. Although believers are required to submit to the Lord, that submission has comes in the form of earthly spiritual leaders who are God-appointed.
Unity in the Godhead
In the Trinity, there is one God, and three persons. Since before time began, the very nature of God has reflected a unity within diversity; three beings functioning in perfect relational harmony. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit always walk in unity.
Broken relationships are not what God intended. When believers experience harmonious relationships, they participate in God’s original intention. Disunity reflects the world as the evil one desires, but unity reflects God’s essential nature.
Unity in the local church
Believers are taught to avoid any and every situation that could cause divisions in the body of Christ. When the church is united, it reflects Jesus in His full power and presence on earth.
The nations who came together to build the tower of Babel approached their project from a point of unity. Having a common language fostered that unity among them. God noted their unity and conceded that these people could achieve anything they set their hearts to, because of the level of unity among them.
In order to bring confusion among the nations, God destroyed the unity which bound these people together and which kept them focused on the project at hand. God confused their language.
This not only caused them to cease working together, but it also caused them to be scattered from their original geographical location.
Great power comes from unity. God promised that He would restore a pure language to His people. This He did on the Day of Pentecost when believers began to speak with new tongues as the Spirit prompted them.
The purpose of the anointing is to bring believers together in unity so they may be able to achieve anything they set their hearts to under the leading of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus said Christians would do greater works than He did. This can only be possible if God’s people are anointed as Jesus was anointed and if they are willing to commit to work together in unity.
Unity to release blessings
Unity produces provision. The dew upon Mount Hermon was part of what made the land fertile and productive. There is a special provision that God gives to His church when it walks together in unity.
Both the oil and the dew flowed down naturally. Leaders today have a tremendously responsibility to cooperate with the flow of God’s Spirit and not to hinder the flow of this unity. This will also ensure the flow of financial streams upon the church, which is vital to enable it to spread the Gospel.
Unity to reach the lost
Evangelism and relationships go hand in hand. The world is convinced of the message of love and salvation, if God’s people love each other and walk and work together in harmony and with a common purpose.
The world cannot see God so they do not know of His love for them. But when the world sees His people in action, His body walking in unity with one another and loving one another, it draws them into His Kingdom.
Unity limits Satan’s power
Jesus made a public spectacle of His enemies at His crucifixion. Satan’s mission is to destroy and divide. His track record confirms this. He did it in heaven, in the garden, with Israel, with the New Testament church, and throughout its history. When things that are supposed to be united are divided, Satan becomes successful in his evil plans.
But when God’s people are united, it frustrates and annoys the devil and hinders the advance of his kingdom.
An example to others
We present Jesus through the anointing and through the power of the Holy Spirit to others.
There are six reasons why we should take Jesus to other people:
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1. We show them a relationship through salvation
We do not present Him as an alternative way but present Him as someone with whom you can have a personal relationship through salvation.
2. Jesus represents a cut from the past
Jesus wants every believer to be baptized in water. Water baptism denotes a cut from the past. We bury the past and rise up in newness of life.
3. Healing of our body and our emotions
There is 100% healing in the name of Jesus because He died for our sins and our sicknesses. Sickness was nailed to the cross.
4. Financial blessings
Poverty was also nailed to the cross. When we present Jesus to others we can tell them that they can be blessed with finances. He became poor so that we could become rich. People miss that. He became sick so we can be healthy. He took on our sins so that we can be sinless.
5. Discovering your purpose
When we present Jesus to others through the anointing we tell them that they have a purpose. We have not been placed on the earth merely to live and die. Each and every person has a divine purpose which they must discover and fulfill.
God loves you, He knew you in your mother’s womb. That is the seed of your purpose.
6. Living in God’s power
We can only give others what we have. We cannot give what we do not have. We present Jesus to others through the anointing. We represent the Holy Spirit which is the full manifestation of God’s power.
A need for the apostolic anointing
There is a great need for anointed leaders in the church today who will walk intimately with the Lord and follow His agenda to transform the church into the beautiful picture that we have of Christ’s bride.
Ephesians 5:27 - That He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.
This is a futuristic or prophetic picture of the church and we are clearly not there yet. At the moment we can see so many spots, blemishes, and ungodliness. The church as we see it today can be described as:
* Divided
* Defeated
* Mocked
* Poor
* Struggling
* Ineffective
* Compromised
* Confused
But praise God, things are going to change in the near future because Jesus is about to release an apostolic anointing upon the church and it is going to be transformed into the image of Christ. God is going to touch the church supernaturally and the apostolic anointing will do the supernatural work necessary to bring about this transformation.
God is going to raise up a new breed of leaders who are not known. They are alive on the earth today but have not yet been revealed.
They are His best kept secret in these last days. He has hidden their identity but they are about to be revealed and will release their apostolic anointing upon the church.
The true apostolic ministry has not yet been fully revealed and is the prophetic expectation that the church is looking for. The fact that certain Christian leaders are appointed as apostles or carry the title of an apostle, does not necessarily imply that they are functioning in the full anointing of an apostle.
Although many apostles today are planting churches and fathering many congregations, the apostolic anointing is primarily needed to bring the church into maturity, unity, and likeness of Christ. The church is about to be transformed by the Spirit of God so that it can be ready for the purpose that God has for the church in this season. The bride will match the Bridegroom in power, perfection, beauty, and glory. That is the mandate of the apostolic ministry.
