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Norbert Bohnert—April 25, 2020
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With all the prayer requests that we are receiving, and knowing of many brethren who are struggling with afflictions and illnesses, it thought the subject of anointing would be a good subject to cover today.
We have heard about anointings in the past, and it's something that many times we have done and not maybe not fully comprehend:
- what anointings are all about
- the reason for anointings
- what is involved in an anointing
in our Christian walk with God!
Hopefully I'll cover some items that will be beneficial to you all.
We know that with many prayer requests that we have received that many brethren are suffering some type of illness or affliction, and many of those aliments—some of them being chronic—are being dealt with on a daily basis.
While we pray for these brethren and wish them a speedy and full recovery, it does not always happen in the timeframe that we would like to see happen. For some, not even in their lifetime.
But our faith is that our well being is according to God's will! That the ultimate healing is sure and positive whenever that may occur. We must always keep that in mind, brethren whatever the circumstances that we find ourselves in.
We know that the all encompassing blessing to know that God wants no one to perish and would have everyone live a more abundant life:
John 10:10: "The thief does not come except to steal and kill and destroy. I have come so that they may have life, and may have it more abundantly."
What does anoint mean? To make sacred, consecrate for office or religious service! Anointing is done generally with the laying on of hands and the application of oil, according to God's instructions.
Hebrews 6:2: "Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of the resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment." It's basically a doctrine that is out there for us to use when it's necessary to!
James 5:14: "Is anyone sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the Church, and let them pray over him after anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord."
That's the instruction that we received through the Word of God of what should be done when someone would like to be anointed.
2-Peter 3:9: "The Lord is not delaying the promise of His coming, as some in their own minds reckon delay; rather, He is longsuffering toward us, not desiring that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance."
We know that God is not willing that any should perish. That is not talking about in the physical life, but also talking about in God's eternal realm. God gave His only Begotten Son so that we could all eventually be saved. Unfortunately, Satan does his dirty work and there are those who will not follow in sincerity and in truth the things that God would have us do.
There's a weeding out process that takes place, that is going on right now and we are part of that scenario. God's desire is that we might have life and have it more abundantly. That's God's overall desire of all of us.
John 10:10: "The thief does not come except to steal and kill and destroy. I have come so that they may have life, and may have it more abundantly."
- Why do we not always receive healing quickly?
- What is our personal part in our healing process?
That is an important part of understanding the point of anointings!
I thought that with all that is going on with many of us today in our aging years, and otherwise, it might be encouraging to look into the subject about anointing. Many aspects of anointing are mentioned in the Scriptures. They tell us about different kinds of anointing and by extension take off from that anointing.
Anointing is not always exactly as we picture it in the Church. In the Church of God, when we think of anointing we usually think of a phone call or an e-mail message to the minister or elder. Maybe we will catch an minister or elder at a special Sabbath service or fellowship group and ask to be anointed for whatever that affliction, illness or difficulty is.
We generally don't think of it too much past that. The elder/minister usually says a prayer and we pray over and hope that God will answer that prayer. Most of the time from our perspective it is many times the only way that we think of what the anointing is about. We think only of the prayer of faith for the sick.
Let's review a few instructions to further elaborate on this, the instructions that we receive from God. This gives us plain instruction on how we should handle this:
James 5:14: "Is anyone sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the Church, and let them pray over him after anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord."
It was only that kind of anointing that we really were familiar with in our first Church of God experience. We could say that just anointing him and would not have to mention with oil as it would be known. We say that Jesus Christ anointed the blind man with the mud that He had made from His spittle. The verse says anointing his eyes.
Verse 15: "And the prayer of faith shall save the sick one, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins, they shall be forgiven him."
It plainly states what we must be prepared with the anointings that we receive; it's the prayer of faith. We know this for a fact that God is doing the healing at all times. The word anointing is 'aleipho' in the Greek and it means to anoint or anointing. There is often a laying on of hands with anointing with oil and healing (Heb. 6:2).
Luke 4:40: "Now, as the sun was going down, all those who had sick persons with various diseases brought them to Him; and He laid His hands on each one of them and healed them."
So, the laying on of hands was mention here, but no mention of oil in this instance. It just mentions that Jesus laid His hands on every one of them and they were all healed. We associate anointing a great deal with the healing process, but we will also see that anointing is for other things besides healing.
Luke 13:10: "Now, He was teaching in one of the synagogues on one of the Sabbaths; and lo, there was a woman who had been afflicted with a spirit of infirmity for eighteen years, and she was bent over and unable to straighten herself up. And when He saw her, Jesus called her to Him and said to her, 'Woman, you have been loosed from your infirmity'" (vs 10-11).
This is a beautiful, wonderful story that we read of here, and we will see much more from other instances that occurred in the life of Jesus, showing us plainly that Jesus Christ is the healing God.
Mark 6:4: "But Jesus said to them, 'A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, and among his own kinsmen, and in his own house.'"
In other words, when we go home, you are not going to have the respect and honor that you would have somewhere else, even if you are a prophet of God. He was not even recognized by His family as the Prophet that He was.
Verse 5: "And He was not able to do any works of power there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them."
Jesus could not work mighty miracles there. He is Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and He should be able to go anywhere and work mighty miracles. What are these two Scriptures telling us? That because of the attitude of people that He was dealing with there—the attitude of unbelief—that Jesus Christ was unable to work any great miracles.
Verse 5: "And He was not able to do any works of power there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them."
Sidebar: In the past in our Church history—I think you may be able to relate to this—that some Church organizations, or individuals, would not pray for somebody that was not in the Church of God, or not within their own Church of God organization.
- Is that Christian?
- Is that the right thing to do?
If someone asks for prayers for their parents, their sister or siblings, the elder would ask if they were in the Church. It might be said that 'we can say a private prayer for them, but we are not going to mention it to anyone else.'
Have you experienced that in your past history in the Church of God? Here is the challenge to that attitude:
Go through the entire Scriptures and try to find one single place where Jesus Christ ever healed a converted person; yet, He laid His hands on a few sick folks and He healed them! Everywhere that He went He cast out demons and removed all manner of sickness. So, we can plainly see that that is not the proper attitude to have toward those who are not directly in the Church of God.
Verse 6: "And He was amazed by their unbelief. Then He went about the villages in a circuit, teaching the people."
He saw a lack of faith and improper attitude. If you saw someone bowed over and Jesus made her stand up straight, you would have to say that that is something very important and unique going on.
Verse 7: "And He called the twelve to Him and began to send them out, two by two; and He gave them authority over unclean spirits."
Verse 12: "And they went out and proclaimed that all should repent. And they cast out many demons; and they anointed with oil many sick people, and healed them" (vs 12-13).
So, Jesus Christ gave this gift of anointing to the disciples. They could not begin to go out and heal anyone of their own power, because they did not have that power! The power, of course, comes from God and no one else!
Luke 10:33: "But a certain Samaritan, as he was journeying, came to him; and when he saw him, he was moved with compassion. And he went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; then he put him on his own beast and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. And when he left on the next day, he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, 'Take care of him, and whatever you may expend above this, I will repay you when I come back'" (vs 33-35). The man had been beaten to a pulp!
It is right and proper that we should always do what we are able to do in the physical realm. That is our responsibility. Sometimes in God's Church we run into the concept that some people hold that God is going to heal them, but they do not have to 'lift one finger to get out of the rain, the cold' or to stop what they're doing that originally caused them to become sick.
Brethren, we have our own part to do as part of this anointing process. We see that the 'good Samaritan' poured in oil and wine. The oil keeps they flesh supple and soft. The wine acted like an antiseptic and cleaned the wound of the man that was beaten.
We can now understand what is going on in the physical realm about healing. Keep these two realms separate:
- there's the physical healing
- there's the spiritual healing
We like for those two to come together!
When we, as elders, send an anointed cloth to somebody, we always try to thank them for their faith in God's healing power. That is usually the purpose that we are approached. They have faith in God's healing power, and they are looking to God and know that He is going to intervene in their lives. That, brethren, is a blessing and reward in itself to understand that concept. God says to call the elders of the Church, because He wants this petition to be done in a proper and formal way (James 5:14).
The elder says a prayer, which, in effect, brings a petition directly to our loving Father as the person has requested personally. The anointed cloth that is sent along represents that faithful prayer. There is no power whatsoever in the cloth, and there is no power in itself in the olive oil. But it is God Who does the healing, and that is done according to our faith.
Matthew 9:29: "Then He touched their eyes, saying, 'According to your faith be it to you.'"
That is very important. The faith that you come to understand is what brings the anointing and the healing process to take place at God's will. We know very clearly that faith is some of the things that is considered when it comes to healing. It's a very important part.
People sometimes get confused on the matter of faith in association with the healing process, and they will say, 'I really with all my strength believe that I'm going to get healed.' This is not the kind of faith that Jesus Christ is speaking of here. The correct kind of faith is toward God and His will being done!
- Do we believe that God is all-powerful?
- Do we believe that God promises us to heal?
Our faith must be toward God and His will! What He knows is certainly the right thing!
When we pray the prayer of faith, we understand that God is going to apply the stripes of His Son Jesus Christ for healing. This healing is an additional gift that we receive over and above Jesus' selfless act of love for us. In giving His personal life, Jesus gave His life so that we could have all of our sins covered.
Romans 5:8: "But God commends His own love to us because, when we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more, therefore, having been justified now by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him" (vs 8-9).
1-Peter 2:24: "Who Himself bore our sins within His own body on the tree, so that we, being dead to sins, may live unto righteousness; by Whose stripes you were healed."
Jesus has done His part! It is a done deal and it is positively assured that healing will take place.
Peter was quoting Isa. 53:5 when he said, "…by Whose stripes you were healed."
Jesus' death paid for our sins. That would have been enough, but he went further than that and suffered so that we would be healed. By Christ suffering—His wounds and bruises—we have an opportunity to be healed. Our past guilt is removed and our past sins are all covered when we are redeemed and justified by the precious blood that He—Jesus Christ—shed for us.
Some think that Jesus did it all and we do not have to have a part in it at all. But we really have a very huge part in this process. We cannot hate, despise or reject any of these things, as that behavior defines not discerning the Lord's Body. It's critical to understand that.
We are told that we are to discern the Lord's Body and that's what we are talking about with this healing process. Hating someone defines not discerning the Lord's body. We are obligated to extend our love, care and realm of fellowship to include all, especially those who have the earnest of God's Holy Spirit.
Galatians 6:10: "So then, as we have opportunity, we should do good to all, and especially to those who are of the household of faith." Plainly spelled out there for us!
Paul characterizes our self-examination as a priority. It's important that we self-examine ourselves. We don't examine anyone else, but we examine ourselves! He says that we must be properly discerning the Lord's Body, which consists of all of us.
The minister/elder: having him pray, it's not on all of God's back. Some surmise that if something does not happen, then God is not coming through. That totally is not true! We hear many times that God is not healing people today. Also, that is not true!
What we need to do first is absolutely grasp the definition of the Lord's Body from the Bible itself. We know that the Body of Christ is the Church of God. The concept of Christ's Body being composed of all Church brethren in action and unity with God's children. If we who are called by God do not possess a serious genuine devotion and Godly tenderness for all brethren, we diminish the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and we will all suffer sickness and death.
1-Corinthians 11:30: "For this very reason, many are weak and sickly among you, and many have fallen asleep."
God is not going to come an heal us in spite of ourselves! If we want to be undesirable people and live our lives in vile hatred of others, we cannot ask God to come in and be part of that with an anointing and heal us. With that kind of attitude we cannot go to God to ask for that anointing.
Christ bore our sins in His own body on the stake so that we being dead to sins shall live unto righteousness. That's what we are to do! In other words, Jesus suffered so that we would be considered righteous. In God's eyes we are 'imputed with the righteousness of Jesus Christ and with His stripes we are healed.' (Isa. 53: 1-5; 1-Peter 2:24).
It is good that you have chosen to exercise faith in God and follow His instructions in asking for prayer for your healing according to the Scriptures. That's what we are asked to do.
When a minister/elder is unable to visit personally and perform an anointing directly, we follow the example of the Apostle Paul, who understood that some of these things, like anointing, are pictures of a greater reality. The reality is taking place in our mind and heart, and in God's mind and heart as well. It is not happening with the oil or the physical cloth. They have no power! Please notice that it is God Who works the miracle of healing, not any physical thing that we do or use.
Acts 19:11: "And God worked special works of power by the hands of Paul, so that even when handkerchiefs or cloths were brought from his body to those who were sick, the diseases departed from them and the wicked spirits went out from them" (vs 11-12).
This plainly shows us the principle there. Notice that it was God Who did it. It was a common occurrence; Paul did not do this just once in his travels, but as a matter of course. As we do today, he sent out anointed cloths. There are things that God does and there are things that we do!
We must take care of ourselves and do everything that we can to receive the best physical care that we can obtain. God expects us to do our part to look after our health.
Sidebar: I'd like to relay a story of a particular experience that I encountered very early in my church upbringing. There was a younger adult couple in the Church of God and had been attending only a little over two years. They had three beautiful children and were very enthusiastic in wanting to learn more about the way of God through the Scriptures.
Unfortunately, suddenly one of the daughters became very, very sick with what was called an adhesion where the bowel actually kinked. This adhesion caused bowel obstruction, blockage and strangulation.
This is a condition in which body tissues that are normally separate grow together, and this condition basically shuts down everything in the process of digestion. That includes the blood supply and nerve supply to the bowel and everything else, and the bowel begins to die and turns gangrenous. Gangrene is a potentially life threatening condition that arises when a mass of body tissues die.
At the time in the Church brethren were told that hospitals and going to the doctor were not necessary, and the poor couple did not understand or were led to believe that that principle was to be strongly adhered to.
As mentioned earlier, we have to do our part that we can physically do. The teaching at that time was totally ludicrous. It may be my opinion, but that's what it was, that we must put it totally in God's hands. That was the attitude taken. All things to be put aside, just leave it in God's hands. The poor girl was lying there on her deathbed. So, the couple waited, everyone prayed and fasted over the situation, as instructed by the ministry of that time.
The daughter could not eat for over a week and was losing weight and became totally dehydrated. She became totally comatose. With the situation being so severe the couple went to the ministry again and pleaded with them, that there must be something that could be done.
She was lying there dying in front of them. She needed intervention and some relief of the condition that she had. The ministry basically turned their backs on the couple and washed their hands of it, stepping back because they were not going to take that step and challenge the head office or head of the ministry, the headquarters teaching of that time. They were told to hold the 'company line' and not council with any brethren in any other way.
The couple, of course, was devastated and were feeling very depressed and thinking that they were lacking the faith that they required. They were told by the ministry to step back and watch their daughter die, even though that they knew that something could be done.
They knew that the medical profession had procedures that could correct the situation and it was something that could be easily done. But they were in between a 'rock and a hard place' because they were trying to be doing as instructed by the ministry at that time.
Of course, it came to a breaking point and the couple decided to go against the will of what their sincerity was and they went to emergency. At emergency it looked like a scene that you see in the ER, they quickly took her to have the operation and for the first two weeks after the operation it was a little bit touch and go. They did not know she would survive. There was concern that she would never had children, and she ended up missing school for a year.
Well, brethren, she did survive! She married and had four beautiful healthy children!
Why do I relay this! Well, God is a merciful God! He's loving and, of course, is the One Who does the healing! No questions asked, God does the healing!
The couple did what they could for themselves, and learned that no matter what they decided to do physically, they are only physical remedies! The whole time they were asking God to intervene on their behalf, along with many other brethren, in a much higher, perfect and miraculous spiritual way! At that time they went against the advice or council of the ministry. But at the same time, they did what was available to them. They did their part!
It just shows that we must be very wise with the wisdom that we are able to achieve through the Word of God, that we do have a role in this, that we can do our part. Of course, we totally at the same time rely on God the Father and Jesus Christ to do the healing. No one else can do it!
Isaiah 55:8: "'For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor your ways My ways,' says the LORD."
Our loving Father knows our needs before we ask. The couple going through that trial in their lives, early in their church experience, teaches us a lot of things. They felt helpless and they had to rely on God. There was nothing else they could do, but to rely on God. It teaches us the compassion and the understanding that we must have. That is the way we should always council with others, whether it be the ministry or with each other.
Many brethren might consider what the couple did was totally lacking faith in God, and that the couple should have believed that their daughter would have been healed and that God would work a miracle with them, as a couple unwilling to lift a finger. But who were they lifting a finger against? Basically, against the council of the ministry at that time!
God acts before, and when we don't know how to act, God's Spirit knows the answer even when we do not know the question.
Romans 8:26: "Now, in the same way also, the Spirit is conjointly helping our weaknesses because we do not fully understand what we should pray for, according as it is necessary, but the Spirit itself makes intercession for us with groaning that cannot be expressed by us."
When asking for an anointing cloth, we must not wait for the mailman to deliver the cloth. When one asks for an anointing cloth, God hears immediately, and it is in the spiritual realm! God begins to answer prayer as soon as we ask Him, but He does want us to ask!
It's a very powerful thing to get God involved. It's not a matter of putting your head on the pillow and saying, 'God please heal me.' God wants to be formal, and that is the reason why the instruction to call on the elders or ministry. It's formal because God involved. God is totally involved, and always think of it that way when you are looking at anointing.
The oil on the anointed cloth is a symbol of God's Holy Spirit. As such, it represents God's healing power. The Bible puts no limits on how many times you can go to God and ask to be healed. There's no limitations whatsoever. There are those who say, because Paul asked God three times to be healed and God did not intervene, that is the limit. Totally false! Totally hogwash!
You can go to God a thousand times, and beseech God to intervene. Ask for anointing every time that you know that something new comes up, every time there a change in a condition, trial, affliction or sickness in your life. You can always cry out to God as many times as you want. So, don't let that be a limitation.
We must understand when God is going to intervene, when God is going to heal and actively involved in a miraculous powerful way. It's on God's time!
1-John 3:22: "And whatever we may ask we receive from Him because we keep His commandments and practice those things that are pleasing in His sight."
Brethren, it must be a prerequisite that we must be doing the things with all of our might and heart. We must have a relationship with God and be reconciled to God to even to be able to talk to God. It's not like the drunk at the bar saying, 'O God, make me sober.' God is not going to be make him sober!
1-John 5:14: "And this is the confidence that we have toward Him: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us." That's a prerequisite, a requirement! So, it must be in accordance with the will of God.
When someone gets up in age, say 98-years-old—and their body is riddled with cancer and they have had a good life, God is ready to take them, we pray, 'Father, whatever Your will is, so be it.'
Verse 15: "And if we know that He hears us, whatever we may ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of Him." That is our faith that God is going to answer the petition, that God is going to do the healing and work.
David shows us the attitude that is necessary when we go to God for healing.
Psalm 35:13: "But when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth; I humbled my soul with fasting; and my prayer returned into my own bosom."
We must go to God with heartfelt prayer and fasting for situations that come up. In Christ's day rubbing a little oil on the face and head was a sign of being neat, tidy, well-groomed and well-kempt. When arrived from long journeys sometimes the host would wash your face or oil your head. Sort of like the treatment you would get at a barber shop with some aftershave and lotion, possibly.
Luke 7:46: "You did not anoint My head with oil; but she has anointed My feet with ointment."
Why do I bring this up? Because we are talking about anointing! Anointing is not just for healing, but is also for other things, as well. This was a prophetic sign that Jesus was about to give His life for all mankind.
Mark 14:8: "She did what she could for Me. She came to anoint My body beforehand for the burial."
Jesus counted the anointing of His feet as a prelude to His death and being anointed. There are other Scriptures that show that they came anointed Jesus' body with 'good smelling spices.'
With this said, we must be careful to not get carried away as there was in the past about special healing oils. It was stated that if you get the right kind of oils—like used in the Scriptures—they were much better oils to use than olive oil.
It is of the pagan world to get caught up in those kinds of things and think that certain oils have some special kind of power. Let's not get off on these tangents, as many times people are misled and get this idea and, unfortunately, they effect other brethren at the same time.
Let's think to the spiritual and look to God and no one else. He's the Almighty Healer! The olive oil that we use in anointing is only symbolic! It is symbolic of God's spiritual power of healing. God instituted and established anointing for us to get direct intervention in our lives, and because we are to look to Him at all times.
The reason that it does, is because it brings formal petition to Him through ordained elders and because anointing for the sick represents God's direct intervention in our lives.
That is why we tend to kneel down, if possible, when anointing someone. We are coming into the presence of God and bringing Him into the equation. It's on the level of miracles because that is what it is! Don't let people tell you that God does not formally intervene when we are ill. Some people suggest that there are no healings today. That is total blindness and a lack of faith!
I believe it is blasphemous when you are denying God's power and involvement. If, in some person's life, there is not healing taking place, and he knows of none, there may be a reason for it. The problem may be on the person's end and not on God's end. We have to draw near to God and He will draw near to us! That is a promise that is made to all of us!
From a Biblical perspective, there's a lot to be known about anointing, which mean
- to make something sacred
- to consecrate someone for healing
- to consecrate someone for an office for religious service!
Anointing is used in all different kinds of ways. We see the Christ as the Anointed One, anointed by the Father. Christ comes from the Greek 'Christos' meaning the Anointed One! The Messiah is anointed to rule over all the earth and the Kingdom of God, to be the Christ, the Messiah and Anointed One, chosen of God. Jesus is the only anointed Messiah, the soon coming Christ of the Millennium.
In the Old Testament we find a prophecy of Christ The Anointed One (Isa. 61:1). This anointing consecrated Jesus to perform His two-fold coming. Jesus came 2,000-plus years ago, and He is about to come again.
- the first coming was His earthly ministry for three and a half years
- the second coming will be His 1,000-year reign on the earth in the Millennium
Jesus Christ quotes these words that He inspired Isaiah to write.
Luke 4:18: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me; for this reason, He has anointed Me to preach the Gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal those who are brokenhearted, to proclaim pardon to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to send forth in deliverance those who have been crushed, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord" (vs 18-19).
- Did God the father use some olive oil before the world was created to anoint Jesus?
- Do we understand that the oil that we use today is an outward toke of God's Spirit in action, power and force?
When God the Father anointed and consecrated Jesus Christ to be the Rule, the King of kings of the Millennial reign, He did not take some oil and anoint Him like we do as a healing.
Hebrews 1:8: "But on the other hand, of the Son He says, 'Your Throne, O God, is into the ages of eternity; a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your Kingdom. You loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; because of this, God, even Your God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness above Your companions'" (vs 8-9).
When God the Father was anointing Jesus Christ, there was spiritual ceremony taking place, and we must understand that. I want you to pick up on the fact that God the Father anointed Jesus Christ.
Acts 10:38: "Concerning Jesus, Who was from Nazareth: how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, because God was with Him."
God anointed Jesus Christ with His Holy Spirit and with power. I point that out because a lot of times people very simply say, 'The Spirit of God is the power of God.' They do not look into the Spirit of God anymore than that; God's Spirit is much more than that!
- it is the mind of God
- it is the love of God
- it is His compassion
- it is His mercy
- it is His forgiveness
- it is His wisdom
- it is very good in the spiritual characteristics of God
Jesus Christ was anointed with the Holy Spirit and with power!
Here is an incredible thing that many times we overlook. In the same way that Jesus was anointed to perform His duties, we too, personally, are anointed with this special calling. We are begotten by the Father's Spirit, and it makes us—His children—with His Spirit, just as Jesus became the Son of God. The Spirit of God is the earnest and promise of eternal life through Jesus Christ.
2-Corinthians 1:21: "But He Who establishes us with you in Christ, and Who has anointed us, is God… [Who is that anointed Paul and us? God the Father!] …Who has also sealed us and has given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts" (vs 21-22).
We are Christ's and members of the Body of Christ, each one of us! God the Father has anointed us, just as He anointed Jesus. He has sealed us as His children. The Father has given us the pledge of His Spirit. John put it this way:
1-John 2:20: "But you have the anointing from the Holy One, and you have knowledge of all things pertaining to salvation."
So, anointing is something very special and important. It is the prescribe procedure in performing a number of Divine functions.
There are many Scriptures that we can go over still covering this topic of anointing. We know that:
- kings were anointed
- prophets were consecrated and anointed (1-Sam.; 1-Kings)
- the pillow stone was anointed by Jacob (Gen.)
- the sons of Aaron and the priests were anointed and consecrated (Exo.)
- Holy bread was anointed (Exo.)
- the altar and the sin offering bullock was anointed (Exo.)
- the tabernacle of the congregation, everything in it was anointed (Exo.)
- the Ark of the Covenant was anointed (Exo.)
- King David was anointed more than once (1st & 2nd Sam.)
- Jesus was anointed for burial (Mark)
- the two witnesses were anointed (Zech. 4:3)
Brethren, when we are baptized and hands are laid upon us, we receive the promise of the Father, which is God's Holy Spirit in us! We use anointing in our lives to point us to God so that we might know that we have been anointed by God the Father for a special calling to be His children, to be whole for all eternity and be with Jesus Christ and rule in the Millennium, the coming Kingdom of God!
There is so much to understand about this relationship, this personal relationship that we can have with God and God's direct intervention in each and every anointing.
Brethren, let us remember the principles behind anointing and let us not forget those who are sick, suffering illnesses and trials, afflictions of any type! Let's remember them in our prayers constantly, and we know that God is the ultimate Healer!
Scriptural References:
- John 10:10
- Hebrews 6:2
- James 5:14
- 2 Peter 3:9
- John 10:10
- James 5:14-15
- Luke 4:40
- Luke 13:10-11
- Mark 6:4-7, 12-13
- Luke 10: 33-35
- Matthew 9:29
- Romans 5:8-9
- 1 Peter 2:24
- Galatians 6:10
- 1 Corinthians 11:30
- Acts 19:11-12
- Isaiah 55:8
- Romans 8:26
- 1 John 3:22
- 1 John 5:14-15
- Psalm 35:13
- Luke 7:46
- Mark 14:8
- Luke 4:18-19
- Hebrews 1:8-9
- Acts 10:38
- 2 Corinthians 1:21-22
- 1 John 2:20
Scriptures referenced, not quoted:
- Isaiah 53:1-5; 61:1
- Zechariah 4:3
FRC:bo
Transcribed: 9/21/20
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