M401: Lesson 11; Ministering Under the Anointing

Ministering under the Anointing

Key Verse: “It shall come to pass in that day that his burden will be taken away from your shoulder, and his yoke from your neck, and the yoke will be destroyed because of the anointing oil.” Isaiah 10:27 (NKJV)

Purpose: The purpose of this lesson is to help the disciple understand the anointing and how to minister effectively under the anointing.

Background

In the Old Testament, the glory of the LORD resided among His people within the Holy of Holies of the tabernacle or temple. The Holy Spirit could not rest upon His people because of the defilement of sin. Therefore, the LORD consecrated three specific offices to represent His presence and power among His people—the king, priest, and prophet. Consecration was usually accomplished through a sanctifying process followed by the anointing of oil and/or the laying on of hands. The Holy Spirit would come upon these consecrated individuals in presence and power to speak His word and to accomplish His works.

The LORD foretold a time when His SERVANT, the MESSIAH, would come to be His ultimate Representative to all mankind.

“Messiah” (Hebrew Mashiach) means ANOINTED ONE. The Greek word in the New Testament for Messiah is “Christ”.

Isaiah 61:1–3 (NKJV) “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; 2 to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn, 3to console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.”

Jesus of Nazareth is the FULFILLMENT of Isaiah’s prophecy.

John 1:41 (NKJV) “He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, ‘We have found the Messiah’ (which is translated, the Christ).”

John 4:25–26 (NKJV) “The woman said to Him, ‘I know that Messiah is coming’ (who is called Christ). ‘When He comes, He will tell us all things.’ 26 Jesus said to her, ‘I who speak to you am He.’”

Hebrews 1:1–3 (NKJV) “God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, 2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; 3 who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,”

The anointing breaks the enemy’s YOKE of bondage and oppression.

Leviticus 26:13 (NKJV) “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that you should not be their slaves; I have broken the bands of your yoke and made you walk upright.”

A yoke was an arched device placed on the neck of a defeated person.

A yoke was also fitted to a person’s shoulders to carry burdens in two equal portions.

A yoke was a symbol of bondage and was called a “yoke of bondage.

A deliverer would “break” the slave’s yoke as an expression of their deliverance and freedom.

Spiritually speaking, the “anointing” is what breaks Satan’s yoke of bondage over mankind.

The anointing represents the presence and power of the HOLY SPIRIT.

Luke 4:17–19 (NKJV) “And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written: 18‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; 19 to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.’”

1 John 2:27 (NKJV) “But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him.”

Acts 1:8 (NKJV) “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.”

Jesus was anointed because the Spirit of the Lord was UPON Him.

Luke 4:17–19 (NKJV) “And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written: 18‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; 19 to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.’”

The anointing is the Spirit’s power with a PURPOSE. It is the POWER of God to do the WORKS of God.

Twelve purposes of the anointing derived from Isaiah 61:1-3 and Luke 4:17-19:

PREACHING: Proclaiming the gospel with authority and power.

HEALING: Restoring to health and wholeness.

FREEDOM: Liberating from slavery or bondage.

ILLUMINATION: Delivering from spiritual blindness.

RELEASE: Releasing from the abusive power of sin and Satan.

CONVICTION: Awakening the conscience to moral accountability to God.

COMFORT: Comforting the grieving and troubled heart.

CONSOLATION: Ministering mercy to those who mourn over sin and failure.

RESTORATION: Restoring beauty to those marred by sin.

JOY: Restoring the joy to those who mourn in despair.

PRAISE: Restoring praise to those weakened by pessimism.

TRANSFORMATION: Converting a wicked man into a righteous man.

Jesus vs. the Believer

Jesus is unique in His divine Person but not unique regarding ministry. From eternity past to eternity future Jesus has and will always exist uniquely as the Son of God. In His Incarnation, He did not cease to be the Son of God but willingly divested Himself of His heavenly glory and privilege, took on human flesh, and became like other men. (Philippians 2:5-8). He humbled Himself and took on the role of God’s bondservant. As God’s Son on earth, He did nothing of Himself (Jn 5:19) As God’s Servant Messiah, He was anointed with the Holy Spirit. (Acts 4:27-28) whereby God gave Him the Spirit without measure. (John 3:34) This occurred at His water baptism by John the Baptist. (Luke 3:21-22) Afterward, Jesus was said to be “filled with the Spirit” (Luke 4:1) and returned from the temptation in the wilderness in the “power of the Spirit” (Luke 4:14). In His hometown of Nazareth, Jesus read from Isaiah 61:1-2 which states, “the Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, because He has anointed Me” (Luke 4:18 NKJV). Jesus then declared, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” (Luke 4:21 NKJV) Thus, Jesus clearly declared that His Messianic ministry as God’s Servant had been inaugurated upon being anointed by the Spirit of the LORD. Afterward His baptism, He began to teach with power (Luke 4:14-15) and performed His first miracle or “sign” at a wedding in Cana of Galilee. (John 2:11) As God’s unique Servant Messiah, He is now the Source of all anointing for ministry. He is the One who baptizes with the Holy Spirit those He has redeemed, consecrated, commissioned, and sent in His name (Matthew 3:11; Mark 1:8; Luke 3:16; John 1:33; Acts 1:5; 11:16). Thus, He has authorized and commissioned believers to continue His Messianic ministry on earth in His name.

Believers receive the anointing WITHIN at the new birth.

Romans 8:9–11 (NKJV) “But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. 10 And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.”

1 John 2:27 (NKJV) “But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him.”

The anointing “within” is the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit received at the new birth. This anointing teaches and guides the believer into truth, righteousness, and holiness.

Believers receive the anointing UPON with the Baptism with the Holy Spirit.

Acts 1:4–5 (NKJV) “And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, ‘which,’ He said, ‘you have heard from Me; 5 for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.’”

Acts 1:8 (NKJV) “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.”

Jesus is the Baptizer with the Holy Spirit. Even as Elisha received the mantle of Elijah after his ascension into heaven to fulfill the ministry given by God to Elijah, so the baptism with the Holy Spirit is the mantle of Jesus to fulfill His ministry on earth. This “mantle” of the Spirit was given on the Day of Pentecost after Christ’s ascension into heaven (Acts 2:1-4; 33).

Believers are SENT by Christ as He was by His Father.

John 20:21–23 (NKJV) “So Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.’ 22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.’”

Believers are authorized by the Spirit to declare forgiveness and freedom to those who repent, believe, and obey the gospel.

Believers can do NOTHING in their own power or might.

Zechariah 4:6 (NKJV) “So he answered and said to me: ‘This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,” says the Lord of hosts.’”

John 15:5 (NKJV) “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.”

Luke 24:49 (NKJV) “Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.”

Jesus authorized His disciples to go into all the world in His name prior to His ascension into heaven (Matthew 28:18-20), but He commanded them to wait in Jerusalem until they received the enduement of power from the Holy Spirit.

The anointing enables believers to do the work of Christ in the POWER OF THE SPIRIT.

Romans 15:19 (NKJV) "in mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God, so that from Jerusalem and round about to Illyricum I have fully preached the gospel of Christ."

1 Corinthians 2:4–5 (NKJV) “And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.”

The anointing is released in the NAME OF JESUS.

Mark 16:17–18 (NKJV) “And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; 18 they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

John 14:12–14 (NKJV) “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. 13 And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.”

The anointing will change people into what seems to be a ANOTHER person.

1 Samuel 10:6 (NKJV) “Then the Spirit of the LORD will come upon you, and you will prophesy with them and be turned into another man.”

Those upon whom the anointing rests will often be perceived as different than the person they are when not operating in the anointing. The man under the influence of the anointing must be distinguished from the man apart from the anointing. (Matthew 7:21-23)

The anointing is released to CONFIRM the word of God.

Mark 16:20 (NKJV) “And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen.”

The anointing does not confirm the minister. (Matthew 7:21-23) It confirms the word of God.

The anointing is released in response to divine COMPASSION.

Matthew 14:14 (NKJV) “And when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick.”

Mark 1:41 (NKJV) “Then Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, ‘I am willing; be cleansed.’”

The anointing works according to the WILL of the Father and the LEADING of the Holy Spirit.

John 5:19 (NKJV) “Then Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.’”

1 John 5:14–15 (NKJV) “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15 And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.”

The anointing of the Holy Spirit can come UPON a person in strength at specific times. This is often referred to as being FILLED with the Spirit.

Acts 4:31 (NKJV) “And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.”

Acts 7:55 (NKJV) “But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God,”

Acts 13:9 (NKJV) “Then Saul, who also is called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him.”

Ephesians 5:18 (NKJV) “And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit,”

Believers should PRAY for greater anointing to meet the challenges facing them.

Acts 4:29–30 (NKJV) “Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word, 30 by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus.”

Believers are not to PROFIT from the anointing.

Matthew 10:7–8 (NKJV) “And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ 8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.”

2 Kings 5:15–16 (NKJV) “And he returned to the man of God, he and all his aides, and came and stood before him; and he said, ‘Indeed, now I know that there is no God in all the earth, except in Israel; now therefore, please take a gift from your servant.’ 16 But he said, ‘As the Lord lives, before whom I stand, I will receive nothing.’ And he urged him to take it, but he refused.”

Acts 8:18–21 (NKJV) “And when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money, 19 saying, ‘Give me this power also, that anyone on whom I lay hands may receive the Holy Spirit.’ 20 But Peter said to him, ‘Your money perish with you, because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money! 21 You have neither part nor portion in this matter, for your heart is not right in the sight of God.’”

Marketing the anointing is a sin. The anointing is not for sale. Requiring payment, reward, or glory for the work of the anointing is forbidden and can bring grave consequences. (2 Kings 5:20-27)

Ministering under the Anointing

Realize that you can do nothing in your own power or ability. Do not “hype” the atmosphere as a substitute for the anointing. Repent of any sin that might hinder the ministry of Christ through your life. Prayer and fasting often aids in preparing oneself as an unhindered vessel God can use. Be conscious that Jesus Christ, the Anointed One, lives in you. The anointing is realized by spending time with the Anointed One in prayer and devotion. His power flows from His presence and not the other way around. Seek to be continually filled with His Spirit. Invite Him to use you. Be a willing vessel and a yielded vessel. Embrace Christ’s command and commission to go in His name to engage in a lost and hurting world with the message of the gospel and the power of the Holy Spirit. If we want to experience the anointing, we must take it to the places and people for whom it is meant. Receive Jesus’ mantle for ministry, the baptism with the Holy Spirit. Expect that God will release the anointing through you. The anointing works according to the level of your faith. Feelings are deceptive. The anointing is not dependent upon what you are able to do, but on what Christ is able to do through you. Grow in faith. Faith comes by hearing the word of God, so spend time in God’s word to learn His nature, promises, and will (Romans 10:17). The anointing also works according to your level of obedience. It increases as you obey the Lord and decreases as you disobey Him. The anointing is released to confirm the word of God. The operation of the anointing will never contradict the clear teachings of God’s word. The anointing follows the anointed word of God. If you hope to experience the anointed works of God, proclaim the anointed word of God. The anointing testifies of the Person and Work of Jesus Christ, the Anointed One. If you hope to experience the anointing, testify of Jesus Christ and His finished work on the Cross. Preach Jesus Christ and Him crucified. The purpose of the anointing is expressed in the gospel. The gospel is good news to lost and hurting people. Pray for a heart of compassion for lost and hurting people that releases the anointing to minister. Be sensitive to the will of God and the leading of the Spirit. Ask questions of the person regarding their need when appropriate. Are they a Christian? Do they believe that God will touch them? Are they ready to receive? Listen for the Spirit’s direction on how to pray and minister. Do you sense His presence? Do you sense liberty or hindrance? Do you discern demonic activity? Have you received the mind of God on the situation? Pray in the Spirit. Do you have Scriptures that can be read to release faith? Are you releasing your faith? Obey His instructions. Be open and sensitive to the manifestations of the Spirit. Don’t worry about results. Just obey what the Lord gives you—nothing more and nothing less. Do not be surprised by the difference in your personality when under the anointing. It is the Holy Spirit rather than you. Do not be surprised what the anointing requires of you at that moment. “Do what the occasion demands, for God is with you.” (1 Samuel 10:6 NKJV) Ministering under the anointing is full of surprises. God will sometimes require specific acts of obedience to release the anointing. Jesus ministered to people in various ways such as making clay to put on the eyes of a blind man. It is not about the act. The act is simply a test of faith and obedience. Ministering to people under the anointing may result in unusual physical or emotional reactions such as shaking, fainting, expressions of joy, etc. Stay focused on Lord and what He is saying and doing. Keep people focused on Jesus and what He is doing. Avoid receiving any glory for what God accomplishes through you. It is all about God. You are simply His vessel. Give Him glory by turning all credit, thanks, and praise toward Him.