Understanding The Anointing of The Holy Spirit ~ Part One
This is the second part in the series;
'Growing Into the Image Of Jesus And The Power Of The Holy Spirit.'
Understanding The Anointing of The Holy Spirit ~ Part One
The Holy Spirit has redirected my steps and I want to be obedient to His guidance. This teaching is about the anointing of the Holy Spirit and understanding the differences in the anointing of the Holy Spirit. These differences, or attributes of the Holy Spirit can be subtle. However, at times there can be dramatic diversities in the manifestation of the Holy Spirit and His power, or anointing. We will return to the topic of 'Hearing God' in a later teaching article.
It is important that we study the anointing of the Holy Spirit. We need a perfectly clear an unpolluted understanding of the anointing of the Holy Spirit at this hour. We need to comprehend how the anointing works, or manifests. I have discovered that there is a lot of teachings about the Holy Spirit, but there is not a lot of information about understanding how to work with the anointing of the Holy Spirit. We need to understand how to minister and live our daily lives in fellowship with the Holy Spirit. So my prayer is that this teaching will help some people understand more about the person of the Holy Spirit and learn to develop a relationship with Him.
As I said the differences in the Holy Spirit and the ways that He manifests are quite subtle at times. Therefore it can be a challenge to understand, perceive, or 'discern' the Holy Spirit, and what He is doing, or how He is working in our lives. The Holy Spirit has a purpose for each and every day of our lives and every occasion that we meet and fellowship together as believers in Christ. So in this teaching I want to elaborate on the anointing of the Holy Spirit and recognizing the manifestation(s) of the Holy Spirit. When the Holy Spirit comes He comes in various ways, or forms and with a multitude of agendas, or ministries. We need to understand these anointings of the Holy Spirit and 'flow with' the person of the Holy Spirit ceaselessly.
The Holy Spirit Verses The Glory Of God
We need a biblical understanding of the times that we are living in. We are in a kiaros or God ordained moment of time and history.
In the Old Testament people were not able to 'perceive' the Holy Spirit in the same manner that we can today in the 'new dispensation'. One important reason if because a measure of the Holy Spirit is within each believer in Christ today. (See Ephesians 4:7, Romans 12:3). In the Old Testament God dealt with His people as the Father. To most people that was a very frightening manifestation of God. Without looking at all of the scriptural references we know that God manifested to His people at various times as glory. At times God's presence was so strong and tangible that the people could not even stand in the glory of God. Let me say that the glory of God releases the anointing or presence of the Holy Spirit. This is one way that the anointing of the Holy Spirit was working and manifesting upon the earth in the Old Testament, or in past dispensations of time. Let's look at two examples:
2Chronicles 5:13: Indeed it came to pass, when the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the LORD, and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music, and praised the LORD, saying: "For He is good, For His mercy endures forever," that the house, the house of the LORD, was filled with a cloud,14 so that the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud; for the glory of the LORD filled the house of God.
We see this dynamic again in 2Chronicles7:1: When Solomon had finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the LORD filled the temple. 2 And the priests could not enter the house of the LORD, because the glory of the LORD had filled the LORD'S house.3 When all the children of Israel saw how the fire came down, and the glory of the LORD on the temple, they bowed their faces to the ground on the pavement, and worshiped and praised the LORD, saying: "For He is good, For His mercy endures forever." When God's tangible glory shows up like this people often feel the need to prostrate themselves in the presence of our Holy God.
God's people perceived His presence and glory in a tangible way. God's kabod or manifest presence was tangible or visible to all. Everyone present could see Gods glory. They could feel God's glory, and perhaps they would even taste and smell God's glory; the scriptures do not clearly establish this. But I believe that at times like this the glory and presence of the Holy Spirit is so tangible that you can perceive it with your sense of taste and smell. I have. In other words, we can 'discern' God's glory with all five of our carnal senses.
The Hebrew word translated for glory here is kabod, (Strongs Hebrew Reference #3513), meaning; properly weight; but only figuratively in a good sense, splendor or copiousness: glorious (-ly), glory, honor (-able), or honorable or holy presence. This was the tangible presence of God. It was the visitation of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit at the same moment of time. Without the grace that was released by Christ's atonement of Calvary it was a terrifying experience! God's presence was copious, undeniable and tangible in these Old Testament examples.
God's Presence Today
This dynamic of how the God head manifested in the Old Testament is also a parabolic picture of how the Holy Spirit wants to manifest to us today as individuals. The Holy Spirit wished to manifest to us in a tangible way. The Holy Spirit still wishes to fill His temple today, YOU. God wants to fill us with His glory.
In the New Testament, or in this current dispensation of time, God deals with us through the lens or grace of the atonement of the Cross of Calvary. Thank God! Through the reconciliatory ministry of Jesus, God released the ministry of grace, mercy, and forgiveness. We call this the atonement. (We will study the atonement in a future teaching).
The Cross released the Holy Spirits ministry of grace, mercy, and forgiveness. The Holy Spirit will always glorify Jesus Christ when He manifest in any form or anointing. (John 17:1).
Through the work of the Cross and because the Father had anointed Jesus to proclaim good news to all mankind, the Lord promised or prophesied to us the release and ministry of the Holy Spirit. We see that promise in John 14: 18-22; "I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. 19 "A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also. 20 "At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. 21 "He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him." 22 Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, "Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?" 23 Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. 24 "He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father's who sent Me. 25 "These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. 26 "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you."
The Lord promised to us the ministry of the Holy Spirit. That prophesy was full filled on the day of Pentecost. (See Acts 2). Today the Holy Spirit is willing to fill the temple of God in the same way that the glory of God filled Solomon's temple. We are the temple of God. 1Cornthians 3:16 illustrates this plainly; Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?
The atonement of the Cross is frequently manifest through the 3rd part of the God head when He manifests. The Holy Spirit will frequently manifest as one of the 7 covenantal names of God and will always glorify Jesus Christ. The seven covenantal names of God are:
1. Jehovah Shamah: (See Leviticus 26:2,12) I am there. I am with you. This name of God refers to the God who is always with you eternally. The name Jehovah Shamah speaks of God's abiding presence. This is one of the anointings of the Holy Spirit. At times the anointing of the Holy Spirit can be manifest as a tangible presence in our midst. The anointing of the Holy Spirit is within us as believers of Jesus Christ.
2. Jehovah Shalom: (See Isaiah 9:6, John 14:27, Philippians 4:7 and Psalm 119:165).The Lord is our peace. The Hebrew word shalom means to be well, happy, healthily, prosperous, and to have total peace in all aspects of life. (Jesus told us that he would leave us His peace. His peace is the Holy Spirit; John 14:27; "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." Supernatural peace is also one of the anointings of the Holy Spirit. At times the anointing of the Holy Spirit can manifest as total peace, or peace that surpasses our carnal ability to explain.
3. Jehovah Rohi: (See Psalm 23, John 10:11). The Lord is my shepherd. The inference here is as that the Lord is our a protector, caring friend, or benefactor who meets all of our needs. Jehovah Rohi speaks of both leadership and close intimacy. Once we know the Lord as our Shepherd, our Jehovah-Rohi, the promises of Psalms 23 will become reality to us. Jesus also promised us that He would be our good shepherd in John 10:11 saying; "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep." Christ gave His life for us to provide for all of our needs. At times the anointing of the Holy Spirit can manifest as the Holy Spirit sovereignly moves to protect us and to meet all of our needs. The anointing of the Holy spirit Sheppard's us if we recognize Him and allow Him to lead us.
4. Jehovah Jireh: God my provider. (See Genesis 22:14). This name of God was revealed when Abraham was about to offer up Isaac and the Lord stopped him and provided a lamb...the substitute for Isaac. This parabolic event reveals Jesus and the work or atonement of the cross. The name Jehovah-Jireh speaks of the Lord God providing His Son for our redemption and being our provider for all that we need. At times the anointing of the Holy Spirit can manifest as divine provision and meet all of our needs, every type and every kind of need that we may have. Of course this anointing was epitomized with Jesus' death on the cross and the benefits of the atonement.
5. Jehovah Nissi: (See Exodus 17:15) God is my banner. The more appropriate term here is that God is my covering. This name was made known when Moses lifted up the rod of victory, in prayer, for an entire day in battle. The Hebrew word Nissi means my banner, or my covering, my protection and, also my victory. Christ is our covering. At times the anointing of the Holy Spirit can manifest as God Himself fights for us. God is our supernatural protection and defender.
6. Jehovah Tsidkenu: (See Jeremiah 26:3) God is my righteousness. Christ died to give you and I righteousness. God told the prophet Jeremiah to declare that a "righteous Branch" of David would come, and "Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, The Lord our righteousness. In this revelation we are told that Jesus is our righteousness and that only through Him can we live righteously before the Lord. At times the anointing of the Holy Spirit can manifest as righteousness. I have experienced this when I have been preaching the Gospel in soul winning meetings and the power of the Holy Spirit manifests as the God of righteousness. When this happens the glory of God and this anointing of the Holy Spirit will often 'convict' the unsaved of their sinfulness and there by release salvation. Righteousness is a gift or anointing of the Holy Spirit that we do not understand today. If you are 'in Christ' you are freely given righteousness by God. Your sins are imputed, and you are righteous. You cannot be anymore righteous than you are now. However, you can grow in holiness. This is an aspect of sanctification. However, sanctification is different than righteousness.
7. Jehovah Rapha: God my Healer: (See Exodus 15:22-26). God is a healing God. When the children of Israel came to Marah in the wilderness and could not drink the water because it was bitter. God revealed himself as Jehovah-Rapha at that time. The Lord made a covenant of healing with His people and said that if they would keep all His commandments, He would be their health and healer continually. "...for I am the Lord that heals you." At times the anointing of the Holy Spirit can manifest as 'the healing anointing', or power of God. This is one of the most widely taught about and accepted anointings of the Holy Spirit in charismatic circles. We will look at this anointing of the Holy Spirit in much more detail later.
In summation, at times the anointing of the Holy Spirit can manifest as one of the aspects of the 7 covenantal names of God and will always glorify Jesus Christ. These anointings of the Holy Spirit will always resemble the ministry of Christ as He walked and taught on the earth as an earthly man. Now let's begin to look more closely at the anointing, and start to build a foundation for your understanding of the Holy Spirit and His ministry.
The Anointing Of The Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit often manifests as the anointing of the Holy Spirit. These manifestations of God can be very subtle, unlike the glory of the Old Testament. Therefore we need to learn to recognize the subtleties of the appearance and manifestations of the Holy Spirit.
We need to be taught to perceive or recognize when the Holy Spirit is manifesting in our midst and to understand how to partner with Him. Many in the Body of Christ today have no concept of how the Holy Spirit works. Even when He manifests in our churches and we do recognize Him many times we are at a loss. We do not know how to partner with the Holy Spirit and the anointings that He brings to us. Sometimes we perceive that the Holy Spirit is present but we do not know how to respond or how to 'flow' with the Holy Spirit.
When we learn to 'flow' or work in tandem and in symphony with the Holy Spirit we can begin to release the Kingdom of God upon the earth. Learning how to understand and employ these dynamics is a process and very few people are aware of it. Nor can many people actually partner with the Holy Spirit to release His power and anointing. At times when the Holy Spirit shows up we do not know what to do. Unfortunately most of the time we just continue on with our dogmatic schedule of religious traditions. When worship is over we need to take an offering right? Sometimes the Holy Spirit has a better plan. We just need to follow Him and allow Him to 'teach us all things'. As one prophetic individual told me; "We are like Peter on the Mount of Transfiguration. We don't have any idea what to do when the anointing of the Holy Spirit shows up so we just go on with 'our dog and pony show'. That is a circus." We miss God's best. We lose out on what the Lord was seeking to do with and for us.
In the subsequent parts of this teaching series we will look at the need for and the methods we can employ to:
Learn to recognize the presence of the Holy Spirit.
Learn to be open to the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Learn to give the Holy Spirit the freedom to lead our meetings and especially our lives.
Learn to understand and recognize which attributes of the anointing of the Holy Spirit are present.
Learn to partner with the Holy Spirit.
Learn to be taught by the Holy Spirit.
Learn to enter into a intimate relationship or communion with the Holy Spirit.
Learn to honor and steward the anointing of the Holy Spirit.
Learn to understand the differences of the anointings of the Holy Spirit and work in symphony with Him to manifest Christ's Kingdom through all the various and subtle ways He works.
There are not a whole lot of teachings on these aspects of ministering in the power and anointing of the Holy Spirit. Very few people today understand the anointing of the Holy Spirit very well. And those who do understand the anointing of the Holy Spirit to any degree are not always willing, able, or inclined to share what they know. However, the Holy Spirit is ready, willing and able to teach us Himself. The key to this is to position ourselves to hear His voice and learn from Him. Of course there are many exceptions to this. However, we shouldn't need to pay a registration fee to learn about God's Kingdom. I don't recall Jesus doing that. He even gave free partners lunches at His meetings.
We have treated the Holy Spirit like some exotic wild animal or pet. We have tried our best to keep the Holy Ghost caged up most of the time fearing that He may get out of hand. He is fascinating to talk about or to look at, and even read about in the scriptures, but we don't want to get to close to Him. We don't want to let Him 'loose' in our churches. The truth is that most of us are fearful of the power of the Holy Spirit because we do not know Him. We have an Old Testament mindset. The anointing of the Holy spirit still terrifies us. In recent history the men and women who have been used the most powerfully by God are those who have overcome their fear of the unknown, and fear of the supernatural and boldly entered into a intimate relationship with the 3rd part of the God Head. The Holy Ghost!
Communion With The Holy Ghost
I believe that this is the most important key to understanding the anointing of the Holy Spirit, and positioning ourselves to receive the anointing of the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Ghost wants to be your friend! The tragedy is that we have allowed our religious traditions, and fears of the supernatural to bring the power of the Holy Spirit to naught in many of our churches and lives. The God of the universe desires to have a deep and intimate relationship with you and I. He wants to be our friends and to live with us at all times. The Holy Spirit wants us to walk with Him every day. He wants to share every second of our lives with us. He wants to guide us and lead us in every aspect of our lives, even in the most insignificant details.
For most of us that is just too great a cost. We want our freedom. We want our independence, but we also want to have the anointing and power of God. The anointing will cost you something. However the Holy Spirit wants to have communion with each of us. This kind of relationship with the person of the Holy Spirit is possible for you today. 2Cornthians 13:14 illustrates this spiritual dynamic; The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. An intimate relationship or friendship with the person of the Holy Spirit is an absolute perquisite to receiving the anointing of the Holy Spirit. I believe that the anointing of the Holy Spirit can be imparted from one individual to another. However, if the one receiving the anointing does not steward it with intimacy and friendship with God, just like a flighty dove the anointing will depart. There is a cost to the anointing.
The concept put forth by this passage is that of koino?nia, or communion. That is the word used here for communion is not speaking about the communion table or the Lord's Supper. This speaks of a personal relationship with God. This is a call to an intimate and private relationship with the person of the Holy Spirit. Koino?nia, or communion comes from the Greek word κοινωνι?α, koino?nia; pronounced koy-nohn-ee'-ah. (See Strongs Greek referrence # G2842). The actual translation means; partnership, that is, (literally) participation with oneself, or (social) intercourse, to benefit from: - (to) communicate, or have a direct communication with, communion, to work with for distribution, or to have fellowship or intimacy with.
I do not pretend or claim to 'know' much about the Holy Spirit, or the anointing of the Holy Spirit. However, I do know a little, and I am willing to share the few things that I know with you. Lord willing, I will look at these aspects of the Holy Spirit in this teaching and in the coming months. I do know that we can work in partnership with the Holy Spirit to distribute His anointing and gifts to people and into places. Again, it is the responsibility of the people and places who receive the anointing to maintain, cherish and steward it. Even as I am writing this passage the Holy Spirit is whispering to me. Some of you reading this will begin to grow in the power of God and the anointings of the Holy Spirit as you put these principles into practice in your lives and ministries. 'Remember to honor and steward the anointing. Remember to place your relationship with God first'.
The anointing of the Holy Spirit is tangible. The anointing of the Holy Spirit is active. It is alive. The anointing of the Holy Spirit if transferable, one might say that it is contagious, infectious, catching, communicable, and transmittable. Perhaps, that is the reason that the Lord is leading me to write these articles. I pray that you catch something and it starts a fire in your life, in your ministry, in your city, and spreads throughout your nation leading to wholesale salvation and revival! Here are 10 points to consider about the anointing of the Holy Spirit. We will look at these in much greater detail in the coming weeks.
1. The anointing of the Holy Spirit is tangible. You can feel Him.
2. The anointing of the Holy Spirit is transferable. You can have it.
3. The anointing of the Holy Spirit will glorify Christ and testify of Him. We see how Christ taught us this aspect of the anointing of the Holy Spirit in John 15:26; "But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me."
4. The anointing of the Holy Spirit varies in subtle ways. We can learn these minute variations and learn to work with God in symphony because the Holy Spirit will teach us how to accomplish this Himself! We need to ask God for wisdom. He has promised to give it to us all liberally and without reproach. (James 1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.)
5. We need to be in an intimate and personal relationship with the Holy Spirit. We need to have communion or koino?nia with God. It is possible, but it is going to cost you something. When we learn about communion and grow in wisdom and stature with God we will begin to recognize the subtly ways that the Holy Spirit is 'flowing' or working and then 'co-labor' with Him in symphony and manifest Christ's Kingdom in our sphere of influence.
6. When we begin to grow in wisdom and stature with the Holy Spirit and discern the various ways that He is manifesting Himself. (Remember that these are often subtle and gentle.) We can partner with the anointing of the Holy Spirit for the good of all, (the body or Christ, or unbelievers alike).
7. The anointing of the Holy Spirit manifests in a multitude of ways. We find the anointing of the Holy Spirit is upon individuals and often released to minister in 5 basic ways found in Ephesians 4: 11-13; He Himself gave some, (Christ bestows that anointing of the Holy Spirit onto individuals to minister in these five primary offices through the sovereign work of the Holy Spirit), to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. (Italics mine.)
There is an anointing of the Holy Spirit that designated for apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. Each five of this aspect of the Holy Spirits anointing have subtle and significant differences. This is not an exclusive list at all. It is in only a beginning or primary list of the anointing of the Holy Spirit. Of course these are in addition to the anointings of the Holy Spirit characterized by the seven covenantal names of God we looked at earlier.
Let me add that an individual may minister in the five anointings of the Holy Spirit in Ephesians 4:12,13 without actually holding a ministry office. This should be good news to pastors especially as they can learn to 'flow' with the Holy Spirit and allow the flock to minister to one another as the Holy Spirit directs and leads. Anyone can operate in one of these anointings of the Holy spirit without holding the ministry office. Anyone can at times pastor one who is in need of the pastors anointing. Anyone can at times heal one who is in need of the healing anointing, etc. We will look at this principle in more detail later in our teachings.
8. We need to honor and understand how to steward or guard the anointing of the Holy Spirit. He is precious and so in His anointing. The Holy Spirit really is a lot like a dove. If we grieve the Holy Spirit He will fly away just like a flighty dove. I don't know how many times I have been in meetings where the Holy Spirit settles and begins to manifest and someone stops His anointing from fully manifesting by stepping out of His plans. Often, they are not even aware of the fact that they miss what the anointing of the Holy Spirit was seeking to do. They just have an agenda to follow and do not allow or do not recognize that the Holy Spirit has a different (and often) better plan.
This understanding of stewarding the Holy Spirit can take time and can be a learning curve. But we need to realize it and seek to move in obedience to His wishes at all times.
9. It is very important that we understand the dispensation of the times in which we live. We are living in a God ordained moment of time in which the anointing of the Holy Spirit is available to everyone. His anointing is not just for 'chosen vessels' any more. You can have the anointing of the Holy Spirit, any anointing of the Holy Spirit.
10. The anointing of the Holy Spirit is critical for the hour in which we live. Understanding the anointing of the Holy Spirit, and how to work in symphony with the anointing of the Holy Spirit may very well save your life in the coming days.
Finally I want to move forward with the next part this teaching. In this first part we have laid a broad and very basic foundation to learn more about the anointing of the Holy Spirit. In the next part we will begin to build on our foundation and learn more about the anointing of the Holy Spirit and how it can operate in the life of ordinary people to release Christ's Kingdom. In the next teaching about the anointing of the Holy Spirit we will define the anointing and look at how the anointing still manifests today.
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