01/25/2018
Have you ever been anointed with oil? Has a Pastor, or elder, prayed over you as they took oil, and applied it to you? Did you understand what was happening at that moment, or did you think it was merely an aromatic balm, or lotion; symbolic? Anointing is a sacred practice and is Holy; in so doing the one being anointed is being made Holy, Consecrated, and being set apart. Let’s look at this further.
“Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.”
James 5:14 ESV
In the New Testament we read of anointing the sick with oil, and we read of receiving an anointing where oil is either replaced with, or joined by the Holy Spirit. How closely tied are these two events to one another, and what is happening when this occurs? To understand this better read Exodus 30:22-32 because these verses are the instructions given as to how anointing oil for the temple and priests is to be made, what is to be anointed, and there is also a warning regarding anointing everyday people with it. Of the items in the temple, and priests the scripture says this:
“You shall consecrate them, that they may be most holy. Whatever touches them will become holy. You shall anoint Aaron and his sons, and consecrate them, that they may serve me as priests. And you shall say to the people of Israel, 'This shall be my holy anointing oil throughout your generations.”
Exodus 30:29-31 ESV
And as for the everyday Joe? Listen to this warning:
“It shall not be poured on the body of an ordinary person, and you shall make no other like it in composition. It is holy, and it shall be holy to you.”
Exodus 30:32 ESV
Anointing has great significance, it is more than symbolic, and carries with it the actual impartation of Holiness, and Consecration. To be anointed is to enter into another realm, a place where God comes so close that you can feel His breath on your skin, and smell the sweetness of Him. If you are anointed, and don’t come to this place, then pray fervently that He joins you there because you are at the veil where few may enter. This is where the fear of God becomes real, and trembling a Holy act. If you do not feel these things then you might as well have been anointed with kitchen oil, and stood before the bathroom mirror because you have stepped into the swirling vapor of heaven in ignorance, or disbelief.
To have received an anointing is a powerful experience, and it prepares you for a step in your spiritual life with God, and Jesus that is far greater than your everyday walk.
I carry a vial of anointing oil in my pants pocket everywhere I go. I don’t do this lightly, and the tiny vial, smaller than my little finger, has not been depleted in the years I have carried it. I pray for many people each week, and yet not all prayer demands anointing. God tells us when we are to anoint, and at this moment I know of two men that I must anoint soon.
By means of example, I was in an airport in Washington DC where I met an Ethiopian Pastor as we waited for our flight. I don’t speak to everyone I meet, but I spoke to this man. Then, when we boarded the plane God seated him right beside me... the Holy Spirit was very strong. We talked of our faiths, and he told me of his calling... it was powerful, and dangerous. As our flight was approaching Nashville I was given a Word for him, and then told to anoint and pray for this man. I asked if he had physical ailments, and then I anointed him, and prayed for his calling, and healing in the midst of our flight... several thousand feet above the earth... with witnesses all around... it was a powerful moment and we both felt it. When we were preparing to land, this Pastor, who smelled of the temple, looked at me and said that before this night we had not known each other, and yet our spirits knew one another. He was right, and this is the anointing of the Holy Spirit, and oil.
“you yourselves know what happened throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John proclaimed: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.”
Acts 10:37-38 ESV
Anointing begins something. It takes the everyday, and separates it... makes it Holy... Consecrates it to God. The anointing of Jesus with the Holy Spirit was such a moment, and our own anointing leads us into our journeys as well.
So we anoint with oil, and are anointed with the Holy Spirit. These are not symbols, but real events in our spiritual lives. They make us Holy and whatever touches us from that moment forward becomes Holy as well. A bit of heaven, a scent of God, a healing, a mission, and a call to the gospel, any of these things rubs off on others at a mere touch... by association.
“She came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment, and immediately her discharge of blood ceased. And Jesus said, "Who was it that touched me?" When all denied it, Peter said, "Master, the crowds surround you and are pressing in on you!" But Jesus said, "Someone touched me, for I perceive that power has gone out from me."”
Luke 8:44-46 ESV
The anointing is powerful, and the response to it is fear and trembling. Listen as we read further about this woman’s experience...
“And when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling, and falling down before him declared in the presence of all the people why she had touched him, and how she had been immediately healed. And he said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace."”
Luke 8:47-48 ESV
So we anoint, and are anointed. We tremble, we fear, and then in the fullness of our faith we go in peace, taking with us the power of God. This is the oil on our skin, and the Holy Spirit within us. This is the Word of God flowing real over us.
Prayer:
Father, I thank you for your anointing, and I thank you for your Holy Spirit that separates and consecrates us. I thank you Holy Father for the healing of the elders, and the oil of their anointing. I thank you for the oil of new beginnings in our faith as pastors, and others you have called, and I thank you as we are anointed in your presence, and filled with your Spirit. You are powerful Father, and your anointing is a measure of that strength being placed into us. The aroma of your closeness, and the warmth of your breath comfort me in my moments of need, and strengthen me as you send me out. I praise you Lord, and the smell of your incense quickens my spirit. Let the hem of your garment brush against my side, and the oil of your hand be placed upon my head. I am yours Father, and Holy unto you. Praised be your name always, and Holy, Holy, Holy are you!
Rich Forbes