How do we get God's anointing?

 

 

The idea of God’s anointing gets thrown around: “she’s an anointed speaker,” “that church is really experiencing God’s anointing.”  And our ears prick up because of course we long for God to be at work.  But it can also leave us feeling left out, and that unless we receive this extra thing God’s never going to use us. 

Into that, three words really stood out from a recent conference a few of us attended. The conference title was “The Extraordinary Ordinary”, and the three words were from 2 Corinthians 1:21, which says: “God anointed us.” 

The background to this verse comes from Zechariah chapter 4.   The people of God were trying to build the Temple, but it felt too big and they too small.  So they stopped for 15 years.  What got them going was Zechariahs message: that God would work “not by human might, or power, but by His Spirit” and God would use “two people who are his anointed ones” (4:14).  That meant Joshua (a Priest) and Zerubbabel (a King/leader).  But the promise pointed forward to Jesus (“Christ” means the anointed Priest/King).  Then the speaker asked “what about today, who are the anointed ones today?  Who is filled with the Spirit so that God can use them to build his church?”

And he showed from 2 Corinthians 1:21 that “God anointed us” – ordinary Christians.  Rather than think of one anointed evangelist, or one set of churches, or one leader or preacher who is “anointed” God is telling us that we all are, by the Holy Spirit.

What does this mean for the Tab?

It means that we should all believe that God can use us.  Not just certain special people but you.  So have confidence.  God can use you not because of might or power (it has never been about that!) but by the anointing of his Spirit. 
  
It means if we talk of anointing we should talk less about individuals (unless we mean Jesus!) and more about “us” all. If you find a sermon helpful that’s just as much (perhaps more) the Spirit's anointing in you, to help you listen and be moved, as any anointing of the preacher. 

 “God anointed us.”