NEWS UPDATES
(An Exposition on the sermon preached by the Lord Bishop, Rt Revd Dr James Odedeji at All saints church Ikosi on Sunday January 8, 2017)
TEXT: Matt 3:13-17, Judges 13:24-25, 1 Samuel 2:11, 18, 26., Luke 4:17-19, John 8:39. Acts 10:28-35
Today we celebrate the baptism of Christ at this Epiphany season and His confirmation by the descent of the Holy Spirit as a dove and the Voice from Heaven saying. This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. It was after this that He turned water into wine at Cana in Galilee and feed 5000 people and went about doing good and working miracles because God had anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and power to fulfil His life mission.
There are two kinds of anointing; the anointing upon and the anointing within. Let me take some time to explain them to you. I also mentioned earlier that the major mistake that Samson made was that he did not pay attention to the strength of God inside him. He was living his life by the anointing upon his calling and not through the outflow of life that comes from a life of consistent walk and fellowship with the Lord. As it were, he enjoyed ministering to the people without ministering to the Lord. The Lord will prefer that you minister to Him than you minister to the people.
THE ANOINTING UPON
i. It comes with the calling and destiny of God for a man: This anointing comes with the call of God. That was the anointing that was noticed upon Samson in Judges 13:24-25. It is restricted to those that carry specific call of God upon them.
ii. It is a divine donation of God: This anointing is a divine donation of God. A man does not have to pray for it before it comes. It comes with the calling. Jesus was anointed as the beloved son of God as He fulfilled all righteousness at His baptism by John.
iii. It is not a true measure of your walk with God: This anointing is not a true measure of your walk, state, level or relationship with God. Even if a man is living in sin, this anointing will still manifest. That is why many people are confused today because they see someone, who carries the anointing, committing a terrible sin and still manifests the gifts and the power of the Holy Ghost. This was the reason Samson could sleep with harlots and still carry gates of the city to the hill.
iv. It is not a function of your relationship with God: The anointing upon the calling is not a measure of a man s true spiritual state with God. Whether you pray or not, this anointing will manifest the moment you are carrying a calling. So, the fact that the anointing is still moving upon you does not mean that your spiritual life is still okay with God. Judas Iscariot was still an apostle until he hung himself after betraying Christ. Cornelius in Acts 10 had a formidable personality before men and was a devout man but He did not have the anointing and Peter had to pray for Him
v. It can be defeated by the enemy when we disobey God and walk in sinful ways: Do not misunderstand me, the enemy cannot defeat the power of God, but a man who places emphasis upon this anointing and does not develop a walk with the Lord can be defeated by the enemy. That is what we saw in the life of Samson. Even though he carried the anointing, the enemy still defeated him.
vi. It is not the anointing to walk the road of your destiny: If as a man or woman that is called by the Lord, you want to fulfil your destiny, you must go through the process of God for your life. Joseph carried a calling and an anointing upon that calling, yet the Lord took him through a process. David carried a calling from the Lord, there was a very strong anointing upon his calling, yet the Lord took him through a process. Samson carried a calling and a very strong anointing but did not walk his destiny road. Jesus was anointed yet He was tempted by the devil.
If you are called of God or you have a specific destiny under God to fulfil, do not minister to others at the expense of your personal walk with God. Always appreciate God for His anointing upon your life but do not make it a basis or yardstick of your walk or state with God.
THE ANOINTING WITHIN:
i. This is the true strength, the strength of the spirit man: This anointing is a personal anointing developed by individuals as they walk with God. It has nothing to do with the calling as all believers can develop it. It is developed in the place of prayer, study of God s word, fasting, worship, right living, and integrity. As a child of God who develops a life of consistent walk with the Lord, this anointing gradually builds up in the spirit of the believer. This is the anointing that Hebrews 1:9 is talking about.
ii. It is the true measure of your spiritual capacity/strength: Whatever you are able to accomplish through this anointing is what you truly are. As a matter of fact, it is safer to have this anointing than the anointing upon the calling. While the anointing upon the calling can give you a false picture of who you are, this anointing clearly shows you your real level. Jesus said my food is to do the work of Him that sent me and again I must work while it is day for night comes when no man can work.
iii. It is not easily defeated by the enemy: This anointing builds a strong defence mechanism in a child of God. In fact, this anointing is what protects the anointing upon the calling. When you see a child of God who is called and carries the anointing and yet misbehaves, this is the anointing that they did not develop. I can sincerely tell you that a Christian who does not carry an anointing upon the calling but takes his time developing the anointing within has a very strong chance of making it in life and destiny when you compare him to a Christian who is called of God, anointed but does not pay attention to the building up of the spirit man.
iv. Unlike the anointing upon, this is not a divine donation: It builds up in the place of personal fellowship and walk with the Lord.
Saul was anointed King over Israel by Samuel but never developed the anointing within him and ended up in witchcraft and death.
v. It is a true measure of your relationship with God: The anointing within is a true measure of your relationship with God. If this anointing is there, activated and flourishing, it means you are still okay with God. But if you check your spirit and you do not feel okay, the strength of your spirit is not as strong as it should be; it means that your relationship is not okay with God. Every time Samson misbehaved, he still arose, stirred up himself and the anointing still came upon him. And because of that he was deceived thinking he was still okay with God whereas, he was already on his way out.
vi. It is the strength with which you will do your destiny and walk the road of destiny: This is the strength with which you will drive your destiny and walk its road. This was the strength that God infused into Elijah when he was running away from Jezebel. This anointing helps you to walk the difficult road of your destiny and still come out strong and successful. Jesus endured the cross for God was with Him and at difficult times angels ministered to Him.
PRAYER: Lord, I pray that you will help me to pay attention to my spirit-man and develop it into a form that can take all that you have for me in life in Jesus name. Make me to grow in holiness and manifest the anointing and power of a child of God in Jesus name. Amen.
Venerable. Dr Yemi Agbelusi ACIArb (uk)
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