And you know that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. Acts 10:38
The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you. Romans 8:11
Anointing is, in my experience, a word that is tossed about rather carelessly. Let's recapture at least some of the priority the Bible gives to this sacred word.
Throughout the Old Testament there are dozens of examples of followers of Yahweh anointing people, places, and things. It is a persistent sign of setting something apart, imbuing it with God's power for God's purposes.
In the New Testament, followers of Jesus imitate Him. He was anointed, He said (quoting Isaiah 61), to bring Good News to the poor, to proclaim captives would be released, to bring sight to the blind and freedom for the oppressed. As with all things, Jesus is our model. So it only made sense for them to send out Paul, Barnabas, Timothy, and others by setting them apart. They needed God's power for God's work.
So do we.
That's why we believe anointing is key to effective worship leadership.
Here are some things an anointed leader is not:
a person who can make you feel the hair stand up on the back of your neck by the way they sing,
a preacher who speaks with authority, but outside of orthodox beliefs.
a charismatic leader,
a rock ballad done compellingly.
Anointing is simply God's power for God's task. It's God's gift. It comes from Him and is to be used for Him.
Where does one get this anointing?
It's a good gift, and every good gift comes from the Father. So it is a gift. We can't earn it. We can't learn it. We can only ask our good Father to give it to us and to others. But we must ask! Matthew 7:11 reminds us that how "much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him."
What gets in the way of anointing?
Sin. I know; that's a no brainer. But we too often grieve the Holy Spirit without considering the impact it has on our ability to be filled with and fueled by God's power for God's work. Besetting sins, habitual sins, little sins, unconfessed sins, and openly defiant sins... all of these can--I believe--squelch God's power in our lives. So confess. Confess to someone with skin on (James 5:16) and confess to the God who once took on skin (1 John 1:9). Throw off everything that can slow you down, especially sin (Hebrews 12:1), and ask God for supernatural power to do supernatural work.
What's the danger of anointing?
Lucifer was undoubtedly an anointed worship leader. When we start to live in the stream of God's power for God's task, we can be deceived into thinking it is our doing, our power, our spectacularness that makes us effective. Pride is the root of all sin and the most likely temptation for anyone who stands on an elevated platform under lights with a slew of people looking at them.
One more thought: anointing is a mystery. It is up to God how to distribute it. We can't conjure it up; that's what evil witches do. We can't guarantee it; that would make us god and Yahweh our servant. But in humility, knowing that the work we are called to do requires more than we have the capacity to do, we can ask God for His power to do His work.
Again, Relay Worship is committed to helping those in our tribe grow in all four areas: Godliness, anointing, thoughtfulness, and excellence. If you want to know more about specific practices you can participate in to help, please reach out to us!
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