I was chatting with Deb Mitchell (Wallan Gateway Church Administrator) this week. It was one of our “office doorway conversations” that can lead on to this, that and the other. These are spontaneous chats that sometimes start with talk of the everyday mundane, routine, stuff but often, we realise later, that God has been in the “doorway” with us, too. The COVID restrictions have meant that our ODC’s (office doorway conversations) have be very few and far between.
We were chatting about those times of anointing where God’s Spirit moves so powerfully to achieve something in a worship service. We were, in particular, reflecting on what happened in worship on Sunday morning where God sovereignly ministered to many people. I shared that, during the preaching of the message, Holy Spirit was showing me things and I was compelled to share these immediately with those present.
It was very exciting!
One of those left-field Holy Spirit revelations (LFHSRs) was that when Holy Spirit can be Himself with us, and we can be ourselves with Him, the anointing just starts effortlessly flowing. It doesn’t take any effort, any cranking up, or any sweat and strain – well, we cannot crank up the anointing anyway! It just starts to flow in harmony with God’s sovereign intentions. I wish I’d been on the ball enough to drill down into this thought a little more as I was preaching ...
Our bodies are the dwelling place of Holy Spirit. He lives there, as well as being omnipresent in the world. (Yes, this is a wonderful mystery!) The reason that we are made righteous by the blood of Jesus and are, therefore, born again is so that Holy Spirit can dwell within us. When this happens our new life in Christ is empowered by His anointing on our lives – we cannot live this new life without the power of the indwelling Spirit of God. But there is more, as we have been exploring together.
As I said, the indwelling presence of Holy Spirit is the beginning of our new life in Christ. But that new life needs to grow and mature and come into its God-given purpose and function. And that involves our spiritual gifts and our personal calling in God – which are irrevocable (Romans 11:29). For our gifts and personal calling to become properly functional – and then powerfully effective - is by means of the anointing; the particular, divine power that is released to each of us to make our spiritual gifts and calling work. This is the anointing. The anointing can vary in intensity and timeframe. There are all kinds, too.
But here’s the thing. If Holy Spirit cannot be “at home with me”, the anointing is not released. It cannot flow. We can grieve Holy Spirit. Perhaps the main way, according to the apostle Paul, is through bitterness and everything connected to that. He writes this …
Ephesians 4:30-31 (NIV)
30 “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.”
The point being that Holy Spirit can never be at home with any of that. To be “at home with” is not so much about geographic location as it is about being very comfortable or proficient with something or free to safely be your uninhibited real self. For example, “There was an adjustment period, but I'm really at home with my new job now”. For Holy Spirit to be “at home with me” is for Him to be so comfortable with me and my heart, so that He can be Himself doing whatever He needs to do. And I need to be “at home with” Holy Spirit – who is the sovereign God – who requires a consecrated heart that will allow His anointing to be released in me, or around me, or through me, in order for my spiritual gifts and calling to function powerfully and effectively for God’s purposes and glory. If I grieve Holy Spirit, He is still there in my spirit sustaining my new life in Christ, but He has very quietly gone and shut Himself away in His room, so to speak. He will not join in with anything unholy – like bitterness and unforgiveness which deeply grieves Him, and causes Him to withdraw His anointing …
You see, the anointing is THE sign of a life constantly learning to be consecrated – set apart for God and His purposes. The anointing confirms our readiness to participate in the work of God, and increases as we go deeper in consecration. (Consecration is our role in getting rid of sin that prevents the anointing, or blocks, or diminishes it). And so, when Holy Spirit slips away and withdraws it is because He is grieved … hurt … and He will not – cannot – allow His anointing to confirm anything that is unholy. We often don’t know when He does this. He quietly withdraws. To announce His intentions would be guilt-tripping us – He doesn’t play those games.
This is very serious business, my friends.
This is why God calls us to be holy, as He is holy (1 Peter 1:15-16) – so that anointing can come upon us and work in and through us, and so that we can do the things that Jesus did … and even greater things than that. So we can see, then, that we can never achieve or ‘work up’ an anointing; we can’t manufacture it or even harness it. No. It’s a sovereign thing. We learn to sense it and go with it and participate in the thrilling joy of it when God moves in power. And we get better and better at this as we grow in holiness.
Holy Spirit needs to be at home with us – really at home. Relaxed, enjoying our company, free to do what He needs to do, ungrieved by us … and He is more and more at home with us when we commit more and more to a life of consecration so that we are just as at home with Him, as He is with us …
Ephesians 4:30-32 (NIV)
30 “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”
Thanks for the chat, Deb …
You are so very much loved.
Ps Milton