Anointed & Sent Out

Anointed.

Just what does that word mean?

Throughout this day, I personally heard this word used many times. In different ways.

This afternoon, I helped lead a conference @ NAC with Jared Fields and the Camp-Meeting speaker himself, David Aukerman!

The conference was on interpreting "Difficult Texts of the Bible," and we looked at the story of Judges 11:29-40: Jepthah's Daughter.

Amongst many other things, we talked about what it meant for Jepthah to have "the Spirit of the LORD upon him."

We noted the distinction between the role of the Spirit in the Hebrew Testament and the role of the Spirit in our day and age, beginning in Acts 2. In contrast to the ongoing indwelling of the Holy Spirit in the life of believers, the ancient Israelite understanding was that the Spirit's presence was more of a transient experience.

It could be here today, gone tomorrow.

Using King Saul as an example, Jared noted how he was clearly appointed by God to serve as King, for a time. But then later he was not "God's man" anymore. In both the Hebraic and Pentecost-al view of the Spirit's presence, "anointing" is the symbol.

After Saul, when David (the shepherd boy, not Brother Aukerman) was chosen by God to serve as the next King of Ancient Israel, Nathan the Prophet visited him in his father's house and he...anointed him.

The oil used in the practice of anointing was to be symbolic of the Spirit of God choosing that individual.

This evening's service saw the Reverend Diana Swoope bringing the Word!

But before this, the worship leader read from James 5, and invited any who desired to be Anointed to make their way to designated individuals who were waiting to anoint & pray over people.

Many people got up and received anointing for a multitude of reasons, I'm sure.

Then when Diana approached the pulpit, she read from Luke chapter 4: The words of the Isaiah Scroll that Jesus read to his hometown congregation.

In this reading, Jesus stated that "the Spirit of the LORD was upon him, for he had been anointed to proclaim good news to the poor..."

She proclaimed to us "The Holy Spirit does not anoint us just to sing to ourselves or make us comfortable." Rather, "The Holy Spirit anoints us to send us out to be a help to this world."

Picking up on the phrase, "the poor," Diana made this interesting statement:

"In the Holy Spirit, there is no Third-World Country."


I can't begin to tell you how many conversations I've had recently about Christy and I being called to serve God in the Netherlands. In this, many times people have commented about this location not being one riddled by poverty and, therefore, "great need."

First off, in stark contrast to the lack of physical poverty, the spiritual poverty is huge.

How do you convince someone they need God when all their needs are met, and they are comfortable?

How do you help them realize God's love for them when life is already going good?

This is precisely one of the main reasons why the Church of God does need the 3 Worlds team plugging away in Europe. Because we, too, have been anointed to proclaim good news to the poor!

Secondly, for Christy and I, today is a big day. Today, Tuesday June 26th, we will officially be Commissioned by the Church to serve as Missionaries.

Why this is important is because it allows the Community of Faith to recognize what God has already done! The Spirit of the LORD has already Anointed us to serve in this purpose and to be sent out as a help to the world!

The Greek word "apostello" translates as "one who is commissioned, one who is sent out with a purpose." And so we are. In 18 hours we will be commissioned so that we can be sent out with this purpose.