Week 3

                                               CONNECT GROUP TEACHINGS

So far in this series of teachings, we have looked at the Anointing in the Old Testament,  how Jesus was totally dependent on the Holy Spirit and the power of the anointing to do good and set free all of those who were bound by the enemy. This week’s teaching is very exciting, as we will look at how the Anointing impacted the lives of believers in the church of Acts as they experienced the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

 

“Wait in Jerusalem”

 

Jesus’ instruction to His disciples were absolutely clear, He told them to:

 

”wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

(Acts 1.4-5)

 

Prior to Pentecost, the disciples were powerless to witness for Jesus and they lived in fear of their lives. Read the account of what happened in the upper room in Acts 2, verses 1 to 21.  The experience of being baptised in the Holy Spirit not only gave Peter the boldness to share about Jesus with the crowd, the anointing upon him was so great that at the end of his message, three thousand people became believers!

 

Signs and Wonders

 

Our homework last week was to read the Book of Acts, in it there are so many examples of the early believers living in the supernatural, with signs and wonders becoming the norm in their everyday lives.

 

Points for discussion -  Read Acts 2.42-47

• Can you name five examples of signs and wonders that were recorded in the book of Acts?
• In the above reading, what does the bible say was the outcome of the anointing on the lives of the early church?

 

Results of the Anointing

 

There are too many to recall them all in this session, but I have listed a few below. Please read each of the scriptures and take a moment to visualise the scene, imagine yourself as being right there as one of the early believers….

 

Boldness                    :           Acts 2.14, Acts 4.19-20

Healing                       :           Acts 3.6-8, Acts 5.14-16

Deliverance               :           Acts 19.11-12

Supernatural signs    :           Acts 2.2, Acts 4.31

Words of wisdom

& knowledge              :           Acts 5.3-5

Supernatural vision   :           Acts 7.56

Supernatural

Transportation           :           Acts 8.39-40

Raising the dead       :           Acts 9.37-41

 

 

Points for discussion -

 

• It has been said that signs and wonders were only for the early church. Why do you think people would say this?
• Looking at the list of the results of the anointing on the previous page, can you pick any out that would not be relevant for the church today?

 

The secret of the anointing

 

“The secret of knowing the anointing of God is complete obedience to His will.

Thus we hear Jesus saying:

“And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I

always do those things that please Him.” (John 8:29)

Jesus Christ always knew the anointing of God because He always did the things

that pleased God. We find that complete obedience to the will of God is the

hallmark of His ministry.”

 

I have repeated this from an earlier teaching because it is so important.  Was obedience still a critical part of receiving and working with the anointing of the Holy Spirit?  Let us look at what happened in the book of Acts?

“Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than human beings!  The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead—whom you killed by hanging him on a cross. God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might bring Israel to repentance and forgive their sins. We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.” (Acts 5. 29-32)

 

Not only was obedience to Jesus crucial to the early believers,  they lived with a holy reverence and awe that accompanied their desire to only do the Father’s will.  This understanding of the purity and holiness of God resulted in Anianas and Sapphira being struck down when they lied to the Holy Spirit (Acts 5.1-10).  This awe and fear of God not only affected the lives of the believers, it impacted the communities that they lived in.

 

 

Next week we will look at hindrances and blockages to the anointing.

 

Week 2

CONNECT GROUP TEACHINGS

In last week’s teaching we looked at the Anointing in the Old Testament, how it was a pattern of the anointing of the Holy Spirit in the New Testament. This week we will look at the Anointing and work of the Holy Spirit in Jesus life.  We will see that the effectiveness of the ministry of Jesus was totally dependent on the Holy Spirit.

 

The Holy Spirit was Jesus source of power

The first time that the Holy Spirit is mentioned in Jesus life was in Matthew 3.16 “When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him.”

It is important to note that this experience marked the beginning of Jesus ministry on earth. Immediately after His baptism Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit into the desert where he fasted and prayed for 40 days.  Last week we read in Luke 4.18 how Jesus entered the synagogue and announced that he was “anointed by the Holy Spirit…..”

 

The secret of the anointing

The secret of knowing the anointing of God is complete obedience to His will.

Thus we hear Jesus saying:

“And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I

always do those things that please Him.” (John 8:29)

Jesus Christ always knew the anointing of God because He always did the things

that pleased God. We find that complete obedience to the will of God is the

hallmark of His ministry.

 

Discussion point -

• Last week we saw that the anointing was nullified in King Saul’s life when he disobeyed God. (1 Sam 6.14) What did God the Father say about Jesus at His baptism? (Luke 4.19)
• The only limitation to Jesus ministry is recorded in Mark 6.5. What prevented Jesus from doing many miracles?
• Discuss how disobedience to God and unbelief could quench the anointing in the lives of believers today.

 

What was the result of the Anointing in Jesus life?

 

• A woman was healed of a lifelong illness just by touching His cloak (Mark 5.34)
• Just one touch on a coffin brought a young man back to life (Luke 7.14)
• A leper was totally cleansed and healed of his leprosy (Matt 8.3)
• A blind and mute man was given sight and speech (Matt 12.22)
• Demons were cast out (Mark 1.34)
• He perceived what people were thinking Matt 9.4
• He received words of knowledge about people’s situations (John 4.17)

 

 

We see that Jesus was totally dependent on the Holy Spirit, even after His resurrection and before His ascension back to the Father in heaven, he relied on the Holy Spirit. “The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, until the day in which He was taken up, after He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen” (Acts 1.1-2)

 

Peter confirms the link between the anointing of the Holy Spirit and all the miracles that Jesus did, “how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.” (Acts 10.38)

 

Promises that Jesus made about the Holy Spirit

 

Having established beyond any doubt that Jesus was completely dependent on the anointing of the Holy Spirit, let’s have a look at some of the promises that Jesus made to His disciples.

 

“On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.  He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”  But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.” (John 7.37-39)

 

“If you love Me, keep My commandments.  And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—  the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.”  (John 14.15-18)

 

“Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.”  …”However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.  All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.” (John 16.7 & 13-14)

 

What amazing promises Jesus made about the Holy Spirit to His followers!

 

Discussion points -

 

• How long did Jesus say the Helper, the Holy Spirit would be with those who followed Him?
• Count how many times Jesus used the word “truth” in the above verses. What did Jesus say knowing the truth would have on His followers? (John 8.32)
• “He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.” Discuss what you think Jesus meant when he made this promise.

 

Next week we will look at the effect that the anointing had on the lives of believers in the early church and what the promise of the anointing means for us today in the 21st Century. As preparation for next week, please read the book of Acts.

 

The One Thing

As you read through the Book of Acts,  picture yourself there as one of the early church believers,  look for parallels between their experiences and those in your own life now.

 

Week 1

CONNECT GROUP TEACHINGS

 

This is the first in a series of teachings based on material taken from a book by Derek Prince entitled “Experiencing God’s Power” as well as notes from a teaching series on “The Secret of God’s Anointing” by Dove Ministries.

 

 What is anointing?

 

The dictionary defines anointing as follows:

 

• To rub, sprinkle on or smear an ointment or oily liquid.
• To set apart or to dedicate to the service of God.
• To consecrate.

 

Why are we studying the Anointing?  As Christians, our desire should be to follow Jesus and model our lives on His.  One of the most important keys to understanding Jesus’ ministry is in (Luke 4:18), when Jesus stood in the synagogue and said “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,”

 

Jesus was clear that He was anointed by the Holy Spirit to preach the gospel, heal the sick and bring deliverance.  To follow Jesus and to walk as He did we need the anointing of the Holy Spirit, without our understanding of this we will be well meaning, but weak and ineffective in our Christian walk.

 

Receiving the Holy Spirit and the Baptism (the Anointing) of the Holy Spirit

 

It is a good place to start with some clarification about the presence of the Holy Spirit and the Anointing of the Holy Spirit. It is impossible for anyone to be born again without God’s Spirit, as the Bible says in (1 Cor 12:4), “…and no one can say that “Jesus is Lord” except by the Holy Spirit.”  It is by His power that we become born again.  In (John 20:22)  after His resurrection, Jesus was with His disciples, “And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”   This experience was the indwelling experience of the Holy Spirit.

 

However, receiving the Holy Spirit  was clearly not enough as Jesus told His disciples after this to wait in Jerusalem where they would be baptised in the Holy Spirit : “And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me;  for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now…….But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1.4-8)

 

We see that receiving the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit allows us to be born again and to become a “new creation in Christ Jesus”. The baptism of the Holy Spirit (the outworking of which in the Anointing) is needed to be effective witnesses and to experience the same power for healing, deliverance and miracles as Jesus.

 

 

 

The Secret of the Anointing

 

The secret of knowing the anointing of God is complete obedience to His will. Thus we hear Jesus saying: “And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him.” (John 8:29)

Jesus Christ always knew the anointing of God because He always did the things that pleased God. We find that complete obedience to the will of God is the hallmark of His ministry.

 

Can the Anointing be quenched?

 

The only example of the Anointing on Jesus being limited or quenched was in the report of Jesus in His hometown  in (Mark 6:5) ‘“ Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them.”

 

The unbelief of the people limited the power of the anointing on Jesus and prevented many people from being healed and set free from the power of the devil.

 

Points for discussion:

 

Discuss the difference between the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit (being born again), the empowering of the Holy Spirit (baptism or infilling with the Holy Spirit) and the outward manifestation of the power of the Holy Spirit. (the Anointing)

Disobedience and unbelief can limit the power of the Anointing in the lives of believers today. Do you think this is true? Can you think of any times when you have seen this happen?

 

Anointing in the Old Testament

 

Events recorded in the Old Testament were significant because they were always the physical representation of a spiritual truth in the New Testament.  This is particularly clear when we look at the Anointing in the Old Testament.

 

Oil for the Anointing

 

We see through the Old Testament that anointing always referred to an application of a special oil, God gave the recipe for this oil in (Exodus 30:22-30).  God also said that this anointing oil would consecrate, dedicate and set apart for service to the Lord whoever it was applied to.  In (Lev 8:10-12) we see Moses fulfilling this command and we also see how and in what quantity the oil was applied.  The method of applying the Anointing Oil is referred to in another passage which is often quoted to speak of unity in the body of Christ, in (Psalm 133),

 

“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious oil upon the head, running down on the beard, the beard of Aaron, running down on the edge of his garments.”

 

We see that the application of the anointing oil is no small measure, the person receiving the anointing is drenched from the top of his head, down his face to his garments.  It is important for us to understand this principle when we study the New Testament anointing of the Holy Spirit.

 

 

Discussion point -

 

Understanding that the Old Testament is a physical picture or portrayal of the spiritual in the New Testament, what should we be expecting when we ask God for His anointing in our lives?

 

Setting apart for service

 

We find that not only were priests such as Aaron and his sons set aside for the service of God by having the anointing oil poured upon them, but also the same happened with kings. Thus we find that Samuel anointed Saul:

 

“Then Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on his head, and kissed him and said: “Is it not because the LORD has anointed you commander over His inheritance?” (1 Samuel 10:1)

 

Saul was thus set apart as commander over God’s inheritance among His people,

Israel. The same happened with David when God chose him to be King of Israel. Again,

Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him:

 

“Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his

brothers; and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day

forward.” (1 Samuel 16:13)

 

We find that in the case of Saul, because of his disobedience to God, the Spirit of

the Lord departed from him and instead of the Holy Spirit, a distressing spirit from

God troubled Saul:

“But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and a distressing spirit from

the LORD troubled him.” (1 Samuel 16:14)

 

This event had happened because Saul had disobeyed God and broken His

commandments. Because of that disobedience, God tore the Kingdom of Israel

from him and gave it to David. We realise that continued obedience to God is an

essential element of knowing God’s anointing.

 

We therefore conclude that there is a clear pattern from the Old Testament of the

anointing of priests, prophets and kings. It was a clear demonstration of the purpose of God in the setting aside of persons and things for His purpose. If the person disobeyed God, then they were no longer under that anointing.

 

The One Thing

 

Read the passage of scripture that describes what we are as New Testament Believers in (1 Peter 2:9-10). Meditate on it during the week and ask the Lord to give you a revelation of the fullness of this scripture and what it means to you as a believer.