Ex-Church of Christ Support Board

Since this topic has so many layers, as The HOLY SPIRIT leads, I will post about it in multiple postings.  

I shared about how perfect The HOLY SPIRIT'S teaching always is, but I also wanted to post about man's teaching. As we all know, there is nothing wrong with studying with or listening to another person teach about GOD'S Word because JESUS has called some people to teach/preach, etc.

"And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ" (Ephesians 4:11,12).

"Now in the church that was at Antioch there were certain prophets and teachers." (Acts 13:1).
"'My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment'" (James 3:1).

The important part to understand is that each person seeking to learn from another human being must make sure that person is truly anointed by The HOLY SPIRIT to teach/preach, etc. The anointing by The HOLY SPIRIT was a spiritual pattern that was established by GOD. GOD'S spiritual pattern must still be followed to ensure success. 

Man cannot come up with another way of doing things and expect it to work. I now know that I followed a group that did not seek to truly know and follow GOD'S heavenly pattern. The HOLY SPIRIT shared a quote with me that states what happens when man does things his own way. "What GOD does not bless, becomes a mess." 

Doing things GOD'S way means submitting to spiritual things that are not understood in the natural, but doing it anyway. Only by following GOD'S spiritual pattern, will we learn everything He wants to teach us. As I have shared before, JESUS' Kingdom is a spiritual Kingdom, so things must be done the spiritual way. Following JESUS is about believing even though it is not seen with natural vision. This is the basis of faith.  "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" (Hebrew 11:1). 

Even JESUS had to be anointed by The HOLY SPIRIT in order to preach, teach, cast out demons, and do miracles, etc. "'The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor...'" (Isaiah 61:1-2; Luke 4:18). The SON Of GOD had to be anointed; He had to have the anointing of The SPIRIT Of GOD in order to begin His ministry. "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" (Matthew 3:16). All four of the gospel writers tell about JESUS being anointed by The HOLY SPIRIT first to show the importance of His anointing by The HOLY SPIRIT in order to begin His ministry. (Mark 1:10; Luke 3:21, 22; John 1:32-34)

Once JESUS received His anointing from The HOLY SPIRIT, He then could give this same power to His disciples to enable them to teach, preach, cast out demons, do miracles, etc. "Then He called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases. And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick" (Luke 9: 1, 2). JESUS also appointed the 70 (Luke 10:1). The HOLY SPIRIT still anoints people today. 

Even before the day of Pentecost came, JESUS was showing how important The HOLY SPIRIT would be in order for them to do what He had called them and trained them to do. "'When He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, receive The HOLY SPIRIT'" (John 20:22). In other words, they were not going to be successful without the power of The HOLY SPIRIT.

Before He ascended to heaven, JESUS specifically told them to "'not leave Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father'" (Acts 1:5). The promise was The HOLY SPIRIT, and His power. JESUS wanted them to know "Who" would help them in witnessing to others. "'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 1:8). Without The HOLY SPIRIT, they could not do anything. 

Once the 12 was filled with The HOLY GHOST, (Acts 2:4) they now understood and continued to follow the spiritual pattern of knowing The HOLY SPIRIT has to be within each person who would minister to others. "'Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of The HOLY SPIRIT and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business'" (Acts 6:3).

Stephen and Philip were certainly anointed by The HOLY SPIRIT to do the works they were doing. "And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spoke" (Acts 6:10)."And the multitudes with one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did" (Acts 8:6). Every person had to be anointed by The HOLY SPIRIT to work in JESUS Kingdom. There was some evidence of the anointing of The HOLY SPIRIT.

JESUS chose Paul to work in His Kingdom. "But the Lord said to him, Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel" (Acts 9:15). Then Paul received the anointing from above. "And Ananias went his way and entered the house; and laying his hands on him he said, Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit" (Acts 9:17).

Paul was called to be an apostle. (Romans 1:1; 1 Corinthians 1:1) "Paul, an apostle (not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised Him from the dead" (Galatians 1:1).
Looking at the first verse of many of the letters that Paul wrote, via The HOLY SPIRIT, he began a few of them letting the readers know that He was called by/through the "will of God or by the commandment of God" (Ephesians 1:1; Colossians 1:1; 1 Timothy 1:1; 2 Timothy 1:1). Paul began his letters this way because he knew some people doubted that he was an apostle because he was not one of the original 12 apostles.

Paul also shared all the functions he was anointed to do in JESUS' Kingdom, "'for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle--I am speaking the truth in Christ and not lying--a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth'" (1 Timothy 2:7; Timothy 1:11).

Thank you seekingthetruth, for your posts. Just wondering, do you think there is this same annointing today in those who preach?

Yes, SolaDude. According to scripture, the anointing of The HOLY SPIRIT is still a requirement.

I am sharing all of this to show, via GOD'S Word, how a true anointing worked, and still works today. It was never hearing how a person attended some seminary/divinity school, or attended some school of preaching, obtained man's degree, and now can be referred to as a "pastor" or "minister." That is not an anointing from The HOLY SPIRIT at all, it is just teaching from another human being. That is not the spiritual pattern that was established by GOD. JESUS' Kingdom is a spiritual Kingdom, so the anointing will come in a spiritual way.

Now it makes sense to me that when I was a campbellite I would be lulled into a deep sleep on Sunday as soon as the speaker, not an "anointed preacher" would start to speak. I remember turning to my friend as soon as the speaker would approach the podium and say, "goodnight."

I call myself a former campbellite, because once The HOLY SPIRIT led me to research the history of this false religion, I learned I was following Thomas Campbell's false doctrine, not the Gospel of JESUS CHRIST at all. I was not taught anything about The HOLY SPIRIT because the campbellites, being mostly Pharisee, but also part Sadducee, as I stated elsewhere before, does not believe in The HOLY SPIRIT and His gifts.

There should be some evidence of an anointing from The HOLY SPIRIT. Looking at scripture, there were two things that was evidence of JESUS anointing. First, people could hear that His teaching was different, "And they were astonished at his doctrine; for he taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes. (Mark 1:22; Matthew 7:28,29) Even the people that He grew up with knew His teaching was different. "When He had come to His own country, He taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished and said, "Where did this Man get this wisdom and these mighty works? Is this not the carpenter's son? Is not His mother called Mary? And His brothers James, Joses, Simon, and Judas? And His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this Man get all these things? So they were offended at Him..." (Matthew 13:54-57)

Due to the anointing of The HOLY SPIRIT, JESUS' teaching was always by the power of The HOLY SPIRIT. A person that has The HOLY SPIRIT'S anointing will teach/share something different that is so deep that it will touch a person's heart. It is The HOLY SPIRIT within that is doing the teaching, not the person speaking. That person is just the instrument that The HOLY SPIRIT is using.

Second, JESUS offended people. The true gospel of JESUS CHRIST will offend. JESUS knew this and even asked His disciples if they were offended by His teaching. (John 6:61) JESUS knew all the requirements to enter heaven, but many disagreed with His teaching because it required each person to look inward in order to get rid of any and all sins. People anointed by The HOLY SPIRIT are very focused on a person's soul, where each person will spend eternity. Also, how sin will lead to suffering here on earth.
JESUS was hated because He spoke truth and said that His true followers would be hated as well. Those anointed by JESUS will not be popular like these fake mega speakers are today. (Luke 6:22, 23; John 15: 18, 19)

False teachers are concerned with a person's feelings, making sure not to offend because they do not want to lose their followers.

seeking, when I heard this song, "Psalm 23 (I Am Not Alone)", I thought of you, especially when it speaks of annointing, a great song in the tradition of the great African American spirituals, and also a reminder of how to walk the last moments of life when you know it is your time to go....hope you enjoy it....Sola

*ww.youtube.com/watch?v=bpTXb_-sir8
By the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir: h**ps://customer.fami.com/myfami/public/login
By Joshua Sherman himself: *ww.youtube.com/watch?v=LGtwSK_JGbI&pbjreload=101

SolaDude, thank you so much for sending me that song! I listened to it yesterday for the first time. I started crying even before they started singing. It is such a beautiful song. It really touched my heart in such a deep way.
The words that really made me cry over and over again were, "Hallelujah, I am not alone, He's my comfort, always holds me close, He always guides me." Amen and Amen!

The LORD knew that I needed to be ministered to via song, and He put it on your heart to send me that song. Thank you for being obedient to The HOLY SPIRIT'S leading.