The Corporate Anointing
Evangelism and the Corporate Anointing
For many years we have been taught that God anoints us all when we are born again in Christ, and this is true. We have been taught on how there are many different types of anointing. By definition an anointing is God’s way of supernaturally equipping one for a specific task. Many people have more than one anointing on their lives. God is the One who calls us and anoints us for whatever tasks. It is ALWAYS our task to find out from God what our task is, then we wait for God to equip us for that task. It usually goes along with some form of training and study.
In the Old Testament we see that there were always a flask/horn of scented oil poured out over those God calls to stand in the office of the Prophet, Priest or King. It was accurate to say that if you were not anointed for that task, you were obviously not called nor chosen of God for that task.
In the New Testament we now see that God calls ALL Christians to be a Royal Priesthood. We all receive an anointing. We are born again and we can tell the world about the awesome love of Jesus. It is part of our calling. But then God raises up from amongst us those who are called to stand in leadership, or to operate in specific gifts, and this is not something you can do by reading or studying books. God has a way to equip you by means of anointing you and calling you for a specific task.
So as individuals we all receive one or more anointing for some task within the local church where we are rooted. In the 1990's God showed me that He deals with us on 3 levels.
- As individuals in our personal time of prayer at home .
- Corporately as part of the local church.
- Globally as part of the wider Body of Christ.
I believe God’s anointing follows this same
pattern. God gives personal anointing to individuals as well as a corporate
anointing over local churches and then ultimately to the worldwide Body of
Christ. So why hasn’t God’s anointing brought with it broader change to the
Church and the world in which we live?
I recently read an extract from a book describing how Mariah Woodward-Etter
would go into a city with a group of intercessors and would pray for weeks
before they would have a series of services there. They would then have the
most amazing revival meetings and encounters in that city. Truly God’s
anointing, both individually and corporately was having an effect. So why
are such displays of God’s power rare in the Church today?
I tend to agree with Paul Cain that the
Charismatic movement produced an Ishmael, and not God’s promised Isaac. With
this I mean that the Charismatic movement had so much teaching, and
knowledge and the tools and the means to preach the gospel to the nations,
but the revival they expected, hoped for, and waited for did not come. I
believe that it has to do with the understanding of the corporate anointing.
We still act on individual level with individual anointing.
God desires for us to begin to walk in the corporate anointing. If we allow
the Holy Spirit to lead us in this anointing we will be able to take our
cities for God. In fact, I believe we are destined to take our cities for
God. I believe churches everywhere are called to take their cities for God.
This is how we are to usher in God's divine rule and presence into our
cities.
Let us look at some of the scriptures in this context:
One of Us
We all know this quote and we have heard it so many times.
Deut 32:30 How should one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight, except their Rock had sold them, and the LORD had shut them up?
This is what happens when the corporate anointing begins to flow. An example of this in action is the invasion of Jericho in the book of Joshua 6. The very first city they took was not as individuals, but with the corporate anointing.
The power of Unity
There are many blessings given to those who Praise and Worship. If you understand the calling and ministry of Praise and Worship, you will know that Judah (one of the tribes of Israel - Judah means praise) is the tribe from which Jesus is born. That is why Jesus is known as the Lion of the tribe of Judah. You will also then understand that God promises unity to those who praise and worship.
Ps 133:1 A song by David for going up
to worship. See how good and pleasant it is when brothers and sisters live
together in harmony!
Ps 133:2 It is like fine, scented oil on the head, running down the
beard-down Aaron's beard- running over the collar of his robes.
Ps 133:3 It is like dew on Mount Hermon, dew which comes down on Zion's
mountains. That is where the LORD promised the blessing of eternal life.
When the Bible mentions Zion, it is a prophetic reference to the Church, the Body of Christ worldwide. So we see a picture of an anointing over Zion. This is some more "Corporate Anointing" stuff here!
Here we see how unity in God's people is likened to dew on the mountains in the morning, and like oil being poured out on the head of the High Priest, Aaron. We know that Jesus is now at this time our High Priest. Then the Psalm also says there God COMMANDS His blessings. Is this not wonderful? Does it begin to make sense that the corporate anointing begins to operate and flow when we worship together?
I do believe there is much to learn in our churches and in the church worldwide with regards to the corporate anointing. Here in London we have 8 million people. Friends, we are not going to take this city for God with our individual anointing. For that to take place the Church needs to get the vision of the Corporate anointing and only then will we see the revival we have needed and waited for, for so long to our city. With this in mind, can we NOW begin to see that Jesus promised as follows:
Mat 18:20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
This is why Jesus sent the 70 disciples out in groups of 2.We all have the Holy Spirit residing inside us, but there is more to it when we are more in numbers. The power of God increases exponentially! The anointing on us and in us increases exponentially.
The Company of Prophets
A very interesting account is given in the portion of scripture below
1Sa 19:18 David escaped and went to
Samuel at Ramah. He told Samuel everything Saul had done to him. Then he and
Samuel went to the pastures and lived there.
1Sa 19:19 When it was reported to Saul that David was in the pastures at
Ramah,
1Sa 19:20 Saul sent messengers to get David. But when they saw a group of
prophets prophesying with Samuel serving as their leader, God's Spirit came
over Saul's messengers so that they also prophesied.
1Sa 19:21 When they told Saul about this, he sent other messengers, but they
also prophesied. Saul even sent a third group of messengers, but they also
prophesied.
1Sa 19:22 Then he went to Ramah himself. He went as far as the big cistern
in Secu and asked the people, "Where are Samuel and David?" He was told,
"Over there in the pastures at Ramah."
1Sa 19:23 As he went toward the pastures at Ramah, God's Spirit came over
him too. He continued his journey, prophesying until he came to the pastures
at Ramah.
1Sa 19:24 He even took off his clothes as he prophesied in front of Samuel
and lay there naked all day and all night. This is where the saying, "Is
Saul one of the prophets?"
David is running away from Saul. He hides
with Samuel at the "School of the Prophets". When Saul found out where David
is hiding he sent a division of soldiers to capture him, but the Holy Spirit
came over them and they started prophesying. So did the next group Saul sent
and then when Saul himself went there to do the job, he also was overcome by
the Holy Spirit and prophesied. And he never quite managed to get a hold of
David.
This is a nice example of divine protection we enjoy as a result of the
corporate anointing! I wonder who will be the first to stand out for God and
which church will be the first to flow under the corporate anointing, doing
what God instructs us to do?
A Word Of Caution
Be aware that whatever God is doing in the church,
the enemy is doing a counterfeit out there in the world. I can guarantee you
that as the church begins to flow in this area, the enemy would come against
her in very blatant and powerful ways to stop her. And then it becomes
clearer to us how the conflict between darkness and light will be taken to
new levels and dimensions, but remember that Light will always defeat the
darkness. Remember Saul when he entered into the school of the prophets.
Even he was overcome by the anointing.
As this fresh revelation is released to the Body of Christ today, it will
probably take a long time for us as the church to begin to flow in this and
operate fully in this anointing. I cannot expect to see that this will
happen very soon. But I believe it is a very important aspect and we will
begin to see how this grows and grows. God gives revelation to us, as we are
able to handle it. I know we are ready to go there!
Lead on Holy Spirit, lead on!