I was born and raised in the United States of America. My parents were of Norwegian, Swedish, and German descent. My paternal grandmother who migrated from Norway at the age of 18, lived with my family. Over the years, I have worked side-by-side with wonderful people of varying racial/ethnic backgrounds. Tracy and I also love being a part of a multi-cultural church. My background has allowed me to learn bits and pieces of Norwegian, German, Spanish, Korean, Hebrew, and Greek.
Our churches and Christianity in general have culture. This culture actually seems foreign to many unchurched people in our communities—Christianese—if you will. As Christians, we all should be studying the Bible while considering context and culture. As well, God is constantly speaking to us, and He speaks to us in multiple ways (see related post Hearing God’s Voice). I love that! It is so exciting to hear and see God speaking in and through so many ways. Recently I was listening to an interview on a Christian website and the topic of anointing came up. I was reminded of the words that Jesus spoke to me in a prophetic dream. We were both standing in the most amazing river. The water felt like nothing I had ever experienced before—it was full of power and incredible peace at the same time. It was indescribably tranquil and refreshing—absolutely heavenly. I told Jesus that the water was so amazing and asked Him what it was. Jesus answered, “It carries the anointing of the Fathers love.” This brought me to a word study on the word “anointing,” and I have included a few paragraphs below from my book, The River.
From the outside looking in, the church often has its own language at times—club words—if you will. The word “anointing,” is one such word that is often used to describe someone who may have given a message or a particular song which was sung: i.e., “He/she really preached an anointed message,” or “That song was really anointed.” I’m not altogether sure the word is used appropriately. To be sure, it is used very loosely. In any case, what did Jesus mean when He said to me, that the river or the water “carries the anointing of the Father’s love?”
The word anointing actually means “to smear.” The Holy Spirit is the oil of God that was smeared all over Jesus at his water baptism. (see Matt. 3:13-16). Let’s not forget that Jesus lived His earthly life with human limitations…he laid his divinity aside seeking to fulfill the assignment by the father as a man who lived without sin, so that he could die in place of mankind for sin. The anointing is what linked Jesus, the man, to the divine, which enabled him to destroy the works of the devil. In the Old Testament, the priests were anointed to qualify them for ministry. In fact, anointing oil was liberally poured upon the top of their head, and it continued to run down. Other times it was used medicinally as it was generously smeared all over one’s body. In the New Testament Jesus is our example, and we must understand that we too must be clothed with the Holy Spirit and anointed for supernatural ministry.
Jesus spoke these words to me, “It carries the anointing of the Father’s love.” So, what then does the river contain? And what will happen when you experience the river of God? You will experience being smeared with the Father’s love. This is the heart of the Father—that we be totally smeared with His love. This is the overwhelming message of my encounters with Jesus, and the primary purpose why I know that I was to write this book—To tell others that the God who created the whole universe is the very same God who created you, and that He is saying that he wants to smear his love all over you! Now if that isn’t some good news to be excited about, I don’t know what is. I don’t care who you are, or what you have done in your life—God loves you so much that he literally wants to smear his love all over you and into every aspect of your life.
Let’s dig a little deeper into this word “anointing.” Again, my point is not to be critical of how the word is used, but rather to understand that its meaning speaks of the magnitude of God’s love, and the importance of His love being activated (smeared) in our lives. The Bible says that God is love (see 1 John 4:16). Love is who God is, and throughout history God has continued to make His love available to all who will accept it. John 3:16 says “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
The Bible tells the story of a man named Nicodemus who was a Pharisee, a ruler of the Jewish council. Nicodemus had been watching Jesus for some time and recognized that He was from God. He had set up a private meeting with Jesus and said to Him, “Rabbi, I know you are a teacher who comes from God, for no one could perform the signs You are doing if God were not with Him” (John 3:2). He went on to investigate Jesus based upon Jesus’ apparent identity, to which Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again” (John 3:6). Jesus went on to explain to Nicodemus that without an inner change, our lives remain the same. Change needs to come from the heart, and we are not sufficient to bring this change on our own and specifically not by works or by following laws or commands. This rebirth must come by having a direct connection to the power source! The inside of a man, the heart, has to be mended.
Then Jesus spoke what is now the most quoted scripture in the entire Bible, John 3:16. This verse follows this rich and theologically dense explanation of sin and salvation. “This,” Jesus said, “is how much God loves you. He sent you Me” (paraphrased). In Christ, we see a love so intense, so sacrificial, so incomprehensible, it makes all human expressions seem frivolous in comparison.
One day some Pharisees got together to question Jesus. One of them, an expert in the Law, tested Him with this question: “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:34-40
Friend, if you have not accepted Jesus Christ as your personal savior but you want to know and experience the kind of love that I have been talking about, why not invite Him into your heart today? Perhaps you have already accepted Christ, but you are not experiencing the power of God’s love in your life. Do you feel distant from Jesus? He wants a relationship with you–won’t you reach out to Him today? I promise you; His arms are wide open to you.
Anointed with Power
If we can understand what anointing is (being smeared by the Fathers love), then the next logical question is, what does the anointing do? Anointing is a verb; it causes action to take place. Think of it this way—if anointing is being smeared with the Fathers love, and His love is who He is, and God’s love is the most powerful force of all time, then being anointed makes us conduits of the power of God’s love. This is truly amazing and equally exciting! This is where the fun begins as followers of Jesus! We get to put our faith into action and actually see the results of it.
Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”
Additionally, Acts 10:38 says, “God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.” (Acts 10:38)
In Old Testament times only priests and kings where anointed for service. But through Jesus we all are called to be kings and priests and anointed for service. (See 1 Peter 2:9) Like Jesus, we have been anointed for good works.
We see throughout the New Testament the power of God’s anointing (the power of His love) being displayed through signs, wonders, and miracles. Particularly as we read through the book of Acts, where we can see a most identifiable shift in the power of God’s love being demonstrated as 120 individuals sought God like never before and received an incredible empowerment of Gods love. (see Acts 2) This kind of power in Scripture is a Greek word called dunamis and is used over 100 times in the New Testament. But once again, it speaks of the magnitude of God’s love.
Friends, if you want to receive this same powerful anointing of God’s love today. It is available to you all believers who simply ask for it (See Luke 11:13).
Can it be transferred?
Perhaps you are reading this today and have known grown up going to church or maybe your church background did not include prayer that included laying one’s hands on others who were sick or oppressed. The Bible is actually really clear on this transfer of anointing. It’s really not kooky or weird as it might seem to you. It’s just a way in which God has designed for us to be able to personally minister when we have the opportunity to be in person (See Luke 4:40, Acts 6:6, Acts 8:17, 1 Tim 4:14, 2 Tim 1:6)
There are also times when it is not possible to physically lay hands on others as a conduit of His love. We read in Acts 19:11-12 where the Apostle Paul had been ministering under the power/anointing of the Holy Spirit and handkerchiefs or aprons that he had touched were carried away to the sick, and their diseases left them, and others had evil spirits that left them.
So, when a believer lays their hands on someone or something as to anoint with the power of God’s love, we ought not to see it as weird at all, rather the opposite. What an incredible opportunity to minister. I can’t tell you the number of testimonies that I have personally attributed to God’s love being transferred in these ways. Remember we are ambassadors of Christ. God works through His people, and he does that in extraordinary ways. How exciting it is to be a part of it!
Friends, I know this post has opened up a lot of thoughts for many of you. My prayer today is that you are encouraged to go after God more than ever before. To see yourself as an anointed son or daughter, the priest that you rightfully are through the power of Jesus Christ. I pray that you see yourself through the amazing eyes of God’s love and that you allow the unlimited power of that love to flow into you and through you as you are anointing for His service.
Blessed by the Best,
Mark
See You in the River 