Introduction
Little children…you have an anointing from the Holy One, and…the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you – 1 John 2:18-27 NKJV
To be Spirit-filled is to come to the King Himself – to bow at Jesus’ feet and receive divine power from His own hand.
To be Spirit-filled is to have the Holy Spirit – the “oil of heaven” poured from God’s throne into your own being; to be anointed by Christ the King.
There are three reasons Jesus Christ wants to anoint every redeemed son and daughter of God, three abilities He wants to enhance and expand in each of us, and three offices He wants to fulfill.
He wants to anoint us for these three reasons:
1. However sincere we may be, we cannot, on our own, worship God s freely and fully as He deserves.
2. However zealous we may be, we cannot, on our own, witness for Christ as effectively as He desires.
3. However zealous we may be, we cannot, on our own, do warfare for Christ as penetratingly as He directs.
The three abilities Christ wants to give us through the Holy Spirit are these:
1. An expansion of our capacity for worshiping
2. An extension of our dynamic for witnessing
3. An expulsion of the Adversary through our spiritual warfare
Then there are three offices that involve our receiving an anointing:
1. Priests
2. Prophets
3. Kings
At the heart of this marvelous plan, arranged by the Lord Jesus Christ to ensure our sufficiency for true Christian living, is a beautiful Old Testament picture: the practice of anointing – of pouring holy oil upon candidates for the holy offices of priest, prophet, and king. This anointing was a symbol of the Holy Spirit of God being poured on them to energize and bless them for their tasks.
Each of these offices or positions presents an example from which we can learn and a role that we are to fulfill. The Spirit-filled life of expanded worship (as priests), extended witness (as prophets), and expelling warfare (as kings) is no accidental parallel. The Holy Spirit is given to us so that we may experience all God foresaw and designed from the beginning.
“In the last days,” God said, “I will pour out my Holy Spirit upon all mankind.” – Acts 2:17 TLB
Thus, as New Testament priests, we are elevated to allow us to offer new dimensions of sacrifice in our worship to God Almighty, Creator of us all.
You have been chosen by God Himself – you are holy and pure, you are God’s very own – all this so that you may show to others how God called you out of the darkness into His wonderful light. – 1 Peter 2:9 TLB
As New Testament prophets, we are enabled to reach new dimensions of worldwide witness in the Name of Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God.
“But when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, you will receive power to testify about Me with great effect, to the people in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth, about My death and resurrection.” – Acts 1:8 TLB
And as New Testament kings, we are enriched to rule with new dimensions of kingdom authority and power.
To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father. – Revelation 1:5, 6 NKJV
The Spirit-filled life is the new-dimensional life of worship, witness, and warfare. And the key to its realization is the anointing Jesus places on your life – like heavenly oil poured over the heads of priests, prophets and kings in ancient times. And that anointing is the result of being filled with, overflowed by, and baptized in the Holy Spirit.
This promised anointing is for everyone who has received Jesus as their Savior. So let us take hold of the new dimensions of practical spiritual available in that anointing by coming to Christ and allowing Him to release His Spirit in us all!
Spirit-Filled includes a section that answers questions such as “What is the sin against the Holy Spirit” “How holy must a person be to qualify for the fullness of the Spirit?” “May a person be filled with the Holy Spirit without being baptized in water?” “What place do ‘tongues’ have in the work of the Holy Spirit?” and “What is ‘praying with the Spirit’?”
Excerpted by permission from Spirit Filled: The Overflowing Power of the Holy Spirit copyright © 1984 by Jack Hayford Ministries. Reprint 2007 by Foursquare Media, Los Angeles, California. All rights reserved.
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