DEFINING BOTH THE "ANOINTING" AND "THE PROPHETIC

DEFINING BOTH THE "ANOINTING" AND "THE PROPHETIC
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DEFINING THE ANOINTINGA New Anointing for a New Generation

1. I Corinthians 12:4-6, "Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. And there are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons."

2. Psalms 92:10, "But Thou hast exalted my horn like that of the wild ox; I have been anointed with fresh oil."

3. Isaiah 10:27b, "...the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing fatness."

4. Acts 10:38, "...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!"

Definition of the Anointing
Supernatural enablement, grace, manifested presence of the Holy Spirit operating upon or through an individual or corporate group to produce the works of Jesus.

DEFINING THE PROPHETIC

What is the Prophetic?
1. As a people, we have been called to carry a prophetic-type burden; to live out on the living edge of God's eternal purpose.

2. We should, especially in the New Testament, make a working distinction between the office of a prophet and the prophetic ministry of a corporate people.

3. We see the prophetic ministry as one aspect of the five-fold calling, resident in a degree in every ministry; more evident and activated in others.

4. God's ultimate weapon is a man or a woman who has encountered the prophetic anointing. It should ever be kept in mind that God does not anoint projects but men and women--people!

5. A working definition of the prophetic ministry is as follows:

They speak the Word of the Lord in the Name of the Lord.

They carry "weight" by virtue of the ethical, moral, and spiritual urgency in their message.

They are prophetic, not by birth or official designation, but by the power of their inner call and the response of their hearers.

The single most characteristic mark of true prophetic people is the evidence that they have stood in the counsel of Jehovah and have, thereby, faithfully declared what they have heard from His mouth.

They are primarily concerned not with the distant future, but to tell forth the will of God in the crisis of their own days. They are then essentially, interpreters of God.

Their major task--Old Testament and New, was to declare that in Christ, all the prophecies were foreshadowed and fulfilled: Acts 3:24, I Peter 1:10-11, Revelation 19:10.

What is Prophecy?
We could say that prophecy is the expressed thoughts of God, spoken in a language that no man in his natural gift of speech could ever articulate. The substance and nature of prophecy exceeds the limits of what the natural mind could conceive. (God's thoughts are not man's thoughts, Isaiah 55:8.) The gift of prophecy comes through the mouth of man, but it comes from the mind of God--spiritual thoughts in spiritual words. (I Corinthians 2:9-16)

DEFINING VARIETIES

Varieties (from Webster's Dictionary): Being various or varied; absence of sameness; different form of same thing, condition; collection of different things.

Different Levels of Prophecy
1. Spirit of prophecy.

2. Gift of prophecy--circumstantial or occasional that comes upon a person.

3. Ministry gift--residential, consistently abiding within a person.

4. Prophetic office--that can be a foundational ministry in the church. (Ephesians 2:20)
Seven Expressions of the Prophetic Spirit
Prophets and those in prophetic ministry are as different as one snow flake is to another. The following list of seven distinct expressions gives us a sampling of these prophetic variations.

1. Seers operating in dreams and visions.

2. Those who proclaim God's corporate purpose.

3. Those who proclaim God's heart standards for His people.

4. Those who proclaim the church's social responsibilities and moral actions.

5. Those who speak forth the administrative strategy of God with a political slant.

6. Prophetic worship leaders who usher in the manifested presence of God through prophetic worship.

7. Prophetic intercessors who pave the way for prophetic fulfillment.
VARIETIES OF PROPHETIC ANOINTING
The Kingdom versus the Church
1. Some are placed in the church to equip the church. Others are placed in the church for ministry to the secular community to release God's Kingdom influence.

2. With governmental authority or without? Some prophetic vessels carry a governmental leadership anointing (Moses, Abraham, David, etc.) Others do not and should not. Let us not covet another person's grace allotment.

Other Possible Categories Needed Today
These are simply a few additional examples of the variety of prophetic anointing the Holy Spirit wants to release.

1. Spirit-Bearers:

John 3:8, "The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit."

The practice of the presence of Jesus--releasing the ordinary manifestations of God's glorious presence, through a love-walk.

Extraordinary manifestations, such as falling in the Spirit, quaking, shaking, ecstatic speech, power encounters, kingdom clashes of angelic and demonic warfare, angelic activity, fragrance of Christ, etc.

2. Prophetic Counselors: This is a combination of pastoral and prophetic. Often mingled with the spirit of counsel and understanding (gifts of healings and discerning of spirits). Their concern is with the internal condition of the heart and mind of man.

3. Prophetic Enquirers: This is a prophetic and teacher combination. They explain the ways of the Spirit, taking the bizarre and making it practical, relatable, and understandable. Their call is to multiply and disciple.

4. Prophetic Writers: This is a gift-mix of writing and prophetic. They write with revelatory anointing, expressing God's heart to contemporary society.

5. Prophetic Evangelist: This is taking the revelatory gifts to the streets, stadiums, neighborhoods, health clubs, executive places, shopping malls, etc.

SOME CLOSING ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS

The Killer
Comparing oneself to another, and wanting what they have produces death. Avoid jealousy and insecurity. God has plenty to go around--seek your own call and anointing, learn from others but get your own.

The Antidote
Walking in accountability with others. Cultivate faithfulness with what you already have. Find your identity in Christ Jesus first, instead of gifting. Then give yourself to that unique expression of His grace in your life.

Breaking Barriers and Mental Limitations
There can be "molds and yokes" that seem to hinder people. Through rejection, wrong types of comparisons, and the residue of legalistic traditions permeated with the fear of man, we can walk under false "yokes and molds" that need to be identified and broken off. The Holy Spirit will help us and liberate us to be the unique, varied expressions of His wonderful prophetic presence, and yet walk circumspectly with integrity within the Church.

Breaking out of the Box
God has never been in a box! We are the ones in boxes! We must let the Holy Spirit take the lid off, flow in creativity, and be all that you can be in God!

Blessings!