Three Dimensions of the Anointing
“It’s a fresh moment for a fresh anointing on my life and your life.” “This is one of the most marvelous, magnificent promises in Scripture, and the power of God belongs to every believer sitting here in this auditorium!”
Ecclesiastes 9:8: “Let thy garments be always white; and let thy head lack no ointment.” Then he said, “The anointing of God will bring victory in every area of your life. In your work, in your home, wherever you are, there will be victory. And it’s God’s will that the anointing saturate your life. Psalm 23:5 tells us, `Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.’ When your cup runs over, when the anointing overflows, it means that you have more than you need.”
The anointing of God that comes in three stages or three dimensions.
1. The first dimension comes at salvation.
“The anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him” (1 John 2:27).
“This anointing is what brings the reality of salvation into your life.” “The anointing of the Spirit is the power of God and the overflow of Jesus Christ in my life. Our Lord tells us in John 14:16-17, ‘And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.’ The presence and the power are not the same. One is with you. The other is in you. He promised to send the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the presence of God. The Holy Spirit is the Person of the Holy Spirit. He is one God and three Persons. So when Jesus said, `Ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost has come upon you,’ He was teaching that He comes into my heart at salvation, and my body becomes the temple of the Person of the Holy Spirit. God’s presence cannot be transferred. I cannot lay hands on anyone and say, ‘Receive Jesus.’ The Person of Jesus is the glory of God. When He walked on the earth He was the glory of God.”
The difference between the presence and power of God is like this, “Remember that the presence of God feeds my life, but the power of God brings others into that presence. When a man is saved, he receives the presence of God. We cannot give away the first stage of the anointing because that comes at salvation, and only you can welcome Jesus into your life. I do not need the laying on of hands to receive the first dimension of the anointing. The baptism of the Holy Spirit is not the first dimension. That power comes upon your life the moment of salvation. The first dimension does not release the gifts of the Spirit.”
2. The second dimension is the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
There are thousands of believers who will never experience the second dimension of the anointing. When the resurrected Jesus appeared to His disciples before the Day of Pentecost, He said to them, “Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you” (John 20:21). Then He breathed on them and said, “Receive ye the Holy Ghost” (John 20:22).
Next, they were told to tarry until they were endued with power for service, and that happened in Acts 2. The anointing that comes for life is permanent, but the power that comes for service is not permanent. It comes for a reason and a season. Jesus breathed on them once and forever. The first dimension is in you — He enters your heart. The second dimension is upon you as He clothes you as a mantle.
“We are promised in 1 John 2:27 that the abiding anointing will never lift. On December 7, 1974, I experienced for the first time the mantle of the Holy Spirit.” That second dimension is the anointing for service, much as Aaron was anointed for service: “And thou shalt anoint Aaron and his sons, and consecrate them, that they may minister unto me in the priest's office” (Exodus 20:20).
It is this anointing for service that our Lord Jesus promises: “Ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1:8).
This anointing is for ministry to others. That anointing can be transferred. It can increase with faith. But that anointing does not belong to anyone who is unfaithful or disobedient. You cannot receive that second dimension without the cleansing power of the blood. As we are told in Ruth 3:3, there has to be a cleansing, a purging of sins, before that anointing can come. The second dimension comes with glorious emotion. It comes with volcanoes erupting around you. It brings rivers of living water to your soul. When the power of God comes on us, our speech, walk, and behavior will be different. The second dimension is so powerful it releases miracles.
3. The third dimension—signs and wonders in the midst of the believers of Christ — is even greater.
“Signs and wonders began happening after those who tarried received the baptism of the Holy Spirit.”
“When they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness. And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common. And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all” (Acts 4:31-33).
The third dimension is the fresh anointing for signs and wonders. That is where God wants us so we can impact our generation for our Lord Jesus Christ!
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