Double portion anointing. We often think about this like a double portion of charisma gifts but is that the only way to view this? Our inclination is to recall Elisha received after his mentor Elijah the prophet departed. Consider that we have “both Christ in us” and “Christ around us.” The Christ means The Anointed One. Our inner world and our outer world both anointed as Christ is for God’s purposes regarding us.
Jesus said that the least in the kingdom would be greater than John the Baptist, who had the mantel, the spirit of what Elijah had pioneered. Elijah came with many miracles John demonstrated a prophetic spirit that saw the Christ and baptized him into the purpose of God. We see few outward miracles. But it was this ability to baptize people into the coming purposes of God over his generation that made him greatest of the OT prophets.
We tend to either become very inward in our faith or very outward but it is harder for us to live in the tension of both, but that is where the “double anointing” is best shown and lived by today’s follower of Christ. It is the two of these together that ignite the truer life of Christ. Without both, we are like are like those carrying a baby Jesus within and we can’t reflect a 30-year-old Jesus of Nazareth without, someone in sync with the purposed of God for the time and the season.
Attending 52 church services a year will not get us there. We need to go back into the school of life and practice 365 days a year of experiencing Christ inwardly and expressing him outwardly in daily life in ways that have a transformative impact on our world.
Jesus’ baptism by John represents key spiritual elements, heaven’s opened and the Spirit descending. The Father’s voice coming out: “My son, my daughter. My purpose for you contains my full pleasure.” This wasn’t only a declaration of sonship as a father to son, but an announcement of the authority of the royal son under his father. If we are not willing to take the Christ born in us, into the purposes of God in 2020 it will be difficult for us to sense the pleasure of God over ourselves.
Jesus led by the Spirit into his desert temptation, confronted the three key spiritual/natural power structures that operate in our world. Money, sex and power — economics, religious and politics. We won’t unpack these today, but I will point out, without confronting these three things in our lives, in the church, in society and bringing them into the purpose of God, these three powers will instead become our purpose for following God and will shipwreck us. Our attempts to do something good will backfire and will catch us unaware like snipper fire.
The charisma gifts are a powerful expression of God’s kingdom but if we continue to operate in these gifts while under the influences of the powers they mute the anointing we carry from long-term, heavy impact. It’s time for the church to mature into God’s purposes for her. There is a steep cost, but the beauty of a heavenly kingdom in full demonstration far outweighs it.
Jesus’ baptism by John represents key spiritual elements
Heaven’s opened and the Spirit descending. The Father’s voice coming out: “My son, my daughter. My purpose for you contains my full pleasure.” This wasn’t only a declaration of sonship as a father to son but an announcement of the authority of the royal son under his father.