John 3:34 “For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God does not give the Spirit by measure.”
This brings us to another important point which needs to be discussed, which is the degree of anointing or measure of God’s power that resides in the individual. The Holy Spirit speaking through John the Baptist teaches us in the above quoted passage of scripture, that God gave Jesus of Nazareth the Spirit without measure. In other words, Jesus carried within Himself the full measure of God’s power after He was baptized with the Holy Spirit. By implication therefore, the Holy Spirit is telling us that we carry the power of the Holy Spirit by measure. In other words, we don’t carry the full anointing of the Holy Spirit in us as Jesus did.
Ephesians 4:7 “But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift.”
The concept of the saints only carrying a measure of the Holy Spirit’s anointing agrees with what the apostle Paul has written in the above quoted passage of scripture, for Paul teaches us that each of us have received grace, i.e. God’s anointing, according to the measure of the gift that each of us have received from the Lord. And so clearly not every saint has received the same gift, and therefore each one of us require the appropriate measure of anointing (power) that pertains to the gift that we have received. For example, some have received the gift of apostle while others have received the gift of prophecy. You can readily understand that the gift of apostle requires a greater anointing to be able to function in that gift, compared to the degree of anointing required to operate in the simple gift of prophecy. I have quoted these two gifts purely to illustrate the point that certain gifts require more anointing or power than others do. And so as we look at the different areas in this teaching where we as believers lay hands on people, this point becomes important to keep in mind. Because just as we can all lay hands on others simply in faith, the transference of anointing takes place that much more effectively when someone is specifically anointed to operate in that area.
Romans 12:3-5 “For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. (4) For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, (5) so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.”
In the above quoted passage of scripture the Holy Spirit through the apostle Paul reinforces the truth that each member in the body of Christ has received a different measure of God’s power. In this passage Paul teaches us not to think of ourselves more highly than we ought to think, but rather we are to recognize that we are individual members of the body of Christ and each one of us have our own roles to fulfil. Therefore in relation to our separate functions that we have in the body, each of us has received a different anointing from the Lord. And so when believers learn to operate in the specific anointing that they have received, they will see greater results when they lay hands on individuals to minister God’s power to them.
Michael E.B. Maher
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