Accepting Our Anointing - Guest R.T. Kendall



1 Corinthians 12:14, 18  Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. —

Every Christian has an anointing or a "Gift."

The apostle Paul called anointings "gifts" in 1 Corinthians 12:4-11. They are God's gifts, which He graciously bestows on those who don't deserve them.

The difficulty is, ambition gets into the picture, and some don't like it if their own anointing does not result in a high profile.

Paul compared these gifts, which I am calling anointings, to the parts of the human body.

Some anointings—such as the eye or the head—have a high profile. Some anointings—such as the hands or the feet—have a lower profile. But whatever the function, they must all work together.

Some people have an anointing with no apparent profile at all—like the kidneys or intestines, which, despite their being hidden, are indispensable. (See 1 Corinthians 12:23ff.)

God's design is that there should be "no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other" (v. 25). Paul draws a conclusion: "Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it" (v. 27).

There are those with a high profile, such as apostles, prophets, and teachers; and there are those in the background who have an anointing (not listed in 1 Corinthians 12:8-10)  that the King James Version calls "helps"—a gift to help others (v. 28).

The question is, will we accept our own anointing? Or will we let ambition and personal drive for recognition get in the way?   Excerpted from The Anointing: Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow (Charisma House,

It was The Holy Spirit who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. —Ephesians 4:11-13

{ PRAYER }

Father, show me what I am to become in Your purpose and plan for my life. Mature me into the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

So that the church will be filled with the intimate knowledge
of God the Father and the Son by the power
and revelation of the Holy Spirit.