Anointing Versus "Participation"

4/14/2002

...Out of the at least fifty to sixty people who were invited, about ten came. Out of the twelve that came, about five didn’t participate at all or show any opinion about anything. We prayed a little, and the Lord showed one of us that someone was really hurting, so we asked who and then we prayed for her for a while. Then some wanted to sing so we did, but the singing didn’t really follow any theme or become anything meaningful. However, the redeeming quality of that was that people seemed to at least be grateful that they could “play” on the drums or get up and move around, and they seemed to appreciate that a “service” wasn’t being imposed on them. The mood was just kinda light I guess.... it just overwhelms me that for the most part we don’t even know how to BE in His presence together, how to seek Him together, etc.

helen

Welllll... : )

#1 The “goal” in any “meeting” or “conversation” or collection of folks... is ANOINTING. Period. THAT is: “Jesus is running the meeting, the “Christ”—the “Anointed one” gets to say what HE wants to say.

SO, that means that “getting people to participate ISN’T the “goal.” Humans “participating” randomly can make a mess of the time together rather than enhance the REAL goal. The GOAL is that JESUS can do WHATEVER He wants, and Anoint whatever and whomever, whenever. THAT is what Anointing is, and is the ONLY “goal.” THAT is, “Jesus is central, and ‘running the Meeting’ as only HE should do.”

So, everyone is FREE to “participate” as they believe the Spirit of God enables and prompts, but it would be harmful to encourage everyone to “participate” as if that has any merit whatsoever in itself. And, OF COURSE, everyone that wears His Name in REALITY should have a Life in them that is prepared (Hebrews 10:24-25) to BE Used as such, and they watch and listen, and be ready with Courage to express what they have yielded to Him. But that’s very different than encouraging, or even DESIRING everyone to participate. Whether primarily one person “until dawn,” or “two, or at the most three,” or “Everyone has a word of instruction, a psalm...”—it is Anointing that brings us to Him, not democracy or “lots of participation.”

AND, #2, keep in mind too that the Gifts we offer Jesus SOMETIMES are “an end in themselves,” meaning, “how things turn out” is not nearly as relevant as, “We did our best and have risked for Him with pure motives.” THAT is sufficient, in itself. No matter how well, OR how badly something SEEMS to have turned out. “Rejoice NOT that the demons submit in My Name.” Just being faithful is a gift, perhaps THE gift in itself.

And, ALSO, we’re not always privy to what has REALLY transpired, anyway! Oftentimes we can find out a year later that something happened there that we thought was negative, or didn’t notice at all, and it turned out to be LIFE CHANGING for some. We’ve seen this many many times....

In Him,