Transcript: Anointing Ceremonies

We continue our officiant ministry training with talking about anointing, like anointing with oil. When anointing has been done, it often has been done with the Anointing of the Sick for healing and we're going to talk about that. But there's also anointing for things like ordination, and other things that are included in that. Let's talk about anointing ceremonies. Now to begin, let's just talk about faith as connected to anointing ceremonies. Faith has been open to possibilities. That's what we read in the Bible, faith in your ‘walk with God’ journey. It's fascinating to think about that when in the Bible, when Jesus would bring healing and heal someone like the boy who needed healing. In Mark 9:24, if you look up the whole passage, immediately, the boy's father exclaimed, I do believe, help me overcome my unbelief. I bring up this passage, because it seems like there is controversy and there is sort of confusion about, you know, praying or faith or many people have a condition like with faith, if you have enough faith, you get what you want. It's even applied sort of in our commercial world, our material world, that if you believe that you will be wealthy, you'll receive the blessing of wealth. Belief and wealth are connected together. 

People also believe that when you pray, or anoint someone with oil, your faith in that anointing will bring healing. But when you look closely at the Bible, the Bible is about faith in Christ Jesus. When you are in that walk of faith with Christ Jesus, it opens you to the possibilities, that God is going to act in surprising ways. God is going to act in ways that he knows but that we don't know. He's the act, that his will is done on Earth. But as we pray, we are open to new possibilities we never before imagined. I remember early in my ministry, when I was just out of ministry training school at Calvin seminary, I was in my first internship, and the pastor left for another call. I was in my early 20s. I was pastoring a very large church. I remember driving to the hospital and Herman Shar and Skipman a week apart, both had advanced cancer, and they were going to operate to do their best I remember asking the Lord, you know, please heal them. I'm doing ministry, Lord, heal Herman Shar. I will always pray and be open to the possibilities that prayer matters. both of them were opened up in both of them were found healed. After, we prayed and had a ceremony of prayer. It was so amazing. 

But shortly after that, Wilma, who also had advanced cancer was not healed. I remember prayerfully, searching the Scriptures. I began to realize that my faith is a relationship a walk. By faith, we are open to possibilities never before imagined. This passage is amazing to me, I do believe it helped me overcome my unbelief. That whole journey is the journey that everyone has. Eventually, we all will die unless Christ comes back in our lifetime. What we are really open to the possibility is that, like the Apostle Paul has said, for me to live is Christ and to die is gain and I am going to be part of that possibility. I am going to be part of the healing ministry of Christ Jesus to my very last breath because Christ Jesus is everything. I do believe help me overcome my unbelief. In 1 Peter to verse 24, He Himself bore our sin in his body on a tree that we might die to sin and live for righteousness, by his wounds, you have been healed. 

All healing comes through Jesus Christ, our Lord. All healing comes through the restored relationship, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Our wounds are infirmities, we are open to the possibility or life with God in our prayers do matter. People do ask the question, does God always answer with physical healing? The honest answer is no. Sometimes the answer is, wait. Sometimes the answer is, yes. I have seen all three. But it's always the expression of faith-filled prayers that matter, as we pray over someone, and even anoint them with oil. I wanted to illustrate an example of a ‘wait’ or a ‘no’ and just so that is clear that they in the Bible. 2 Timothy 4:20, Erastus stayed in Corinth. I left Trophimus sick in Miletus. Trophimus sick in Miletus. Here's an example of the Apostle Paul, who it says in the book of Acts, that handkerchief for brought to sick people, and they were made well. Now it wasn't the handkerchief that changed, it is the open possibilities of Jesus Christ, the gospel ministry, everything that we're about, we open the possibilities for miracles, for things that cannot be explained, by our science or our world, you know, people feel like, you know, we, as ministers, we just kind of help people get connected to God for their eventual salvation. 

We do that. But I believe we are ministers of possibilities. We don't have to claim that all the possibilities are ‘Yes.’ Nor do we have to be, go through actions and just sort of feel like the possibilities are ‘no,’ but it's good for our soul. We are ministers in possibilities. There are times when, even though we are ministers of possibilities, God has another possibility for somebody like Trophimus. I don't know what God has in store for him by leaving him sick unnoticed. But at no point did Paul say to himself, I don't have enough faith right now, I guess I'm just going to leave him sick in Miletus. We are about health. we see that the early church. Here's another example. 1 Timothy 5:23, Paul says to Timothy, stop drinking only water, use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illness. Now, this can be translated into Greek is stop drinking water only, include a little wine in your water. The reason he was saying that it was back then water was very bad to drink and a little wine would kill the germs in the water. Not a lot of wine! Don't make yourself drunk. But in the end, God wants you to drink pure water. We're not going to create a world where all we do is get healed from environmental circumstances. 

I drink bad water, Lord, heal me because I prayed over it. No, God honors the laws of creation; that is fact, even in the medical community. It's a beautiful thing. His anointing then in the Bible? Yes. Here's one, Mark 6:13, they drove out many demons, and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them. To me, that is a beautiful example of both. If someone needs prayer over their spiritual warfare, to anoint them would be very appropriate: anointing many sick with oil and healing them. Now is it that every one of them will be healed? That's up to the Lord. That's up to being open to the possibilities. We do not want to throw conditional things that faith is not asked to do. While all healing comes in concert with our faith, faith opens us to the possibilities. We obediently anoint people, for healing. James 5:14, is any one of these sick, he should call the elders of the church and pray over him and anoint him with oil, in the name of the Lord. By his stripes, we are healed. We are open to the possibilities of healing. We have noticed that the Lord has a plan. We are eager to see that plan. 

Before I mentioned that, Christians don't go over against the medical community. I have anointed people in hospitals, and people have received the news, they have cancer, and then we anoint them with oil and commit their entire cancer treatments to the healing of the Lord. We see that in Luke 10:34, he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine, then he put them in his own donkey took him to an end and took care of him. Again, they would use wine to make sure the infections would not set in. You see, medical treatment is in the Bible, Jesus used mud. Mud was considered something of a healing, additional purpose in following through. But again, it's having the openness to the possibility of the healing and knowing that healing comes from the Lord. When you actually dare to anoint someone boldly with oil for healing or anoint them for healing that the treatment of the doctors is going to do. That's a powerful faith statement. The other statement is on the football field, I don't want to dare to believe I don't want to dare to dream, I don't want to take my problem. 

Bring it to the Lord and I don't want to dare because if it doesn't happen the way I want it, somehow it reflects poorly on my face or on the face of the person that I've anointed in, in so many times the egos getting involved in this when we're expecting too much of ourselves. This is the work of God. When we anoint someone for healing, God has healing in mind. It's the feeling of for me to live is Christ and to die is gain. It's the healing of take up your bed and walk healing, that's possible. It's go, get medical treatment. We ask the Lord to be with you and change you while you're waiting and be with the doctors when they perform the procedures. It's wait. That healing will come is I have another piece of the onion to pull way before that healing is going to be there. I've seen that too, where we'll pray for a psychological healing or healing of a past wound or a feeling of hurt. I'm like Lord, to bring healing and bring in how we've anointed this person with oil to this hurt the damage on emotion. 

‘Please bring healing’ and the healing doesn't come right away but then being open to the possibility. Curious as to what God is going to do. The Lord's shows up. Because to me, it's a really mystery. I have learned, I'm not getting the credit. I'm not going to claim on some faith healer or something like that. I remember back to that story I told you earlier with Herm and Shar and Wilma. After two healings in a row, I thought I had the gift of healing. I was sort of like, hey, I, you know, in no doubt that God healed. but Wilma was taken to be with the Lord, that made me realize that I may be an agent of healing, but God is the healer. I am the bringer of the possibility in faith. I'm the one who shares that faith experience that the person who needs healing to also be uplifted. Lord help me in my unbelief. I'm the one that can be a tool to help someone in their unbelief. Through that prayer, God can bring healing. To me this, the whole thing is amazing. 

I'm going to pivot now. One anointing ceremony can be for healing. Another, I believe, is for other things. We see that in the Bible. I'll give you another example. The anointing for ministry, for launching in ministry, about Jesus Christ and said in Hebrews 1:9, you have loved righteousness and hated wickedness. Therefore, God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy. In Hebrews 12:2, for the joy set before him, he endured the cross, scorning its shame and said, the right hand of the throne of God. ‘For the joy set before him,’ the oil of joy. That's what ministry is about. To be a licensed, ordained minister, is to be part of the work of the joy set before you and the sacrifice and the commitment and hearing ‘well done good and faithful servant.’ I believe it's very appropriate to anoint someone with oil, at their licensing, or ordination ceremony. Now, I know that in this world, that things happen in life, I know there's different sensitivities. But I love the practice of anointing people for ministry. You have loved righteousness, and he witness. Hebrews 1:9, Therefore God your God has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy. 

But there are other passages. Back in the Old Testament, the word anointing for being ordained to ministry, this would have been priesthood, which is their form of ministry, ministers in the Old Testament, Exodus 28:41, after you put these clothes on your brother Aaron, and his sons, anoint, and ordain them, consecrate them, so they may serve me as priests. In Acts, I didn't see oil here, but I can picture that oil may have been used there. I just want to talk about this a second. I read the passage only common in the book of Acts. While they were worshipping the Lord and fasting the Holy Spirit said set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them after they had fasted and prayed they placed their hands on them and sent them off. Over the years, when I have laid my hands to pray for someone for healing, or ordination I have thought of this as pretty much the same ceremony. If I had oil with me, I would use the oil. If I didn't, I just left the oil on my hands and then for oil be there I always believed that that laying on of hands. We see that practice for ordination for Timothy laying of hands for now Barnabas and Saul. 

But then seeing the Old Testament, you know, anointing with oil; ordaining by anointing with oil; prayer, anointed with oil. As I become more and more connected over the years with Christian Leaders Institute throughout the world, I am clearly taking those anointings seriously, though in my mind I consider them the same thing. I believe having that little oil flask, which would have that little oil jar with you, is worthwhile. Whether it's healing or whether anointing for ministry, it is especially meaningful seeing that Jesus was anointed with the oil of joy. I see the oil of healing and the oil of joy is, to me, pretty incredible. Now, let's talk about the ceremony itself. What would an anointing with oil ceremony look like? You need oil. I just love that having like a little jar of oil with you, you have that. They also believe, so you start the actual oil anointing ceremony with reading Scriptures related to the occasion. Now it may be part of a bigger ceremony where there's some hymns and songs or even a little message. Read some Scripture, and pray, then pour oil on your fingers and dab the oil on the forehead, or you can pour oil right on their head and say something like this: Susan, John, I anoint you in the name of the Father and Son, the Holy Spirit, for, and mention what the occasion is, or the ordination is all about. Iit's very powerful. Again, you can make the prayer longer. 

The issue is not to get caught up in what exactly what I'm saying here, but to just see that there's a simple ceremony. As a simple ceremony, you are bringing the possibility of incredible things. I believe that even when Jesus after He was baptized, it was kind of interesting. He was anointed, I believe, in this case, with the Holy Spirit through a dove, resting on his head. Again, all of these things, bring in a possibility and through our obedience, we also are making a story a visualization for people to see. It's just so much in the mind, but it's there's also an action in the mind that is through physical action. It is through seeing that the promises of God are real, and the possibilities that God brings are real, that faith matters in hope, and love, and a walk with God and help me in my unbelief, and see the miracles, or see the faithfulness, seeing the will of God unfold before us. Anointing ceremonies are beautiful ceremonies. As you learn these officiating ministry skills and these ways to minister to people, may God bless you. 

As you are ministering to others, through faith, through the stripes of Jesus, through the power of the Holy Spirit, through the humility knowing that these things are not of yourselves, you see that God is with us. God is with you. God is at work in this world, and you are bringer of the redemption and the gospel and ceremonies matter. They matter a lot, not because of the rituals, but because they are those very specific habits and behaviors that open the possibility for amazing things happening in this world.