Musings On Worship Part 4: Anointed Worship

Musings On Worship Part 4: Anointed Worship

To read all the posts in this series (musings on worship), please click on the links below;

1. Has "Modern Worship"  Become Corrupt?

2. Musings On Worship Part 1: What Is It All About?

3. Musings On Worship Part 2: Resilience

4. Musings On Worship Part 3: Worship and Excellence

Well, let's go on...

Definition and examples
1. With regard to service to God, GotQuestions.org (a question and answer site on Christian apologetics) defines anointing as a ceremonial Old Testament physical act involving the smearing, rubbing, or pouring of sacred oil on someone’s head (or on an object) as an outward symbol that God had chosen and set apart the person (or object) for a specific holy purpose. We can see King David as an example of this (1 Samuel 16:13).

2. Jesus as the Messiah, is as well anointed with the Holy Spirit who comes upon Him in form of a dove during John's baptism (Mark 1:10). His name "Messiah" actually means "The Anointed One" implying the One ordained by God to do the work of saving mankind from their sins and destruction. Jesus as well says this of Himself: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." (Luke 4:18-19). Please note that not at any time in Jesus' ministry is "sacred" oil poured on His head to appoint Him as God's chosen servant, but He is appointed anyway.

3. In Acts 2:1-4, by the coming and baptism of the Holy Spirit, the Early Church in one way, is as well anointed on the Day of Pentecost to do the works of service that would later be revealed in the entire book. In such a way, we deduce that every Christian receiving baptism by the Holy Spirit is anointed for works of service and is therefore "an anointed one" in their capacity and the grace given them within the Kingdom. This can happen whether physical "sacred" oil is poured out on one's head or not. God's appointment is spiritual, but men in their schemes, think physical oil counts for something. It doesn't.

Premise:
We can therefore describe anointing as a special grace given to each individual by the Holy Spirit to accomplish a specific task proportional to their yielding to the promptings of the same Spirit for God's glory and the Church's edification. Any singer, musician or worshiper under the influence of the Holy Spirit is anointed, thus the gift (the act of worship) and the one offering it (the worshiper) are both anointed.

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In Christian service, the anointing serves - but is not limited to - three objectives;

1. Bringing liberation through God's manifestation of power and wisdom through one's gift.
2. Revealing God's glory in a given situation.
3. Bringing God's people back to rememberance that He is still at work amongst them (an intense revelation of God's Shekinah glory).

Verdict
We now realize we have all been commissioned in our different capacities to serve God under the enablement of the Holy Spirit wherever we are.

As worshipers, and for our worship to be from God and for God, we need to consider three things:

1. The Holy Spirit
(a) He influences the flow and active working of Truth (the Word of God) during ministration.
(b) He directs the flow and use of power in a ministration so that the music or act of worship goes beyond just being a dry and meaningless performance.
(c) He brings perspective to both the worshiper and the one being led so that they both understand which language He wants them to speak and hear during ministration.

2. A Good Rehearsal
(a) In most cases - unless the Holy Spirit redefines the terms of engagement - a prepared work of art is way more effective than a spontaneous one. Most charismatic musicians think that preparation is for ministers not filled with the Holy Spirit, but after serving for a while, I've realized that Spirit-led rehearsals lead to Spirit-filled ministrations.
(b) Although the Holy Spirit as well works in spontaneity, He has proven Himself over time as a Spirit of order and good planning.
(c) If, by the Holy Spirit, servants in the Old Temple served under preparation, how much more for us sharing in the new order of worship?
(d) Preparedness both in prayer and music ensures that there is excellence, and that all skill and precision are used for God's glory.
(e) Preparedness means bringing God sacrifices that deserve His name and not disorderly crippled ones.
(f) A good rehearsal ensures that the music agrees. It ensures that the singer and those behind the music are all on the same page to produce something in unison to the King of kings and Lord of lords.

3. Clarity
(a) When the Holy Spirit is present, both the worshiper and the one being led find clarity. In His wisdom, the Holy Spirit reveals to the worshiper the meaning and importance of their service, the timeframe within which the work of art is to be performed, the audience being led and the laws governing their ministration.
(b) A clear mind respects order and authority
(c) A clear mind has self control so that the one serving isn't reduced to a selfish egotist.
(d) Clarity of purpose and mind brings in the balance between the working of the Holy Spirit and sensitivity to the occasion at hand so that there is no confusion.

That is how the anointing works.

Quote: The Holy Spirit and lack of excellence don't dine on the same table.

Morris 2.0