Monday, 2 December 2013

THREE MAJOR OFFICES IN THE OLD TESTAMENT

Anointing of the Holy Spirit stands for empowerment

The three people anointed by God in the Old Testament are:
1. THE KING
A king stands for a political leader. One of the things that Christianity puts in you is the sense of patriotism. You should have respect for political leaders.

Even if a political leader knows what he is doing or not, he is anointed servant of God. Politicians are also servants of God because there is no power but of God.
Romans 13:1 says: Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.(KJV)

What is a political leader suppose to do?
First, a political leader should reward the right thing. Power is given for the dispensation of justice.

Romans 13:4 says: For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to [execute] wrath upon him that doeth evil.(KJV)

There is a reason for the sword in the bible. There is death penalty in the bible.





2. THE SECOND PERSON ANOINTED BY GOD IS THE PRIEST
One of the most important things that the priest put on is the ephod. There are 12 stones on the ephod which represents the whole nation of Israel. He carries these stones on his chaste because he carries a burden of the people. Burden is carried on the chaste. A priest is a person who represents the people before God. Jesus offered blood for us for our cleansing. That is one of the highest priestly ministry of Jesus.

3. THE THIRD PERSON ANOINTED BY GOD IS THE PROPHET
Who is a prophet? He is the mouth piece of God. Anybody that is the mouth piece of God before you is a prophet.

Acts 10:38 says: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.(NKJV)

Mark 6:1-3 says: Then He went out from there and came to His own country, and His disciples followed Him. And when the Sabbath had come, He began to teach in the synagogue. And many hearing Him were astonished, saying, "Where did this Man get these things? And what wisdom is this which is given to Him, that such mighty works are performed by His hands! Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?" So they were offended at Him.(NKJV)

Mark 6:4-5 says: But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house." Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them.(NKJV)

Jesus did not have the capacity to do much work in His own country because his people had the wrong perception of him. The perception you have of your prophet determines what you get from him. Judas betrayed Jesus because of the perception he had of him.

3 Things You Can Do To A Servant Of God.
The right thing is to receive him as a servant of God. Another thing you could do is to despise him or reject him. Your perception of the prophet of God determines your harvest.

Galatians 4:14 says: And my trial which was in my flesh you did not despise or reject, but you received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus.(NKJV)

Here, they received Apostle Paul as an angel. That is the highest level of recognition. They did not see anything bad in him. They saw the problems or illness that deformed him but they still honoured and respected him.

3 DIFFERENT LEVELS AT WHICH PEOPLE SHOW HONOUR
The level at which you show honour determines the level of your harvest.
1. The first level is when you show honour after a man of God has been a blessing to you.
2. Second, when you understand what a man of God is even without seeing him. This type of honour comes by revelation
3. Honouring a servant of God in the middle of his trial. When you hear for example that a pastor has committed fornication somewhere, do you go about criticizing him?
Remember he is a man of God. You don’t limit yourself by accessing first humanity in him. You should see divinity first before humanity. The best of men are still men at their very best. If somebody is a representative of God, there is a level you place him. To genuinely reach men, you must be free from all men.

Apostle Paul said in Galatians 4:15 What then was the blessing you enjoyed? For I bear you witness that, if possible, you would have plucked out your own eyes and given them to me.(NKJV)

This is the level of their commitment. The perception you have of your prophet determines your reward from him.

WHAT DOES A PROPHET STAND FOR?
1. A PROPHET IS AN AGENT OF DELIVERANCE AND PRESERVATION.
A man of God is also a Christian but what differentiate him from other Christians is the anointing upon which is given for an office or service. The first miracle that Jesus performed was in a wedding at Canaan. He did this when the Holy Spirit came upon him. He was as much the son of God at age 30 as he was at age 3, while didn’t he perform the anointing then? This is because there is difference between anointing upon and anointing within.
The biggest enemy of revelation is tradition and the biggest enemy of anointing is familiarity. Jesus could not do much in his country because his people were familiar to him.

A prophet is a tool that god uses to cause deliverance

Isaiah 63:11-12 says: Then he remembered the days of old, Moses and his people, saying: "Where is He who brought them up out of the sea With the shepherd of His flock? Where is He who put His Holy Spirit within them, Who led them by the right hand of Moses, With His glorious arm, Dividing the water before them To make for Himself an everlasting name,(NKJV)

2. A PROPHET IS AN AGENT OF REWARD
 God is not preparing anything for us. He is preparing us to what he has for us. It will cost Him nothing to turn your situation around; the Bible said the earth is the Lord’s and its fullness thereof. But will you remain the same when he gives u that.

2 Kings 4:8-17 says: Now it happened one day that Elisha went to Shunem, where there was a notable woman, and she persuaded him to eat some food. So it was, as often as he passed by, he would turn in there to eat some food. And she said to her husband, "Look now, I know that this is a holy man of God, who passes by us regularly. Please, let us make a small upper room on the wall; and let us put a bed for him there, and a table and a chair and a lampstand; so it will be, whenever he comes to us, he can turn in there." And it happened one day that he came there, and he turned in to the upper room and lay down there. Then he said to Gehazi his servant, "Call this Shunammite woman." When he had called her, she stood before him. And he said to him, "Say now to her, 'Look, you have been concerned for us with all this care. What can I do for you? Do you want me to speak on your behalf to the king or to the commander of the army?"' She answered, "I dwell among my own people." So he said, "What then is to be done for her?" And Gehazi answered, "Actually, she has no son, and her husband is old." So he said, "Call her." When he had called her, she stood in the doorway. Then he said, "About this time next year you shall embrace a son." And she said, "No, my lord. Man of God, do not lie to your maidservant!" But the woman conceived, and bore a son when the appointed time had come, of which Elisha had told her.(NKJV)

You do not have a need as long as you have a seed.

3. A PROPHET IS AN AGENT OF PROGRESS

Ezra 5:1-2 says: Then the prophet Haggai and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophets, prophesied to the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem, in the name of the God of Israel, who was over them. So Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak rose up and began to build the house of God which is in Jerusalem; and the prophets of God were with them, helping them.(NKJV)

Ezra 6:14 says: So the elders of the Jews built, and they prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. And they built and finished it, according to the commandment of the God of Israel, and according to the command of Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia.(NKJV)

Syrians attempted to invade Jerusalem. They blocked the water supply and there was no water for cultivation and the animals in Jerusalem were dying. The level of famine was so high that even women were eating their children. There were four leprous men who were there and they said if they stay there, they will die and they decided to go to the land of Syria and as they got there, everywhere was deserted and they found lots of things to ate. They went to tell the king and the king thought the Syrians ran away.  Elisha made a declaration and prophesied over the nation of Israel. The bible said that after the prophet of God has made a declaration, four men were matching to Serial and as they were going God energized their footsteps and they sounded like a battalion.  

2 Kings 7:1-2 says: Then Elisha said, "Hear the word of the LORD. Thus says the LORD: 'Tomorrow about this time a seah of fine flour shall be sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley for a shekel, at the gate of Samaria."' So an officer on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God and said, "Look, if the LORD would make windows in heaven, could this thing be?" And he said, "In fact, you shall see it with your eyes, but you shall not eat of it."(NKJV)

2 Kings 7:16-17 says: Then the people went out and plundered the tents of the Syrians. So a seah of fine flour was sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley for a shekel, according to the word of the LORD. Now the king had appointed the officer on whose hand he leaned to have charge of the gate. But the people trampled him in the gate, and he died, just as the man of God had said, who spoke when the king came down to him.(NKJV)

4. A PROPHET IS AN AGENT OF PROSPERITY.

5. A PROPHET IS A CUSTODIAN OF DIVINE SECRECY

Amos 3:7 says: Surely the Lord GOD does nothing, Unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets.(NKJV)

By teaching and guiding you, they commit God’s principles to your hand.