Leadership
Appointed or Anointed?
By Rick L King
10/02/2002
Many years ago I worked for a major computer company. My job was on a production line where we built computer perephials. The production line was long and had as many as 18 different positions on it. For the sake of simplicity in this example we will say that there are only five positions.
Before any person was allowed to work the production line, they had to go through off line training. In other words, they were trained to do a specific task on the production line. They had to learn what they were to do and get to the place that they could quickly with knowledge do the task. They then were assigned a position on a particular production line. Once all were at their assigned station and each was doing the job that they were trained to do, all went smoothly. The production produced a great quantity of quality products.
Here was the dilemma that we faced at times. Let’s just say management unknowledgable of some things decided that they wanted a friend or buddy to work a station on the line. They pulled the trained operator from let’s say station number two and put in their buddy. What happened to the quality and quantity? It disappeared of course. The operators that had been accustomed to producing many products with few errors all the sudden got to fix the new operators mistakes. Many became frustrated and unhappy with the current situation. The operator that had been assigned previously and was well trained and good at the job was out of a job. He was frustrated and discontent as he didn’t know what to do with him self. So where there was once harmony and a flow that was very productive, there now was discontent and little productivity.
I want to show this story as compared to the ministry.
Each of us enjoys doing certain things. Sometimes we know someone that decides that they want their buddy in the ministry in the church. They have a neat personality maybe and they seem to be well liked and accepted. And maybe they just graduated from seminary. They are given a position of leadership based on those criteria. I would say these people have been appointed to do a ministry.
On the other side who does the calling of ministers? Is it man or God? When God calls a person into ministry He trains them by the Holy Spirit, and He empowers them to do a particular task for the kingdom. God’s ministers are anointed by the Holy Spirit to do and speak what God wants done in His church. They have learned to be a servant as the Word says he that will be chiefest among you will be a servant to all (Mark 10:44 KJV). When God raises up a person they know how to serve, so when they minister it is based in God’s heart and love. It produces much good fruit, as it is the Holy Spirit through the person. The person has learned to just be obedient to what the Holy Spirit says to do or say. Can you picture a church where every leader has this fruit? A church where each has been chosen by the Lord to be there and each has a particular anointing to accomplish what God wants to do. Because of the anointing each is accepted and respected by the other ministries so little conflict arises between the leadership among them selves. The church is blessed since they are not only receiving what the Lord has to say, but because the words are anointed and led of the Holy Spirit, then lives are changed in the congregation. The church most likely is growing or is accomplishing what God wants them to accomplish.
Remember I said earlier about the appointed person? Well, let ‘s put in an appointed minister straight out of seminary. This person was placed in this group of ministers for many different reasons. Maybe there was no prayer or seeking the Lord as to His choice. So what happens? Just like the production line story, production falls off. The anointed ministers are forced to do the other guys work too since he can’t do it well himself. They are forced to go into areas that they are not anointed to go into. Without the anointing they no longer are fulfilled and become unhappy and discontent. The church body no longer gets the quality words from the Lord because the ministers are no longer in unity and the prayer and study times and the quality time they once had to hear from the Lord are gone. The ministry is on a roll downhill. All of this happens when a person that is not called or anointed becomes appointed. Not only is the team miserable and fruitless; the one that God has chosen to fill the position is over in the corner unable to do what he is called by the Lord to do. The church body loses as God anointed this person for a reason. He was to be a blessing to the body because of why the Lord chose him.
Scripture says that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump (Galatians 5:9 KJV).
Can we see this in churches today? I believe that it is time for people that are not anointed by the Holy Spirit to step aside and allow the people that God chooses to come in and occupy the places that they are supposed to be. The church has been unproductive ever since man decided to run it his way. Flesh or the carnal man does not understand nor have the ability to run God’s church. It is time for leadership to get into the spirit and find out what and who God wants to be in leadership. I firmly believe that God will remove the ones that are not to be where they are. If a person is a pastor yet he is called and anointed to be the gardener, then he needs to get in the garden and be obedient to the Lord. All the frustration will leave, as he will find peace and happiness and productivity as a gardener.
What would have happened if the disciples skipped the upper room experience that is told to us in Acts? They were patient and sought the Lord. They did not go out into ministry until they were empowered to do so. They were led, anointed and prepared to do what the Holy Spirit required of them when they went. Had they skipped this experience, do you think the recorded miracles would have taken place? It is commendable that people want to serve the Lord. Yet, in our flesh dwelleth no good thing ( Romans 7:18 KJV). We do not know how to serve God in the flesh. Our works mean little. Jesus said in Mathew 7:22, 23 that even though in their eyes they had done many works and even cast out devils that He did not know them. Jesus called what they had done iniquity. The only way we please the Lord is find out what he wants us to do, and wait till he empowers us to do it and opens a door so that we can. We may be impressing man by what we consider our ministry, but we may have to stand before Jesus and find Him saying to us, “I never knew you”. To me that would be a tough thing to handle. Whose ministry is it anyway? It is not ours, it is supposed to be the Lord’s anointed and led by the Holy Spirit. Since when did man get so smart that he knew how to be God and run the show? All I personally see are a lot of dead churches playing religion that have no power. People are hurting everywhere and disillusioned. They want truth and God’s power, yet they go to church and find more love in a tavern. Will we ever wake up and quit trying to help God out? Will we ever do like the disciples and go to the upper room and wait on the Lord to fill us with power and send us where he chooses?
I realize that to some this is a very harsh word, but look at the ones that are dying and hurting because they can’t find a place to help them. Is this what God has in mind for us? To the churches that are anointed and flowing in the spirit I say a big thank you. There are many that are flowing in what God wants. Unfortunately, there are many that are not also. God being God will raise up His church one way or another. His people have cried out a long time. Some so called ministries I think will be in dismay as all the sudden they have no congregations to minister too. I see God removing men and women that He has not chosen or called to do what they do. God will prevail. His word is true; He will back it up with power through you or someone else. The choice becomes ours. It is time for the people to occupy their places in God’s army. An anointed body going forward will not be stopped by man or the devil. The church shall win. Why? Jesus can not lose! He was never defeated and He never will be!
Have you been appointed or anointed? It is time to find out. Personally I would rather be in the presence of an anointed bum ) a person according to the worlds standards), than an appointed celebrity that has made millions. Money can’t purchase salvation, healing, deliverance, peace, joy, love or eternal life. Isn’t it time to please Jesus instead of our selves? We need to be anointed, then appointed.
Copyright © 2007
By: Rick L. King
No portion of this may be reproduced or used without written permission from the author.
Please contact me at [email protected] if you have a need for this writing. Thank You.
PLEASE ENCOURAGE AUTHOR BELOW LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE
Reader Count & Comments
Date
The opinions expressed by authors do not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com. This is especially true with articles that
deal with personal healthcare and prophecy. We encourage the reader to make their own decision in consultation with God, His Word, and others as needed.
This article has been read 2998 times < Previous | Next >
Read more articles by Rick King or search for other articles by topic below.
This article has been read 2998 times < Previous | Next >
Search for articles on: (e.g. creation; holiness etc.)
Read more by clicking on a link:Free Reprints
Main Site Articles
Most Read Articles
Highly Acclaimed Challenge Articles.
New Release Christian Books for Free for a Simple Review.
NEW - Surprise Me With an Article - Click here for a random URL
God is Not Against You - He Came on an All Out Rescue Mission to Save You
...in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them... 2 Cor 5:19
Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Acts 13:38
LEARN & TRUST JESUS HERE
FaithWriters offers Christian reading material for Christian readers. We offer Christian articles, Christian fiction, Christian non-fiction, Christian Bible studies, Christian poems, Christian articles for sale, free use Christian articles, Christian living articles, New Covenant Christian Bible Studies, Christian magazine articles and new Christian articles. We write for Jesus about God, the Bible, salvation, prayer and the word of God.