Dead Formalism or a Fresh Anointing?

ECCLESIASTES 10:1.

1 Dead flies cause the OINTMENT of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savour....

Notice the word "ointment." That comes from a Latin word meaning to anoint. The margin of my King James Bible has a footnote by the words "dead flies." It says, "Flies of death."

Before we were born again, we were in spiritual death - that is, we were separated from G.o.d. But after we were born again, we were delivered out of spiritual death and translated into the Kingdom of G.o.d's dear Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. We shouldn't allow back into the church the cold, dead formalism that was in the church when we were still in spiritual death - when we were dead in our sins and trespa.s.ses before we were born again.

That's where the problem lies in the church today!

There's too much dead formalism in the church, and it produces a stinking ointment instead of a fresh anointing. Dead formalism is robbing the church of the anointing! No, we need to look to the New Testament to find G.o.d's pattern for everything we do so we won't be a "stinking ointment"! If we follow G.o.d's pattern for being continually filled with the Holy Spirit, a fresh anointing will abide upon us and we'll be full reservoirs to G.o.d's glory!

If you're filled with the Spirit and you maintain that fresh anointing, there will be a song in your heart! Not "dead flies" - not a stinking savor - but a song! A fresh anointing, not a stinking ointment! If there's a song in your heart, it'll show up on the outside. It'll show up on your face. You won't have to notify your face if you're happy; it'll just show up on your countenance!

Continue to stay filled with the Spirit! Speak to yourself in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Stay in G.o.d's Presence long enough so there is a continual flow from your heart to the Lord! If you're filled with a fresh anointing of the Holy Spirit, thanksgiving and a singing heart will be a lifestyle with you and you'll have a submissive and teachable spirit. You'll have a fresh anointing on your life from G.o.d, not a stinking ointment!

Smith Wigglesworth once said, "I'd rather have a church full of people who didn't have the baptism of the Holy Spirit and all of them hungry for G.o.d, than to have a church full of people that had received the baptism of the Holy Spirit and had lost their hunger for the things of G.o.d." People with no hunger for G.o.d remind me of that verse in Ecclesiastes 10:1: "Dead flies in the apothecary send forth a stinking savour." Spiritually speaking, a person can stink.

Every single one of us needs a fresh anointing! Stay in G.o.d's Presence until you are anointed from on High. Speak to yourself in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs; sing and make melody unto the Lord! Declare, "I shall be anointed with fresh oil! Thank You, Lord, for the fresh anointing! I receive it now!"

Chapter 10 A Fresh Anointing Is Recognizable You see, spiritual health is just as obvious as physical health. You know when people aren't feeling well, don't you? It shows up in the way they look and act. Did you know that spiritual health is the same way? It is just as obvious whether or not someone is in good spiritual health; it's recognizable. It's recognizable when someone is so filled up with the Spirit that they radiate the glow of the Holy Spirit.It must be recognizable because we read in Romans 12:11 where the Bible said, "Be fervent in spirit," or "Maintain the glow." If it wasn't recognizable, you wouldn't know whether you were maintaining the glow or not. Also, when the Bible said, "Be filled with the Spirit." If it's not recognizable, you wouldn't know whether a person was filled with the Spirit or not.I remember years ago I read a message by one of the pioneers of the Pentecostal movement, and he made mention of the fact that some years before he had been the pastor of a church. He had asked a missionary who was returning to the U.S. to speak in his church.In those days people traveled primarily by train. This pastor went to the train station to meet the returning missionary. As soon as the missionary saw the pastor, he discerned right away that spiritually something was wrong with the pastor. One of the first things he asked the pastor was, "What's the matter?"The pastor replied, "Nothing's wrong.""Yes, there is," the missionary said. "Something is the matter. You're not where you ought to be spiritually; 97 you're not up to par.""Nothing's wrong," the pastor insisted.The pastor later related, "I drove the missionary back to the parsonage, and by the time we got there, G.o.d had begun to deal with me that I had not been truthful with him. So later that evening I went to his room to tell him the truth. I knocked on his bedroom door, and he invited me to come into the room. I said, 'You said to me earlier that I'm not where I should be spiritually. You said that something was the matter with my spiritual health. I said there wasn't anything wrong with me spiritually, but I've repented for saying that because there is. I must tell you the truth.' "The pastor lived and pastored his church in quite a large city. He said to the missionary, "For a number of years, in fact, when you left our city last, my church was the only Full Gospel or Pentecostal church in this city. But since then another man moved to this city (he wouldn't even call him 'brother') and started a church across town. He came in on my territory to start a church!"Surprised, the missionary said to the pastor, "But there are several hundred thousand people in this city!"The pastor replied, "Actually there's even more than that now because the city has grown since you were here last. I imagine now there are about one million people or so in the metropolitan area of this city."The missionary looked at the pastor, and somewhat taken aback, said, "Do you mean to tell me that you've been upset because someone else came and started another church in this city! You ought to be glad! Do you mean to tell me that you actually lost out with G.o.d and lost the glow in your spiritual life because you had something against another minister? You ought to be glad G.o.d sent another minister to this city! You ought to pray that other ministers would come and start churches in this city!"This pastor had lost out with G.o.d because he let a little something get into his heart against another person. It showed up in his countenance; in his spirit. It was recognizable. This pastor's spiritual "health" and well-being was almost the first thing the missionary noticed when he saw him; the missionary saw immediately that the pastor wasn't where he ought to be spiritually.The pastor later related, "I knew what the missionary said was right. So before our church even started the first service with that missionary, I got in my car and went across town and apologized to this other pastor. I said to him, 'Come and fellowship with us. Let's start another church here in this city.' "Once he made it right with this other pastor, they both began to maintain the glow! And the blessings of G.o.d fell upon them mightily.Spiritual health is discernible. That missionary discerned right away that spiritually there was something wrong with that pastor. First of all, he didn't have that glow or that fervency of Spirit the Bible talks about. A Christian can't maintain the glow of the Spirit if he's holding a grudge against another person.Because this pastor had something in his heart against someone else he was no longer a full reservoir. Remember Jeremiah 2:13: Broken cisterns can hold no water. Unforgiveness and holding grudges will cause the vessel to break and leak! This pastor had become an empty cistern because he had something in his heart against another man of G.o.d so there was no way he could maintain the glow or be fervent in Spirit! His heart wasn't right with G.o.d. Spiritual health is discernible!Filled and Running Over Being filled with the Spirit is recognizable! When you are filled with the Spirit, your cup is filled and running over!PSALM 23:1-6.1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou ANOINTEST my head with OIL; my cup RUNNETH OVER.6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.Many of the Psalms are prophetic and many of them are Messianic, that is, they are really prophesying about the coming Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. For example, if you'll read Psalm 22, you'll see that psalm is actually a picture of the crucifixion of Jesus. Notice Psalm 22:1 says: "My G.o.d, my G.o.d why hast thou forsaken me?...." That's exactly what Jesus cried out on the Cross (Matt. 27:46). Psalm 22 was fulfilled when Jesus died and rose from the dead.We are now living in Psalm 23. Jesus is the Good Shepherd. Jesus Himself declared, "I am the Good Shepherd" (John 10:11). Notice Psalm 23 didn't say, "The Lord is my Shepherd; I am full of want"! It said, "The Lord is my shepherd; I SHALL NOT WANT."Psalm 23 gives us a picture of G.o.d's anointed ones being anointed with fresh oil. Remember that Psalm 23 belongs to us. If it doesn't, let's just quit quoting it and leave it alone. If Psalm 23 doesn't belong to us, we might just as well tear that page out of the Bible and quit reading it. Too many people quote this psalm as just a beautiful something to recite. But, no, there's more to it than that.We're living in Psalm 23 right now because the Lord is our Shepherd now; He's our present-tense Shepherd. He anoints our heads with oil. Our cup runneth over. Is your cup only half full? If it is, get a fresh anointing so your cup will run over! "He anoints my head with oil and my cup is running over!"When you're filled with the Spirit and your cup is running over, you've got a bold, overflowing testimony. "My cup runneth over!"Holy Ghost Boldness Is Recognizable The disciples had boldness in their lives because they were so filled with the Spirit that their "cups were running over." In chapter 4, the disciples were taken into question because the lame man at the Gate Beautiful was healed. We've looked at these scriptures before to see the biblical pattern of numerous refillings of the Holy Spirit, but let's look at them again to see the boldness of the disciples.ACTS 4:1-13.1 And as they spake unto the people, the priests, and the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees, came upon them, 2 Being grieved that they taught the people, and preached through Jesus the resurrection from the dead.3 And they laid hands on them, and put them in hold unto the next day: for it was now eventide.4 Howbeit many of them which heard the word believed; and the number of the men was about five thousand.5 And it came to pa.s.s on the morrow, that their rulers, and elders, and scribes, 6 And Annas the high priest, and Caiaphas, and John, and Alexander, and as many as were of the kindred of the high priest, were gathered together at Jerusalem.7 And when they had set them in the midst, they asked, By what power, or by what name, have ye done this?8 Then Peter, FILLED WITH THE HOLY GHOST, said unto them, Ye rulers of the people, and elders of Israel, 9 If we this day be examined of the good deed done to the impotent man, by what means he is made whole; 10 Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom G.o.d raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.11 This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders which is become the head of the corner.12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.13 Now when they saw the BOLDNESS of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.The disciples demonstrated boldness because they were filled with the Spirit of G.o.d. The Word of G.o.d tells us very plainly that Peter and John were ignorant and unlearned men. What was recognizable among the people was not how much theology and psychology the disciples knew, but that the disciples had knowledge of Jesus. They didn't know a thing in the world about theology, but they knew Jesus, the Word of G.o.d made flesh (John 1:14). There's nothing wrong with education, but what makes the difference is knowing Jesus! Paul, for example, was a learned and an educated man. But Paul said, "I count all that as dung for the knowledge of Christ" (Phil. 3:8). Paul had a revelation of Jesus.The disciples knew the Word! They had the Holy Spirit! And that makes all the difference in the world. They knew the Word and the Holy Ghost. If you get away from the Word and the Holy Ghost you've gone too far for me. But I believe that the Word will work for us and the Holy Ghost will move now just as in the days of the apostles and the Early Church.Because the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit, they had boldness: "... when they saw the boldness of Peter and John..." (Acts 4:13). Being filled with the Holy Ghost is what gave them their bold, overflowing testimony! They maintained the spiritual glow of the Holy Spirit by being so filled up with the Spirit that a bold testimony was a lifestyle with them. If you stay filled with the Spirit, you will have a bold testimony too! "He anoints my head with oil, and my cup is running over."However, a bold testimony brings persecution. We read that the disciples suffered persecution for their bold testimony. They were taken by the priests and elders of the people and taken into questioning. But persecution keeps the fire burning.ACTS 4:23,24,29-31.23 And being let go, they went TO THEIR OWN COMPANY, and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said unto them.24 And when they heard that, they lifted up their voice to G.o.d with one accord, and said, Lord, thou art G.o.d, which hast made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is....29 And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, THAT WITH ALL BOLDNESS they may speak thy word, 30 By stretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus.31 And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were a.s.sembled together; and they were all FILLED with the Holy Ghost and they spake the word of G.o.d with BOLDNESS.Notice how the disciples prayed in verse 29: "... grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word. " It's good to pray for boldness. Christians need to do that. I think most of us need to pray that we would be more bold. The disciples prayed for boldness and look at the results in verse 31: "And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were a.s.sembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of G.o.d with boldness."Friends, too many times the supernatural power of G.o.d is waning among us. The Bible says that we should, ". . . earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints" (Jude 3). We need to contend for the faith with all boldness! The supernatural should be natural with G.o.d's people. If we would contend for the faith, the supernatural would be natural with G.o.d's people.How can we keep a bold testimony? By constantly being filled with the Spirit. Do we want to be empty cisterns or full reservoirs. Which one are you? You can receive a fresh anointing and be a full reservoir!Being filled with the Spirit is recognizable! The people recognized the disciples had been with Jesus and were full of the Holy Ghost because they spoke the Word with boldness! If you've lost your boldness, you need a fresh anointing! A fresh anointing brings with it a bold, overflowing testimony.Manifestations of the Supernatural When you're filled with the Holy Ghost, there will be manifestations of the supernatural power of G.o.d in your life. Of course, we realize that manifestations of G.o.d's power operate as the Lord wills, not as we will.Because the disciples were filled with G.o.d's power, the supernatural power of G.o.d was demonstrated in their midst.ACTS 13:6-12.6 And when they [Paul and Barnabas] had gone through the isle unto Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew, whose name was Bar-jesus: 7 Which was with the deputy of the country, Sergius Paulus, a prudent man; who called for Barnabas and Saul, and desired to hear the word of G.o.d.8 But Elymas the sorcerer (for so is his name by interpretation) withstood them, seeking to turn away the deputy from the faith.9 Then Saul, (who also is called Paul,) FILLED WITH THE HOLY GHOST, set his eyes on him, 10 And said, O full of all subtilty and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?11 And now, behold, THE HAND OF THE LORD is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. And immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness; and he went about seeking some to lead him by the hand.12 Then the deputy, when he saw what was done, believed, being astonished at the doctrine of the Lord.Some people have erroneously said that G.o.d struck Elymas the sorcerer with blindness (v. 11). No, G.o.d didn't strike Elymas with sickness or disease. The Bible says the hand of the Lord came upon him, and he was blind for a season. But Elymas was not blind with sickness or disease. The supernatural power of G.o.d came upon him and rendered him blind for a season!