Anointed for Mission, Not Comfort

Summary

Guest preacher Vitalik Tkach, a pastor from Cleveland who came to the U.S. from Rivne, Ukraine, opens with David and Saul. Why did young David face Goliath without fear while seasoned King Saul trembled? The difference comes down to one word - anointing. The Spirit of God had come upon David and departed from Saul.

Drawing on Luke 4:16-22, where Jesus reads Isaiah's words "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me," the sermon explains that in the Old Testament only chosen prophets, priests, and kings were anointed. Since Pentecost, however, the anointing of the Holy Spirit belongs to every believer, not to a special class of celebrity "anointed ones." And it is given not for emotional experiences but for calling - God anoints us to carry out his mission as a parent, a worker, or a neighbor, right where we are.

Finally, like Saul we can forfeit the anointing through disobedience, and like Jesus at Nazareth we may be dismissed because of our past. The call is to remain in the anointing, refuse to live on yesterday's victories, and ask God for fresh oil every single day.

Key Points

• The difference between David and Saul was the anointing of the Holy Spirit - one carried it, the other lost it.
• In the Old Testament only chosen prophets, priests, and kings were anointed; the oil was an outward sign of an inward work of the Spirit.
• Since Pentecost the anointing belongs to every believer, not to a special class of celebrity "anointed" leaders.
• The anointing is not about feelings or experiences but about calling and mission (Luke 4:18-19).
• Every Christian is a missionary right where they are - as a mother, father, businessperson, nurse, or cleaner.
• We can lose the anointing by living in disobedience, and others may belittle it by judging our past - stay in it anyway.
• Stop living on yesterday's victories; ask God for fresh anointing each day to reach more people for Christ.