You Have Been Turned On (Enabled)
Introduction
There are many Scriptures in the Word of God that demonstrate to us the role we are to play while we are here on earth. The primary role that each of us has is witnessing and winning souls. It is not enough just to come to Church and have a good time. There are many people in the world who is suffering and are in need of the message that we have, the message of hope, the message of deliverance, the message of Christ. Can you imagine going through this life not believing in God, Christ and prayer? Believing that everything that you experience is because of you and you have no control or impact on your future? Or believing that you control your destiny and everything is within your control. Can you imagine experiencing troubles and having to tell yourself that they are of your own making and only you can solve them? I am not saying that we do not experience troubles of our own making, but we know that we always have someone who is able to help us – even as we learn our lesson. The message that we have is a message of hope, deliverance and most important, love. It is a message that heals the broken-hearted, calms fears, brings through difficult times and offers encouragement when no human words could do so. It is a message that transforms the human life into a spiritual existence. It is a message that offers peace and rest when you are in the midst of the storm and eternal rest when you leave this earth. Yes we have a wonderful message, yet it is a shame that many Christians choose to keep that message to themselves.
This morning I want to share with you, based on my understanding of God’s word, the truth that everyone sitting in this room has been “enabled” to do something. However, before I go into our text, I need to give you two definitions, one from the management world and one from the computer world. The first word is “delegate”. This word means, “a person authorized to act for others, a representative”. In other words, this person does things on behalf of others. During our presidential elections, each state has delegates that go to the convention to “represent” their state. In their representation, they vote the way their state would have them to vote (in theory). As Christians, we have been positioned on this earth as delegates of God and I will get to that shortly. The next word that you need to understand is a term that is often used in computer software terms “enable”. This word means to “to make able, provide with means, power”. This word when used in computer terms has the same meaning as this definition. Last week Nikki was showing me something on the computer and she asked me to check and see if the program was “enabled”. To be enabled means that the program was ready and able to function because it was “turned on”. So my message to you this morning is this, you are God’s representative and you have been turned on (enabled). With that understanding, what are you going to do?
I. The Anointing
We have often heard people talk about the anointing. During some of our services, we have anointed people with oil for healing as well as to set them apart for service. The anointing I am talking about this morning is the latter, God anointing us for service. When God gives you a gift, I believe it is in you at birth. However, you may go through years of experiences before you are ready to fully understand and utilize what God has placed within you. Some people never reach the stage of understanding and utilizing their gifts while others may use them for another purpose. Regardless, each of us has talents that God has placed within us and He desires that we will use for the Kingdom. But back to my point, the anointing of God enables us to do what He has called us to do. This does not mean that you have to “accept” a certain calling or be anointed with oil by the pastor, but it does mean that you willing accept what God is leading you to do. The purpose of the anointing is to enable. When we accept Christ as our Savior, we immediately become delegates. He gives us the authority to act on His behalf. With that comes our acceptance of our individual calling (anointing) for service that God has for us. Not everyone is called to preach or teach. Not everyone is called to sing or usher. There are multitudes of service that needs to be rendered for the Kingdom of God and He has people that He has anointed to fill every one of them.
Now here is where we can run into trouble and the purpose of my message today. When God calls us into service, after we recognize that we are His representatives, we are anointed for one reason, and one reason only. My goal is to tell you the “why” behind all of our callings and how the “why” should dictate our motivation and actions in His service. Look at the following verses of Scripture:
Matthew 3:16 “As soon as Jesus was baptized, He went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on Him.”
Luke 4:18-21 “The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
In these two references we find where Jesus was anointed by the Spirit of God for service. After Jesus was baptized, the Spirit of God came upon Him and anointed Him. Luke 4:1 tells us that Jesus was full of the Holy Spirit. It is important that we understand that when Jesus was born, He was born just like us. When He walked the earth, He walked just like us. At the time that He walked the earth, the only difference between Jesus and us was that He knew without a doubt the Father and His reason for being here. He was 100% sold out to His Father. He gave up the fullness of His deity to walk the earth as a man to show us what is within us to do – if we sell out.
When Jesus went into the temple, He read a prophecy from the book of Isaiah. This prophecy was about Him and after He finished reading it, He told them that the prophecy was fulfilled in their hearing. What I want you to look at and pay close attention to is what the Spirit anointed Him to do. Look at the verses again. There is nothing in those verses that say Jesus was anointed so that He could serve Himself and achieve the praise of men. Now hold that thought as we look at a few other verses.
Remember earlier I shared with you the definition of a delegate? I want to expand on that now. We have already seen where Jesus was anointed for service, so now we will look at what took place with His disciples and subsequently with us.
Luke 10:1, 17 “After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of Him to every town and place where He was about to go….The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.”
Matthew 28:18-20 “These Jesus came to them and said, ’All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Acts 1:7-8 “He said to them, ‘It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by His Own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth.”
Acts 3:1-6 “One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer, at three in the afternoon. Now a man crippled from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put everyday to beg from those going into the temple courts. When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, ‘Look at us!’. So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them. Then Peter said, ‘Silver and gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.”
In Luke we see where Jesus sent out the seventy-two “in His name”. They were delegates of Jesus going to the cities where Jesus would later visit. They went to prepare the city for His visit. But, because they were His representatives, they carried with them the authority that Jesus had – to the point that even the demons obeyed. When they returned to Jesus they were excited that in His name the demons submitted to them. As a delegate (representative) we have His authority to do what He has called us to do. This is confirmed in the great commission that was recorded in Matthew 28. Jesus said that we were to go out and basically save souls – teaching them His commandments. In doing so Jesus said that He would be with us forever. Again, at the beginning He said all authority was given to Him and therefore it was given to us as His representative.
When we get to the book of Acts, in the very first chapter Jesus told the disciples to wait for the anointing of the Holy Spirit. Why? When Jesus walked the earth, the disciples acted as His delegates – He was there with them. But Jesus was preparing to leave and what He wanted them to have was the power to accomplish His will when He was no longer walking before them. Remember that before Jesus started His public ministry, He too was anointed by the Holy Spirit. So He told His disciples to wait for that anointing (that power) before they went out. Once they had the anointing, they would be strong enough to do what He had called them to do. As you read later in chapter two, when the spirit of God came upon them, they spoke in other tongue. Those “other tongues” were actually the language of the multitude of people who had gathered around them to see what was happening. In other words, when the Spirit was given, the first impact was not the “glorification” of the 120 in the room, but Christ message going out to the multitude in a language that they could understand.
The last Scripture we read dealt with Peter and John healing a crippled man. What is interesting here is that the crippled man asked for money. Peter said that they did not have any money, but what he did have he was more than willing to share with the man. And with that he told the man to get up and walk. What did they have? They had the power of the Holy Spirit operating within them. They understood that they were representatives of Christ and what Christ’s mission was while He was on earth now became their mission. It is the same for us.
II. The Purpose of the Anointing
When you look at the few verses that I covered today with the many other examples that are given in God’s word, it becomes crystal clear what the true purpose of God’s anointing on our lives really is. All of the scriptures have one thing in common. When Jesus was anointed, when He sent the seventy-two out, when He commissioned His disciples (and us), when they were filled with the Holy Spirit and with Peter and John healing the crippled man. The one thing that all of these event have in common is that when we are anointed for service, it is to meet the needs of the people. Our anointing is always linked to someone else’s needs. God does not anoint us to serve ourselves, but to serve others.
I must point this out because we are at a crucial point in our growth as a Church as well as in our own individual spiritual growth. When you look at all of the gifts that you have within you, all of the things you do in this Church, can you say that you are fully doing what Christ has commissioned all of us to do. Two weeks ago I asked the church why we come to Church, sing in the choir and give our money. I asked everyone to consider their answer because at the core of their answer is the reality of their future. If everything we do is because it is habit and we do not really believe and accept Christ, then we are still lost. This was the point two weeks ago. My point today is this, we are delegates and therefore we are enabled.
The gifts and talents that we have are for the benefits of others, not ourselves. It is not for me to take the glory or praise for what God has “enabled” me to do. I am Christ’s representative. As His representative, everything that I do He should get the praise for. My gifts and talents are not about me, they are about you. Your gifts and talents are not about you; they are about the rest of us. Everything that God has placed within you is so that you can meet the needs of those suffering around you. Remember, as delegates of Christ, we have His authority and with that authority comes the responsibility.
Conclusion
You are a delegate of Christ. As His delegate, you have been given authority to accomplish the things that He set out to do. We walk, talk and act on His behalf and with His authority. We have been enabled, meaning that we have been turned on. The power is flowing to and through us so we can do what we have been called (programmed) to do. In everything that we do, because we are delegates and we are not acting on our own accord or in our own authority, the praise goes to our Father in heaven who has called us. Our gifts are not given to us so that we can gain the praise of men; they are given so that we may serve others.
It is time. Time for us to share the good news with the world. The message of love; the message of peace; the message of forgiveness; the message of Christ. Are you willing to share this message, with your family, your friends and the stranger on the street? Are you willing to invite others to worship with you or with the church of their choice? What are you willing to do to fulfill and utilize what God has placed with you?
May God bless and keep you is my prayer.
