petertan.net ANOINTING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT SERIES THE GREATEST WORKS OF JESUS

Transcription

1 petertan.net ANOINTING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT SERIES THE GREATEST WORKS OF JESUS Tonight we are concluding chapter two of our book, The Anointing of the Holy Spirit. What is the secret for doing the greater works? Let me read a few sentences from there. The main key to doing both the works of Jesus and greater works is in learning the secret of union with Jesus Christ. Our Lord Jesus Christ said that all the works He did was done by the Father in Him. Note how He emphasizes His union with the Father. The greater works is defined as for quality we do not believe that we can improve on any healing or miracle that Jesus has done because a miracle is a miracle perfect in itself. By quality works, we mean that Jesus could have done these works if He had opportunity but He did not have them in Israel during those days. We are going to touch on the greater works of Jesus and see some of these opportunities that God has and some principles that are involved in the greater works of Jesus. When Jesus said in John 14:12, The works that I do he will do also and greater works than this shall he do, what does He mean by greater works. We are talking about the anointing upon Jesus. Since He says we are going to do greater works that Him, what is the definition of greater? That s what we are trying to define. We define greater in two areas. It is either greater in quantity or quality. By the term quality, please understand that this does not mean we do better works than Jesus. Instead, this is due to the fact that He did not have the opportunity to do such works in His time. In Jesus earthly time, some sicknesses or situations were non-existent for Him to work. It was not because He was not able. But if you compare our times and Jesus time, the healing of present types of diseases like

2 AIDS and SARS translate into a work of greater quality. These are works that Jesus did not do. As regards to the quantity of work, Jesus was limited in one physical body during His ministry but now every born again believer has the potential of receiving the anointing of Jesus. Every Christian has a believer s anointing and the anointing upon. You may not be called to the five-fold office, like an apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor or teacher. But as a business man, a professional or a general worker, you could have a special anointing upon your life for your field of work where you are doing it as on to the Lord. The Lord may grant you special wisdom and qualification like Aholiah and Bezalel in Moses days. They were neither preachers nor teachers but they had the skills that came from the anointing upon on their lives. God specially anointed them with those skills. So the anointing upon is not only belonging to those in the ministry. It s for every believer whatever function and call of ministry that you have God will give you an anointing upon, especially for you in those areas that nobody has functioned in. Whether in the nine ministries of believers or in the five-fold office, you can function to the fullest capacity in your kind and type of anointing that God has upon your life. So in quantity we are speaking about the combined amount of works done by great numbers of anointed Christians at any one time throughout the world. Whereas Jesus ministered in one place at a time, now all over the world ministers are healing the sick in a numerically greater way. The other word meaning of greater could be in a qualitative sense. Like for example there are some situations where Jesus did not handle that other ministries had handled. In Kathryn Kuhlman s meeting in the book A Glimpse Into Glory it records how that a doctor has operated a patient and put into the patient an artificial heart pacer. When that person was healed in a miracle service, the doctors couldn t find that heart pacer any more. The patient came to the doctor to ask for a certificate since he wanted him to verify that he is now alright. The doctor refused, saying that he will be mocked since he actually had implanted a heart pacer inside and it disappeared when the healing took place. They don t know what happened to the metal heart pacer. I have also heard from some evangelist friends and ministers how there were patients whose diseased or fractured bones had been removed and the surgeons screwed back metal plates and rods as replacements. During ministry and anointing the patients felt a heat on the affected parts of the body. When the x-ray is shown there were no more screws or metal. These metallic implants disappeared and were

3 replaced by flesh when the healing took place. These are present day wonderful miracles of God, which were not recorded as done by the Lord Jesus. In those days, such operations were not available. Certain sicknesses common to modern man were not present in Jesus times like exposure to radiation. Methods are used today that were not available in the Early Church times. When Oral Roberts was at the peak of his ministry he went into TV ministry. When he ministers over the TV he would say to the audience sitting at home to lay your hands on the TV screen as he prayed. When he prayed, the anointing flowed through the TV set into their bodies. One person who was healed that way was Don Basham who said he felt the power going through the TV. Sometimes the funny thing is that the TV program was recorded two months ago and the anointing was still present to heal. See these are greater works not because Jesus couldn t do them; He did not have the opportunity to work such greater works because people back then did not have our present day advanced technology. Today, you could have an evangelistic meeting in one city and is linked by satellites to other meetings in huge stadiums in different parts of the world. The man of God shouts, In Jesus Name and demons are cast out from the ten million people watching that live program. That would be the greatest mass deliverance the world has ever seen. This is the opportunity that we have today that in Jesus time He did not have. These are examples of works greater quality and quantity that Jesus did not have the opportunity to demonstrate. The book of Acts 5 records how Peter s shadow healed the sick and that is a remarkable greater works. This method of healing was not recorded in the life of Jesus. But it s so special and unique. Imagine healing by shadow. That is something new, something fresh that is not seen before. Some of you may move into some of the most peculiar kind of anointing. But you may get prosecuted for your peculiarities. But don t go into unethical practices. In the hey days of revival in the 50s to 60s, some preachers were known to say, If you give a hundred dollars donation you can have a piece of this anointed tent. So they always make sure the tent is very huge and enough left over to cut small pieces out. And they gave pieces of the tent for a hundred dollars donation. I don t think that can be considered as the greater works. I think it s a scam. Where money is involved it is not greater works.

4 Although it is costly to run a ministry, it should always be free. Although it costs you a lot to bring the ministry to people, it must be given freely. Sometimes you are appreciated sometimes you are not appreciated but you cannot charge a fee. If people really think, they will realize how much money they saved when they receive a healing. Since they came to Christ they stopped smoking and drinking. That s a lot of money saved. Some of them receive the teaching of the Word and they don t get sick any more. So they saved on hospital bills. If people really sat down and counted how much they saved when they are healed, they ought to give to the ministry freely and generously. And here they are very stingy and they don t want to give to God when they actually have more money now. Before their healing, their money would have been wasted on expensive medical care and medication. When they were with the devil they were very generous with the devil. When it comes to love offering they would give less than the cost of their daily five packs of cigarette before they were healed of their chain smoking. A sick person may have almost spent his or her life savings for the costly medical treatment before receiving their healing in a miracle rally. Unfortunately, they do not display the same generosity that God had shown towards them when He healed them. People often do not realize that although the ministry they received is free, it s not cheap. There was a cost. It cost Jesus His blood. It cost Him to undergo instruments of torture to bring healing and deliverance to you. From our side let s emphasize and remember this: the gospel is always free. Don t complain if people don t appreciate your ministry. Jesus didn t complain. Jesus came to love and to give freely. We must always realize if people with peculiar anointing start charging money for it or asking an offering then something is wrong. It s not greater works. There was another minister who took out his wallet and cut it into pieces and said, You take a piece of my wallet and put it into your wallet because my wallet is more anointed than yours. You put it there and your wallet will grow fat. That is not greater works. That is scam. That is not of God that is in the flesh. Here is merchandizing the anointing. And in fact the anointing will not last long. You will always have a small group of people who are naïve enough to believe everything they hear. Some preachers have powerful persuasion and they have ready testimonies on their fingertips to hoodwink the public, like, How one day I bought this piece of the tent and placed it in my wallet and I got blessed with $10,000.

5 That is enough to trigger a mad rush for a piece of the tent now. You will always have small groups that are so gullible that anything and everything they hear will help them release their faith. Even if the minister takes out his sock and say, Take this sock and smell it if you want the healing anointing, they would do so without thinking. Then they will say this is special anointing. When we define greater works, it has to be scriptural, acceptable, doesn t bother on fantasy, extremity and foolishness. Someone may have a peculiar gift of telling you where you put all your treasures. A person will tell you where you keep your jewelry and describe the left drawer of your third cupboard and say, God gave you that jewelry to give it to me. That is not greater works. There is a merchandizing the anointing. You see all kind of things in the ministry. There are those who sometimes tell you the color of your checks the color of your wallet and exactly how much you have in your wallet. Then the people would be caught up, He even knows that I have fifty three dollars and ten cents. Then the preacher says, Let me tell you now why God reveal it so that you could give everything to me. God doesn t do all these things to force you to give. Even if that person is accurate right to the details and say, In your wallet there are two Malaysian fifty dollars, one Singapore ten dollars, one Brunei one dollar and a twenty cent coin, and then proceed to ask you to give, don t give. At any time a ministry uses such gimmicks or tactics to ask for money or payment it has moved into the flesh. I am not saying such persons do not have the anointing. They may have started off with a genuine anointing. But when they move to go into such moneymaking schemes, something has gone wrong. On the other hand there are genuine greater works. And there are areas in which we could move into the greater works that God has pre-destined to operate in our life both in quantity and in quality. And there is only one primary key to the greater works, which is union with the Lord Jesus. Lets consider that in John 14:7 If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also, and from now on you know Him and have seen Him. Philip said to Him, Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us. Jesus said to him, Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father, so how can you say, Show us the Father? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority, but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.

6 Jesus emphasizes that the key to His greater works is His union with God. He is sensitive that the Father is in Him. That means all He did in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, the signs and miracles and wonders He says the Father is in Him. He told His own disciples if you don t believe in Me believe in the results of that relationship. Now He told that also to the Pharisees outside. He told that within His own kingdom and those outside His kingdom. In the gospel of John 10 He says to the Pharisees who question His authority in John 10:37 If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me, but if I do it then it s the Father who did it you better believe in Him. Now He told that outside to people who were not His disciples and He told that in John 14 to His disciples. To Jesus it s important that everything He did was the out flow of His relationship with the Father. He was sensitive to the presence of the Father in His life. He did exactly as the Father desires. Then He turned around in John 14:12 and says the works that I do he will do also; and greater works that these he will do, because I go to My Father. Why is it that going to the Father is so important? Because in verse 13 And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. Verse And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him, but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. That s a tremendous statement that He is making here. That it s so good that He is going so that the Holy Spirit can come. Now if Jesus did not go the Holy Spirit will not come. That ties back to John 14:12 the reason because I go to My Father. You can do greater works because I go to My Father. What s so special about Him going to the Father? Because when He goes to the Father the Spirit can now not only dwell with us but in us. So that strengthens the fact that doing the greater works ties back to the knowledge and union and consciousness of Jesus in us. That is the most powerful statement that Jesus has made. Just as the Father was in Him Jesus is in us through the Spirit. And if you want to move in the greater works you have to develop a strong sense of the indwelling of Jesus in your life. Therefore when you stand to minister to people you must be conscious that your other body is just a shell. And it s not you but Jesus inside you who is flowing out and ministering through you. That is a very important statement that He has made.

7 See whenever you minister as you stand to minister you are conscious of certain things, conscious of the people, conscious of Jesus. But your most important consciousness is Jesus in you. And every time you develop a consciousness of Jesus in you flowing out that s when you get into the best position for Jesus to flow. For example when you turn the tap on, the internal screw opens the width of the pipe for water to flow through. Then you turn and turn until it cannot turn any more and you know that is the biggest flow you can have. As you turn your tap to the fullest, you become dependent on the original flow. If in your residential area the water pressure is very low you can turn the tap to the fullest and you can see water just dripping. But if you live in an area where the water pressure is high you turn it full you get gallons of water gushing out. So there is an area that is beyond our control that is God. That is what I am talking about - there is a spiritual position that you could position yourself. So that whatever is determined from God s side and from the other two factors preparedness and expectancy you open yourself to the fullest possible. We open ourselves to the fullest possible when we are conscious of Jesus in us. The Holy Spirit, the Father and the Son in you ministering to the person in their full flow. As I minister to people, the important thing is that I must be conscious of Jesus. See you must be conscious of Jesus in your life and develop that consciousness in you. As I am conscious of Jesus in me I have to wait on Him. Right now as I am saying I am not sure how Jesus wants to move. So I must check with Jesus in me. After all it s Jesus in us who does the work. Paul himself said, It s no longer I who live but Christ Jesus now lives in me. See Jesus is in us. It s not we who do the work but it s Jesus in us who ministers. So you got to check with Jesus inside. And if Jesus inside us doesn t do anything you don t do anything. If Jesus inside begins to move and begins to flow you begin to move according. But this anointing within can be stirred forth. You open your tap to the fullest by having a consciousness of Jesus in you. Now it also helps if on the receiving end of the ministry, the person being ministered to also concentrate on Jesus. If he is thinking of something else there is a slight block. But if he also is concentrating on Jesus and I am concentrating on Jesus, there is a free flow of whatever level God wants to minister.

8 Illustration: As you stand there you concentrate on Jesus in your life and you sense Jesus in your spirit. As you sense His presence, you sense that warm glow flowing out. I could sense it coming through my hands. Now right where you are seated, close your eyes and relax yourself with hands lifted or hands on your laps or whatever position, in a position of what I call to receive whatever from the Lord. Right now you just visualize and concentrate Jesus in you. Jesus in your life flowing forth. Jesus in your life blessing you. Say after me, Jesus I thank You that You are in me. You are in my life. My body is Your vessel. You live in me; You work Your works in me. You are in me doing the works. It s not me doing the works; it s You flowing through me right now. Thank You Jesus. You are flowing in me. You are working in me. You are working through me. Open your eyes right now. Do you notice a heightened sense of the anointing? Some people wonder how I knew whether the anointing was over this part of the congregation or over that part. How do I know that? From Jesus inside flowing forth. You have to be conscious of Jesus in you first. If you cannot be conscious of Jesus in you, you cannot be conscious of what Jesus is doing outside. You have to be conscious of Jesus in you. Can you come up and stand here with your hands lifted up? In the previous lesson you should know about tangibility. There must be tangibility. So he senses certain tangibility as he concentrates on Jesus. Now what exactly do you sense right now? Warmth in your hands. Anything else? Warmth in your tummy. So this is his peculiarity he is sensing warmth in both his hands and tummy. Now as he concentrate on Jesus in his life now Jesus ministers through him to others. Now you just visualize Jesus ministering through to him. I want you to tell me how you are sensing it. Whether you are sensing a flow over here, over there, just sense and flow along. The brother who is ministering is saying he is sensing it over the chest area. Now since he is doing the ministering as he hold his hands to the chest area there will be a build up over in this department. Do you sense anything over your chest as he holds you over? Very heavy all over your chest area. That is because whatever he sees he just flows along. Sometimes I see a flow flowing sometimes I see a light. Sometimes I see a particular vision. Sometimes I see Jesus Himself standing either on the right or on the left of that person and I would flow along with it. See ministering in the anointing is not us doing it. We are just being instruments of the Lord Jesus and of the Holy Spirit and we just allow Him to minister. As our

9 brother minister he can his lay hand on his chest. And as he lays his hand there is a channeling of the anointing upon his life. Each person may sense the anointing differently. When you are the same person ministering to different people for whatever reason as I described just now only God knows what is operating and what is working, what He wants to do in a person s life. You may sense the anointing stronger in one area than in another and you flow along. As you lift up your hands waiting to receive, you do the same thing like he did - concentrate on Jesus. Open your spirit to Jesus. Right now as you get ready to minister and you notice Jesus in your life and flowing forth to Him which particular area you sense strongest rising through to Him. He is sensing over his head. I particularly pick up that brother Philip who desires wisdom. So God has to touch him in that area and impart wisdom in his life. For that reason God wants to put an anointing over his mind. As the hands are placed over your head you sense a force going through your head, don t you Philip? We have to very sensitive to the anointing. As we go through this course in lesson six we realize that it s not just a matter of ministering blindly to the people. There are all these finer details you ve got to be sensitive to. Tonight we are concentrating on the fact that it starts with Jesus in you. Even though I say that sometimes I can pick up in a person s life exactly what the Lord is doing, I don t start from the outside. It s always from the inside. It s always from your spirit outwards onto people. So we have to be very conscious of Jesus inside us. In your private life when you pray in tongues be conscious of God in you flowing out. In your praise and worship as you flow along be conscious of God in you flowing out all the time. Develop that consciousness. There are different degrees of Jesus in our life. We can develop it until we are very highly conscious of Jesus all the time. Of Jesus in our lives. Jesus flowing through us. And it helps Jesus to flow through. Because we become more yielded we become a greater channel for Him to flow through. Just like Jesus was conscious of the Father we need to be conscious of Jesus to let Jesus flow through our life.

10