Baptism & Anointing

A message from Luke 3 by Phil Rogers 22/04/07

To listen to Phil's message click here mp3

Over the next weeks and months we will be looking at the beginning of Jesus ministry as recorded for us in Luke’s Gospel.
His was very much a ministry of healing, wholness welcome and integretation. Jesus welcomed those despised by the religious community and integrated a mix of working class men, professionals, and terrorists into his band of disciples. He preached a message of wholeness and healed people both physically and spiritually.

1. John The Evangelist
It all began with the appearance of John the Baptist. whom God sent to prepare for the ministry of Jesus. He was Jesus’ pre-launch promoter. But John was also the first evangelist. John the Baptist could equally well have been called John the Evangelist - v18 the Greek uses two significant verbs - ‘and so exhorting many other things he evangelised the people’. Exhorting or encouraging is what the Holy Spirit, the Exhorter or Encourager does and Evangelise means to speak out the Good News. John told the Good News of Jesus the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, the one who baptises with the Holy Spirit and fire. In many ways John was the prototypical evangelist - he pointed people to Jesus.
1. A voice calling in the desert saying:
2. ‘Get ready to receive Jesus’
3. Make a straight path for Jesus to come into the lives of the people by dealing with four areas:a) Ravines - holes to be filled in. Where people lack knowledge and understanding they need filling in.
b) Hills - to be levelled. Obstacles and objections need to be removed
c) Crooked roads - straightened, people’s many misconceptions need putting straight
d) Rough ways - made smooth - people’s difficulties things that make them trip over or stumble need to be taken away so they have a smooth path to Christ.
John’s preaching was very direct and confrontational facing people up with real issues. He challenged people to change the direction of their lives and to show this by being baptised in water as a demonstration of their desire to wash away their sins and commit themselves to living for God.

2. Evangelism is a Process.
People often went to hear John before they joined the queue to be baptised out in the Jordan river. It takes time for people to be in the place where they are ready to receive Christ. But there comes a point where they need to respond to the Lord which is done through being baptised by immersion as an expression of commitment. The result of effective evangelism is that a person will want to be baptised and begin on their road to Christ, their own personal journey with God.

Jesus himself was baptised along with everyone else. when he was about 30 years old! This was the inauguration of his ministry. He was not only baptised but he was also anointed. Christ, meaning Anointed One, was anointed at the moment of his baptism, by the Holy Spirit. He anoints us and immerses us into his Holy Spirit and into fire.

3. Baptised into a Ministry.
All Jesus’ followers were similarly baptised and after Pentecost they also received this same anointing of the Holy Spirit. This was normal new testament initiation - but into what were they initiated? “Make disciples, baptising them” What struck me is that becoming a disciple of Jesus by being baptised is the beginning of a ministry. To follow Christ is to participate in his ministry, the ministry he began at his baptism which has never stopped. Although Jesus has sat down at his Father’s right hand, he continues his ministry though every one of his followers on earth - we are his body, we each have a role to fulfill in doing what Jesus was called to do on the earth. He came to undo the works of the evil one.

4. Healing and Wholeness Corps
If we only think that Jesus come to die on the cross, then we miss a major thrust of his ministry. Only Jesus could die for sins, but all the many other aspects of his ministry, all that he accomplished through the cross, we are called to bring into being. His ministry is our ministry and when we were baptised it was not like joining BUPA where you get all your healthcare needs met, it was more like joining the Royal Army Medical Corps, where we train (as disciples) to meet the needs of others. We start by helping more experienced officers as they do their work until we have enough knowledge and experience to do it alone or can take trainees with us. Church leaders are not meant to be spiritual consultants to take care of us but senior training officers who teach us how to care for the lost, the brokenhearted and the needy. Baptism is our enrollment into the King’s Army in which we pledge to serve God and his purposes on this earth.

After baptism comes this anointing, the infilling or empowering with the Spirit. This is what equips us for our ministry, it enables and empowers us to do the works of Jesus. Jesus did not start out on his ministry until he had received his anointing, the seal of approval of his Father. If Jesus needed such an anointing how much more do we need it! Only by the power of the Spirit can we bring healing and wholeness to those who are hurting and damaged.

The local Church is a hospital, not for us, we are not the patients, we are the staff, and of course not all the staff are doctors or nurses there are lots of support staff too, each playing a vital role! Of course if the staff get sick we treat them but the main ministry is to those who ‘need a physician’ to quote Jesus’ words. ABC is a community of healing and wholeness. Have you been baptised into the ABC healing and wholeness training school? Have you received the power of the Holy Spirit to enable you to learn how to play your part in bringing healing and wholeness to those in need? This is your certification of acceptability “You are my Son/Daughter, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” Now all we have to do is go for it, learn all we can about welcoming people, preparing a way for Christ to come into their lives, healing them in the name of Jesus and helping them to become whole people and integrating them in community of God’s people so that they too join us in the glorious ‘ministry of reconciliation’. Helping others to find and know the Lord.