June 2005

Dear Ministry Partner,

The Bible talks a lot about "the anointing" or "the glory of God". To many people, this seems like an abstract theological concept with little perceived relevance. However, nothing that God devotes precious space in scripture for is irrelevant. "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable" (2nd Timothy 3:16).

Something powerful emanates from God Himself. This substance, whatever you refer to it as — virtue, anointing, glory — has the power of life and death. It has the power to heal or kill. That certainly is relevant!

In the beginning, God made Adam and Eve. He created them in His image (Genesis 1:26-27), and they were apparently covered with whatever God is covered with. Certainly God is not naked on His throne. All of God's angels are covered in white robes according to every Biblical account. The Bible tells us about what God wears in Psalm 104:1-2, "Thou art clothed with splendor and majesty, covering thyself with light as with a cloak." God's glory emanates from His righteous being in such a way that it apparently "clings" or "congeals" or "stays" upon the surfaces of His form in such a way that we would describe it as a covering or clothing.

The best way I could describe this in earthly terms is when I have tried to look at a common light bulb when it is turned on attempting to read the printing that tells how many watts it is. When the bulb is turned off, this writing is easy to see and read. But when the light is radiating from the bulb, it not only hurts the eye to try to look at it — but the writing on the bulb can seem to be actually "concealed" by the brightness of the light coming from the bulb.

In the same way, when Adam and Eve were in right relationship with God, the glory of God's righteousness which they were created with came from them in such a way it covered them as with a garment. It was when they sinned that, "They realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves." Before they sinned, they were not naked. It was after they sinned that something changed. They then discovered they were no longer clothed with God's glory, and they tried to make a human substitute from available tropical leaves. Isn't that just like man-made religion, trying to make a human-crafted "righteousness" out of works as a substitute for the "garment of righteousness" that is only available through the sacrifice of Jesus? [Note — being modestly covered or clothed has been God's idea from the beginning. It is uninformed artists — and unsaved people with immoral agendas — who frequently portray Adam and Eve as naked and also promote people being immodestly clothed in public.]

Jesus was God in the flesh (John 1:1&14). Jesus carried the glory or anointing of God within and upon Himself which even transferred into His clothing. This glory or anointing was of such a nature that it could be transferred simply by touching Jesus. Mark 6:56 says, "Wherever He entered, into villages, cities, or the country, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged Him that they might just touch the hem of His garment. And as many as touched Him were made well." You also know that as men and women get "closer to God", God's anointing, virtue, or glory soaks or transfers into that person. Once it has transferred to that man or woman or God, it is possible for it to be transferred to a person in need much the same way people touched Jesus. You have read concerning the Apostle Paul, "Now God worked unusual miracles by the hands of Paul, so that even handkerchiefs or aprons were brought from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out of them." (Acts 19:11-12).

Anything that is powerful can also be dangerous in a sense. This anointing or glory of God can be compared to electricity. It can accomplish great things and preserve lives, but if handled improperly can bring harm. The glory of God permeated the Old Testament Ark of the Covenant, so God gave special instructions that it was to be carried with wooden poles (which insulate from electricity). When Uzza reached out and touched the Ark to steady it, he was killed as his disobedience came in contact with the Ark. (It has been pointed out that the design of the Ark with alternating layers of gold and wood created a giant modern electronic capacitor which could store a significant charge of electricity to be discharged if someone touched it in disobedience.)

The anointing or glory of God is so powerful that He said no human being can look directly into God's face and live (Exodus 33:20). Moses was in God's presence on Mount Sinai and the glory coming from God so permeated Moses that his face actually gave off light which the children of Israel had a hard time looking at (a direct parallel to what Adam and Eve were clothed with). Moses had to wear a veil or garment over His face for a period of time afterward so the people could look directly at him (Exodus 34:35, 2nd Corinthians 3:13).

Just as we readily draw upon electricity, the benefits of the anointing or glory of God far out-weigh any concerns for us. In fact, for born-again Christians, we actually draw life from the anointing. That is why we feel so refreshed after having been in truly anointed worship, or sitting under anointed teaching of God's Word. Being in God's anointing or glory for us is like a fish being in water. Being away from God's anointing makes a Christian feel he or she is slowly "drying up". Fortunately, due to modern inventions of tapes and CD's, we can experience the anointing "on demand" — and many Christians are really missing great opportunities to obtain anointed teaching or worship through these media.

As mentioned, the anointing of God can bring healing in both dramatic instant ways, plus ordinary gradual ways. Many people have been recovered through what healing pioneer Francis MacNutt called "soaking prayer". This is repeated prayer for healing much like a cancer patient might get regular radiation therapy treatments. (This is not just "asking" God over and over again, it is creative Spirit led prayer for the individual.)

I have also seen people receive healing and deliverance through coming into physical contact with God's Word. The Bible is the inspired words of God recorded on paper. It is "pre-anointed". I have placed the open pages of my Bible upon a person needing healing, and seen them set free within an hour. I am not trying to make this a "formula" that works every time, any more than anointing the sick with oil is a formula that works every time. I am just pointing out that the anointing can be transmitted through various media, and I do not think the Body of Christ as a whole has taken advantage of God's anointing to the extent that I believe He has made it available — and that is our loss, for sure.

The anointing can be transmitted via live and recorded sound, touch, cloth, the printed page, and perhaps even just through prayer. There is so much more to learn about spiritual things that the average Christian has not scratched the surface of the things of God. It is like a gold mine — the deeper you dig, the more nuggets you find. That is one reason for this teaching ministry. God wants spiritual truth to be passed on, and we are laboring to accomplish that goal. We invite your partnership with us to make teaching on God's Word available to all.

Teaching Spiritual Truth,

Dale & Judi Leander