The LORD's Annointed

1Samuel 16:12, "And he sent, and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and withal of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look to. And the LORD said, Arise, anoint him: for this is he."

1Samuel 24:6, "And he said unto his men, The LORD forbid that I should do this thing unto my master, the LORD’S anointed, to stretch forth mine hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the LORD."

1Samuel 26:23, "The LORD render to every man his righteousness and his faithfulness: for the LORD delivered thee into my hand to day, but I would not stretch forth mine hand against the LORD’S anointed."

*Note: When the author renders the word 'Church' as seen, he is referring to the Main-Stream, Corporate Entity, Institutional 'Church' System we are familiar with today. When he spells the word in all lower case letters, (church) he is referring to Christ's Authentic Home based model for church. 

Here I'll try to summarize what it means to be the Lord's anointed. Is this term reserved for royalty? Is it designed for members of the ordained clergy? Are we as Christians the LORD's anointed? What does it mean to stretch forth one's hand against the LORD's anointed? Since most of my articles point the finger at who is doing what to whom, let me say that I harbor no ill will toward anyone I refer to. Just as a precursor to this message, I'd like to clarify that each time I spell church with a capital 'C' I am referring to the Institutional, Main-Stream, Corporate Entity, Man Made, 'Church' System of today. When I spell church in lower case, I am always speaking of the authentic church Jesus started, maintains and builds.

The purpose for this article is to expose a wrong imposed upon millions of unsuspecting 'Church' members so that they can determine whether or not they want to remain in the situation their 'Church' leaders have unwittingly put them in. As I've done in the past, I will be asking the reader to consider Psalm 119:165 as they read on. "Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them." The reason why this article is relevant to this site is because there are those within the Institutional 'Church' who are using the term, "The LORD's Anointed' to plug up the holes in their own man made theology for the purpose of maintaining control over their 'Church' Organizations. I want to alert those members who are caught within these Organizations to know that Scripture is being wrested and they are the victims of a subtle deception. I want to expose those who are assuming authority over those they ought not. Perhaps this illustration might serve:

When a police officer is sworn into duty, he has certain powers to allow him to keep the peace and do his job. But, he does not necessarily have any authority to intimidate, bully, pummel and arrest those he chooses just because he thinks he can. There is always the moral element, which always should take precedence when dealing with the accused. When a policeman stops a motorist and the motorist stands up for their God given Right to Travel under the U.S. Constitution, the Officer has been known to say, "You're challenging 'MY AUTHORITY!" Not all police officers behave this way, but a good number of them do. There is always a few 'bad apples' in the bunch. If you don't believe me, type in 'Police Abuse of Authority' in YouTube and witness it for yourself. The truth is, he has no 'authority' to harass the motorist, passer by, pedestrian or people who have the Right to be in a public place.

Today, we see some pastors of the Institutional 'Church' system who behave the same way. I know of one elderly 'pastor' who inherited millions of dollars from a wealthy relative, but insists on receiving a salary from his little 'Church,' which is just barely holding onto its mortgage. Now, that's abuse! It's not that he was abusing his authority; he HAS NO AUTHORITY! He's just being ABUSIVE! Now, not all pastors within the Institute are guilty of abusing their authority, but to those who do, they are behaving similarly as the authority abusing policeman does. They are assuming authority and are overstepping their bounds. A lot of the clergy who take advantage of their flock's good nature should get frequent flier miles because there is a whole lot of 'Power Tripp'n' going on. We know that the officer was anointed to serve the public and the pastor was anointed to serve his flock. But, did they receive God's anointing? Are they 'The LORD's Anointed?' No Way! Why? Because they were anointed by man, not God. Their authority is either self-imposed or world imposed. They are not the LORD's Anointed.

With that said, let's look at this anointing a bit closer. Being anointed has different applications. One can be anointed king as David was. He was anointed with oil, which is a type and picture of the Holy Spirit being upon him. Another application is when the elders of a church anoint someone with oil for healing purposes ~ James 5:14. Yet another application of Biblical Proportions is when an individual is anointed to serve in a particular capacity, such as a Levite priest. One could anoint food, places and things, such as what Moses did with the tabernacle and those things within it. He anointed Aaron, Aaron's sons, unleavened bread, the vessels, the laver and the altar. One can even anoint themselves applying aftershave or perfume. Almost every organization anoints someone to perform one task or another. There is no sin in that.

But, sometimes man anoints people in God's name that aren't His chosen. In 2 Samuel 19, David's son Absalom was executed while his hair was caught in a tree's branches. David bewailed the loss of his son but was compelled to sit in the gates of his city before all the people. The people admitted that they had anointed Absalom their king and committed insurrection against his father. Absalom was not the LORD's anointed. He was the people's anointed. Today too many people anoint whoever they want to be their leader. When it comes right down to it, as far as the usage of the word is used for a leader is concerned, an anointing is an appointing. If one anoints himself with cologne, he is applying the cologne for a purpose. He is appointing the cologne's anointing so that he will smell good. If one anoints someone to manage a team, he is applying the same principles; that being to put someone (or something) in a position of functionality to attain a goal. One wants to smell good by anointing himself with cologne and the other wants to keep their Productivity to a certain standard. They are simply applying someone or something for a specific purpose.

Again, there is no sacrilege in that. The sacrilege comes when we anoint someone in God's name who is not God's chosen vessel to be anointed. This mistake happens all too often in the Institutional Main-Stream 'Church' System. Many times, folks in this system over spiritulize the word 'anoint,' and say that God anoints us today for a special task, such as advising a 'Church' member or a friend. I do not see this unseen anointing anywhere in the New Testament. If we're saved, we already have His anointing! That was put into place the moment we were saved. Why would we need a special anointing? That's like saying, "We need more of the Holy Spirit!" Not so. We got all of the Holy Spirit we'll ever need when we got saved. Having His Power on our lives is another matter altogether. The anointing they're speaking of has to do with 'feelings.' There is a difference between that and the moving of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

Above, we see two references of only ten found in the Bible where the term, "The LORD's anointed" appears. David indeed was a compassionate and merciful leader. Even though King Saul was hunting him down like a dog, David held back his hand against his king. Not only did David not stretch forth his hand against Saul, but he ordered his men not to touch Saul. David understood that the LORD would deal with Saul in His own way and in His good time. David had Saul right where he wanted him. He could have taken Saul's life without anyone knowing about it. But David didn't want to fall out of favor with his God, so he sent Saul a message that he spared his life and that he wanted to restore the peace they once had. Saul scoffed David's merciful gesture, and in time David ascended to the throne.

If we do a phrase search on those verses that refer to 'not stretching forth one's hand against the LORD's anointed,' we'll notice something quite interesting. God was referring to His earthly appointed kings and the nation of Israel each time He said that. He wasn't speaking about Christians or their leaders in the New Covenant. All of the Apostles were martyred except John, and yet it is said he was boiled for a time in oil. Where was this 'not stretching forth thy hand against the LORD's anointed' then? Jesus allowed these things to happen. If these men were the LORD's anointed in the same sense as the Nation of Israel and her kings, and they weren't sinning where God would have to punish them as He did throughout Israel's history, then He'd be in contradiction with His own Word. The twelve were anointed as Apostles, but at the time only eleven were anointed as saved believes directly from Jesus. They had not yet received the Holy Ghost's anointing until much later, after He rose from the dead ~ John 20:22, "And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:" Forgive me for saying so, but this is a case of spiritulizing and superimposing something from the Old to the New Covenants. 'Plugging-In' sure does muddy the waters.

How does this type of anointing apply to us? Well, to tell you the truth, it doesn't. Modern day pastors and those of the clergy have built themselves up in the public's mind to be something they are not. This thought Process began with the self-made doctrines of the 'Church' Fathers. Augustine, Origin, Ignatius, Aquinas, many others and the popes have set themselves (and their successors) apart from the laymen of their Institutional 'Churches' as being superior, or 'Supreme.' With this ideology of supremacy in place, the 'Fathers' have given themselves supposed immunity against anyone even questioning their ideals, let alone their actions. Holy Wars were fought to Protect the papacy's lands, wealth and control over their subjects. The same could be said for the Reformers. Luther and Zwingli were no strangers to applying the sword upon the necks of dissidents who opposed their doctrines either.

One twisting of Scripture is the misuse of who the Lord's anointed is. They claim that it belongs to the 'Church' Fathers, which trickles down to future members of the clergy in their particular 'Church.' It is an interesting thing to note that much of the clergy, through the centuries, have adopted this way of thinking. Even in Protestant circles, they believe that the clergy is extended preferential treatment above what they deserve. This attitude has been woven into our social structure as a way of life and has clouded our perception of what a pastor is and how he is to be treated. There is nothing wrong with giving an elder double honor, but this does not mean he gets special financial consideration just because someone has misinterpreted words like 'communicate.' Some contend that communicate means to give a salary to a pastor. Not so! Communicate means just what the word implies; 'to share or exchange information. Don't let the clergy tell you that it means that they are entitled to receive compensation from you, 'cause, it just ain't so! ~ Psalm 119:165.

Before I go on, I'd like to say that I am not an enemy of pastors. Especially those who love their flocks unselfishly. I think that those who care enough to break away from tradition and take no pay for their devotion are admirable at the very least. Even those who do take pay as a matter of misdirected theology, doctrine and tradition, are pardoned from my disappointment, for they do not know they are taking advantage of the very assemblies they love. I believe they are in the wrong place at the wrong time, because the 'Church' they're pastoring isn't Christ's church at all! Man's 'Church' isn't Christ's authentic church. To lead an Institutional 'Church' is leading a corporate entity. It's simply leading a business. That's not Christ's design for His church. The pastor's intentions may be good, but his aim is way off if he thinks he is serving God's church.

To be parenthetical for a moment, I'd like to point out that today's attitude towards being a pastor as an occupation or Profession is fraught with error. Lately, I even heard a podcast from 'Moody Bible Institute' where a debate was aired between two opposing sides of the tithing issue. The moderator matter of factually said to both sides, "But you DO agree that Pastors should be paid?" As if to say, "Because if you don't agree, you're both heretics!" This is an example of that 'Church's' media manipulation over their listeners who may not have delved as deeply into this matter as they could. If I didn't know better, I would have taken great stock in what Professor or Dr. Theologian would say instead of searching out the matter myself. I couldn't believe how off-base both sides were on the issue of a pastor's compensation just so they could appease their host. If you are questioning if pastors should receive a paycheck from their 'Church,' a detailed look at this subject is available for your scrutiny on my post entitled, 'Should Pastors Be Paid?' For now, I want to stay on track and expose this "Touch not the LORD's anointed" issue.

I am not saying that we should attack pastors. I am saying that the verses of which the term 'the LORD's anointed' appears do not apply to them in the same sense as these ten verses are written. Again, the 'Church' Fathers have spiritualized and superimposed these verses for the purpose of maintaining control. Much hasn't changed, even today, since the 'Church' Fathers took control over the World's model of Religion. To a point, there are those in their 'Church' families that have employed the same measures to control their own little empires. I've seen this with my own eyes many times. The interesting thing is, and for the most part, these tactics have not been detected by most of us. Not even the pastors realize they are doing it, because that's all they've been taught.

You wouldn't believe how deep this burrows into our subconscious and our culture. Me posting an article like this may be considered by many to be stretching forth my hand against 'the LORD's Anointed,' but nothing could be further from the truth. A pastor in an Institutional 'Church' is not 'the LORD's Anointed.' If he claims to be, I'd like to see his Proof. I don't think he can Produce such evidence or credentials. A diploma won't cut it, and neither will a photograph of him being held on his head by a bunch of older men on a stage. Members of the 'Clergy Fraternity' give themselves the title 'the LORD's Anointed.' However, their error comes when they forget one important ingredient to make their claim authentic; the LORD! If the 'Church' they are receiving their anointing in isn't His church, it isn't His anointing. I can't make it any simpler than that.

I used to preach in 'Churches,' Missions and Jails. There were several times after I finished giving a message, when individuals came up to me and called me "Reverend." I was very embarrassed and asked politely not to be called 'Reverend' because only Jesus should be called that. Psalm 111:9, "He sent redemption unto his people: he hath commanded his covenant for ever: holy and reverend is his name." Then it hit me. They weren't calling me Reverend because I had a title. They were addressing me that way because there was a little hero worship going on. Those who have spoken in public before know exactly what I am talking about. Even with a small audience, there are those who want to 'get close' to the one who was speaking just for the thrill. They are called 'Fans.' Hey, I'm guilty of doing it myself! The Problem is, when a preacher gains a reputation, he also gains fans. Sometimes the preacher gets puffed up and starts taking advantage of the customary amenities that go along with the attention, like signing autographs in Bibles. Another such amenity is being thought of as 'The LORD's Anointed.' To me, this blind admiration is just a small step away from one man bowing down before another. We don't deserve that kind of reverence; Jesus does! The next time we want to refer to our preachers as "Reverend" or "The LORD's Anointed," I hope the Holy Spirit gives us a swift kick you know where so that we are reminded to reserve that kind of hero worship for Jesus.

Here is another angle on this. I'll lend an example of how some pastors run their businesses (a.k.a 'Churches') while employing the misuse of their assumption of being 'The LORD's Anointed.' Some 'Church' leaders are autocratic in their approach and some are democratic. The real Pros are those who can balance being autocratic and democratic at even levels. Autocratic means to micro-manage everything within the 'Church.' These types will appoint others to specific areas of responsibility and tasks, but the pastor will oversee their performance to a suffocating degree. Those of the Democratic persuasion will give free reign to his subordinates until something goes wrong and they have to jump in and take over the reigns before things get too bad. Whichever style of management is used, the pastor will say that they are building a 'Church.' But, what is really happening is they are building a Business Organization in the name of 'Church.' Those who have an abundance of gall, say they are building it in Christ's name. It's a matter of 'Control.' They are hiding behind this self-imposed title of 'The LORD's Anointed' as a Rite of Passage to do whatever they want to whatever degree they want; big or small. [Some] of these guys are power hungry.

The question comes up, 'Are pastors the LORD's anointed?' The answer depends on which 'sense' we mean it. Do we mean that no one is to touch him to do him physical harm? I'd agree with that. I agree that we shouldn't be killing or harming people in general. But, I don't believe that the pastor is the LORD's anointed in an Institutional 'Church' setting. On the other hand, in Christ's authentic Home based church, does it mean that no one is to question, expose or even challenge pastors when they are doing wrong according to God's Word? That's exactly what that means! Paul did this regularly. He rebuked Peter to his face for being an evangelical. Peter was an Elder and one of the LORD's anointed, but Peter was guilty of favoring one group of people over another instead of treating both groups as equals. Another time, Paul commanded that certain people's mouths must be stopped who were teaching damnable doctrines elsewhere. These people infiltrated home churches and were subverting them. These men claimed they were the LORD's anointed, but they were not the LORD's anointed, by any standard! By the way, Paul was no mealy mouth. When he had something to say, he said it, Brother, and at times it wasn't pretty. I know that at times, the way I relay my thoughts is like watching a Bull in a China Shop. But, sometimes it takes a mess to clear up a mess. Again, I'm not trying to anger anyone. I am just trying to communicate my thoughts the best I can without putting people to sleep. ~ Psalm 119:165.

Just because someone has the title of 'Elder,' 'Pastor,' 'Bishop,' 'Reverend,' 'Overseer,' 'Cardinal,' or 'Supreme Pontiff,' does not mean they are automatically "the LORD's anointed," not to be questioned or challenged. Here we see the same thing going on as when the people of Israel anointed Absalom their king. God didn't sponsor the insurrection of Absalom, and He doesn't sponsor many of the so-called 'anointings' today. Those who God chooses to anoint are His anointed. Those He chooses to anoint, are anointed by His anointed. Those we choose to anoint for our own benefit without His Biblical model, aren't His anointed. Since Christ rose from the dead, He anoints all those who believe on Him for salvation, Himself. We need no one else's anointing! He anoints us with His Holy Spirit. He is the Anointing Oil.

2 Corinthians 1:21, "Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God;" In this verse, Paul was telling the Corinthian believers that they were anointed also. Paul was making a distinction between the ones who he was ministering to as anointed children of God, and himself who was anointed of Christ as the minister.  We know that Paul's appointment and anointing to minister was personally applied by Christ Himself on the road to Damascus. Another interesting point to reckon with is that Paul wasn't a pastor. He was an Apostle/Missionary/Evangelist. He wasn't stationary for any great length of time to qualify as a pastor. He didn't even have a wife! How could he be a pastor if he wasn't the husband of "one wife?" 1 Timothy 3:2 says, "A bishop 'MUST' be blameless, the HUSBAND OF ONE WIFE,..." That my friends is called 'a qualification.' To qualify as a pastor, Paul had to have met that condition. He ought to know; he wrote it! Actually, he repeated the same demands in the epistle of Titus. As mentioned earlier, Peter said that he himself was an elder ~ 1Peter 5:1, "The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed:." Did Peter qualify under Paul's stipulations? Yes! We know that Peter was married! ~ Matthew 8:14, "And when Jesus was come into Peter’s house, he saw his wife’s mother laid, and sick of a fever." Paul was using the word 'anointing' in 2 Corinthians 1:21 Properly and within its true context. Today, it is used very loosely and with reckless abandon.

Sometimes we have to put things in their Proper perspective to receive the meaning of what is taking place. For instance, notice that I didn't say that every pastor in an Institutional 'Church' is anointed of God for the purpose of leadership, as I do not believe any of them are. How could they be if the Institutional 'Church' model is not of Christ's design? If this isn't His church, then those who lead it aren't His pastors. They are after the world's model for pastors. He has nothing to do with the world's religion, except to try and save those within it and draw those who are already saved inside into His true church. Paul didn't even say that every leader in Christ's home based church is anointed of God for the purpose of leadership. There were those who came in and subverted the churches and demanded payment for their "services" just so they could make a shekel. ~ Titus 1:10-14, "For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision: 11 Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre’s sake. 12 One of themselves, even a prophet of their own, said, The Cretians are alway liars, evil beasts, slow bellies. 13 This witness is true. Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith; 14 Not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that turn from the truth."

Today, there are a lot of pastors in the Institutional 'Church' system who give their own commandments to their congregations, which are not of Christ. Three examples are: the false doctrines of income tithing, Institutional pastoral authority and the Corporate Entity 'Church' (see post entitled, 'Is 'Church' a Multi Billion Dollar A Year Industry?') They claim the right to do so, and not be questioned about it, because they hide behind this distorted facade of being 'The LORD's anointed.' Let me just say, 'Baloney!' (in Christan love). The above doctrines they teach are not found in the Bible, but, they may be found in Satan's Bible in the Book of Hallucinations. There are some pastors who are clearly misappropriating what and who the Lord's anointed is, and they're using it for their own agenda, that being, to gather funds for the payment and upkeep of a building and their own livelihoods. Again, not every pastor in an Institutional setting is doing the latter or is even aware of it. But all who have a building, whether paid for or not, is. I'm just pointing my finger at those who are abusing their congregations when they preach that if they do not tithe off their incomes they are robbing God. Paul pointed it out in Titus 1, and I am obligated to do it here. ~ (Psalm 119:165).

I hear another valid question arise, "Well, aren't we, as Christ's heirs, His anointed?" That's a good question, and the answer is, 'Yes!' 1 John 2:27-28, "But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him. 28 And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming." The anointing for all of God's children is the anointing of the Holy Spirit. He is the One Who teaches. He is the One Who abides within each of us, and we are to abide in Him. He is the One Who seals us until the Day of Redemption. Remember, this is talking about our kinship with Christ as little ones who need to be taught of the Holy Spirit until Christ comes to snatch us away. This is not talking about 'Church' leaders being anointed to have a title and rule like a monarch on a throne. That is a different anointing altogether. That comes from Christ alone. Are all pastors anointed as a child of God if they are saved by the blood of Jesus? Yes! Are they anointed of God to be a church leader just because they have the title of 'Pastor?' NO!

Jesus, Saul, David and Solomon's anointing was a symbolization showing a divine right. Jesus was anointed of a woman at Simon the Leaper's home as a ceremonial anointing before His burial in the near future. In her mind, she knew that He deserved her best and did what she could ~ Mark 14: 8. He was also anointed to be our High Priest, our Sacrifice, our Saviour, our Redeemer, our Resurrection and our God. In other words, there are different purposes for an anointing. There is the application of smearing someone or something with oil stating that he or it is set apart for a specific purpose. There is also an anointing of the sick as in James 5:14. In all cases where oil is used, it is a picture of the Holy Spirit. It is a symbol of God's Stamp of Approval. This also applies to an heir. This would be the case when we are saved and sealed by the Holy Ghost. Since we are sealed by Him, we do not need the application of oil. Why? Because the oil typifies Him, not the other way around. Some anointings are self-serving and are mere imitations. Those who claim an anointing, but never received one from God, is what I want us to be aware of. Across the denominational board, 'The Lord's Anointed' has become a rallying cry for rouge or ignorant pastors and those of the clergy. It doesn't apply to Christ's authentic ekklesia.

So, to be crystal clear, we as saved people are the Lord's anointed, for we are sealed by the Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ. We are anointed of Him. Pastors who are saved and are appointed by the elders of the Home Based church of Jesus' design are the Lord's anointed as well. They are set apart to serve in the capacity as feeder, shepherd and guide of Christ's flocks. But that doesn't mean that they cannot be questioned or be dealt with in a disciplinary manner if he behaves ungodly and unruly. Those who are saved but claim an anointing in the Institutional 'Church' as a leader, are not God's anointed as a leader. But, they are still anointed by Christ as a saved person. His anointing as a 'Church' leader comes from the men of that Institution. Their authority to preside over man's 'Church' is derived by man alone. Jesus has nothing to do with it. That means that if we are in an Institutional 'Church,' and our Institutional pastor says that we are to tithe off our income, heed every word he says, and believe that we are in Christ's true church, when we're not, we don't have to believe him. Why? Because his 'anointing' as a leader has no divine authority.

Again, if you are a saved child of God, you are the LORD's Anointed. If you are in an Institutional 'Church' as a saved person, you have His personal anointing as well. But, if you are a pastor in a Corporate Entity, Business/Institutional 'Church,' you may have His anointing as a saved person, (if you're saved) but you do NOT have His anointing as a pastor. If a Institutional pastor is saved, he has the LORD's anointing as we do. But, this pastor cannot have the LORD's anointing as a church leader. They need to turn back to Christ's true model for church. He only created one model. His church didn't morph into the World's model for 'Church.' That was Satan's idea. He's a counterfeiter. He created counterfeit 'Churches,' and the counterfeit 'Clergy' to run it. If you're in the Institute of the World's model, you're not in Christ's church. As the LORD's anointed, we are commanded, as His saved children, to be a part of His home based authentic church. Why in the world would He want us in Satan's model for 'Church?' It doesn't make any sense! Let's ask ourselves, do I see my pastor as more anointed than I am? Is my pastor the LORD's anointed as 'Church' tradition maintains? Are we on equal ground with what God says about the LORD's anointed? May the LORD help us to clearly see His true intent. ~ Psalm 119:165. Thank you for visiting ChurchPros. God Bless!