The Bible tells us about some extraordinary acts of faith and obedience exhibited in the lives of ordinary people in the face of adversity, hardship and persecution.

It also tells stories of the encounters of prophets that many in modern society have sought to emulate, but very few have actually experienced, despite their claims. There is something strangely comforting about making ‘others like us’. Elijah, we are told, was a man like just like us. He encountered the same struggles as us, the same hunger, passion and longing.

Such assertion gives us hope, strengthens our resolve and helps us focus on the task at hand – serving God in-spite of the painful hardships we may face and encounter. Small wonder that we quickly make John the Baptist also a man, just like us! It is often taught that after seeing the power of God in a most remarkable way, and testifying to the fact that here, in front of the nation, was the very lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, that now, locked up in prison, John the Baptist has second thoughts, doubts.

The kingdom which he anticipated was not coming in a way that he thought. He sends disciples to Jesus to ask for reassurance, “Are you the One to come – or do we look for another?” Is that how you read it? It’s an argument that we have spoken into the silence of Scripture – and John Calvin was not convinced of this either!

I suggest that if you consider the wider evidence of Scripture you might see things differently. I’m not going to answer all of your questions here, but I do think there is enough here to begin to see things differently.

Character reference

We have a lot of information to hand about John and his fiery ministry. We know about his parents encounter with God, his very unusual conception, his Nazarite lifestyle and upbringing. We know nothing directly about his childhood, but we do find him emerging suddenly from the wilderness almost like a lion, roaring with the message of the imminent coming Christ. And as soon as he comes into His presence John knows that this is the One.

This is the Lamb that takes away the sins of the world. The river Jordan becomes a national pulpit to which thousands would gather. Something remarkable has happened off of the pages of the New Testament that few people give time to consider. Sometime before John’s encounter with Christ he has an encounter with God, and God sends John to baptize people with water with one remit, ‘He upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining upon Him, this is the One who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.’

This commission was not based on a dream, vision, impression or encouragement from friends. God SPOKE to him – an audible voice. When what God had spoken to him happened, he knew it. No convincing was necessary.

John was a prophet who heard God, could see into the realm of the Spirit, discerned the condition of men’s heart and knew intimacy with God. At this point in the history of Israel, for the first time ever, God and prophet are ministering in full view of mankind.

It was far greater than the encounters of Israel with Moses. God had arrived, and the only person telling everyone to get their hearts right in deep repentance for their sin, was John, the prophet. Immediately John starts to close down his ministry and references Christ at every level. The Pharisees and Romans had not escaped John’s lion-like ministry. John was articulate and the crowds loved him – but they would love Jesus more.

Your opinion matters

What do you say of John? A man that doubted just like you? Christ asked the crowd what they expected when they went to the desert to see John: a reed swaying in the wind, a man dressed in fine clothes, or a prophet? When Christ asked the crowd if they expected to see a swaying reed, he was referring to the firmness of John’s conviction and message. John’s message did not depend on his audience. He had the same message for tax collectors, religious leaders, and rulers: repent, for the kingdom of heaven is a hand. John was not politically correct. He never altered his message to accommodate an audience.

He was a straight reed that did not sway from of his convictions; thus, his imprisonment and death. The truth is, Jesus referred to John as the greatest prophet.

And there you have it. Not a doubting prophet, a frustrated prophet or even a prophet needing a little encouragement.

That question

So what about the the thing that is in your mind right now – John’s question from prison?

• Matthew 11:2-3 John, having heard in the prison, the works of the Christ, having sent two of his disciples to Him, said to Him, “Are you the coming One, or are we to look for another?”

• Luke 7:18-19 And the disciples brought word to John concerning all these things; and having called two certain disciples, John sent them to the Lord saying, “Are you the coming One or are we to look for another?”

The answer to interpreting this correctly may be found at the beginning of those two verses; having heard about the works of Christ…

An answer?

John has heard the stories that are being told across Israel about a man who could raise the dead, heal the sick, cast out demons. The ambiguous question that emerges is one that maybe has to be seen in its full context. John is in prison and sends his disciples to go and ask the Messiah if He is the One, and if not, should they look for another.

The disciples are waiting for the Messiah. John was the friend of the Bridegroom, delighting to hear His voice. He had seen the Spirit come on Him, by revelation he knew who Jesus was. Crowds had been baptised under a baptism of repentance and John knew that Jesus was the absolutely sinless one. Now, days from death he sends disciples to go to Jesus and see, and ask questions.

A ministry decreasing, focused on raising awareness of another. John doesn’t need to be convinced, but the disciples do – and they go and see, hear and experience the most astonishing outpouring of grace, compassion and kindness the world has ever seen. First hand.

The blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them.

Who is the question really for? And if the answer goes back, isn’t it something that places a call on the hearts of the disciples that are about to lose a prophet mentor and gain a Messiah?

We don’t have to believe that John was doubting Jesus. Nothing critical to our salvation is at stake here. There is no gentle rebuke here from Jesus, or admonishment for John not give up hope.

John the Baptist is on fire, and everyone lavished the ministry of the prophet that came as one calling in the wilderness, “Prepare the way for the Lord!” Legends John the Baptist was an awesome prophet of God, and I daresay if his ministry had been in the days of Samuel or Elijah, that legends would have been told about him in the journals of Israel.

As it is, the focus swiftly moves from John the Baptiser, to the lowly, humble Lamb of God that came from Nazareth that was Himself our magnificent substitution, taking away our every sin,  paying for it with his own life and imputing to us all of His own righteousness.

This is the One who would be raised by the Father from the terrifying grip of death and be crowned as the eternal King of Kings, and Lord of all Lords, sovereign over every rule, throne and principality. And John was the one that made way for Him to be revealed to Israel, and to the World. I suggest to you that John wasn’t wavering – his question was to clarify things for his disciples.

Maybe we need to apologise to John the Baptist.

I can only think of two people that I have met in the last 34 years who wouldn’t say a hearty, “Yes!” to the question of having an increase in the anointing on their life and ministry. Who wouldn’t say yes to such an increase? What would you say – especially in this day and age?

Interestingly, both people are ministers of very large congregations, and know and experience God’s magnificent blessings on their ministry.

I know this will intrigue you – and I know it raises some questions in your mind, but there is a very simple answer to the issue, and it’s simplicity will leave you grasping for some legalistic responses in your heart because grace is not always our default response mode. With our limited understanding of God’s ways there simply ‘has to be more’. More is always the answer or solution to lack. If we don’t have enough – then more must be given, but it is the wrong answer when we turn to the things of God.

Speaking directly into this, the apostle John in his epistle, tells his readers that they have been anointed by the Holy One (God)and that for them, the anointing they received from him remains in them. (1 John 2:20-27) It’s a plea for them to remain true to Christ, not to deny Him and to continue to walk with Him, aware that God has begun a work in them. He makes no hint that some of them may need an increase in the anointing to be able to function at their best, facing what lies ahead of them. What they have is sufficient to the task at hand.

The apostle Peter urges us in 2 Peter 1:3-4 that, “His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.”

It is helpful at this point, as you look at the New Testament Church, to be mindful of the persecution that faced them on a daily basis. When Jesus tells the disciples that they will receive power after the Holy Spirit comes upon them at Pentecost, and that they will be his witnesses, our translations do not carry the full weight of what Jesus is saying. The early Church, hearing the words of Jesus would have heard it differently – Jesus told them that after the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, that they would be his martyrs. That has a very sobering effect on any triumphalisitic heart!

The Church went on to see and experience a massive time of growth as people gave themselves to all that God was doing. Not everyone was martyred, but many of them did give their lives to pursuing what God was doing in and through the life of the Church. They gave freely of themselves, not selfishly and holding nothing back.

The anointing of God that came on their lives as they repented of their sin, received Christ’s forgiveness and began to live their lives in Christ was sufficient to the task that lay before them. The Apostle Paul’s encouragement “Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit,” (Ephesians 5:18) can properly be understood as “be being filled with the Spirit”. It was not as some have quite wrongly said, “Be being filled, because we leak!”.

Nothing could be further from the truth. No, the Apostle Paul is instead urging us to keep reminding ourselves that the fount and source of our blessing is God, and the life that flows from the Spirit must not be taken for granted. We must come to the Father and ask for our daily bread, we must come to Christ recognising all that He has done for us, and seek to grow in His character, and we must come to the Holy Spirit, recognising the life and power to live the life we live, comes only from Him and not our own self-determination.

To say that the anointing we have is insufficient for the task means that God has failed us, given us the uniform, but not the power to live for Him. It also means that if the Church in the early days of Christianity had an anointing that we do not have – then they had an advantage in life that is not equitable! Neither of these charges are true – we have an anointing that is far more sufficient than the task at hand.

But where is the power? Why are the lost not getting saved?

Good questions and both of the answers lay with God. You can have as much power and authority on your life as you could bear, but it is God who convicts the sinner of their sin, not you! God does what he does. God is the one who saves. You can but be faithful in witnessing and sharing the amazing gospel of God’s grace.

There is a false truth emerging which is a result of our frustration over the lost not getting saved in the numbers we would like, and it is about our dependency on revival. If we had revival then things would be so much different, and better. True, but what God Himself tells us is that it is His intention for His Spirit to be poured out on all flesh, not just a community – and accompanying it is the gospel.

When we pray for revival we rarely have the same idea, understanding and outcome in mind! The Apostle Paul’s assertion was focused deliberately on the gospel, and he was not ashamed of it because it is the very power of God unto salvation. We’ve not been short-changed, God is at work, and we have the tools to do the job. And they are absolutely adequate!

An answer!

The answer to our dilemma of thinking we need a greater anointing lays in prayer. It is the radical prayer life, seen in secret and rewarded openly in public that gets rewarded! I think we mean about anointing, is that we want the intimacy with God that comes out of prayer. There is no substitute, no short cuts. If you are not in that place of prayer-relationship you will see little happening and your preaching will be as dry and parched as the desert. If you have been praying it will be evident. Moses spent time with God and his face shone. May your face shine!

If you are asking for the wrong thing you will be looking in the wrong place for God’s response. Turn your focus on prayer and you will begin to see situations and circumstances change, you will experience God’s presence when you talk about Him and His majestic works.

Everything God has given for you is wonderfully adequate to the task that you are really called to. You don’t need an increase in the anointing!

That word ‘really’ is a conversation for another day.