As I complete a season of my life and feel a sense of transition, I am asking myself some very important questions about my vocation as a worship leader, administrator and pastor/teacher: “What is my calling?” “What is the anointing for this calling?”, and “Where is God’s appointment to fulfill this calling?.” As I wrestle with these questions about being anointed and appointed, I could not help but think of their universality in every ministry situation and the necessity to review them from time to time.
Called, Anointed and Appointed
Calling is different than opportunity. Sometimes Christians have a circumstantial faith and make decisions on “open door” opportunities or leveraging different relationships. But we are called to live by faith and not be sight (or circumstances) (2 Cor. 5:7), to strive for our high calling in Christ (Heb 3:1), and to complete the work that God has prepared for us before the foundations of the world (Eph 2:10). We are to be people of destiny, who don’t live according to who we used to be, but according to who we are to become (Eph 4:1).
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Anointed is not being skilled at a task, although skill is a byproduct of anointing. I’ve heard people rave about certain minister’s “anointing” because they are so “inspirational”. May I suggest that inspiration is not anointing. There are a lot of “inspirational’ speakers in the world that are not inspired or anointed by God and creator of the universe; to Him be all praise and honor and glory – Amen. Being anointed involves God’s ordaining power to fulfill your calling – your divine purpose. This might mean that an anointed person may not be “inspirational.”
