Anointing oil misused

Mark 6:13 And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them. Most preachers of the gospel are departing from scriptural truth where the use of anointing oil is concerned.

It is now being sold in many church gatherings and in some cases it is sold at very high prices and used as a cure all, magic potion. People who have material, financial and spiritual needs are being given anointing oil as the solution, yet in the Bible the use of anointing oil is limited to anointing kings and healing the sick. The very idea of selling it and using it for purposes that have no antecedent in Scripture is clear evidence of doctrinal error and misuse.

The use of anointing oil is not a new phenomenon; it is as old as the Bible history itself. In the Old Testament, anointing oil was used to anoint kings, priests and the sick (Exodus 25:6; 30:23-24, 30; Leviticus 8:30; Numbers 4:6). In the New Testament anointing oil is mainly used to heal the sick (Mark 6:13, James 5:14)

. In fact the use of anointing oil in the healing of the sick is given as a church ordinance. It is written in James 5:14, “Is any sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.” According to this verse when a member of the body of Christ (the church) falls sick he or she must call pastors to come and pray a prayer of faith over them and to anoint them with oil so they can be healed. So the use of anointing oil today is confined to the healing of the sick. Any other afflictions like financial or material problems do not require the use of anointing oil. It is quite instructive that the verse above the one on healing the sick talks of personally praying when you are afflicted by anything other than sickness. It reads, “Is any among you afflicted? Let him pray. (James 5:13).

Spiritual leaders of various denominations are unanimous on the error of selling anointing oil. They are asking why it is being sold. In the Bible anointing oil was never sold and it was part of the temple stock. Instead of preachers selling it and church members buying it as a commercial commodity, why not use collected church offering to purchase the oil and then use it for free on sick members only. The idea of selling anointing oil, packaging and branding and putting faces and names of preachers on the bottles is a strange thing which lacks scriptural corroboration.

Bishop Mukome of the Church of Nazarene had this to say, “Vanhu varasika.” (People have departed from biblical truth.) He strongly questioned the sources and the types of oil being used. Some anointing oils are said to be imported from other countries and the prices are set depending on the power loaded in the anointing oil.

Pastor Watson Furayi refuted the idea of anointing oil having power in itself. He argued that the only power there is in the church is that of the Holy Spirit. Divine spiritual power is connected with the Holy Spirit. For example, Luke 4:18 says, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised.” These were Jesus’ words.

His power came from the Holy Spirit and he never used anointing oil even in his healing ministry. Acts 1:8 echoes the same point that spiritual power in the church comes from the Holy Spirit. It reads, “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you.” Anointing oil is not used because it has inherent power in it to work miracles but it is a symbol of the Holy Spirit and is a faith aid. This is why the ordinance on using the oil to heal the sick reveals that the anointing oil is used as an accompaniment to the elders’ prayer of faith.

It is helpful to study the lives and ministries of Jesus, Peter and Paul to really find out the source of their spiritual power. Such an investigative study will show that prayer and fasting was a common characteristic of their ministries. You will also find that holiness and righteousness are the basic requirements for the flow and working of God’s power in one’s life. Applying anointing oil on yourself without a proper relationship with God will not work wonders if God is still God. For feedback call 0772889766 or e-mail mairos78@yahoo.co.uk

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