Anthony Delaney at Ivy Manchester

Evangelists Conference. Session 2  - Andy Economides

When he was in Nigeria he felt the Lord said to call a guy out, and speak about what John the Baptist said – if you have two tunics, give one away.  He was to put money in, and his clothes and give it all to a guy called Pius and to go to the poorest and neediest and give their stuff away, because they are not doing it.

And then the ministry started.  They went to do it!

Then he had to give his red Dr Marten boots – he loves those shoes! Put these in the anointing. And the pastor put his shoes in too.  If you do the crazy things sometimes and that’s your anointing (Andy has an anointing of craziness). He put his good watch in.

What you do without effort – but sometimes there’s a cost.

John 15:16

You did not choose me,  (Oh but I did Lord).

No !– you had little to do with it! I chose you. (Full stop.) 1.

Appointed you! 2.

You used to think you chose me, but I chose you. And you’re appointed – to bear fruit.

You are appointed! Because Jesus believes in me.

We talk about having belief in him – but the fact that he chose me, means he believed in me!

NIV Study Bible notes says… Disciples normally chose the particular rabbi to whom they wished to be attached, but not so with Jesus’ disciples – he chose them.

Andy did door to door work, years ago. Invited a guy to come to a dinner. J John was speaking. Lyndon didn’t pray the prayer. No. I wasn’t put off. Went and revisited. Gave him journey into life, ‘If you open the door – will you tell me?’ I will. That night, he did it.

His wife also became a Christian. He was ordained! Became a Vicar. Gets cancer. Beats it. Gets it again. Dies.

During the sermon – two groups of people were mentioned,

1)      His family

2)      Andy.

So glad I followed up!

THEN – the Father will give you whatever you ask for in my name.

We usually desire a strong prayer life, that we might e fruitful – but here, it is the other way round.

When you’re bearing fruit – THEN – the Father will give you whatever you ask, Why? Because you’re bearing fruit. Do I understand it? No? Why not just accept some things!

God says, “I have faith in you! You sometimes do crazy things when the anointing is on you. You didn’t choose me, but when you bear fruit, THEN the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.’

Verse 17. This is my command: Love each other.

Andy tells of how years ago he was in a very broken place. Went to the Dr.

He was visited by a minister, who said, “We are here for you, it’s going to be okay.” Moved and encouraged not just by his words – but by his life.

We are living in a time when we have to love one another. Stand with one another – like never before. THIS is Jesus’ command! It’s really important! Jesus summarises it all in 3 words. LOVE ONE ANOTHER.

Vs 20. REMEMBER the words I spoke to you.

It’s important to remember the words God spoke to you! God has spoken words to you.

Gerald Coates had a word for him. You’re going to go and speak to big crowds in the world.

Later – Dec 1990 Jean Darnell had a word for him. ‘I see you with a book in one hand a notebook in another. With a notebook. Put the book down, you’re an original. You don’t need the notebook. Throw it away!’

When he went to Africa, soon after, for the first time – he realised he had to throw the book away, ‘you don’t need to be anyone else. Pick up the Bible and a microphone and do what you do without effort.

If you forget the words, you will suffer – the world will suffer.  You have a word  for someone – and if the Lord’s in it, you will love it!

1)      Jesus says – you didn’t choose me. You funny little man.

2)       I appointed you to bear fruit that will last.

3)      Love one another!

4)      Remember the words I spoke to you!  Hold on to them. My word. The words I have shared with you through my people.

Session 1 Evangelists Conference with RT Kendall.

1Sa 16:1  One day he said, “Samuel, I’ve rejected Saul, and I refuse to let him be king any longer. Stop feeling sad about him. Put some olive oil in a small container and go visit a man named Jesse, who lives in Bethlehem. I’ve chosen one of his sons to be my king

1Sa 16:13  Samuel poured the oil on David’s head while his brothers watched. At that moment, the Spirit of the LORD took control of David and stayed with him from then on. Samuel returned home to Ramah.

Three kinds of person here

In this passage we have a brief description of 3 kinds of people. They could be here, hope the 1^st is not here cos its the last thing we want to be.-

1)    Yesterdays man

2)   Todays man

3)   Tomorrows man.

Saul was now yesterdays man

Todays man = Jesse

David = tomorrows man.

Becoming yesterdays man has nothing to do with age, it’s all about the anointing lifting but us carrying on regardless.

If the Holy Spirit were removed from many churches, 90% would carry on as if nothing happened.

Saul stayed with a level of anointing, though he’d been rejected as king – he carried on wearing the crown for 20 years.

You can be young or old, and become yesterdays man.

Yesterdays man wore the crown, but lost the anointing.

David had no crown, but had the anointing – which would you want most?

To be yesterdays man can be painless – you may feel nothing. Carry on regardless. You can’t teach yesterdays man anything.

If you should be tomorrows man, it can be painful to wait for your day to come. If only Samuel had told David, “By the way it’ll be 20 years till you get the crown..’ David may have thought, ‘any day now.’

To be todays  man is most painful – cos you will have to step outside your comfort zone and be wiling to do aomthing costly.

What is the anointing?
It’s the power of the Spirit – it’s what comes to you with ease. Outside your anointing, you will struggle. What comes supernaturally to you looks natural! It feels easy to you.

Others will say, ‘How do you do that?’

Cf The Peter Principle – being promoted to a level of incompetence.

The Holy Spirit will never promote you to the level of your incompetence. What you’re doing may not have prestige, but you have peace – but if you manipulate & angle for the other role- you are headed outside your anointing.

Chrisma (Gk = anointing) = Smearing.

This anointing was on Christ.

Charisma = a different word. It’s a gift. It can be being likeable.

Charismata = the grace gift.

Those can be given without character, and remain without repentance! (The gifts and calling of God are irrevocable). King Saul, on his way to kill David, prophesies – the Spirit of the Lord came on him!

A person can excel, even in the gifts of the Spirit and mesmerise the world – but have nothing to do with this anointing we are talking about.

It has a lot to do with the way God made you.

Calvin called it ‘special grace in nature.’ – It’s not saving grace.

Even a non-Christian can have an anointing – in the sense of a special gifting, and not be saved. E.g. Great pianists/ violinists, Einstein had a gift of intellect – IQ of 212!

So when we as followers of Christ may want to have some kind of prestige – its humbling to hear that it has a lot to do with how you were made.

There are things I cannot do no matter how much I’m paid to do it.

But there are some things you can do.

Cf Peter and Jesus talking, John says, “What about him?” The Lord says, ‘it’s none of your business – you follow me.’

The Lord said, “How long will you mourn for Saul?” And Samuel had to come to terms with the fact that the man he’d tried to mentor wasn’t it.

It happened way back when Saul had agreed that he would wait and not do what only Samuel was qualified and called to; make the burnt sacrifices.

As he lit the fires, Samuel THEN turned up and said, “What have you done?”

Saul said, ‘I felt compelled to do it…’ – right against scripture. People say, “God told me,’ as if God bypassed scripture – and made a special case for them.

The Bible is the Holy Spirit’s proudest work, and he is proud of it. Take it seriously, and believe it so much that if you get a dream, a nudge, an impression – make sure it coheres with the word; or you’re headed toward being yesterdays man.

Saul took himself too seriously.

Jonathan Edwards taught us, it’s the task of every generation to discover in which direction the Spirit and moving and follow him!

Until David killed Goliath, everything was fine – he had been made an officer in the military.

Then some girls started singing a different song, about thousands and tens! 1 Sam 18:12 – he was scared of a 17 year old boy.

Saul had a brilliant beginning, started a national revival. (1 Sam 12). He had authority! Who’d have thought the same man would so soon become yesterdays man? It was the inability to listen, to take advice, to fit into the structures that God had set in place and make his own way.

I can think of nothing worse than to become yesterdays man, I want to end well. And God is no respecter of persons. I have to hear his voice!

Cf Hebrews 3 – quoting Psalm 95 – Don’t harden your heart – listen!

As long as you can hear his voice – that’s what matters most!

Dr Martin Lloyd Jones said to RT once, “The worse thing that can happen to a man, is to succeed, before he is ready.”

That’s what happened to King Saul.

You may be wondering why you can’t do this or that – God says, “Keep listening – your time will come!’

Imagine Joseph turning up to the Jobcentre today – what do you do? “I dream, and interpret them…’

But there came a day, when Joseph was called out of prison to the Pharaoh, and in a day – his gift made the way. The thing nobody could do better than him.

Better to be tomorrow’s man – waiting for your time to come. Waiting for the time for your anointing time to come.

Why would God use me?

A good beginning doesn’t necessarily guarantee a good ending.

But… Yogi Berra – baseball catcher for the NY Yankees – ‘It’s not over, till it’s over!’

It’s the second half that counts – not the score at the beginning.

Saul had become stone deaf to the Spirit. He wouldn’t listen to the wise counsel of his mentor.

Deafness (naturally) comes in stages. From saying “Pardon me,” to needing a hearing aid, to not being able to hear anything at all – stone deaf.

Hebrews 6 – talks about those who had fallen away, and cannot be renewed again unto repentance. They had repented. It says they excelled, and were converted. BUT they became hard of hearing! The writer says, “If anyone hears my voice,’ because the worst scenario is to become stone deaf to God and never hear him again.

Guard that!

And if you look at this and think, “Could I be yesterdays man?” – good sign, you can still hear God speak!

If you look it over and are not concerned – look out!

Signs of being Yesterdays man?

1)   Jealousy. All Saul could think about was David. He was more concerned with him (a 17 years ago) than the real enemy – the Philistines! Saul lived for one thing – to kill David. Get some perspective! Become aware of what stirs you up.

2)   Fear of another’s anointing. When you get to heaven you’ll be objective, only concerned with what has advanced the kingdom. If they can do it – rejoice! Then you become a hero before the angels!

3)   You can’t keep your word. In the ancient world, you could promise, or you could swear an oath. King Saul swore oaths, including one to his son David – and broke it the same say – that he wouldn’t seek to harm David.

4)   Trust your gift not the grace that comes from the ungrieved Holy Spirit – because the gift is not the evidence!

5)   Not accountable to those who tell you what you need to know. The last words of those who fall, “I’m accountable to God.” I need friends who I know love me, who will from that close relationship ask me the questions that I need to squirm under the weight of.

How to be yesterdays man – Put yourself above the word. Put your theology above the word. Your reputation. It’s okay to change your mind. St Augustine wrote a whole book on ‘retractions.’ I want the anointing more than anyone’s admiration.