My wife, Jessica, is really into health. I must say, so am I. For example, Jessica never puts the synthetic bug spray on our kids. We love to be outdoors. Playing golf and fishing are our favorite pastimes. In Florida, bugs are a big deal. They are literally everywhere. The mosquitoes down here do a lot more than fly by. They bite you and bite you again. They have a way of making you want to go crazy. So, we have to lather ourselves with bug spray. We use a healthy, organic alternative. I have to admit, it does work. There is only one issue: It leaves you feeling a little oily. Oil is the base substance for the bug sprays we use. While the oily spray does repel most of the bugs, some are so committed to sucking our blood that they fly straight into the oil. Guess what? They die when they land.
This is so much like the anointing of the Holy Spirit on our lives. Yes, there are many counterfeit alternatives out there. There are actually church conferences and books out there that teach you how to grow your ministry systematically but don’t mention a relationship with the Holy Spirit. They will tell you how your services should be scheduled, but they don’t reference bathing in the oil of God so that He can flow through you in the meeting. Yes, just as there are many synthetic bug sprays out there that work in the short term but cause harm in the long term, there are synthetic solutions to ministry.
We must choose daily to contend for the authentic life in the Holy Spirit, which Jesus modeled for us. Success is loving Jesus, not growing in numbers. Growth should be a byproduct of genuine union with the Holy Spirit. Reject the synthetic, man-made methods by yielding to God’s voice in your life.
Just as the genuine oil protects me and my children from bugs, so the Holy Spirit protects us from the powers of hell. In the bug repel-lant, it is the smell of the oil and the spices that keeps the bugs away. The same is true in the spiritual life. It is the fragrance of Jesus in the oil of the Spirit that repels the attacks of the enemy. The devil literally hates the presence of the Holy Spirit. However, if an attack does get through to us (just as there are bugs that occasionally reach our skin despite the natural bug spray), the Holy Spirit—that Pure Oil—will stop it in its tracks. I love to see the devil get smoked. I really do.
I believe the greatest protection we could ever have is the presence of God Himself wrapping us like a cloak.
Protection from Judgment
There is a greater judgment for those who teach the Scriptures (see James 3:1). I believe we must take our callings seriously and live a holy life. The world is yearning for a true picture of Jesus. Beryl Moore said, “Jesus put a face on the Father, and we put a face on Jesus to the world.” That is beautiful! I would add only a little something to that beautiful statement. I’d say it this way: Jesus put a face on the Father, and the Holy Spirit puts Jesus’ face on ours. Let’s remember that we are held to a higher standard if we are teaching people the Scriptures. To be honest, my heart breaks to see so many young leaders accepting sin in hopes of reaching more people. God doesn’t need our compromise to reach the lost. He needs our surrender. We need some of the old-time fire swagger again. I know I need to be bathed in love and grace. I’ve discovered the more that God’s love has bathed me, the more I hate the devil and sin. Sin destroys people, and I hate that.
Aaron
I will never forget a powerful conversation I had with my father-in-law one night. We were discussing the Holy Spirit’s presence in and anointing on our lives and how precious He is. I really couldn’t imagine a day without Him—life would be hell on earth. In fact, it wouldn’t be life at all.
My father-in-law said to me, “Just think, when God judged Miriam for speaking against Moses, He didn’t touch Aaron. Aaron did the same thing she did.”
They both criticized Moses for marrying an Ethiopian woman. Then, for their grand mistake, they said, “Are you the only one who hears from God?” (see Num. 12:2). They hadn’t crossed the line until they mentioned Moses’ position before God. I don’t believe they would have angered the Lord if they had just continued the conversation regarding the Ethiopian woman. But the moment they invaded Moses’ relationship with God and compared themselves to Moses spiritually, they entered a new realm. They left the territory of a family discussion and entered the realm of Kingdom.
God would not have it. So, He said, “With you I speak in mysteries and riddles, but with Moses I speak face to face” (see Num. 12:8). In other words, “Back off, Aaron and Miriam. He may be your brother, but He is My son. I made him and have walked with him. I have acquaintances, and I have friends. Moses is My friend. He’s much closer to Me
than you are. Since you have decided to come against My friend and to come between Me and him, I need to make a point to all of Israel.” As we know, nothing happened to Aaron, but Miriam was struck with leprosy. Why? It’s because of the anointing oil that covered Aaron and his garments. God smelled the fragrance that rested on Aaron, the high priest, who was a picture of Jesus and His nature. You see, when God saw Aaron, He saw a prophetic picture of Jesus, our High Priest. When He looked at Aaron’s garments and saw the oil, He saw the anointing of the Holy Spirit resting on His Son. So, God did not touch Aaron, because he was protected by oil and the very fragrance of Jesus. While I am not saying that we can assume that God will be blind to our willful sin, there is no doubt that He has great patience and grace for those who have been anointed with Heaven’s oil, the Holy Spirit.
David
Something that is very important to me, my family, and our ministry at Jesus Image is honor. To us, it’s non-negotiable. We believe this is a revelation that is vital in the Kingdom. Because of God’s blessing on our ministry, I’m often asked, “How can you associate with this person? How can you risk your brand by even being linked with so-and-so? They have messed up. They have failed. You don’t agree with all they do and say. They are going to hurt you in the long run. If you do decide to remain in a friendship with them, you should do it secretly. If they have impacted your life, just tell people privately. Don’t ever do it publicly.” The thought of that type of heart literally makes me nauseated. To be honest, it sounds a lot like the political arena. A few years back, I remember Bill Johnson telling me, “There are two spirits that you will have to confront and deal with: the political spirit and the religious spirit.” How right he was. The political spirit says, “Even though God has blessed your life and you have been a blessing to me, I can’t publicly be associated with you because you have failed in your life.” Sorry to be so frank, but how gross is that? What have we become when we throw fathers and mothers in God to the wayside because of their bad decisions? I would rather go back to the life of a professional golfer than to be bound to the opinions of men while serving Jesus.
Let’s have a look at David and see what God’s opinion was of him. Did you know that David was anointed three times: once as a shepherd boy (possibly at the age of twelve) so that he could kill Goliath, another time as king of Judah, and lastly as king of Israel. David was very familiar with the precious oil—the presence of the Holy Spirit. His first anointing, given by Samuel while he tended to his sheep, would change his life forever. His private battle-tested skills would now go public and take center stage before all of Israel. Oh yes, he knew the effect that the oil had on his life. Of course he sensed something different on him. Who was it that gave David the boldness to challenge Goliath before two nations? Where did the certainty come from that he would not only kill Goliath, but also cut off Goliath’s head and even kill Goliath’s brothers? Remember, he took five smooth stones from the brook. Goliath had four brothers, and God never does anything by chance. What carried that rock directly into Goliath’s forehead? Was David really that good? My friend, the answer to all of the above is the presence of the Spirit that rested on David once the oil was poured on him by Samuel, God’s prophet.
After years of testing and turmoil, David would eventually be king of Judah and Israel. Yet, David failed—many times and in many ways. He was an adulterer, a murderer, a horrible friend, a deceiver, pride-ful, self-exalting, and greedy. In fact, in comparison to the people who often receive our scorn, David was the worst offender. Did God punish David? Yes, He did. He punished him harshly, but He didn’t throw him away. Why? First and foremost, because David repented. It was also because he wore the oil. The oil reminded God that David was the Lord’s and that one day, the Eternal King would take His eternal throne as the offspring of David.
Given David’s many failures, should we erase his successes and heart for the Lord? Should we eliminate First and Second Samuel eternally from the Scriptures? How about the Book of Psalms? What about Jesus’ title as Son of David? Of course not! Why must David remain honored before us? It’s because God chose him. God raised him up. God poured His oil on him. If he is good enough for God, he should be good enough for us.
Solomon
Solomon was quite a person. What gifting! What wisdom! What a human being! Let’s have a look at his resume for a moment:
Oh yeah, one more thing: he was anointed with oil by Zadok the priest. Not bad! Pretty amazing resume. I’ve yet to come across such a resume on my desk at Jesus Image.
Even with such a past and pedigree, Solomon failed. He literally introduced idol worship to Israel. This is one of the most detestable sins. He married foreign wives and defiled the land. His family and Israel suffered greatly because of his prideful mixture of sin. Here is my question: Should we forever erase the very memory of Solomon from Scripture and all of his contributions to the eternal Kingdom of Jesus?
What is it in us that keeps from doing this? Why didn’t God take him out and just kill him and diminish his impact? One of the reasons is the fact that he wore the oil. The anointing oil. The presence and power of the Holy Spirit.
The oil of the Spirit attracts the mercy, love, and grace of the Lord. It literally protects us from the wrath of God.
Close to Home
Many of you know that my family is often in the public eye. The scrutiny has been intense over the years. More so for my wife than myself. Her entire childhood was full of the public’s opinion finding its way into her life and family. Whether it was merited or not is not the point. Any time children are involved, it’s painful. It is public knowledge that in 2010, my in-laws went through a divorce. The news traveled around the world so quickly. I’ll never forget sitting in a hotel room with Jessica when the phone rang. It was a media outlet asking us questions about the scenario. I remember the pain and embarrassment that came. One moment, you’re walking through packed stadiums being celebrated and thanked. The next moment, you’re a liability. I still remember the pain of those with whom we were close disconnecting from us. I remember one leader saying, “Michael, your connection with your in-laws is an issue. Sorry, you’re a liability.” Doors began to close left and right for our then young ministry, Jesus Image. In preparation for an appearance on a television show, I was explicitly told, “Don’t mention your in-laws at all.” Jessica and I were punished for decisions we never made. It was so tough to swallow. Although my immediate family had done nothing wrong, we were feeling the repercussions of the situation.
I remember being invited to a major university to preach at an on-campus ministry meeting. This was right in the thick of the divorce. Because I have a different last name than my wife’s side of the family, they didn’t place the connection. I was invited up to preach the Gospel to a large group of young people. Gainesville is about two hours from my house. Just before we jumped in the car to head up to the service, my phone rang.
“Hello,” I said.
The caller replied, “Is this Michael?”
“This is Michael,” I responded.
I’ll never forget his question. He said, “Michael, what will you preach tonight?”
Well, whenever you hear something like that, you know something is up. Any time you answer that question with “Jesus,” it’s hard to argue. “I’ll call you right back,” the young man said. “How odd is that?” I thought to myself. Sure enough, he called back. I knew what was coming but just waited to see if I was right. He asked me, “Michael, are you Benny Hinn’s son-in-law?” Without hesitation, I replied, “Yes, I am.” His answer was sad and comical. “That’s a real problem. That’s a problem.”
“Really?” I replied.
“Yes, it is a problem,” he said.
I answered, “Is Benny preaching tonight? I love my father-in-law, but he won’t be there. What’s the issue? I’m preaching Jesus. What did I do?”
Incredibly flustered, he said, “Ahh…let me call you back again.”
“No problem. But let me know what’s going on because I am about to drive two hours and I need to know if you still want me to preach or not before I jump in the car with my family and friends.”
He called back and said, “Fine, just come up. I guess we will let you speak, but we don’t allow the gifts of the Spirit to operate.”
I replied, “Fine, I’ll come. I’m not coming to preach ‘gifts.’ I’m coming to preach Jesus.” Little did this young man know how the Kingdom works. When the Gift Giver is preached and I yield to the Spirit, it’s already too late. The Holy Spirit will pour His gifts into the thirsty and the open. My job was simply to minister to Jesus until those people became hungry.
The service was great, and Jesus was glorified. Afterward, I was swamped with young people thanking me. On my way out, that young leader walked up to me in tears. He cried, “I’m sorry, brother. I’m sorry. I judged you. You are a Christian!” It was quite moving and big of him to repent. I remember thinking, “Did you judge me so harshly that you didn’t even think I was born again because of my familial affiliation?”
The depths we sink to when we begin to judge others is staggering. It kills the move of the Holy Spirit in ourselves and in our ministries. That group once had almost one thousand kids per Bible study. It shook America. Now it has dwindled to around one hundred attendees. I love them, but to be honest, some people there had the look of a funeral attendee rather than someone who had come to meet with God.
Honor
Now, as you read this, is the Holy Spirit convicting you? Is He challenging you to honor those who have touched your life even if it costs you something? Who led you to Jesus? Have you spoken to that person lately? Did God use someone to bring physical healing to your body? Do you stay in touch with him or her? Perhaps God used someone who is controversial to bring an element of His presence into your life and change you forever. Do you speak kindly about that person? How about your parents, as imperfect as they may be? You wouldn’t be here without them.
I personally believe that we should financially bless those who have impacted us spiritually. That includes our parents. Listen to the words of Paul the apostle: “If we have sown spiritual things for you, is it a great thing if we reap your material things?” (1 Cor. 9:11).
Heidi Baker says, “Love has to look like something.” How true that is! Imagine if the Father said, “I love you” but had never sent Jesus. God’s love is true and proven. The same is true regarding honor. It has to look like something. It has to cost us something.
Honor is huge to the Holy Spirit, regardless of the cost. During my in-laws’ divorce, a pastor told me, “Michael, you should take Benny out of The Jesus Book. It could hurt the book. This is a pure book.” I thought to myself, “Let’s see…Benny was used by the Holy Spirit to:
“You take all that out and there is no Michael Koulianos. There is most definitely no Jesus Image or Jesus Book, for that matter. If that’s what the cost is to be what many call ‘successful’ in ministry, I’m just not interested. We don’t run away from those we love when they go through a difficult time. Our calling is to honor and to remain pure at the same time.”
Maybe you’re asking, “What does this have to do with the Holy Spirit?” The answer is a ton! When you honor what is of Him in the lives of people, you honor Him. I’m often asked, “To what do you attribute God’s blessing and breakthrough in your life?” Here are a few answers:
When we honor the Holy Spirit, He entrusts us with more of His presence. Why don’t you ask the Lord today if you are properly honoring those who have been a blessing to you? If not, you can begin today!