Pentecostal Sermons and Bible Studies by Pastor Jim Feeney, Ph.D.

A "Double Portion" of Anointing of the Holy Spirit Can Be Yours

by Pastor Jim Feeney, Ph.D.

Summary: Elisha asked for a "double portion of your spirit" as he saw the prophet Elijah taken up into heaven. Aren't we also in great need of a fuller measure of the Holy Spirit of God working in our lives?
 

2 Kings 2:9  When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?” Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit,” Elisha replied.

KJV:  And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me.

•• That is my sincere prayer to the Lord: “I pray thee, let a double portion of your Spirit be upon [us].”
• Eminent theologians have long debated, without resolution, whether the phrase "thy spirit" refers to Elijah's human spirit or to the Holy Spirit anointing upon Elijah. I cannot give you a definitive answer on that controversial topic. Various "experts" hold differing interpretations.

• What we can clearly believe is that God approves of our asking for an abundance of the things that He desires us to have. For example, Jesus declared to His followers: "If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!" (Luke 11:13)

• So with the attitude of the young prophet Elisha, and in response to Jesus' promise of God generously giving us the Holy Spirit, I am emboldened to ask the Lord for a double portion, an increased anointing of the Holy Spirit. I want more of God, more Holy Spirit anointing and power in my life and ministry.
•• I desire for us more than the remarkable experience of being "born of the Spirit" (John 3:5) and stopping there, as eternally important as that new birth is. Jesus promised further that we will "receive power[when we are] baptized with the Holy Spirit" (Acts 1:5,8). Seek a double portion of the Spirit's anointing. Don't settle for less than both the birth by and the baptism with the Holy Spirit.

•• As we walk daily in that infilling of the Spirit, we will begin to see a greater manifestation of God's spiritual gifts in our lives and ministries.

Psalm 2:8, KJV  Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance...

1 Corinthians 9:19-22  ...I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. [22] ... to win the Jews ... to win those under the law. [21] ... to win those not having the law. [22] ... to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some.

•• Let's continually ask the Lord for a double portion of souls saved.

•• “Ask of me ... give thee the heathen...” — Pray for the salvation of those throughout the world who have not heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

•• Pray also, by name, for friends, family, neighbors, and coworkers to come to Jesus Christ.
• I heard the account of a lady in the Portland, Oregon, area who prayed for 56 years to see her husband saved. She lived to see Him accept the Lord as his Savior! After 56 years of prayer!

Exodus 33:14-15  The LORD replied, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” [15] Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here.”

•• Ask the Lord for a double portion of the manifested presence of God. Whatever your experience of that has been, ask Him for more, for a greater measure!

•• It's not enough simply to know intellectually that God is here. No, we need the genuine experience of His awesome presence among us. The Psalmist said, "In thy presence is fulness of joy" (Psalm 16:11, KJV). Although in this life we don't see Him visibly, nevertheless by drawing close to the Lord in such things as prayer, worship, Bible reading, and church services, we can be dramatically touched by the very real presence of the Lord, who told His followers, "Surely I am with you always" (Matthew 28:20).
• The apostle James gave us a simple tip on how to experience a true closeness to God. He put the responsibility on our shoulders: "[You] come near to God and He will come near to you" (James 4:8).

Luke 5:17  ...And the power of the Lord was present for him to heal the sick.

•• Oh, how we need this! Join me in seeking God for a double portion of the “power of the Lord [being] present ... to heal the sick.”

•• Let's be bold to ask for a repeat of Book-of-Acts Christianity. There we see healing from the Lord ministered by Peter and John, Paul, the deacon Philip, and the disciple Ananias, among others. Notice: healing was ministered not just by apostles, but by "everyday" folks like us.

•• The Great Commission account in Mark (16:15-18) shows that "those who believe … will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well" (vss. 17-18). Let's not be among those who shrink back, but rather those who boldly expect the fulfillment of this healing promise of Jesus Christ.

Romans 8:26-27  In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us ... [27] ... the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.

Luke 11:1  One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray...”

•• Lord, grant us a double portion of what some call the “spirit of prayer” (based on Zechariah 12:10).

•• Without prayer, the American church can become like many of the cold, dry, dead cathedrals all over Europe — people attending church services, but barely a shred of spiritual life and vigor.

•• Prayer at home ... prayer in the car ... before church services … at meals ... at home gatherings … prayer frequently throughout the day.

Luke 17:5  The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”

•• I certainly need — and I imagine you also feel the need for — a double portion of faith. We know that "without faith it is impossible to please God" (Hebrews 11:6). But by contrast, Jesus assured us that "everything is possible for one who believes" (Mark 9:23)

•• Faith for souls ... faith for a greater measure of the Holy Spirit ... for more of God in our lives ... for healings and miracles and other gifts of the Holy Spirit ... for powerful prayers that are answered ... faith for an outpouring of Holy Ghost power and glory in our towns and in our churches.

In sum, like modern-day Elishas, let our daily cry be, "Lord, grant us a double portion of the anointing of your Spirit!"

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Pentecostal Sermons and Bible Studies
by Pastor Jim Feeney, Ph.D.