The Sunday Mail
Colletta Takumunya – Extra Correspondent
Prophet Emmanuel Makandiwa recently argued that the use of anointing oil was not a new phenomenon, and neither were the men of God inventing a new trend.
He said the oil had been in use since time immemorial with its roots traced back to the Old Testament days right up to the New Testament.
He taught about this contentious subject at his recent service, since he said he was to introduce a game-changer in the form of the anointing oil in the lives of Christians.
Since he was going to distribute the oil the preceding Sunday, he said it was imperative that people were equipped with the right knowledge about the use of the anointing oil; for products are abused and misused due to lack of understanding.
Prophet Makandiwa then gave a host of biblical verses where the use of the anointing oil was involved.
“Jacob went towards Haran from Beer-she-ba, settling for a night at a certain place, whereupon, he took some stones to make a pillow.
“It is during his dream where saw angels ascending and descending a ladder which reached up to the heavens. Genesis 28 vs 18 And Jacob rose up early in morning and took the stone that he had put for his pillows, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it. Jacob used oil to anoint the place and he called it Bethel, but the city was called Luz at first”.
“So the question beckons: what was the significance of the oil being poured on a rock?” he asked.
“Well, it was not sick nor was it a person but just an ordinary thing”.
He then explains that there is something invisible which happens when an object is touched by oil.
James 5 vs 14 says: “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”.
This was said to the church. The people were born again and had received Jesus Christ but there were sick people in the house of God.
Why call for elders of the church? What’s the need to call for them in church where there is an omnipresent God?
You hear them say it’s Jesus who heals not the oil. Granted that’s true but why is the healer not ready to heal you if an elder is not consulted.
This generation is trying to push away the man of God and be left with God only.
An elder is a spiritually mature person who has enough equipment to use on the patient. People find it difficult to believe that the spirit can enter into the physical (oil).
They forget that the same God who gets into a physical body which is a human being can also use oil as a medium or channel to transmit his power.
The sequence in the book of James was to pray for the sick first then anoint them with oil in the name of Jesus.
There were five wise virgins and five foolish virgins. The five foolish virgins were foolish not because they were not pure or because they had done any foolish activities. They were fools because they lacked oil in their lives.
Matthew 25 vs 3: “They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them.”
What differentiated the two groups was what they were carrying; people carry their Bibles so it is important that the people should also carry what their Bibles are carrying.
Some preachers say it’s not biblical to use oil but the truth of the matter is it’s those preachers who are not being biblical.
Even politicians were anointed with oil by the prophets. It was necessary for a king to be anointed with oil before he took office.
It was a culture that the prophet would always carry oil with him. 1 Samuel 10 vs 1: “Then Samuel took a vial of oil, and poured it upon his head, and kissed him, and said, Is it not because the Lord hath anointed thee to be captain over his inheritance?”
After Saul had been anointed with oil by Samuel the Prophet, the Lord God gave him a new heart and the spirit of the Lord came upon him and when a company of prophets met him he began to prophesy among them.
Those who knew him before asked what had become upon Saul the son of Kish. Is Saul among the prophets, they asked?
After Saul was rejected by the Lord as King, the Prophet Samuel was sent to the house of Jesse the Bethlehemite to anoint King David.
1 Samuel 16 vs 13: “Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward, so Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah. But the spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord troubled him.”
The spirit of the Lord that came upon David was the same spirit of God which departed from Saul when David was anointed.
God being God he did not just anoint David by himself. God respects the order that he put here on Earth. Acts 13 vs 2: “As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work where unto I have called them. God gave this earth to the sons of man and gave them power and dominion.”
There are different oils for different functions. There is oil for the common people, oil for the kings and oil for the men of God.
Exodus 30 vs 32: “Upon man’s flesh shall it not be poured, neither shall ye make any other like it, after the composition of it: it is holy, and it be holy unto you.”
When Jesus sent out his 12 disciples and gave them power over unclean spirits he commanded them not to carry anything for the journey except the staff. Mark 6 vs 13, “and they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them. Even after giving them power over the demons the disciples prayed for the sick and anointed them with oil”.
Life without oil is like running an engine without oil. It will cease. That is why the devil attacks the oil so much. He knows its significance.
Prophet Emmanuel Makandiwa then gave out the oil to thousands of congregants who had converged at UFIC in Chitungwiza.
A host of miracles followed in the aftermath of the contact with the oil.
A mother came with her child who had hernia and after the prophet applied the oil on the baby, he was healed and the baby started passing out stool continuously!
A man who could not speak for years started speaking after oil was applied on him! He used to communicate by writing in a small note book.
Another man who had been wearing a neck brace for two months removed it after he had applied the oil on his neck!
A lady who had given up hope of ever getting a job got an SMS inviting her to come for an interview with a bank during the service after many years of applying for jobs without any joy!
This happened right after the oil touched her.
Another boy who had lymph nodes close to his private parts and was due to go for an operation was healed instantly when the oil was applied on him!
Thousands of people queued to give their testimonies of what the oil had done for them in an instant and it was so difficult to record all the testimonies.
Colletta Takumunya is a born- again Christian with a keen interest in the debate regarding anointing oil.
