Focus: Succeeding With People

Text: Isa.61:1-3

"The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD… to comfort all that mourn; To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness…"

Touching and changing lives is the highest level of success. True success is achieved when people are significantly touched and ultimately transformed to the glory of God. True success produces other successes and successors.

Our text resurfaces in the New Testament. In Luke 4:18-21, the Lord Jesus Christ quotes this 700 year old prophecy of Isaiah and claims it to Himself. He makes this prophetic Scripture His own and sees it as pointing to Him. He is the anointed of the Lord and the fulfiller of this prophecy of Isaiah. Peter says by the Spirit of God, "How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him" (Act.10:38).

This prophecy is about the people and what the anointing of the Spirit can use a man to accomplish in their lives.

The first thing to notice about the people is their CONDITION. 

*They are the needy.

*The meek or the poor

*The brokenhearted

*The captives

*The prisoners (or the blind)

*The mourners

*The ugly (ashes)

These are the ones who formed the congregation of Christ, and He touched their lives by the anointing of the Holy Spirit. He helped, healed, and befriended them. He met their needs, fed and clothed them. He taught, comforted and shepherded them. He didn't despise them. He never looked down on them.

Interestingly, the Lord Jesus Christ did not stop at doing stuff for them. He went beyond that as we shall see next.

The last thing to notice about the people is their CHANGE. 

The Lord Jesus Christ worked on them so that the needy became the needed. He did not only touch them with His power; He also transformed their lives with His love. He changed their lives for the better. Isaiah says, "That they might be called TREES of righteousness, the PLANTING of the LORD, that he might be glorified. And THEY shall build the old wastes, THEY shall raise up the former desolations, and THEY shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations… But YE shall be named the Priests of the LORD: men shall call YOU the Ministers of our God… the seed which the LORD hath blessed…" (Isa.61:3,4,6,9).

The congregation of needy people is now totally changed. They have become the needed, not the needy. They have moved from being liabilities into being assets.

They are now:

*The trees of righteousness

*The planting of the Lord

*The builders

*The restorers

*The repairers

*The priests of the Lord

*The ministers of the Lord

*The blessed seed of the Lord

Imagine the change! Can you notice the transformation He has made in their lives? From broken people to bold and daring people. From receivers to givers. From changed people to change agents of God.

By them God was glorified. Succeeding with people is real success. Raising spiritual successors is real success. This is what possessing power means. This is what anointing does in people's lives. By the anointing of the Spirit yokes are broken, broken lives are mended, and lives are touched and transformed.

You are the anointed of the Lord today. John says, "But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things" (1Jh.2:20). Function with your unction. Let someone testify of the effect of your anointing! Make succeeding with people your number one priority!

by Bishop Moses E. Peter