Anointing by Leonard Ravenhill — Compilations

I told the story once, let me tell you it again. I'm going in Dr. Toll's study one day and there he had a bit of paper he was stroking. And he said Len I would rather have that bit of paper than a letter from the President of the United States.

Dumas's Conversion and Call to Ministry

I said why? He said it's from a little black man in Africa. His name is Dumas, D-U-M-A-S. He went into a Baptist church one night and the Lord came upon him and he got wonderfully saved. And when he got to the door the preacher said, Well, nice to see you.

Hope you come again. He said yes. Anything I can do for you? And he said yes, yes, yes there is. He said what? He said give me a church. What did you say? He said give me a church. I've been looking all my life for the thing I found there at that altar.

He said listen, I'm a new man. My burden's gone. I felt the fetters break. I felt the burden go from off my back. I felt something surge and making me pure and wonderful. I want to tell everybody give me a church to preach.

Oh, well, have you had much formal education? No. Have you been to Bible school? No. Well, that was an advantage if you'd only known. And he hadn't been to Bible school. And so finally the preacher said, You just keep coming.

But ma 'am, he said, this is wonderful. I heard it preached about being a new creation, but it happened in my life. And I'm a new creature. All things have passed away. You know, I don't have a desire.

I don't have an appetite. Everything's new. I want God. I want God. I want God. And the preacher was at least honest. He said, You know, I used to be like that. I used to be. You know, you're very sure you're God's chosen people.

And before long, you're very sure you're God's frozen people. The little black man went out. He came back a month later. The preacher was preaching and thinking, Now, who's that fellow there? Yes, I know.

I know. Yeah, I know. I know who he is. I think I know who he is. And going out, he said, Hi, brother. How are you? He said, Fine. He said, I'd like to ask you a question. He said, Go ahead, the preacher said.

He said, Would you give me a chair? Yeah, I thought he was a fella. Only been in church twice and you ask for a church each time you come. Do you think I've got a pocket full of them or something? And here's one for you and one for some...

Prayer, Fasting, and the Call to Preach

He said, Sir, you're right. I haven't been here for a month. When you told me at the door, you'd see me again. He said, Sir, I walked up that road outside of the city. I found the forest. I went in the forest.

I found the path. I found the stream. I found a hole in the wall. And I put a mark on the wall and I stayed there 21 days and 21 nights with my Bible. And he said, Lord, you and I, just the two of us, we're going to have it out.

Either I go out of that door with an assurance, I call you to minister or I go out and say, You'll never get me to preach. It's one of the two. He said, I ate no bread. I talked with nobody. I washed my face in the stream.

And right in the middle of that 21 days, the Holy Ghost came upon me. And the Spirit said, I've called you to preach. And when you lay hands on the sick, the sick will recover. Go ahead. Are you going to give me a church?

Dumas's First Church and the Judgment of His Critics

Well, we do have an elders meeting on Wednesday night. If you could come back on Sunday and the elders discussed it and said, You know, he's a bit of a freak. You're not going to get rid of him. Now, we do have a little tin church at the other side of town, you know, a shack.

Why not give it to him? He's only got five members. And you know, he's ignorant and rude and his grammar isn't good. He couldn't deal with a text very well. He couldn't treat it. All he'd do is ill-treat it.

And they wouldn't want to go hear him after a few days, a few weeks. And they will close it down and say, you see, you weren't called. Why was Tozer reading this little dog-eared paper? And Tozer, he's about as emotional as a toothpick.

And he kisses the paper and puts it and says, I'd rather have that than a letter from the President of the United States. He said, at last, the man I've heard so much about, I've got a letter from him.

The Fruit of a Genuine Anointing

Bumer, the man they sent outside of town. The man they thought they'd break his heart with five colored people. Now he has one of the stateliest churches in the city of Durban. I believe out of about 1 ,200 people every Lord's Day to hear him minister, the little church that sat in judgment on him is still a little shrunken church.

But listen, friends. It's the secret that he went in a cave for 21 days and said, Lord, in the light of eternity, you talk into this heart of mine. You're going to tell me one of two things. Either I'm anointed to preach or I'm not.

Did you ever do that, preacher? It's tough. That's not the secret. As I remember the story, it's this. That he went into that cave on the 17th of November. And every year, more than 15 years in succession, when he came to the 17th of November, he kissed his wife and children goodbye.

I don't think he kissed the deacons, but he said goodbye to the deacons. And he went back into that cave and stayed 21 days and 21 nights. Not if you preachers wouldn't say amen to that. You'd better not, because you're dead, some of you.

Renewing Strength, Vision, and Anointing

21 days to renew his strength. 21 days to renew his vision. 21 days to renew his anointing. Every year, he said, new counsels from God. New revelations from God. New anointings from God. There is no such thing as one filling with the Holy Ghost that's going to last you from here to eternity.

I don't believe that. Do you believe that, Brother Merrill? No, sir. There are repeated anointings. There are times when God will withdraw himself and make you feel as though you're dropping into the nethermost hell.

He'll leave you alone to see if you're going to struggle after his anointing or you're going to go on in your own eloquence and ability. The Lord thy God is a jealous God.