Do Some Christian’s Carry More Clout?
Clout means to have power, influence or to hold a better position. To a Christian, clout with God is the influence He allows you to emanate.
In the Body of Christ there are many members and each of those members is unique. Each of those members is filling a unique place (or position) and has been given unique gifts. Every member is also at a different point in their walk with the Lord.
Some further questions need to be looked at when trying to answer the main question: Is the member living a life of holiness? Is the member living a life of prayer and fasting? Has the member learned how to pray effectively and fervently? Does the member have any hidden sin in their life?
Every circumstance is also unique. So we must look at this main question specifically and not as a general cover-all statement. No one should ever become offended because the Holy Spirit prompted someone else to be used. Tradition tells us that Justus Barsabbas, even though Matthias was picked by lots over him to replace Judas Iscariot as one of the twelve apostles in Acts 1, did not allow this to affect his faith and he died faithfully as a martyr serving the Lord. Notice that the early church was ‘all with one accord’.
Our job is to live a life of holiness and make sure our prayer life is what it should be. The Holy Spirit will then use us accordingly. I do not think any of us, after we do so many things for the Lord, want to hear, “Depart from me for I never knew you.”
The following New Testament verses show where certain individuals were anointed with the clout they needed to fulfill the purpose the Holy Spirit called them to do:
1. Acts 5:12 says, “And through the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were done among the people. And they were all with one accord in Solomon’s Porch.”
2. Acts 19:11-12 says, “And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul so that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them.”
3. Acts 8:26-31 says, “Now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, “Arise and go toward the south along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is desert. So he arose and went. And behold, a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace the queen of the Ethiopians, who had charge of all her treasury, and had come to Jerusalem to worship, was returning. And sitting in his chariot, he was reading Isaiah the prophet. Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go near and overtake this chariot.”So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?” And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him.”
4. Acts 9:10-12 & 15 says, “And there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias; and to him said the Lord in a vision, Ananias, arise and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus, for behold, he is praying. And in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hand on him, so that he might receive his sight. Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel.”
5. Acts 10:1-6 says, “There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian Regiment, a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, who gave alms generously to the people, and prayed to God always. About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God coming in and saying to him, “Cornelius!” And when he observed him, he was afraid, and said, “What is it, lord?” So he said to him, “Your prayers and your alms have come up for a memorial before God. Now send men to Joppa, and send for Simon whose surname is Peter. He is lodging with Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea. He will tell you what you must do.”
The following two verses show how the Holy Spirit will distribute the clout in the church that is necessary. It is up to each one of us how we avail ourselves to what the Holy Spirit wants to achieve:
1. 1 Corinthians 12:1 & 4-11 says, “Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant. There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.”
2. Mark 16:17-18 says, “And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
Clout and anointing and sin conviction are all closely tied. When past great revivals are studied, there is documentation that when certain anointed preachers walked into such places as factories, sinners literally dropped to their knees in repentance even before a word was preached.
To say then that some Christians do not carry more clout than others is to deny the fact that the Holy Spirit distributes to each one individually as He wills. If I am in need of a healing, I have no problem asking someone who has demonstrated the gift of healing in the past to pray for me. But at the same time, I have no problem allowing anyone who feels lead to pray for me to do just that. I am grateful to get any prayers I can get. Who knows, just maybe the Holy Spirit will choose to use an unlikely source for the miracle!
Annointing 