Throughout
the Bible the hand has a special significance.
It is the extension of the person himself, a means
of imparting a touch from God communicating his
blessing, authority, and power to others.
Eleazar the
priest “...laid his hands on Joshua and
commissioned him as the Lord instructed through
Moses” Numbers 27:23. “Now Joshua
the son of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom
because Moses had laid his hands upon him.”
Deuteronomy 34:9
When we lay
hands on someone we are exercising delegated authority
from God to impart life, blessing and power by
the Holy Spirit.
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Blessing
Your Children
Parents, you can cover
your children with the Father’s love
and protection by laying hands upon them in
Jesus’ Name.
When children came to Jesus, “...he
took them in his arms and blessed them, laying
his hands upon them.” Mark 10:16. Parents,
bring your new babies to dedicate them to
God and to bless them during public worship.
Lay hands on your children in the home and
bless them following Jesus’ example.
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Praying
For The Sick
Jesus used many ways
to heal the sick. It seems that the laying
on of hands was by far the most common method
he used to minister to people. When crowds
came bringing people with various diseases
to him, “...laying his hands on each
one, he healed them.” Luke 4:40
People
often came to Jesus asking him specifically
to lay hands on a sick person. “A ruler
came and knelt before him and said, ‘My
daughter has just died, but come and put your
hand on her, and she will live’, Jesus
got up and went with him, and so did his disciples.”
Matthew 9:18,19
In other
cases, people sought to touch Jesus, or asked
that he would touch them in order to be healed.
The power of the Holy Spirit was conveyed
through Jesus’ physical touch, coming
forth and healing them all.
Jesus has
given us his authority to pray for the sick.
His promise to his followers is not confined
to leaders in the Church. It applies to every
believer. Jesus said, “Go into all the
world and preach the good news to all creation...
and these signs will follow those who believe:
In my name they will ...place their hands
on sick people and they will get well.”
Mark 16:15-18
The Elders
have a responsibility to care for you and
minister spiritual healing to you. If you
are too sick to attend the worship meeting
then you may ask them to come to your home
to minister to you in Jesus Name: “Is
anyone of you sick? He should call the Elders
of the Church to pray over him and anoint
him with oil in the name of the Lord. And
the prayer offered in faith will make the
sick person well; and the Lord will raise
him up.” James 5:14,15
The laying
on of hands will be included in this type
of ministry.
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Working
Miracles
Because Jesus so frequently
touched people to bring healing and blessing
to them, observers mentioned miracles done
by his hands: “What mighty works are
being done by his hands.” Mark 6:2
Similarly,
we are told that when Paul and Barnabas were
on their first missionary journey, they used
their hands to work miracles. “The Lord
bore witness to the word of his grace, granting
signs and wonders to be done by their hands.”
Acts 14:3 RSV
We are
also told that “God did extraordinary
miracles by the hands of Paul.” Acts
19:11 RSV
There was
no automatic or magical power in the hands
of the early Christians. Healing and blessing
came as God himself was pleased to work through
the laying on of hands.
We can
ask God to answer our prayer for miracles,
“Grant to your servants to speak your
word with all boldness, while you stretch
out your hand to heal.” Acts 4:29,30
RSV. We can pray that the Lord Jesus will
restore a touch from him to work miracles
by our hands.
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Imparting
The Power Of The Holy Spirit And Spiritual
Gifts
When the gospel came
to a new group of people, those who proclaimed
the gospel laid hands on the new believers
in order that they might receive the new covenant
power of the Holy Spirit.
Here are
some examples. At Samaria, the Apostles “...placed
their hands upon them and they received the
Holy Spirit” Acts 8:17. Ananias laid
his hands on Paul in order that he might regain
his sight and “...be filled with the
Holy Spirit.” Acts 9:17. When Paul laid
his hands upon the disciples at Ephesus who
had just come to believe in Jesus, the Holy
Spirit came on them; Acts 19:6.
So we see
that the normal way for new believers to be
baptized in the Holy Spirit was to lay hands
on them.
In other
cases the laying on of hands resulted in the
impartation of some spiritual gift. In the
incident just mentioned, the disciples at
Ephesus also “...spoke with tongues
and prophesied” Acts 19:6, after Paul
laid his hands on them to receive the Spirit.
The Apostle
reminded Timothy, “Do not neglect your
gift, which was given you through a Prophetic
message when the body of Elders laid hands
on you.” 1 Timothy 4:14
Paul may
have been referring to the same event or a
different one when he said later, “I
remind your to rekindle the gift of God that
is within you through the laying on of my
hands.” 2 Timothy 1:6
This gift
was probably the gift of preaching and teaching
to which Paul refers in 1 Timothy 4:14.
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Appointing
Leaders In The Church
Finally, laying on
of hands was done in connection with asking
God to empower or equip people for some service
or ministry.
For example
when the first DEACONS were appointed, the
Church brought them before the Apostles, “...and
they prayed and laid their hands upon them.”
Acts 6:6
Similarly,
when the Church at Antioch sent out Paul and
Barnabas, “...after they had fasted
and prayed, they placed and laid their hands
on them, and sent them off.” Acts 13:3
RSV
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Follow Your Leaders
Jesus is head of the
Church - both world-wide and local. Seated
at the Father’s right hand, he gives
leaders who will govern the Church, and who
will equip the members and provide for them.
Leaders
are God’s delegated authorities.
They have
a variety of gifts and responsibilities. You
will meet them, get to know them and benefit
from their spiritual abilities and authority
- Elders, DEACONS and ministries.
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On Hands And Knees
At this point we wish
to underline the basis of all ministries and
offices in the Church - servant hood. All
ministries whether high profile or hidden
away, are servants. Jesus described himself
as a servant.
When the
disciples were more interested in status than
service he called them together to renew their
thinking: “You know that the rulers
of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their
high officials exercise authority over them.
Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to
become great among you must be your servant,
and whoever wants to be first must be your
slave - just as the Son of Man did not come
to be served, but to serve, and to give his
life as a ransom for many.” - Matthew
20:25-28
When the
disciples were too proud to get on their hands
and knees to wash away the dirt of the day
from each other’s feet Jesus himself
gave them a demonstration of discipleship:
he washed their feet.
Afterwards,
he underlined the basis of leadership, or
being in charge of others: “When he
had finished washing their feet, he put on
his clothes and returned to his place. ‘Do
you understand what I have done for you?’
he asked them. ‘You call me ‘Teacher’
and ‘Lord’, and rightly so, for
that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and
Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should
wash one another’s feet. I have set
you an example that you should do as I have
done for you. I tell you the truth, no servant
is greater than his master, nor is a messenger
greater than the one who sent him. Now that
you know these things, you will be blessed
if you do them’.” John 13:12-17
There were
in the Church at Philippi people who took
pride in their position, expected to be waited
on by others and who set their hearts on climbing
the ladder of promotion within the Church,
so had little time for the needs and interests
of others.
The Apostle
called them to imitate Christ’s humility
and servant spirit: “Do nothing out
of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in
humility consider others better than yourselves.
Each of you should look not only to your own
interests, but also to the interests of others.”
Your attitude
should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
‘Who, being in very nature God, did
not consider equality with God something to
be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking
the very nature of a servant, being made in
human likeness. And being found in appearance
as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient
to death - even death on a cross’!”
Philippians 2:3-8
All the
ministries we shall look at now are appointed
by the laying on of hands and have the same
calling to use their gift of leadership to
build up the Church, not to build up themselves.
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Elders
When Paul and Barnabas
returned to Antioch from their first missionary
journey they visited the groups of new believers
and appointed local leaders in each place.
“Paul and Barnabas appointed Elders
for them in each Church and, with prayer and
fasting, committed them to the Lord in whom
they had put their trust.” Acts 14:23
Paul left
unfinished work on the island of Crete, so
he sent Titus to appoint local men in the
Churches as leaders, to establish and maintain
good government and care among the new believers.
“I left you in Crete, so that you might
set in order what remains, and appoint Elders
in every city as I directed you.” Titus
1:5
In talking about a local Church leader, the
Bible uses two words to describe the same
person: Elder and bishop.
Elder stresses
spiritual understanding and experience; bishop
stresses the work of overseeing believers.
“Leaders...”, says the writer
to the Hebrews, “...keep watch over
you as men who must give an account.”
Hebrews 13:17
The qualifications
for Elders are given in 1 Timothy 3.1-7 and
Titus 1.5-9. We see from this list that they
must be men of good reputation in their place
of work and hometown; able to manage their
own families well, and have proven character
and tested faith.
They must
have a heart to care for the members of the
Church, a desire for their protection and
growth towards maturity, and be able to set
an example to the flock in speech, life and
conduct.
Paul and
Peter agree concerning the duty of Elders:
“Guard yourselves and all the flock
of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers.
Be shepherds of the Church of God...”
- Acts: 20:28.
“To
the Elders among you, I appeal as a fellow
Elder... Be shepherds of God’s flock
that is under your care, serving as overseers
- not because you must, but because you are
willing, as God wants you to be... not lording
it over those entrusted to you, but being
examples to the flock.” 1 Peter 5:1-3
“Set
an example to the believers in speech, in
life, in love, in faith and in purity”
1 Timothy 4:12. The word of God set high standards
for Elders and asks much of them. They are
appointed for your benefit. They need your
loving support and positive response to their
leadership. They are brothers who watch over
you and who love you.
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Deacons
The Apostle Paul mentions
DEACONS in his letter to the Philippians.
“To all the saints in Christ Jesus at
Philippi, together with the overseers (Elders)
and DEACONS.” Philippians 1:1
Luke, the
writer of the book of Acts, tells us that
in the big Church in Jerusalem men were appointed
to distribute daily food to poor widows in
the Church community. This is still done in
some parts of the world, such as India and
Sri Lanka.
The organizers
in Jerusalem were chosen for their integrity
and honesty: men “...of good reputation,
full of the Spirit and of wisdom” -
Acts 6:3. Their specific job was clear: “...to
wait at tables.”
The word
‘Deacon’ in the Greek means ‘a
servant’. Their qualifications, described
in 1 Timothy 3:8-13, include the insistence
that they are to be, “...men worthy
of respect, sincere... they must first be
tested; and then if there is nothing against
them, let them serve as DEACONS.”
In the local Church, DEACONS, both men and
women, carry out some specific task on behalf
of the Elders, for example: managing finances,
administration, visiting, arranging social
work, Church holidays and weekends, leading
friendship groups.
Peter refers
to DEACONS when he says, “...if anyone
serves he should do it with all the strength
God provides, so that in all things God may
be praised through Jesus Christ.” -
1 Peter 4:10,11
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Ministries
God has given ministries,
working as a team, to plant new Churches and
to strengthen established Churches.
The Apostle
Paul says of the ascended Christ “...it
was he who gave some to be Apostles, some
to be Prophets, some to be Evangelists, some
to be Pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s
people for works of service, so that the body
of Christ may be built up.” Ephesians
4:11,12
These ministries
work with one another and are a far better
arrangement than a ‘one man ministry’
attempting to build alone.
Today them,
Jesus, who is head of the Church, gives leaders
to express his life. They represent his authority
and continue his ministry.
Elders
and DEACONS are ministries of the local Church.
Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors and
teachers are ministries for the whole Church.
You will meet and benefit from these ministries
today.
The Christian
author, Arthur Wallis wrote in his book ‘The
Radical Christian’, “It is my
conviction that recognizing Apostles and Prophets,
and letting them function, will yet prove
to be the most important restoration break-through
of our time.”
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An
Apostle
An Apostle is a ‘sent’
one who, working with the Elders, lays a foundation
of doctrine, order and authority in local
Churches. He is a spiritual father, architect
and master builder.
“By
the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation
as a expert builder, and someone else is building
on it” 1 Corinthians 3:10.
Every Church
today needs someone who will give them the
wisdom of an Apostle, checking out their foundations
and strengthening them where necessary.
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A Prophet
A Prophet ‘sees’
into God’s plans, speaks God’s
‘now’ word, and gives vision.
He brings a sense of purpose and direction.
He works closely with the Apostles to inspire
and motivate the people.
“In the Church God has appointed first
of all Apostles, second Prophets, third teachers...”
- 1 Corinthians 12:28
“You
are members of God’s household built
on the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets
with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone”.
- Ephesians 2:19,20
Prophets
are eyes for the Churches.
They make
you feel uncomfortable because they keep Churches
moving towards the vision God has for them.
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The Evangelist
The Evangelist tells
the good news, seeks the lost, heals the sick
and casts out demons.
He also
inspires Church members to witness with words
and supernatural signs. Philip was called
an Evangelist; Acts 21:8, and we are shown
him at work in Acts 8.
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Pastors And Teachers
A Pastor rules, cares
for, leads and feeds the people with the word
of God - in public and personal counsel.
A teacher
applies the Apostles’ and Prophets’
teaching so that this is worked out in detail
in Church members’ lives. He helps the
people not only to understand the Apostles’
teaching but also to obey in practical ways.
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Team
Work
It is clear that in
the early Church men and women ministered
alongside one another in partnership, members
of the various teams within the Church. They
were greatly used and greatly valued by the
Apostles.
In Romans
15, he mentions both men and women as “...working
alongside him...”: men “...tested
and approved,...” women “...working
hard in the Lord.” A husband and wife
team, Priscilla and Aquila, are described
as “...my fellow-workers in Christ Jesus.
They risked their lives for me. Not only I
but all the Churches of the Gentiles are grateful
to them.” Romans 16:3,4
Sunrise
Ministries wish to recognize and release the
full range of both men and women’s ministries
in the Churches.
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Submissive
Hearts
Here are some personal
and practical matters concerning the God-given
leaders (ministries, Elders and DEACONS),
working among the Churches today.
Have a submissive heart towards them. Then
God will cover you with an umbrella of his
spiritual authority and in due course give
you authority over others, Matthew 8:9.
A leader’s
authority is in the end only the authority
of the word of God in his life and ministry,
and the anointing God has given him.
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Greet
All Your Leaders
Follow their example
of living by faith. Pray for them, their ministries
and their families. Greet them warmly, making
them feel loved and welcome. Appreciate them
and give them due respect and recognition.
“Now
we ask you, brothers, to respect those who
work hard among you, who are over you in the
Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the
highest regard in love because of their work.”
- 1 Thessalonians 5:12,13
“Remember
your leaders, who spoke the word of God to
you. Consider the outcome of their way of
life and imitate their faith... Obey your
leaders and submit to their authority. They
keep watch over you as men who must give an
account. Obey them so that their work will
be a joy, not a burden, for that would be
of no advantage to you... Greet all your leaders...”
Hebrews 13:7,17,24
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Making
The Church
In his book, ‘Leadership,
patterns for biblical leadership today’
Philip Greenslade, a Bible teacher writes
“The Ascended Christ gives all five
ministry-gifts in order to provide his Church
with that richness and variety which can more
nearly reflect his own. They are ministries
for the whole Church. They cut clean across
denominational allegiances. They break the
mould of the independence of the local Church.
Such ministries make the Church.”
