A Means of Encounter
Notes
Transcript
The last several weeks we have been talking about encounters with God
Today we are going to talk about a means of encountering God!
As we began this series, we started with Pentecost. As the group of 130 people were together, we know they were praying when the HS came upon them
We then looked at the pair on the road to Emmaus where Jesus was talking with them and their hearts were warmed
We then looked at Manoah and as soon as his wife told him that she was visited by and angel, he prayed!
We learned that Cornelius was a praying man when he received the vision and Peter went to the roof to pray when he received his vision.
Last week we talked about Abraham and the Lord spoke to him to sacrifice his son
So, it seems that encounters with God often happen when people are praying!
This morning, I want to talk about the concept of encountering God through prayer and one means of doing that!
One of the common themes of scripture is prayer accompanied by laying on of hands
And so, I want to do a quick survey of scripture and look at this idea
Laying on of hands is something that this church has practiced and, for good reason!
Let’s look as some scripture to give some basis for it!
We will go topically and bounce back and forth
The first context for laying on of hands is for:
1. Blessing
1. Blessing
3 Jacob said to Joseph, “God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and there he blessed me 4 and said to me, ‘I am going to make you fruitful and increase your numbers. I will make you a community of peoples, and I will give this land as an everlasting possession to your descendants after you.’
So, Jacob has recieved this blessing from God and he is going to pass it on to his grandchildren
8 When Israel saw the sons of Joseph, he asked, “Who are these?” 9 “They are the sons God has given me here,” Joseph said to his father. Then Israel said, “Bring them to me so I may bless them.” 10 Now Israel’s eyes were failing because of old age, and he could hardly see. So Joseph brought his sons close to him, and his father kissed them and embraced them.
11 Israel said to Joseph, “I never expected to see your face again, and now God has allowed me to see your children too.” 12 Then Joseph removed them from Israel’s knees and bowed down with his face to the ground.
13 And Joseph took both of them, Ephraim on his right toward Israel’s left hand and Manasseh on his left toward Israel’s right hand, and brought them close to him. 14 But Israel reached out his right hand and put it on Ephraim’s head, though he was the younger, and crossing his arms, he put his left hand on Manasseh’s head, even though Manasseh was the firstborn.
20 He blessed them that day and said, “In your name will Israel pronounce this blessing: ‘May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh.’ ” So he put Ephraim ahead of Manasseh.
Here we see an example of the grandfather passing on the blessing that he received from God
In the NT, we see Jesus blessing the little children in a similar manner
16 And he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them and blessed them.
So, as a means of blessing others, we can lay our hands on them to do so
Another context for laying on of hands is:
2. Commissioning and Ordination
2. Commissioning and Ordination
18 So the Lord said to Moses, “Take Joshua son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit of leadership, and lay your hand on him. 19 Have him stand before Eleazar the priest and the entire assembly and commission him in their presence.
We see in Acts chapter 6 when they were choosing 7 deacons they:
6 They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.
To commission them for service they solidified it by laying their hands on them and prayed for them!
Another example of this is in:
2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 3 So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.
There is a warning that Paul writes to Timothy as he is selecting elders in the church. He is laying out some stipulations and among them he says:
22 Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands, and do not share in the sins of others. Keep yourself pure.
What is implied in the context here is that when you select elders for ministry you commission them by laying on of hands. So, don’t commission elders hastily, make sure they are ready for that position.
The implication is part of the selection and commissioning process is laying on of hands.
Healing
5 He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them.
Another context that we see laying on of hands is:
3. Receiving the Holy Spirit
3. Receiving the Holy Spirit
I want to be theologically precise as we talk about this.
We believe that you receive the HS when you are saved
As Peter is preaching the day of Pentecost he says:
38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
We know 3000 people were saved that day and the disciples likely did not lay hands on all of them
We also have other instances when the HS comes on people and there is no indication that they laid hands on them
That being said, we do see these examples:
14 When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to Samaria. 15 When they arrived, they prayed for the new believers there that they might receive the Holy Spirit,
16 because the Holy Spirit had not yet come on any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
Sauls Conversion in:
17 Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”
In Acts 19 we have the disciples of John in Ephesus
2 and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” 3 So Paul asked, “Then what baptism did you receive?” “John’s baptism,” they replied.
4 Paul said, “John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” 5 On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied.
In this time period right after pentecost there were select times that the HS would be received through laying on of hands.
This is not normative throughout Acts or for today.
These were specific instances in which God was showing something in these instances.
This being said, the point is they laid hands and they received the HS.
So for us, we don’t necessarily lay lands on someone to receive the HS, but we can certainly lay hands on people to be saved and then they will receive the HS.
Not directly for receiving the HS, but for conversion in which they will receive the HS.
The next context that we see laying on of hands is:
4. Receiving Gifts of the Holy Spirit
4. Receiving Gifts of the Holy Spirit
Paul tells Timothy in:
6 For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands.
And similarly in:
14 Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through prophecy when the body of elders laid their hands on you.
And, we read earlier:
6 When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied.
And so, we can receive gifts of the HS through laying on of hands
The last context that we see laying on of hands is:
5. Healing
5. Healing
40 At sunset, the people brought to Jesus all who had various kinds of sickness, and laying his hands on each one, he healed them.
Often times, Jesus would heal people by touching them.
It definitely is not a requirement for God to heal as Jesus healed in other ways as well, but seemed to be a normative practice for Jesus
I would go as far as to say even for the disciples
In Mark 6 Jesus gives instructions to the 12 as he sent them out
And we read what they did:
12 They went out and preached that people should repent. 13 They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.
When you anoint with oil, you are also laying on of hands. The practices go hand-in-hand. No pun intended
And lastly, Jesus says in Mark’s version of the great commission:
16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.”
The implication from Jesus is that the practice of laying on of hands would continue when praying for healing
And, we are familiar with:
14 Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven.
We don’t see directly the practice of laying on of hands, but we do see anointing with oil and so it would be implied that we lay hands on when anointing with oil.
I want to end some instruction in:
1 Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, 2 instruction about cleansing rites, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.
So as the writer is writing it is clear that laying on of hands is not something for us to debate. It has been settled that it is a basic doctrine and we should continue the practice.
I share all of this with you this morning, not as a condemnation or to make anyone feel bad, but as a opportunity for each of us to encounter God!
When we pray for people and lay hands on them, we are in communication with the living and active God, there is opportunity for us and the people we are praying for to encounter Him!
One of the practices that this church is accustomed to and that is part of my prayer life is praying for others by laying hands on them!
This morning, I wanted to unveil a great opportunity for everyone!
I am going to be teaching a couple of prayer team training sessions coming up in the next few weeks.
My heart is for this church to be a praying church! One who literally wraps our arms around people and prays for them!
This being said, there are some things that we need to know to be effective in our prayers and in our approach.
So, we are going to have a prayer team that is trained and equipped in praying for people!
Whether it be during our main service, other ministries or events, or out in the community.
The reason behind having a prayer team is simple:
1. To be united in how we pray for people, 2. to minimize spiritual abuse when praying for others (yes this happens), and 3. to be intentional in our prayers and expecting the power of God to move!
Everyone will be invited to attend the trainings, even if you don’t necessarily feel called to stand up front on Sunday mornings.
If you simply want the information, you are welcome to attend!
Prayer Team Trainings:
Session 1 July 5th and 12th 8:00am-9:30am - need to attend both days
Session 2&3 July 19th and 26th 1:00pm-3:30pm
We will likely have more sessions in the future, we are just starting with these.
These will be great times! You will get lots of information, helpful tips, and opportunities to pray for others!
Worship Team
Maybe this morning you need to encounter God - maybe for the first time for for the 1000senth
