Tag Archives: Laying on of hands

…stir up the gift of God which is in thee.

Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands. 2nd. Timothy 1:6

No matter how many things we do within the Kingdom of God, if we are not doing that for which we were called by the Grace of the Lord, it is equivalent to having done nothing. It sounds harsh, but this is the best way to explain the meaning of a purposeful life.

Life in the Kingdom of Heaven is not about “doing” things, but doing that for which we were attained, even so, what we have to do is only one thing in life. We have the best example in the case of Esther’s election. Mordecai makes her see that this is precisely why God placed her in the palace next to King Ahasuerus,

he sent back this answer: “Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape. 14For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” Esther 4:13-14 (NIV)

Esther was taken to the palace only to disrupt Amman’s satanic operation, and as soon as she succeeded, her life disappeared from the sacred records, for she had attained the purpose for which she was chosen,

Then Esther the queen answered and said, If I have found favour in thy sight, O king, and if it please the king, let my life be given me at my petition, and my people at my request: 4for we are sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be slain, and to perish. But if we had been sold for bondmen and bondwomen, I had held my tongue, although the enemy could not countervail the king’s damage. 5Then the king Ahasuerus answered and said unto Esther the queen, Who is he, and where is he, that durst presume in his heart to do so? 6And Esther said, The adversary and enemy is this wicked Haman. Then Haman was afraid before the king and the queen. Esther 7:3-6

And this is precisely the point where not many can continue to advance in the development of their life of faith, because they do not know what is the purpose of their calling in the Lord, and therefore, they end up doing things that were not necessarily the reason for their calling, and they get lost behind actions that do not develop in their spirits the fullness that they fought the good fight of faith. The words that Jacob spoke to Pharaoh when he interviewed him on his arrival in Egypt come to mind at this moment; Jacob’s expression is weighed down with distaste because he knew he did not do many things that God had commissioned him to do.

And Jacob said unto Pharaoh, The days of the years of my pilgrimage are a hundred and thirty years: few and evil have the days of the years of my life been, and have not attained unto the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage. Genesis 47:9

In the case of Timothy, from where we established the starting point for our teaching, the apostle in this second epistle exhorts Timothy to stir up the gift that is in him, showing in Paul’s instruction a concern for past actions that Timothy has neglected, and which are actually the purpose of his calling.

What actions could the apostle be referring to by stirring up the gift of God?

In the epistle there are traces of the apostle’s concern for past actions that Timothy has neglected. Let us look at their development.

  • In 1:6 is the apostle’s exhortation to Timothy and the raison d’être of the second epistle: 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. (NIV)
  • In 4:1 is the reminder of the commission that Paul gave to Timothy at some point in his ministerial life, it is not a new commission: I give you this charge: (NIV).
  • In 4:2 the commission is properly found: Preach (proclaim) the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. (NIV).
  • In 4:5 is the exhortation to maintain the same activity in which Timothy was formed: But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry. (NIV)

All these traces lead us to understand that Timothy began as an evangelist, as a true proclaimer of the Word of the Kingdom, and by contact with Paul, learned to teach the Word; this sum of activities were the duties of his ministry. However, because of his accommodation in Ephesus, he abandoned this activity which meant that the flame of the gift was extinguished in him.

There are also traces in the epistle that lead us to understand what were the causes in Timothy that led him to abandon his duties in ministry.

  • In 1:7 it is discovered that Timothy came to experience fear because of the persecution Paul suffered because of the Gospel: For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. (NIV)
  • In 1:8 it is discovered that because of Timothy’s fear, the time came when Timothy was cut off from his old team: So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner. (NIV)
  • In the same verse it is discovered that Timothy has feared that persecution will overtake him; Paul exhorts him not to fear and to trust in the Power of God: Rather, join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God. (NIV)
  • In 2:3 Paul again emphasizes to him that he does not fear persecution, it is part of the life of the Gospel: Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. (NIV)
  • In 2:11-12 Paul makes Timothy see that refusing to do what God commissioned him to do can have serious spiritual consequences: Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with him, we will also live with him;if we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown him, he will also disown us; (NIV)
  • In 3:14 Paul again exhorts Timothy to stand firm in what he has learned: But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, (NIV)

Stir up the gift that is in thee, means discovering and/or recovering the position and/or function that has been delegated to us as part of the purpose for which we were called.

The work walks according to the Will of God when the men and women of God are in the right position, and they do exactly what they have been entrusted to do.

Paul’s expression, (…by the Gospel) of which I am made preacher, and apostle, and teacher of the Gentiles, is not the apostle’s letter of introduction, it is simply the letter of duties of his ministry. The extraordinary projection that the apostle had during his entire ministerial life was due to the fact that he circumscribed himself to the assigned tasks; he never left there,

For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect. 1st. Corinthians 1:17

What is our work within the Kingdom? The following biblical texts remind us of what God may have entrusted to us at some point,

Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. 6And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all. 7But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. 8For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; 9to another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; 10to another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: 11but all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will. 12For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. 1st. Corinthians 12:4-12

Each one must place himself in the body and execute the function that has been delegated to him, this is to stir up the gift that is in thee. Place yourself in your position within the body.

For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: 5so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one member one of another. 6Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith; 7or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching; 8or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness. 9Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good. Romans 12:4-9

However, do not forget the main work that Jesus established in his teachings and that are contained in the doctrine of the apostles; we can emphasize in the first place, the love for the evangelistic work,

pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest. Matthew 9:38 (Luke 10:2)

Without ceasing to consider that evangelistic work still demands to be willing to suffer and persecute,

Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. 2nd. Timothy 2:3

confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God. Acts 14:22

Above all, keep in mind that the Kingdom of Heaven is established through liberation and spiritual warfare; we must not evade this responsibility,

Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give. Matthew 10:8 (Luke 10:9)

But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you. Matthew 12:28 (Luke 11:20)

and hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, Ephesians 1:22

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Ephesians 6:12

And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen. Romans 16:20

Therefore, being aware that it is not the many activities that are important, but doing what we were called to do, we must review and desist from what is accessory to occupy ourselves with fear and trembling of what God has commissioned us to do. Revival is the result of men and women engaged in returning to the original position, and in awakening the original function delegated by the Father.

 

All biblical quotations are taken from the King James Version.

 

 

Pastor Pedro Montoya

Twitter: @pastormontoya

https://earthenwarevessels.com

The Doctrine of the Laying on of Hands

Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. Hebrews 6:2

Whether as observers or as receivers, all or a great majority of us have been exposed to the doctrine of the laying on of hands on more than one occasion; it is not an unknown subject to those who have ever participated in an evangelical cult. What we do not know, perhaps, is why such a practice takes place within the churches.

Like some of the component doctrines of the apostles’ doctrine that we have pointed out at the time, the doctrine of laying on of hands was taken from the traditional practice of the customs of Mosaic Judaism, and integrated as an extension of the ritual observance of the Law.

The only marked difference between the before and the after of its institutionalization as part of the apostles’ doctrine was its popularization by apostles, prophets, elders, presbytery, etc., within the daily uses of the Lord’s church.

Previously its practice was reduced to the rituals of sacrifices and holocausts offered in observance of the fulfillment of the Mosaic Law. The apostles integrate it into their doctrine with a more active participation in the use of various ministerial applications.

However, the entire people had a notion of the value of the laying on of hands,

The LORD shall command the blessing upon thee in thy storehouses, and in all that thou settest thine hand unto; and he shall bless thee in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee. Deuteronomy 28:8

For spiritual effects, the hand could not be placed on any part of the body, but exclusively on the head,

And Israel stretched out his right hand, and laid it upon Ephraim’s head, who was the younger, and his left hand upon Manasseh’s head, guiding his hands wittingly; for Manasseh was the firstborn.   …  17And when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, it displeased him: and he held up his father’s hand, to remove it from Ephraim’s head unto Manasseh’s head. Genesis 48:14-17

In biblical conception, the head represents the existence of the person,

Yet within three days shall Pharaoh lift up thine head, and restore thee unto thy place: and thou shalt deliver Pharaoh’s cup into his hand, after the former manner when thou wast his butler.  …   16When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was good, he said unto Joseph, I also was in my dream, and, behold, I had three white baskets on my head:  …  19Yet within three days shall Pharaoh lift up thy head from off thee, and shall hang thee on a tree; and the birds shall eat thy flesh from off thee. Genesis 40:13-20

In sacrifices, the imposition of hands on the head of the animal represented the substitution of the person in exchange for the animal,

And thou shalt cause a bullock to be brought before the tabernacle of the congregation: and Aaron and his sons shall put their hands upon the head of the bullock.    …  15Thou shalt also take one ram; and Aaron and his sons shall put their hands upon the head of the ram. Exodus 29:10-15

And he shall put his hand upon the head of the burnt offering; and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him. Leviticus 1:4

And he shall lay his hand upon the head of his offering, and kill it before the tabernacle of the congregation: and Aaron’s sons shall sprinkle the blood thereof round about upon the altar. Leviticus 3:8

And he shall bring the bullock unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the LORD; and shall lay his hand upon the bullock’s head, and kill the bullock before the LORD. Leviticus 4:4

In the sacrifices, those who laid hands on the head of the animal were those who had to pay with their lives the guilt for their sin, to be represented by the animal and free their lives from death. In the laying on of hands on the animal it was executed the transference of own sins of the people and they were loaded on the animal, the animal dies in substitution of the person and the sins are dissolved in its death,

And the elders of the congregation shall lay their hands upon the head of the bullock before the LORD: and the bullock shall be killed before the LORD. Leviticus 4:15

And the Levites shall lay their hands upon the heads of the bullocks: and thou shalt offer the one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering, unto the LORD, to make an atonement for the Levites.  Numbers 8:12

  • WHAT THE LAYING ON OF HANDS CONSISTS OF

The laying on of hands is the spiritual way to impart and transfer spiritual virtues. It is not a religious rite, or a symbolic form to indicate a divine operation; it is the means established by God to transfer upon the person the virtue invoked by the imposer of hands.

The importance and spiritual value of its use can be seen in the Apostle Paul’s recommendation to Timothy not to lay hands lightly,

Lay hands suddenly on no man, neither be partaker of other men’s sins: keep thyself pure. 1st. Timothy 5:22

And it is not a question of using any hand, at the discretion of the person who practices it; it has to be the right hand, because in the biblical conception, the imposition of the right hand on a person has the sense of indicating that it is greater than the one on the left, as evidenced in the following texts,

And Israel stretched out his right hand, and laid it upon Ephraim’s head, who was the younger, and his left hand upon Manasseh’s head, guiding his hands wittingly; for Manasseh was the firstborn.   …  18And Joseph said unto his father, Not so, my father: for this is the firstborn; put thy right hand upon his head. Genesis 48:14-18

It also has the meaning of indicating that what is on the right-hand side represents a person, or persons, approved by the one who makes the difference,

33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. 34Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:  …   41Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: Mathew 25:33-41

Jesus seated at the right hand of the Father, indicating the Father’s pleasure in the work entrusted to him,

If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Colossians 3:1 (see also Matthew 26:64; Mark 14:62; Hebrews 1:3; 10:12)

  • WHO ARE AUTHORIZED TO LAY HANDS ON

Not every person is authorized to lay hands, for as we indicated above, in the laying on of hands there is spiritual transference. It may be the case that one person transfers defilement over another, as in the case of Simon the magician who, although a believer, would have transferred to those whom he imposed hands the magical spiritual defilement that he carried,

And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money, Acts 8:18

Biblically, the people authorized to lay hands are:

  1. An ordained and recognized minister

An ordained minister is an apostle, a prophet, a pastor, an elder, etc., in general terms, a minister who preaches the Good News of the Gospel. When we speak of an ordained minister we are referring to a minister chosen by the Lord who is exercising the ministry according to the biblical disposition; we are not referring to the “ordination” ceremony that some associations perform for their members.

The first ordination of a minister is spiritually executed by the Lord when He chooses and confers ministry on the person. Although the Bible recognizes the pre-eminence of some ministries over others, the laying on of hands is executed depending on the availability that the region possesses. We cannot and should not discriminate between ministries; God honors the ministries He has raised up,

Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands. 2nd. Timothy 1:6

  1. The presbytery

The presbytery is equivalent to a clergy body, whether of the local church, the association of churches, or the accredited pastoral body present at an occasional assembly.

Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery. 1st. Timothy 4:14

  • WHAT THE LAYING ON OF HANDS IS USED FOR

  1. To impart and/or ordain ministry

Ministries are imparted according to the confirmation of the Holy Spirit upon the people whom God calls to establish the Gospel of the Kingdom,

As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. 3And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away. Acts 13:2-3

  1. To recognize and submit to local ministries

The act of laying hands on a ministry, in this case, is to recognize them and submit to them. It consists of members of a congregation laying hands on local ministries in recognition of and subjection to their ministries. This is to avoid challenging divine authority.

And thou shalt bring the Levites before the LORD: and the children of Israel shall put their hands upon the Levites: 11And Aaron shall offer the Levites before the LORD for an offering of the children of Israel, that they may execute the service of the LORD. Numbers 8:10,11

  1. To impart the baptism of the Holy Spirit

The baptism of the Holy Spirit is a spiritual operation of Jesus upon the person; in many cases the baptism of the Holy Spirit has been operated without the intervention of a person, as in the case of Cornelius and his house; however, when the person has not received it after some time, it is necessary the intervention of some minister to correct the teaching if there is any deficiency.

Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost. Acts 8:17

And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied. Acts 19:6

  1. To impart spiritual gifts

Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery. 1st. Timothy 4:14

  1. To take authority and/or exercise deliverance

And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; 18They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. Mark 16:17-18

  1. To impart healings

And besought him greatly, saying, My little daughter lieth at the point of death: I pray thee, come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be healed; and she shall live. Mark 5:23

And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost. Acts 9:17

  1. To bless

This was a usual practice among the people, mainly in the case of the parents over the children, and/or patriarchs over the people, to bless the children, the bride and groom at their wedding,

And Israel stretched out his right hand, and laid it upon Ephraim’s head, who was the younger, and his left hand upon Manasseh’s head, guiding his hands wittingly; for Manasseh was the firstborn. 15And he blessed Joseph, and said, God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God which fed me all my life long unto this day, 16The Angel which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and let my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth. Genesis 48:14-16

The laying on of hands is a doctrine that today has lost much of its spiritual sense, and in many places even inoperative, not because it has been spiritually deactivated by the Lord but because the ministers do not receive, nor are they updated, with adequate biblical and spiritual formation on the subject.

The Lord continues to operate and establish upon His people, and to activate many competent ministers so that by acts of faith they may awaken the weight of Glory that has been given to us through the revelation of His Word.

 

All biblical quotations are taken from the King James Version.

Pastor Pedro Montoya

Twitter: @pastormontoya

https://earthenwarevessels.blog