Fortify Your Calling

God’s hands and our Hands

• In Scripture and in life, hands are the primary instrument of human agency. They represent what we carry, what we build, what we give, and what we are responsible for.
• We are made in the image of God. He works through His hands, and He chooses to work through ours. Christ and his hands are central to our faith. We exalt him with our hands!
• We work with our hands, fight with our hands, build with our hands and bless with our hands
• Scripture speaks of the toil of Noah’s hands, the violence of Sodom’s hands, hands lifted in innocence, even birthright determined by the feel of someone’s hands.

• The imagery of God’s hands in Scripture shows us that hands are more than an appendage. Hands carry meaning. Hands carry power. Hands carry authority. Hands carry obedience. 

• God’s Hands Create  Ps 95:5 The sea is His, for He made it; And His hands formed the dry land.
• Our hands move, but their effectiveness depends on God. We are not autonomous. 
• God’s Hands Sustain Is 41:10 Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.
• We work with our hands by faith, but it is God who supplies the strength behind them.
• God’s Hands Deliver and Save Exodus 13:3 By strength of hand the Lord brought you out of this place, out of the house of bondage
• Our hands have limits. We can’t deliver ourselves from everything we need the Lord. 
• God’s Hands Discipline Heb 10:31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
• The same hands that bless can discipline. That should sober us. Hands carry power, and power demands reverence. We’re an extension of Jesus with our hands! Use them wisely
• God’s Hands Provide Ps 145:16 You open Your hand And satisfy the desire of every living thing.
• It is truly the Lord that provides that which we need. We plant, we water, he brings the increase
• Because God works with His hands in Scripture, it should not surprise us that He calls His people to use their hands as well. We are made in the image of God and we should lay hands on others. 

• THE BIBLE TALKS OF HANDS FOR BLESSING OTHERS

• First mention- Genesis 48:14 Then Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it on Ephraim’s head, who was the younger, and his left hand on Manasseh’s head, guiding his hands knowingly, for Manasseh was the firstborn.
• This was for blessing, inheritance, prophetic declaration and covenant. It wasn’t accidental. 
• The patriarch of Israel laid hands on his grandsons and transfers the blessing of the future 
• Its because of his authority as the patriarch that he tangibly transfers this authority. 
• Just last month, my Grandfather died. Gabe’s great grandfather- I asked him to bless us, and he did. He laid his hands on our heads and prayed blessings on the two of us. 
• It symbolically and spiritually transferred his love and relationship upon us. A future blessing. 

• THE BIBLE TALKS OF HANDS FOR TRANSFER

• In Lev 1:4 it talks of the payment for sin. A sacrifice. Lev 1:4 Then he shall put his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it will be accepted on his behalf to make atonement for him.
• This identification wasn’t emotional, it was transactional. A binding legal action for guilt. 
• It said, ‘this animal now stands in my place for my sins”
• This type of hand laying signified identification, substitution, transfer of guilt and atonement

• SO what we see in the OT, is hands used for blessing and then for transferring guilt 

THE DEFINITION OF LAYING ON OF HANDS

• IT IS PUBLIC- When you lay hands, it does not create a calling, it confirms the calling. 
• Joshua already had the spirit, Paul and Barnabas were already called. It confirmed. Not call
• IT AUTHORIZES  church lays hands and says “we recognize your work and release you into it”
• That creates an accountability with the local church and the ministries it sends out. 
• IT OBEYS- Like many things in scripture, we obey because God says, not because we fully understand. God says to lay hands, we lay hands. Just like baptism, doesn’t save, but we do it
• And it doesn’t override God’s sovereignty- but It honors God in obedience. 
• IT IMPARTS– Bible says Timothy received the gift by the laying on of hands. 
• Doesn’t mean I transfer my gifts to you, it means that my obedience to lay hands on you can be the catalyst for your spiritual growth and empowerment because we’re both obeying. 

• Its what Paul Told Timothy-  2 Timothy 1:6 Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.

THE REALITY OF REALITY

• God wants our faith to be felt, seen and participated in, not merely as spectators

• We are baptized in water, we consume bread and wine, we anoint we oil, we lay on hands. 

• When we lay hands on someone, we make invisible obedience visible. We are saying to the other person, God is real, he sees, you and you can feel him, he’s using me to bless you. 

• And here’s another aspect- our Faith that is deeply relational and physical and can’t be replicated.  You can’t receive this online. Through a book. 
• God designed Christianity to be embodied and accountable.
•  Laying on of hands proves that. It cannot be digitized. It cannot be isolated. It requires proximity and the vulnerability of respectful touch among believers. 
• We are a physical in person gathering lay hands on each other religion. We need each other. 
• The most loving thing we can do for each other and to lift up Jesus is to gather and pray

• In the New testament

• HEALING– Jesus healed by the laying on of hands- and told us we would do the same
• Mark 6:5 Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them.
• OF us he says- Mark 16:18 They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.
• BLESSING– Matthew 19:15 And He laid His hands on them and departed from there.
• RECEIVING THE HS- Acts 8:17 Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
• COMMISSIONING- Ac 13:3 THEN having fasted and prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them away.
• We lay hands on the sick to be healed- the man who is well touches the unwell
• We bless the destitute and lonely. They feel the touch of God and humanity. You’re not alone
• We pray for the HS to come upon the other. A real tangible experience with hands
• And when we send out and commission- we commit. These hands bless and will be accountable
• Demons- Biblical record shows authority in Christs name, not hands. Diff from Pagans. 
• But we are warned- 1 Timothy 5:22 Do not lay hands on anyone hastily, nor share in other people’s sins; keep yourself pure.

WHY THE CAUTION

• Hands communicate blessing and favor intentionally and when you lay hands on someone you are demonstrating- this is God. This isn’t some sort of general practice. I am intentionally calling down heaven to agree with you and I as we call on God. You are called and I agree with God
• It creates a relational transfer that is much more intimate within the community of believers. 

• Jesus loves us so much, he wants us to love each other, but with purity and reverence. 

• This isn’t magical. Its relational and binds both parties before God. The one who is praying, for discernment, and the one who is receiving accountability to walk out what is being conferred.