Doctrines of Christ 7

Doctrines of Christ Part 7 As we continue with our study of the doctrines of Christ, we will take a deeper look at the doctrine of laying on of hands and what it means for us today. Matthew 9:18 While He spoke these things to them, behold, a ruler came and worshiped Him, saying, "My daughter has just died, but come and lay Your hand on her and she will live." Matthew9:19 So Jesus arose and followed him, and so did His disciples. It is clear this ruler had some knowledge of the laying on of hands. His prayer request was for Jesus to lay His hands upon his daughter that she might live. He believed Jesus laying His hands upon his daughter would release the power of God into her lifeless body. What was the result of Jesus laying His hands upon this dead girl? Matthew 9:23 When Jesus came into the ruler's house, and saw the flute players and the noisy crowd wailing, Matthew 9:24 He said to them, "Make room, for the girl is not dead, but sleeping." And they ridiculed Him. Matthew9:25 But when the crowd was put outside, He went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose. Matthew 9:26 And the report of this went out into all that land. A supernatural power was released from Jesus when He touched the young girl. It was a divine flow of life-giving power that raised her from the dead. Let’s look at another example that happened immediately after this miracle. Matthew 9:27 When Jesus departed from there, two blind men followed Him, crying out and saying, "Son of David, have mercy on us!" Matthew 9:28 And when He had come into the house, the blind men came to Him. And Jesus said to them, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?" They said to Him, "Yes, Lord." Matthew 9:29 Then He touched their eyes, saying, "According to your faith let it be to you." Matthew 9:30 And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly warned them, saying, "See that no one knows it." Again, we see the powerful result of Jesus laying hands upon individuals to receive a miracle of healing. Throughout the ministry Jesus, there was an increased understanding among the multitudes that miracles happened when He laid His hands upon someone. Mark 6:2 And when the sabbath day was come, he began to teach in the synagogue: and many hearing him were astonished, saying, From whence hath this man these things? and what wisdom is this which is given unto him, that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands? Mark 8:22 Then He came to Bethsaida; and they brought a blind man to Him, and begged Him to touch him. Mark 8:23 So He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town. And when He had spit on his eyes and put His hands on him, He asked him if he saw anything. Mark 8:24 And he looked up and said, "I see men like trees, walking." Mark 8:25 Then He put His hands on his eyes again and made him look up. And he was restored and saw everyone clearly. People would often come to ask Jesus to lay His hands upon them or someone in need. Parents would bring their children to Him for Him to lay His hands upon them. They had faith in the practice of laying on of hands and knew it would bring about a divine transfer of blessing, power, healing, and miracles. Why does the laying on of hands have such potential to release these manifestations of God? Because it has been ordained by God. We can have confidence in this practice because it is a fundamental doctrine of Christ, which the Father honors and empowers as we exercise our faith. There is a divine transfer of the power of God when we lay hands upon someone in faith, expecting His blessing, power, and grace to be released. Just as we would expect a jumper cable to transfer power from one battery to another, so we can expect the power of God to flow through our hands as rivers of living water, as Jesus promised. John 7:38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water." John 7:39 But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. These rivers of living water can be released in many ways, but one primary way is through the laying on of hands. I believe this is one of the reasons Jesus said believers would lay hands upon the sick for their recovery (Mark 16:17-18). Ask the Father to give you opportunities to release His power through the laying on of hands. Believe His power will flow through you when you minister to the sick and hurting. There is much more we could cover on this topic, but for now we will move on to our next topic in this series, the resurrection of the dead. Until then, may God our Father richly bless and keep you! James Brown CST 04/20/2022