“…they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” Mark 16:18
Jesus is the one who told His followers to lay hands on the sick to minister healing in His name. In Jesus’ ministry, physical contact brought transference of power, or anointing. The same will happen for those who represent Him today. The Holy Spirit resides on the inside of us. The power of the Holy Spirit will flow through our hands as conductors of His tangible, flowing power.
Here are a few Bible examples of the laying on of hands in the New Testament:
Acts 5:12 says, “And through the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were done among the people…”
In Acts 28:8,9 we see where Paul laid hands on someone sick with a fever and the man was healed.
In Hebrews 6:1-2 the laying on of hands was a doctrine the early church. It was for healing, but also for ministering the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
In Acts 8:17 Peter and John laid hands on Philip’s converts in Samaria and they received the Holy Spirit baptism after their salvation experience.
In Acts 917 Ananias was sent to Paul, laid hands on him, and Paul was both healed and filled with the Holy Spirit.
The laying on of hands was also used when anointing was needed for a specific ministry. In Acts 6:1-7 hands were laid on the team for the anointing to minister to widows. In Acts 13:2-3 hands were laid on Paul and Barnabas to be sent out to preach in other regions. In I Timothy 4:14 Paul wrote Timothy, a young pastor, to stir up the impartation he received by the laying on of hands.
The exciting infallible truth is that the power of the Holy Spirit is within us, and our hands our conductors of His power to heal, anoint, and perform miracles. With our hands we make physical contact so the power of God can be transferred from the Holy Spirit within us to the person being ministered to.
Application: The more we are obedient to operate together with the Holy Spirit, the more the anointing will increase through serving. Spend time with God in His presence, be led by the Spirit, and be obedient to lay hands and minister His anointing. You will grow as you go!