Take a look at your hands. Are you aware of the great significance God has attached to the hands? Concerning the hands, the psalmist David sang, Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? And who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood, and has not sworn deceitfully. Psalm 24:3–4.
God uses hands as a channel for blessing to flow from one individual to another, and to the Lord in worship. The teaching on this subject, in first and second Timothy, opens up to us an amazing principle that makes us conscious of our hands and aware that God created them to be spiritual instruments. It is important to realize that not only physical works are accomplished with our hands, but spiritual qualities are also conveyed through them.
The Old Testament priesthood went through a ritual when they were anointed for their service unto the Lord (Exodus 29:20–21). Today God is bringing a fresh anointing to the hands. Some of the greatest spiritual growth is found in people who are putting their hands to serving as a worship of the Lord. His anointing on the hands draws people into work. They are eager to participate and cooperate, and there is an anointing on what they do. They learn how to enter into works anointed of the Lord.
Looking to the Scriptures, we find some of the full import of what the hands are to mean. In I Timothy 2:1 we see the apostle Paul’s emphasis on intercession: First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men. In verse 8 Paul said, Therefore I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and dissension. This reminds us of Old Testament times, recorded in Nehemiah 8:6, when the people heard the Law being read again and they all stood and raised their hands as the sign of a covenant relationship; they were entering into a relationship with God. Paul desired that everywhere men would lift up holy hands without wrath or doubting. They were to be sanctified and clean because their hands would express what was within their spirits. This was common knowledge. Even Pilate understood the close relationship between the hands and the spirit. He called for a basin of water, washed his hands, and said, concerning our Lord, “I am innocent of this Man’s blood” (Matthew 27:24). Of course he was not innocent. There was no way that he could wash his hands and be free of guilt. It is the heart that must be washed in order to be cleansed of something. The cleansing of the hands is accomplished only through the cleansing of the heart.
When the Pharisees and scribes criticized Jesus because the disciples were not washing their hands before eating and therefore were considered to be defiled, Christ turned it right back to them and told them that eating with unwashed hands does not defile a man. It is the things that come forth from a man’s heart when he speaks that defile him (Matthew 15:1–20). That is a profound truth. Three people may say the same sentence, and from one man’s mouth it comes as a blessing, from another’s mouth it avails nothing, while from the third man’s mouth it becomes an obscenity. What is in the heart is expressed through the mouth. A man speaks out of the abundance of his heart (Luke 6:45). If it is evil, his tongue will set on fire the course of nature (James 3:6). The same principle applies to your hands. They will be holy when you lift them, only if you have cleansed your heart before the Lord.
Paul said he wanted the people to lift holy hands without any wrath or dissension or doubting in their hearts. He recognized the fact that hands can become an expression of faith, an expression of submission, and a source of blessing. When we lift our hands to bless the Lord and to bless one another, we know that we are doing something which is very scriptural—something that took place during the restoration under Nehemiah, when the people of Israel lifted their hands before God to covenant with Him, thereby placing themselves under His blessings and promises. They stood to hear the Word and then they lifted their hands to bless the Lord. Even today there are groups of people who religiously follow the practice of standing during the reading of the Scriptures. This dates back to the blessed time in Nehemiah’s day, when the people stood for the reading of the Scriptures, determined that they were going to be fully submissive to do what God set before them.
Paul wrote to Timothy, Do not neglect the spiritual gift within you, which was bestowed upon you through prophetic utterance with the laying on of hands by the presbytery (the elders). Take pains with these things; be absorbed in them, so that your progress may be evident to all. Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things; for as you do this you will insure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you. I Timothy 4:14–16. It seems as if Paul was skipping from one thought to another, but he was not. Timothy was not to neglect the gift that was in him; he was to be absorbed in all the prophecies that had come over him, and he was to pay close attention to himself. Why? Because whatever was ministered out of that gift would either be contaminated or purified by Timothy’s own spirit.
What we do must not only have the anointing of the Lord within it, but it must also come from a pure spirit so that no defilement comes forth in our actions. In I Timothy 5:22 we see that Timothy was warned about laying hands suddenly upon a man, lest he become a partaker of other men’s sins. There Paul was indicating that two things happen when a ministry of authority lays hands upon a person. According to the endowment within him, and according to the purity and faith of his own heart, he imparts from God to that person. He also takes a responsibility for the one upon whom he lays his hands.
Leviticus 4:15 tells us that the elders had to lay hands upon a sacrifice before they could offer it for the sins of the people. By that action, the guilt was transferred through their hands to the head of the animal, and the innocence of the animal was transmitted back through those who laid hands upon it. This is very significant. People can receive defilement through the laying on of hands by those who are unqualified and unanointed. Where there are no proper safeguards, those who go about laying hands on people and prophesying over them indiscriminately can spread defilement. People’s lives can be affected in a way that it is difficult to redeem them after oppressions have been imparted to them.
What were Paul’s instructions to Timothy regarding elders and rulers in the house of the Lord? Those who continue in sin, rebuke in the presence of all, so that the rest also may be fearful of sinning. I Timothy 5:20. This verse should be followed quite literally. If elders or pastors move in defilement, that defilement will spread throughout the whole congregation. Therefore, a very strict dealing with sin must take place among the leaders who are constantly imparting what is wrong in their spirits and in their natures to the rest of the congregation. It can take a long time for a congregation to heal when certain types of sin or failure have existed in its leaders. When there is a root of bitterness or a lust of the flesh or covetousness or a spirit of withdrawal within the leaders, it goes through the house of God like a plague.
Many times discouragement and frustration settle on congregations only because a contamination is coming through the ministries who are over them. With what purity pastors and elders should impart to the house of God! They must not preach righteousness and then work against it by carrying something wrong in their own hearts. A leader must not lay hands upon a man to heal him and then impart something to him of his own nature that is wrong. He should stand back and refrain from laying hands on people if he is aware that something in his spirit is not right. You can know what will come out of a man’s hands by what is coming out of his mouth. Out of the abundance of the heart a man speaks (Matthew 12:34). When he speaks, his spirit is revealed. That same spirit will also come forth from his hands while he is ministering to someone, even if he does not say a word. This is the day for the greater works to come forth, but the greater works will come forth only from vessels that are sanctified and made ready for the Lord to move through them.
Paul also told Timothy, I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of His chosen angels, to maintain these principles without bias, doing nothing in a spirit of partiality. I Timothy 5:21. This charge is usually difficult to carry out because there are always those who seem to place themselves in a position that is aloof and remote from rebuke. Others tend to accept that positioning. As a result, a ministry who has sinned may be allowed to get by without rebuke, while another person, with less authority, who is not even as guilty, is cornered and boldly rebuked. Wherever sin is found, it must be dealt with without bias or partiality. It cannot be allowed to defile the mainstream.
God has a way of rendering ineffective or neutralizing the force of problems within your nature and the negative things in your life if there is a genuine spirit of repentance within you. A repentant spirit is evidence that you are trying to overcome them. If you are afraid of being discovered and you cover over the problem as quickly as possible and go on your way, with no real desire to repent and be loosed from it, then your defilement will flow into the Body. In the house of God, we should pray and believe God to contain a defilement, but only as we would quarantine for an illness, so that it can be dealt with effectively without spreading.
Paul warned Timothy, Do not lay hands upon any one too hastily and thus share responsibility for the sins of others; keep yourself free from sin. I Timothy 5:22. If foundational ministries lay hands on someone hastily and prematurely, and that man is walking with sin in his heart, they become partakers of his sin because they have imparted to him a certain authority which enables what is in him to flow more rapidly through the congregation. The greater the authority of a vessel, the greater will be the contamination that comes forth if it is defiled. This is the reason Satan always desires to take control of an apostle or a prophet.
Balaam was one of the finest prophets in Old Testament times until covetousness entered his heart. Then he became the defiling stream through Israel. Thousands of people died as a result of his sin, and he is remembered as a false prophet. Every false prophet was once a prophet of God whom Satan usurped, a prophet who defiled the stream somewhere and became very corrupt. The Epistle of Jude speaks about the way of Cain, the error of Balaam, and the rebellion of Korah (verse 11). Korah and Balaam once were outstanding prophets; and Cain was the first child ever born, of whom his mother said, “I have gotten a man from the Lord,” thinking that he would be the Christ (Genesis 4:1). Each of them became a foreshadow of the false prophets and false Christs that will arise in the end time (Matthew 24:24). This is very significant. Satan brings forth the worst stench from a true ministry who allows himself to be defiled. Solomon in his wisdom said, Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking saviour: so doth a little folly him that is in reputation for wisdom and honour. Ecclesiastes 10:1.
When a man allows something to defile what he is supposed to be doing in God, his entire effort is ruined. Paul cautioned Timothy not to lay hands on someone and bring him into a place of authority or ministry too hastily, or he would partake of his sins and become responsible for them. Through the laying on of hands by those in authority, the transmission of gifts can be multiplied and duplicated throughout the congregation. At the same time, this wonderful channel also has a negative aspect, because it is possible to minister that which is negative through the congregation. The leaders must be careful to make haste slowly. Everyone will reach his destination in God sooner that way, and there will not be the need to go back and undo a wrong that has been multiplied in the house of God.
The raising of our hands to God, the blessing of one another, and the giving and receiving of blessing by the laying on of hands have more significance than most people realize; therefore, the scriptural instruction concerning this should be emphasized.
In his second letter to Timothy, Paul wrote: For I am mindful of the sincere faith within you, which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois, and your mother Eunice, and I am sure that it is in you as well. And for this reason I remind you to kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline. Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, or of me His prisoner; but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God. II Timothy 1:5–8.
When Paul told Timothy to rekindle the gift, he reminded him of how much had come to him by impartation. This shows that it is possible for us to have everything that is manifested in our leaders, just by having a listening ear and a receptive heart, and by receiving a little blessing now and then. For that reason, the spiritual leaders must seek God earnestly and cry unto Him for more and more purity. They must seek His Kingdom and His righteousness first, realizing that the people will not rise any higher than they can lead them. The people will not be any more dedicated to the righteousness of God than their leaders are.
You will not be able to walk in anything that your leaders do not break through to and open up as a potential for you to walk in. A leader cannot impart what he does not have, and therefore he must keep reaching into God for more and more to impart to the people. He must be diligent to seek and receive as much wisdom and anointing from God as he can, because he cannot be a channel for something he does not have. There must be something from God within his heart that he can give, and there must also be the desire within the people’s hearts to receive it.
The person who has nothing to give should be selfish, in a sense, and take what is set before him. Instead of thinking of it as being selfish, he should realize that the only way he can become completely unselfish is by having something to give. Freely you receive and freely you must give (Matthew 10:8). What is given to you can flow out from you, and you can determine to keep on giving. In order to keep on giving, you must be able to receive more from the Lord. Feast upon the Lord all the more, knowing that you will be laboring effectively for Him. Do not feel that it is selfish to desire a blessing. It is selfish if the blessing ends in you; but if you are reaching into God and being blessed for a purpose, you can receive it boldly, knowing that you will be able to give out what He gives to you.
Paul told Timothy not to be timid or fearful because God does not give a spirit of fear. You too should eagerly reach in and take. The purest faith operates when you have that attitude. You will find that you seem to receive the most from God when you need it, and you draw the strength of the Lord when you are so weary that you know you cannot go on to finish the job without it. The need and the burden to minister will cause you to draw what is necessary from the Lord. You may be painfully aware that you do not have enough in yourself to take care of all the needs that the Lord has set before you. Nevertheless, you will find that you can do anything you have to do, and thrive on it, if you learn how to pace yourself. You must learn to draw strength from God and from one another in the Body of Christ. Pray for one another and draw strength from one another by the Spirit of the Lord, so that there will be a mutual flow back and forth.
You will find that the law of Spirit is often the opposite of natural law. When you give of yourself physically, it takes a while to recover; but when you give spiritually, your strength can be renewed immediately. At Jacob’s well, when the disciples were concerned that Jesus should eat, He said, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work. John 4:34. A reviving flow of the Spirit comes back to you in everything you minister out. Therefore, you should become involved with one another in the house of God. See that your heart is right. See that your spirit is right. Let there be a deep spirit of repentance in you to give you a contrite heart. This is the spirit which God honors so much because this is what you will be able to convey to someone else. Let there be no arrogant covering over of iniquity in your heart, lest you impart it to your brother. Let a contrite, repentant spirit be in you, which is the antidote for all wrong impartation. If that spirit is in you, then that which you give will always come forth in a purity. Oh, that men everywhere would lift holy hands, without wrath and without doubting, and that even the praise given to God would come out of a pure heart!
It is good to be violent in intercession, but such intensity must come with a reverence and a purity of earnestly appropriating an answer from the Lord. There is a fine line between violent intercession which lays hold of the blessings of the Lord and His willingness, and that which comes almost in arrogance. We must be very careful that there is no irreverence in our hearts in claiming the blessings which He has promised us. We cannot blame Him for anything. We must always be fearful of having a wrong spirit.
Keep the fear of the Lord in your heart. Your spirit and your heart must be absolutely right before God. When you lift your hands to God, they must be filled with praise, filled with thanksgiving, and filled with rejoicing toward the Lord. Let there be within you also the persistence and the importunity that God wants you to have, an intensity to seize upon everything He has for you.
Hebrews 6:1–2 reveals another aspect of the laying on of hands: Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity (sonship), not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, of instruction about washings (the King James translation reads “baptisms” and we can liken them to the testings God puts us through), and laying on of hands, and the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. Here we see the laying on of hands as one of these doctrines. Our going on to perfection has to follow this sequence; but first we must repent from dead works. We are to repent from dead works so that we become dedicated to walk in the living works with faith toward God. The foundation is faith toward God. We cannot have the idea that it is faith in doctrines, faith in teaching, faith in a creed, faith in individuals, or faith in a church system. It is faith toward God. In other words, in your faith you must have your eyes on God. If you do not, you will get your eyes on one another and soon become critical and go off course. You come into maturity by having faith toward God.
The laying on of hands and eternal judgment are related. We can come into many abilities through the laying on of hands. The eternal judgment is the judgment that is committed to the saints for all eternity. We cannot go on to maturity unless we come into an experience of eternal judgment. We must see the things within us and around us judged. And this we shall do, if God permits. Hebrews 6:3.
Some Christians live on one basic doctrine for years and years. They plow the ground endlessly, but never bring forth any crops to perfection. They never sow, they never cultivate, they never reap. The foundation must be laid securely, but we must not constantly dwell on it; we must go on to perfection. Let us seek God and ask Him to help us go on to perfection and maturity.