Mercy Hill Church of San Jose

Prayer Ministry Sunday
  Luke 4:40-41; Acts 8:14-17

Let’s turn to Luke 4.  If you need a Bible, go ahead and raise your hand and we will bring one to you.  Luke 4 is on page 860 in the Bible we are passing out.

Every six months or so here at Mercy Hill we have what we call a “prayer-ministry Sunday.”  This is where, after a brief teaching, we break into smaller groups, share needs, and pray for each other with what the New Testament calls “the laying-on of hands.”

Jerry and I think this is important for a couple reasons –

One is because the laying-on-of-hands is a regular practice in the New Testament church – one that brings great benefit to the body of Christ.  We do this regularly after the Sunday service, and in our home groups.  But it’s good to take a Sunday so we can focus on this and grow in our understanding and experience of it.

Another reason is because many of you here this morning have needs.  And because of Jesus’ death and resurrection – no matter how much we have sinned against Him – He invites us to come to Him.  He promises that through trusting Him He will completely forgive us for all our sins and start working in our lives by His supernatural power – filling us with His presence, strengthening our faith, freeing us from sin’s power.  And that’s what we want to ask Jesus to do this morning as we pray for each other with the laying-on-of-hands.

A third reason is because God wants every believer to be equipped to do the ministry.  It’s not just pastors or elders or home group leaders who do the ministry.  We are all called to do the ministry.  And one way we can minister to each other is by praying for each other with the laying-on-of-hands.  But to do that we need to be equipped – so our hope is that this morning will further equip us in how to pray for each other with the laying-on-of-hands.

But before we do that – I want to help you understand this practice of the laying on of hands by showing you two places in the New Testament where it occurs.

Let’s start with Luke 4:40-41 (page 860) --

40            Now when the sun was setting, all those who had any who were sick with various diseases brought them to him, and he laid his hands on every one of them and healed them.

41            And demons also came out of many, crying, "You are the Son of God!" But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew that he was the Christ.

One reason we pray for each other with the laying-on-of-hands is because Jesus did.  We are following in His footsteps.

Notice that when Jesus laid his hands on people and prayed for them God worked with supernatural power – healing sicknesses and freeing from demons.  This helps us understand the point of the laying-on-of-hands.

It’s a picture of God working through us by the power of the Spirit so that something supernatural happens to someone else.  It could be healing, it could be freedom from a demon, it could be an outpouring of God’s love – whatever God chooses to do.

Look also at Acts 8:14-17 (p.916) –

14            Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John,

15            who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit,

16            for he had not yet fallen on any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

17            Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit.

So it’s not just Jesus who prays for people with the laying-on-of-hands.  It’s also the apostles. 

And notice again that the laying-on-of-hands brings a supernatural work of God.  When they pray and lay hands on the Samaritan believers – they receive the Holy Spirit.  Which means God pours His Spirit out upon them, He pours His love into their hearts, He gives them rivers of living water to satisfy their heart-thirsts.

And that’s what we want to do for each other this morning.  Every single person here this morning has needs – for wisdom, for comfort, for God’s love to be poured out, for healing, for strengthened faith, for guidance, for freedom from sin’s power.  We all have needs.

Now how good do you have to be to be prayed for in this way?  It’s not about how good you are.  It’s about how good Jesus was, and how His death paid for your lack of goodness.  So if you are trusting Jesus Christ and clinging to Him, then you can be prayed for in this way.

So in a moment, I’m going to ask you all to stand up and rearrange your chairs into circles of 8 to 10 people.  Go around the circle and briefly introduce yourselves.  Then one person needs to bite the bullet and share a need.  Don’t go into a lot of details, but share your need.  Then the group will lay hands on you and pray.

Now this is crucial: as you pray, go ahead and pray for their need and ask the Father to work supernaturally right here and now.  Focus your prayer on things that the Holy Spirit could do in them right here and now.  For example, if they are unemployed, there will be a time to pray for a new job.  But this morning, as you lay hands on them, focus your prayer on asking the Holy Spirit to comfort them, give them peace, give them wisdom.

And as you pray for the Father to do supernatural things right here and now – be thinking and listening to see if God brings a thought into your mind to pray over them, or a verse to speak to them.  Many times He brings His power through truth from His Word.

And as you pray, watch to see what the Father is doing.  Keep your eyes open.  Sometimes you can tell God is doing something powerful because of the way they respond.  Sometimes you can see God’s power touching them physically or emotionally.

And then give it time.  Our goal is not to pray for everyone in the group.  We will pray for one, maybe two or three.  So don’t rush.  Give it time.

And as you pray, don’t be afraid of silence.  Use silent time to ask God if there’s any special way He wants to lead or guide the prayer time.

And after you have prayed for a while, you can stop and ask them what the Father did as you prayed.  It’s good to hear what the Holy Spirit is doing in them.

And then you can either stop praying for them, and move on to someone else, or you can pray again for them.  Whatever you sense is best.

Then when we are finished, I will have a spokesperson from each group come up and share what God did.  Your privacy is very important to us, so when they share, they will not mention any names.

So let’s have the leaders stand – and then let’s break into groups – introduce yourselves, share a need, and start praying.

Prayer Ministry Sunday

Let’s turn to Matthew 19.  If you need a Bible go ahead and raise your hand and we’ll bring one to you.  Matthew 19 is on page 824 in the Bibles we are passing out.Two weeks ago when our home group gathered on a Wednesday evening, three of the men there were burdened about issues relating to their jobs.  So one by one we gathered around them, laid our hands on them, and in Jesus’ name asked God the Father to increase upon their hearts the work of the Holy Spirit.  And it was a rich time.

So what I want to do this morning is do a brief teaching on praying for people with the laying on of hands, and then I want us to grow in this as a church by actually doing it together.  Some of you are very familiar with praying for people with the laying on of hands – but others of you are not.  So what I want to do is show you that this is a biblical practice, and explain what it involves.

Look at what we read in Matthew 19:13-15 –

13            Then children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked the people,

14            but Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven."

15            And he laid his hands on them and went away.

So here parents bring their children to Jesus so that He would lay his hands on them and pray.  Now the disciples thought Jesus was too important to pray for little children.  But Jesus disagrees, and lays his hands on them and prays for them.

So notice that Jesus prayed for others with the laying on of hands.  It’s not limited to special occasions like the installing of elders or sending out missionaries; He lays hands on children and prays for them.

So what this shows is that the laying on of hands can be appropriate whenever we want to pray for someone.

Next, look at what happens in 1 Timothy 4:14 (page 992) –

Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you.

Here Paul is urging Timothy to stop neglecting a spiritual gift he had received.  And notice when he had received this spiritual gift – it was when the elders laid hands on him and prayed for him and spoke prophecy over him.

So at least in this case when the elders laid hands on Timothy and prayed for Timothy – God worked supernaturally in Timothy by the Holy Spirit.  And that’s what you see mentioned again and again – when people lay hands on each other, and pray in Jesus’ name, God works supernaturally by the Holy Spirit. 

So this shows that the laying on of hands involves praying in Jesus’ name for God to increase the work of the Holy Spirit upon someone.

The laying on of hands is appropriate for praying for any work that the Holy Spirit does, including healing, freedom from demonic powers, wisdom, guidance, peace, strength, God’s love poured into our hearts, a revelation of Jesus’ glory – you name it.

But who is authorized to pray for others with the laying on of hands?  So far we’ve seen that it’s Jesus and elders.  Other passages include the apostles.  But can any follower of Jesus do this? 

To answer that turn to Acts 9:17 (page 917).  God had confronted Saul on the road to Damascus with such a revelation of Jesus glory that he was blinded.  Then God called Ananias to go to Paul and pray for him with the laying on of hands.  – look at Acts 9:17 --

So Ananias departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said, "Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit."

The point I want you to see from this verse is that any follower of Jesus can pray for someone with the laying on of hands, because Ananias was not Jesus, he was not an apostle, he was not an elder – but God called him to lay hands on Paul and pray for Paul.

So any follower of Jesus can pray for someone with the laying on of hands.

And that’s what we want to do for each other this morning.  Every single person here this morning has needs – for wisdom, for comfort, for God’s love to be poured out, for healing, for strengthened faith, for guidance, for freedom from sin’s power.  We all have needs.

Now how good do you have to be to be prayed for in this way?  It’s not about how good you are.  It’s about how good Jesus was, and how His death paid for your lack of goodness.  So if you are trusting Jesus Christ and clinging to Him, then you can be prayed for in this way.

So in a moment, I’m going to ask you all to stand up and rearrange your chairs into circles of 8 to 10 people.  Go around the circle and briefly introduce yourselves.  Then one person needs to bite the bullet and share a need.  Don’t go into a lot of details, but share your need.  Then the group will lay hands on you and pray.

Now this is crucial: as you pray, go ahead and pray for their need and ask the Father to work supernaturally right here and now.  Focus your prayer on things that the Holy Spirit could do in them right here and now.  For example, if they are unemployed, there will be a time to pray for a new job.  But this morning, as you lay hands on them, focus your prayer on asking the Holy Spirit to comfort them, give them peace, give them wisdom.

And as you pray for the Father to do supernatural things right here and now – be thinking and listening to see if God brings a thought into your mind to pray over them, or a verse to speak to them.  Many times He brings His power through truth from His Word.

And as you pray, watch to see what the Father is doing.  Keep your eyes open.  Sometimes you can tell God is doing something powerful because of the way they respond.  Sometimes you can see God’s power touching them physically or emotionally.

And give it time.  Our goal is not to pray for everyone in the group.  We will pray for one, maybe two or three.  So don’t rush.  Give it time.

And as you pray, don’t be afraid of silence.  Use silent time to ask God if there’s any special way He wants to lead or guide the prayer time.

And after you have prayed for a while, you can stop and ask them what the Father did as you prayed.  It’s good to hear what the Holy Spirit is doing in them.And then you can either stop praying for them, and move on to someone else, or you can pray again for them.  Whatever you sense is best.

Then when we are finished, I will have a spokesperson from each group come up and share what God did.  Your privacy is very important to us, so when they share, they will not mention any names.

So let’s have the leaders stand – and then let’s break into groups – introduce yourselves, share a need, and start praying.

Prayer Ministry Sunday

 For years Vince Lombardi was the coach of the Green Bay Packers – one of the most successful football coaches ever.  And one of his coaching principles was to focus on the basics: to keep working on the basics of blocking and tackling and ball-handling.              

Now the reason I mention that is because this morning I want us to work on strengthening one of the basic practices that make up church life.  It’s called the laying-on-of-hands.  This is a practice we read about all through the New Testament, but it’s one that we can easily neglect and easily misunderstand.

Let’s start by turning to Hebrews 6:1-2.  If you need a Bible go ahead and raise your hands and we’ll bring one to you.  Hebrews 6 is on page 1003 in the Bibles we are passing out. 

In Hebrews 6:1-2 the author of Hebrews lays out a list of foundational teachings and practices – and he includes the laying on of hands as one of them.  Look at what he says –

¹                      Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God,

2              and of instruction about washings, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.

Can you see from this list that part of the elementary doctrine of Christ involves the laying-on-of-hands?  So what is the laying-on-of-hands?

When you read through the New Testament you can see that there are times when believers pray for each other and lay their hands on the person being prayed for.  And when this happens, what’s being prayed is that God will come and do something supernatural for them right then and there.

To see an example of this, look at 1 Timothy 4:14 (page 992) –

Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you.

Now don’t miss what’s going on here.  At one point Timothy did not have a particular spiritual gift.  Then the elders laid hands on him, there was a word of prophecy given – maybe indicating what gift God was going to give Timothy, and as the elders continued praying God gave Timothy this specific spiritual gift.

So notice that when we lay hands on each other to pray – we are asking God to do something supernatural right then and there.  Now this is the most crucial point to understand about the laying on of hands – we are asking God to do something supernatural right then and there. 

Think about it like this.  Let’s say that a brother in your home group needs a job.  Now one thing we should all do would be to pray that God provides a job for him.  We should all pray for that – that would be very important.

But that’s now what’s involved when we lay hands on someone.  When we lay hands on someone we are asking God to do something supernatural in them right now.  So if this brother is out of work – we could pray for God to bring His peace, His strength, His wisdom – supernaturally right now.

I think that’s the point of the laying-on-of-hands – it’s a picture of what we are doing – asking God to work in this person right now in some supernatural way.

Every single person here this morning has needs.  We all need to receive mercy from Jesus this morning; we all need to find grace from Jesus this morning.  And what I want us to do is share our needs with each other, and then take time to lay hands on each other and pray and ask Jesus to bring you mercy and grace for your need.

Maybe you need to have your faith strengthened – He can do that right here and now.

Maybe you need to be freed from some temptation – He can do that right here and now.

Maybe you need to have wisdom for a decision – He can give that to you right here and now.

Maybe you long for an outpouring of His love in your heart – He can do that right here and now.

Maybe you are sick and need healing – He can do that right here and now.

So in a moment, I’m going to ask you all to stand up and rearrange your chairs into circles of 8 to 10 people.  Go around the circle and briefly introduce yourselves.  Then one person needs to bite the bullet and share a need.  Don’t go into a lot of details, but share your need.  Then the group will lay hands on you and pray.

Now this is crucial: as you pray, go ahead and pray for their need and ask Jesus to work supernaturally right here and now.  Focus your prayer on things that the Holy Spirit could do in them right here and now.  For example, if they are unemployed, there will be a time to pray for a new job.  But this morning, as you lay hands on them, focus your prayer on asking the Holy Spirit to comfort them, give them peace, give them wisdom.

And as you pray for Jesus to do supernatural things right here and now – be thinking and listening to see if God brings a thought into your mind to pray over them, or a verse to speak to them.  Many times Jesus brings His power through truth from His Word.

And as you pray, watch to see what Jesus is doing.  Keep your eyes open.  Sometimes you can tell God is doing something powerful because of the way they respond.  Sometimes you can see God’s power touching them physically or emotionally.

And give it time.  Our goal is not to pray for everyone in the group.  We will pray for one, maybe two or three.  So don’t rush.  Give it time.

And as you pray, don’t be afraid of silence.  Use silent time to ask God if there’s any special way He wants to lead or guide the prayer time.

And after you have prayed for a while, you can stop and ask them what Jesus did as you prayed.  It’s good to hear what the Holy Spirit is doing in them.

And then you can either stop praying for them, and move on to someone else, or you can pray again for them.  Whatever you sense is best.

Then when we are finished, I will have a spokesperson from each group come up and share what God did.  Your privacy is very important to us, so when they share, they will not mention any names.

So let’s have the leaders stand – and then let’s break into groups – introduce yourselves, share a need, and start praying.

Prayer Ministry Sunday

Let’s turn to Luke 4.  If you need a Bible, go ahead and raise your hand and one of the ushers will bring one to you.  Luke 4 is on page 860 in the Bibles we are passing out.

This morning we are going to have what we call a “Prayer Ministry Sunday.”  In a moment I’m going to have us break into groups of 8 to 10 people.  We’ll introduce ourselves, then someone with a need will share the need with the group, and the group will lay hands on you and pray for you and ask Jesus to come and do something powerful in you right here and now.

But what I want to do first is give you biblical background on the practice of the laying-on of hands.  I want to briefly look at most of the places where this is talked about in the New Testament – in order to show us two truths:

One – that the laying-on of hands is part of normal Church life.  And two – that when we lay hands on someone and pray for them we are asking God to do something supernatural for them right here and now.

To see this, let’s start with Luke 4:40 --

Now when the sun was setting, all those who had any who were sick with various diseases brought them to him, and he laid his hands on every one of them and healed them.

Here Jesus lays his hands on sick people and miraculously heals them.  The laying-on-of hands is not just a symbolic gesture – there’s an expectation that as we pray for this person God’s power will do something supernatural.

Look also at Luke 13:10-13 (page 872) –

10 Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. ¹¹ And there was a woman who had had a disabling spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not fully straighten herself. ¹² When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said to her, "Woman, you are freed from your disability." ¹³ And he laid his hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and she glorified God.

Notice again that the laying on of hands involves prayer for God to come and do something supernatural right here and now.  Jesus laid hands on her – and right then and there God delivered her from this oppressive demon.

But you might think that it’s just Jesus who lays hands on people.  But that’s not the case.  Look at what happens in Acts 8:14-17 (page 916) –

14 Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John, ¹⁵ who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, ¹⁶ for he had not yet fallen on any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. ¹⁷ Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit.

So it’s not just Jesus who lays his hands on people; it’s also the apostles.  And notice that when they lay hands on these Samaritan believers, Jesus does something supernatural for them – he gives them the gift of the Holy Spirit – which means that they received the heart-satisfying presence of Jesus.

But it’s not just apostles who lay hands on people; it’s also everyday, ordinary believers.  You can see this in Acts 9:17 (page 917).  Here’s the background: Paul had been traveling on a road, and the risen Jesus, who had ascended to heaven, came down and blinded Paul with His glory – and the result was that Paul repented of his sins and trusted Jesus – but he was left blind.

So Jesus calls Ananias to go to Paul and look at what happens in v.17 --

So Ananias departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said, "Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit."  And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized; and taking food, he was strengthened. For some days he was with the disciples at Damascus.

So here’s ordinary Ananias who lays his hands on Paul and Paul’s sight is supernaturally restored by Jesus’ power. 

Now there’s other Scriptures which teach the same truth – that we are all called to lay hands on each other and pray for each other in Jesus’ name and that when we do that Jesus will come and do some supernatural work.

And that’s what I would like us to do this morning.  So in a moment, I’m going to ask you all to stand up and rearrange your chairs into circles of 8 to 10 people.  You might want to briefly go around the circle and introduce yourselves.  Then one person needs to bite the bullet and share a need.  Don’t go into a lot of details, but share what your need is.  Then the group will lay hands on you and pray.

Now this is crucial: as you pray, go ahead and pray for their need and ask God to work supernaturally right here and now.  Focus your prayer on things that the Holy Spirit could do in them right here and now.  For example, if they are unemployed, there will be a time to pray for a new job.  But this morning, as you lay hands on them, focus your prayer on asking the Holy Spirit to comfort them, give them peace, give them wisdom.

And as you pray for God to do supernatural things right here and now – be listening to see if God brings a thought into your mind to pray over them, or a verse to speak to them, or gives you a picture to share with them.

And as you pray, watch to see what God is doing.  Keep your eyes open.  Sometimes you can tell God is doing something powerful because of the way they respond.  Sometimes you can see God’s power touching them physically or emotionally.

And give it time.  Our goal is not to pray for everyone in the group.  We will pray for one, maybe two or three.  So don’t rush.  Give it time.

And as you pray, don’t be afraid of silence.  Use silent time to ask God if there’s any special way He wants to lead or guide the prayer time.

And after you have prayed for a while, you can stop and ask them what God did as you prayed.  It’s good to hear what the Holy Spirit is doing in them.

And then you can either stop praying for them, and move on to someone else, or you can pray again for them.  Whatever you sense is best.

Then when we are finished, I will have a spokesperson from each group come up and share what God did.

So let’s have the leaders stand – and then let’s break into groups – introduce yourselves, share a need, and start praying.

Sunday Morning Worship: 10:00am

Allen at Steinbeck Elementary School
820 Steinbeck Dr
San Jose, CA 95123

Ph. 408.997.9387

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