Wednesday 1st March - Acts 19

Today’s chapter is Acts 19

Tom writes:

“When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came and they spoke in tongues and prophesied.” Oh the sweet mercy of Jesus. Paul’s hands had been a bouncer’s hands. They probably wore knuckle dusters and everything. When he used to place his hands on people they couldn’t really speak at all; most of them were dead. But that was before Paul met Jesus. Now Paul laid his hands on people to release life. Now Paul’s roughed up palms and stubby fingers shared new creation Presence into a few disciples in an obscure corner of an Asian city. With the laying on of hands Paul imparted into the disciples the promise of the Resurrection. They became as much members of God’s household as he was. The closed fists that pushed and bashed and biffed people away from Jesus were now open palms, releasing and empowering and giving people God in their Midst. Oh the sweet mercy of Jesus.

It is a helpful corrective to remember that even the anointed apostle reached out his hand to touch random believers who didn’t really know what they were doing. May we never get too big or too busy to lay hands on random strangers who need a touch from the Lord. And it’s a helpful corrective to remember that what Paul really wanted for the Ephesians was for them to receive Holy Spirit. This didn’t diminish his commitment to preaching persuasively about the Kingdom. But the essential act of the apostle in Ephesus was a Holy Spirit ministry time. May we never lose “ministry time” as a central practice in our services and small groups or one on one conversations. It was Holy Spirit who distinguished Paul from the Seven sons of Sceva. It was Holy Spirit who empowered the extraordinary miracles of the aprons and hankies. And it was Holy Spirit who convicted the many of their evil deeds and sparked the bonfire of the scrolls of sorcery. The book of Acts began with Jesus pointing his church to Holy Spirit as the empowering presence they needed. Eighteen chapters have confirmed that. Let’s be a church whose practices are formed around our constant desire to be empowered by the Spirit as much as the early church were.

Question for reflection

Who have you laid your hands on recently? What did God impart into them through you?