His Role, Our Role
ICS Daily Devotions
Mark 16:17-20 (NKJV) And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
After reading this Scripture, you might be thinking, “Me?”. Yes, if you believe in Jesus Christ, this Scripture refers to what you are called to do and what you can do through Him.
As believers, we will likely be called to minister to the sick at some point, but it doesn’t necessarily mean we have the power gifts stated in 1 Corinthians 12:7-11. Nonetheless, we can base our faith on the promise in v18 of the opening passage, where Jesus says, “They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover”.
Laying on of hands is a fundamental teaching, as we read in the Old Testament how the priest laid on the goat on behalf of the nation of Israel for their sins. There is a transference of the sin of Israel to the goat who carries the sin of Israel into the wilderness (Leviticus16:21). Similarly, whenever we are laying hands to appoint an elder or on the sick in the New Testament, there is a transference of anointing or the power of God. We are simply a point of contact and not the healer—healing is the work of God, whereas we are asked to operate by faith in praying for someone based on our conviction that God heals. By doing that, we become a channel for the power of God to flow through to the person. If we have this perspective, it will be much less daunting to lay hands on someone and pray in Jesus’ name.
We must understand that our sins and sicknesses have been dealt with together on the cross. God did not create sicknesses and pain, but it came with the fall of humanity. Acts 10:38 states how Jesus went about doing good and healing all who had sicknesses and pain. Praying and laying on of hands for the sick is good work, but the act of healing is God’s work and beyond man’s ability. Instead, our role is to be a conduit or a channel for God’s power to flow.
Ministering to the sick is the ministry of every believer. Our job is to believe the Word, share the Word with the ill, lay hands on them, and pray in faith. God will do the rest! These signs, like laying hands on the sick and speaking in tongues, will follow those who believe. We cannot control or manipulate the Holy Spirit’s work to bring about signs and wonders because it is the Holy Spirit’s will and workings. Our part is simply to step out in faith.
Sermon Series: The Time is Now
