They had them stand before the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them. Acts 6:6 HCSB
I can clearly remember the beautiful June day in 1976 when I was ordained to the Gospel ministry at Bashford Manor Baptist Church in Louisville, Kentucky. My father made the day even more special by preaching my ordination service. I can recall kneeling at the front of the church while the deacons and ministers came by and one by one laid their hands on my head. Each one whispered a brief prayer or a word of instruction or encouragement. Ordination was a way of acknowledging that I had been set apart by God for the Gospel ministry as a vocation.
The seven men that had been selected stood before the apostles who then prayed for them and laid hands on them. This was an installation or commissioning service for the seven men. The laying on of the hands was a Jewish practice that was used to indicate that a person had been set apart for a certain job (see Number 27:23 and Deuteronomy 34:9). This symbolic action was sometimes used as a way of blessing another person.
Challenge: Have you been set apart for a special service? You may not have been called to be a minister of the Gospel or a deacon, but God may be calling you to serve in the church as a teacher, a committee member, or even to sing in the choir. Consider using your God-given talents and skills to serve the Lord.