Change Church Podcast — "Where Them Hands At"

Host: Pastor Dharius Daniels
Date: September 1, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode, Pastor Dharius Daniels continues the “Alterations” series, focusing on worship as a spiritual discipline. Drawing from Mark 3:1-6, he explores the story of Jesus healing the man with the withered hand, using it as a lens to discuss the intersection of responsibility, love languages, and practical worship. Pastor Daniels connects biblical worship with relational responsibility and challenges listeners to reflect on their own acts of service and participation—both in relationships and in their connection with God.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Relationships: Beyond Romance to Responsibility

• Responsibility Over Romance: Pastor Daniels emphasizes that relationships require more than feelings or grand gestures; they demand consistent responsibility and awareness.
  • “Irresponsibility is a liability in relationships because relationships require operating with a degree of consciousness and consideration of how your actions, or lack thereof, impact someone other than you.” (04:10)
• Love is a Function: He argues love must be functional, using John 3:16 as an example.
  • “Love does more than feel, love functions. Love is about more than romance. Love is about responsibility.” (05:02)

2. The Five Love Languages Applied Spiritually

• Gary Chapman’s Five Love Languages in Relationships:

  • Words of affirmation
  • Quality time
  • Acts of service
  • Receiving gifts
  • Physical touch

• Love Languages & God: Pastor Daniels proposes these love languages also apply to our connection with God:

  • Words of affirmation = praise
  • Quality time = devotion
  • Acts of service = using our gifts
  • Receiving gifts = offerings and sacrifices
  • Physical touch = worship through bodily engagement (hands)

  “What Chapman said people need is what the scriptures say God wants.” (09:00)

  He particularly emphasizes “acts of service” and “physical touch” as essential in honoring God.

3. Awareness of Assets and Humility

• Asset Awareness:
  • Natural ability (talent), acquired skill, spiritual gifts.
  • “Some people are calling people Christian humble when those people are naive because you can’t have humility without awareness. … Humility isn’t naivety regarding what God gave me. Arrogance comes when you forget who gave it to you.” (11:20)
• Predators Exploit Naivety: If you’re unaware of your God-given gifts, you’re vulnerable.

4. Applying Gifts—God’s “First Right of Refusal”

• God expects us to consult Him about how to use our gifts and skills.
  • “Before you start going and using it on everything else, come to me, because I’m the one that gave it to you. And I need you to ask me why I gave it to you.” (14:40)

5. Physical Touch in Worship—‘Where Them Hands At’

• Hands as Worship: “Physical touch” as a love language for God is realized through what we do with our hands—clapping, lifting, serving, etc.
  • “When it comes to worship, God is asking, where them hands at? He said, that’s my love language.” (16:00)
• Withered Hand Story (Mark 3):
  • The withered hand symbolizes the parts of our life that have lost function, even in the midst of spiritual activity.
  • “It is possible to be in a church environment and still have a culture of coping where church becomes your anointed anesthesiologist… I come to get put to sleep but then wake back up to the same pain and predicament.” (18:00)

6. Moving from Coping to Transformation

• Jesus Calls to Proximity, Not Just Promises:
  • “This wasn’t a call to a promise. This was a call to proximity. Because sometimes God addresses your problems by calling you to closer proximity.” (20:40)
• Obedience is Key to Restoration:
  • The man’s restoration came from obeying Jesus’ command: “Stretch out your hand.”
  • “If he wouldn’t have stretched out his hand, he could have potentially missed an alteration.” (28:00)

7. Doctrine vs. Dogma

• Hardness of Heart: Jesus was not upset at being incorrect but at being uncorrectable.
• Sabbath Principle:
  • The Pharisees misunderstood the purpose of the Sabbath; Jesus explains Sabbath was made for man, not man for Sabbath.
  • “There’s a difference between what the Bible says and what you think it means. What it says is doctrine. What you think it means might be dogma. And they are not the same thing.” (25:50)

8. Clapping as Embodied Theology

• Psalm 47:1 — Clapping Means “To Strike with Purpose”
  • Clapping is an intentional act of celebration, anticipation, and participation.
  • “Clapping of the hands is what’s called embodied theology… My whole being agrees with and anticipates your goodness.” (32:00)
• Each Clap as Prophetic Declaration:
  • “Each clap is saying, you did it before, do it again.” (32:40)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Some people love you better blind. They liked the you that couldn’t see… When you start getting a revelation, it causes a revolution in terms of what you tolerate.” (12:20)
• “When Jesus comes to church, you go from a culture of coping to a culture, a change.” (16:45)
• “All of us at some point are going to be incorrect. The question is, when Jesus confronts us with truth, will we be correctable?” (27:00)
• [On clapping] “We hear noise, but when heaven hears clapping, heaven hears, they want me to do it again.” (32:00)

Key Segment Timestamps

• 00:00–04:10: Introduction to the “Alterations” series; foundation of the message
• 04:11–09:00: Relationships: From romance to responsibility; “love is a function”
• 09:01–14:40: Five love languages in relationships and worship; love languages applied to God
• 14:41–16:59: Spiritual gifts, asset awareness, humility, and God’s “first right of refusal”
• 17:00–20:30: Mark 3: the withered hand, church as a culture of coping
• 20:31–27:00: Pharisees, Sabbath, doctrine vs. dogma, obedience as the path to restoration
• 27:01–32:40: Stretching out in faith, restoration comes through obedience; clapping as embodied theology
• 32:41–36:00: Worship and prophetic clapping; musical affirmation: “Do it again”
• 36:13–40:00: Prayer focus — restoration for those needing a second chance (Luke 15, Prodigal Son analogy)

Call to Action & Prayer

• Pastor Daniels prays specifically for listeners who need “God to do it again” following seasons of failure or mismanagement, referencing the story of the prodigal son (Luke 15).
• “Some of us have squandered seasons, squandered wealth, squandered opportunity. But you’re the God who can do it again. And I pray now for Luke 15 restoration that brings you glory and brings you honor and brings you praise in Jesus’ name.” (36:40)
• Concludes with an invitation for salvation and surrender — emphasizing Jesus as both Lord and Savior.

Summary Takeaways

• True relational and spiritual health is not found in mere occasional acts or gestures; it requires consistent responsibility and awareness.
• God desires worship that is not passive but participatory—expressed through our hands, our gifts, and our willingness to obey.
• Restoration and breakthrough often come through obedience to God’s instructions—even when they are simple or seem insufficient.
• Worship is embodied theology: our whole being (hands included) participates in celebrating what God has done, is doing, and will do.
• No matter what you’ve lost or mismanaged, God is able to do it again—restoring what has withered if you respond to His call.