The Holy Spirit has been bringing to my attention what I believe is a foundational doctrine and practice that the Body of Christ has gotten away from. As I have pressed into this I heard the Lord say “if my people want to live and walk in what My early church did, they must get back to these principles.”
In the Kingdom of God there is a process that is clearly laid out in scripture. Yet in today's culture everyone is looking for a shortcut, they want the end result without having to put in the time or work to get there. They are looking for extra biblical books, chasing men and women of God at conferences, getting close to others who have oil in hopes they can get their oil in a quicker and easier fashion. Beloved, this is not how it works! The only currency for oil is time! The time we spend with Jesus in the secret place, it comes through the pressing and the crushing!
The scripture that has been stirring as I have been pressing into this is found in Hebrews 6.
Hebrews 6:1-2 (NKJV)
“Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.”
For the purpose of this study I want to focus on the laying on of hands. However as I just mentioned there is a process clearly laid out and found throughout the scripture. Now right here in these two verses I want to point out three initial steps in the process.
1. Repentance
2. Baptism
3. Laying on of Hands
Now can we see these same steps elsewhere in scripture?
Acts 2:38 (NKJV)
“Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
So in this scripture we see three steps, correct?
1. Repentance
2. Baptism
3. Receive the Holy Spirit
However in the first three I listed the laying on of hands, so does scripture show a connection with the laying on of hands and receiving the Holy Spirit?
Acts 8:17 (NKJV)
“Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.”
Acts 9:17 (NKJV)
“And Ananias went his way and entered the house; and laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”
Acts 19:6 (NKJV)
“And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied.”
We must understand that in the early church the Holy Spirit was received by the laying on of an elder's hands, confirming baptism. Now the only time we see the Holy Spirit falling upon a group prior to their being baptized is in the case of the gathering at the house of Cornelius.
Acts 10:44-48 (NKJV)
“While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word. And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God. Then Peter answered, “Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then they asked him to stay a few days.”
My personal conviction is that this was a sovereign move of God similar to what those present experienced on the Day of Pentecost and it was to prove the doubts that Peter and the Jews who came with him had about salvation being for the gentiles as well. Sometimes God makes exceptions to work out His own will and plan, He can do that!
However based on scripture as well as the early teachings that can be found from the early church elders the process they followed was repentance, water baptism, laying on of hands. Now the laying on of hands was used for much more than just receiving the Holy Spirit. We see blessings, healing, spiritual gifts and even authority for ordination given through the laying on of hands.
Blessings:
Genesis 48:12-20 (NKJV)
“So Joseph brought them from beside his knees, and he bowed down with his face to the earth. And Joseph took them both, Ephraim with his right hand toward Israel’s left hand, and Manasseh with his left hand toward Israel’s right hand, and brought them near him. Then Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it on Ephraim’s head, who was the younger, and his left hand on Manasseh’s head, guiding his hands knowingly, for Manasseh was the firstborn. And he blessed Joseph, and said: “God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, The God who has fed me all my life long to this day, The Angel who has redeemed me from all evil, Bless the lads; Let my name be named upon them, And the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; And let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.” Now when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand on the head of Ephraim, it displeased him; so he took hold of his father’s hand to remove it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head. And Joseph said to his father, “Not so, my father, for this one is the firstborn; put your right hand on his head.” But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know. He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great; but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his descendants shall become a multitude of nations.” So he blessed them that day, saying, “By you Israel will bless, saying, ‘May God make you as Ephraim and as Manasseh!’ ” And thus he set Ephraim before Manasseh.”
Mark 10:13-16 (NKJV)
“Then they brought little children to Him, that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked those who brought them. But when Jesus saw it, He was greatly displeased and said to them, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.” And He took them up in His arms, laid His hands on them, and blessed them.”
Healing:
Matthew 8:14-15 (NKJV)
“Now when Jesus had come into Peter’s house, He saw his wife’s mother lying sick with a fever. So He touched her hand, and the fever left her. And she arose and served them.”
Mark 6:5 (NKJV)
“Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them.”
Luke 4:40 (NKJV)
When the sun was setting, all those who had any that were sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and He laid His hands on every one of them and healed them.
Luke 13:13 (NKJV)
“And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.”
Acts 28:8 (NKJV)
“And it happened that the father of Publius lay sick of a fever and dysentery. Paul went in to him and prayed, and he laid his hands on him and healed him.”
James 5:14-15 (NKJV)
“Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up.”
Spiritual Gifts:
Acts 19:6 (NKJV)
“And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied.”
1 Timothy 4:14 (NKJV)
“Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership.”
2 Timothy 1:6 (NKJV)
“Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.”
Ordination into Ministry:
The laying on of hands is a biblical principle by which the Apostolic leaders commission selected people into their new service. Paul advises that this should take place only after the entire matter is properly and prayerfully considered.
Acts 6:3-6 (NKJV)
“Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business; but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” And the saying pleased the whole multitude. And they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch, whom they set before the apostles; and when they had prayed, they laid hands on them.”
Acts 13:2-3 (NKJV)
“As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, “Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” Then, having fasted and prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them away.”
As we see Paul tell Timothy here, this is not something that is to just be done willy nilly…
1 Timothy 5:22 (NKJV)
“Do not lay hands on anyone hastily, nor share in other people’s sins; keep yourself pure.”
As we can see from the scriptures the laying on of hands, performed by God ordained Apostolic leaders of the church through prayer, signifies an ordination or setting apart. The Apostolic leaders, following biblical principles, use the laying on of hands for requesting the Holy Spirit after baptism, anointing the sick, ordaining ministers, consecrating marriage vows, blessing little children and requesting special gifts of God.
While doing an in depth reading of the Book of Acts, all of those who are accredited with working miracles, healing, casting out evil spirits happened after hands were laid on them. Stephen and Philip were two of the seven set apart in Acts 6, in verse six is where we see the the apostles lay hands on them, then in verse eight we see:
Acts 6:8 (NKJV)
“And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and signs among the people.”
We see what scripture says about Philip in chapter 8.
Acts 8:5-7 (NKJV)
“Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them. And the multitudes with one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. For unclean spirits, crying with a loud voice, came out of many who were possessed; and many who were paralyzed and lame were healed.”
In both cases they were set apart for the daily distribution of food, yet they both end up as evangelists, which is an Apostolic calling, and thus they are operating in a grace and authority they’ve been given.
Now let’s look at the apostle Paul, after his encounter with Jesus we see accounts of him boldly preaching the Gospel, but there is no sign of any miracles until after he is set apart for the ministry by the Holy Spirit and hands are laid on him.
Acts 13:1-3 (NKJV)
“Now in the church that was at Antioch there were certain prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, “Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” Then, having fasted and prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them away.”
We see the first miraculous sign done by Paul just a few verses later.
Acts 13:6-11 (NKJV)
“Now when they had gone through the island to Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew whose name was Bar-Jesus, who was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man. This man called for Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God. But Elymas the sorcerer (for so his name is translated) withstood them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith. Then Saul, who also is called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him and said, “O full of all deceit and all fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord? And now, indeed, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you shall be blind, not seeing the sun for a time.”
Then scripture says:
Acts 14:3 (NKJV)
“Therefore they stayed there a long time, speaking boldly in the Lord, who was bearing witness to the word of His grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands.”
In my study of the Book of Acts I found around twenty what I would call signs, wonders, miracles, healing, etc. In every case it was done by someone graced and called to one the Apostolic leadership roles. What I see about what scripture calls disciples or believers is this.
Acts 8:4 (NKJV)
“Therefore those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word.”
Acts 11:19-21 (NKJV)
“Now those who were scattered after the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to no one but the Jews only. But some of them were men from Cyprus and Cyrene, who, when they had come to Antioch, spoke to the Hellenists, preaching the Lord Jesus. And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number believed and turned to the Lord.”
Both of these passages reveal the same exact thing we see about Paul, before he was actually called by the Holy Spirit, set apart, and hands laid on him. He preached the word of God boldly, yet signs and wonders were not yet following him, as he was still maturing and growing in grace.
Acts 9:20-22 (NKJV)
“Immediately he preached the Christ in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God. Then all who heard were amazed, and said, “Is this not he who destroyed those who called on this name in Jerusalem, and has come here for that purpose, so that he might bring them bound to the chief priests?” But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who dwelt in Damascus, proving that this Jesus is the Christ.”
Next I want to touch on how authority is given through the laying on of hands.
Numbers 27:16-23 (NKJV)
“Let the Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh, set a man over the congregation, who may go out before them and go in before them, who may lead them out and bring them in, that the congregation of the Lord may not be like sheep which have no shepherd.” And the Lord said to Moses: “Take Joshua the son of Nun with you, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him; set him before Eleazar the priest and before all the congregation, and inaugurate him in their sight. 20And you shall give some of your authority to him, that all the congregation of the children of Israel may be obedient. He shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall inquire before the Lord for him by the judgment of the Urim. At his word they shall go out, and at his word they shall come in, he and all the children of Israel with him—all the congregation.” So Moses did as the Lord commanded him. He took Joshua and set him before Eleazar the priest and before all the congregation. And he laid his hands on him and inaugurated him, just as the Lord commanded by the hand of Moses.”
Deuteronomy 34:9 (NKJV)
“Now Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him; so the children of Israel heeded him, and did as the Lord had commanded Moses.”
In the New Testament we see Jesus give His Apostles authority.
Luke 9:1-2 (NKJV)
“Then He called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases. He sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.”
Something that is easily overlooked in this verse and I believe is taught to the church from a lack of knowledge is these twelve were more than disciples, Jesus had already named them as His apostles, and in the original Greek manuscripts it says the “Twelve” or “apostles”. We must look back to Luke 6 to see this.
Luke 6:12-13 (NKJV)
“Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. And when it was day, He called His disciples to Himself; and from them He chose twelve whom He also named apostles:”
We can see after this selection there are now four distinct groups shown in scripture. I believe the NLT shows it the clearest.
Luke 6:17 (NLT)
“When they came down from the mountain, the disciples stood with Jesus on a large, level area, surrounded by many of his followers and by the crowds. There were people from all over Judea and from Jerusalem and from as far north as the seacoasts of Tyre and Sidon.”
What are the four groups?
1. Apostles
2. Disciples
3. Followers
4. Crowds
So in Luke 9:1 I believe Jesus is giving the apostles an early taste of the authority they will be given in order to fulfill the Apostolic leadership roles He is calling them to. We then see in Luke 10 this initial group expanded and Jesus send a group of seventy two (some translations say seventy), and what's interesting is Jesus does not mention anything to them about demons, He says in verses 8 and 9 “If you enter a town and it welcomes you, eat whatever is set before you. Heal the sick, and tell them, ‘The Kingdom of God is near you now.” We then see in verse 17 “When the seventy-two disciples returned, they joyfully reported to him, “Lord, even the demons obey us when we use your name!” Then in verse 19 and 20 Jesus says, “Look, I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy, and you can walk among snakes and scorpions and crush them. Nothing will injure you. But don’t rejoice because evil spirits obey you; rejoice because your names are registered in heaven.”
I believe what we see Jesus say here is the initial truth and authority that a disciple has been given, and that is the authority over all the works of darkness in their own personal life. This is key to maturing in the Kingdom of God, why would Jesus give someone authority over the demonic in the lives of others if they are not first operating in their personal authority?
What saddens my heart is to see people who claim Jesus and they are bound, yet they are ever looking to see signs of demonic activity in others and then quickly want to try and address it there. This only leads to an encounter in the flesh, and typically harms the other party and leaves them worse off than before. It is rooted in pride! Right at the forefront of the American church today is an overemphasis on what is called deliverance ministry. They want to appear as if they have some major insight into a Kingdom work that no one else is doing, they actually boast in how many demons they are casting out. Jesus literally said “But don’t rejoice because evil spirits obey you; rejoice because your names are registered in heaven.” I see Jesus kind of saying, yes my friends, that's a given, but do not glory in that because your names are written in Heaven. What is He saying here? We have access to Him! To know Him, His nature, His touch, literally as much as we desire to know we have access to seek Him!
I believe what we see Jesus say in Matthew 7:21-23, is directly related to what he told the disciples in Luke 10, those who choose to focus on the works, and did not rejoice because their names were written in Heaven and they had access to the Lord Himself and thus spent no time with Him, will hear these words.
Matthew 7:21-23 (NKJV)
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’
So many point to how many evil spirits Jesus cast out, and they use this to support their emphasis on their deliverance ministry. What I find interesting is that in the Book of Acts, which is the blueprint of the church, there are only four accounts related to evil spirits (Acts 5:16, 8:7, 16:18, 19:12). There is also no scripture in any of the epistles to the church about there being a focus on casting out demons. It is the true presence of the Lord that delivers a person, when the church is walking in a true nearness with Jesus these evil spirits will flee simply from His presence upon His people. There is no yelling, talking to the spirits, making them name themselves, how they gained entry, none of that… When the presence of the Lord is there, they go, QUICKLY!
Most people in the church today always go to the end of Mark 16 as the Great Commission, which says:
Mark 16:15-18 (NKJV)
“And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. 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.”
Now a couple of things to consider:
1. The most ancient manuscripts of Mark end with verse 8, later manuscripts ended with an extended portion that said “Then they briefly reported all this to Peter and his companions. Afterward Jesus himself sent them out from east to west with the sacred and unfailing message of salvation that gives eternal life. Amen.”
2. If we go with the longest version that adds verses 9 to 20, then in verse 14 it says who Jesus gave this commission to, it says “Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table”. So this along with the authority was to His Apostolic leaders.
If we look to Matthew's account of the Great Commission we see a different contrast.
Matthew 28:16-20 (NKJV)
“Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them. When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.”
Again notice this was a commission given to the eleven Apostolic leaders. However, notice that we do not see anything about casting out demons, tongues, etc. We see Jesus' command to make disciples, baptize, and teach them to obey Him!
Beloved, I want to submit something to you that is far different than what is being taught from many pulpits. True deliverance comes through true discipline and obedience to Jesus Christ! We actually see the shadow of this in the Old Testament with Moses and the children of Israel. In order to leave Egypt (bondage), and the rule of Pharaoh (Satan), they had to be obedient and follow Moses (Jesus) through the Red Sea (baptism), and towards the Promised Land (deliverance).
Deuteronomy 7:22 (NKJV)
“And the Lord your God will drive out those nations before you little by little; you will be unable to destroy them at once, lest the beasts of the field become too numerous for you.”
What is interesting is that so many take the phrase “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.” and apply it to the “works” they are called to do in others. Yet if we read this slower and in context what is written before it tells us clearly who will do this, He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.” the signs will follow those who believe the message of salvation, and those signs will be present in their personal life. The only thing this says they will do to others is, “they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” Which lines up directly with what Jesus told the seventy two above in Luke 10, they would do for those who welcomed them.
Recall what I mentioned previously about how many times people are simply causing a fleshy encounter from a prideful stance, when they have no spiritual authority to deal with the situation. Can we see this in scripture?
Acts 19:13-16 (NKJV)
“Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists took it upon themselves to call the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “We exorcize you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches.” Also there were seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, who did so. And the evil spirit answered and said, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?” Then the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, overpowered them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.”
The keywords in this passage of scripture is the word “know”. It says “Jesus I know, and Paul I know.” However, these are two different Greek words. When the evil spirit said “Jesus I know” this is the Greek word “ginōskō” which means “intimate knowledge”, so evil spirits KNOW Jesus! Now the Greek word used in the phrase “Paul I know” is “epistamai” which means “acquainted with or understand”, so they had a knowledge of who Paul is and the authority he had been given. An example of this is clearly shown in verses 11 and 12.
Acts 19:11-12 (NKJV)
“Now God worked unusual miracles by the hands of Paul, so that even handkerchiefs or aprons were brought from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out of them.”
What was upon these handkerchiefs and aprons? The oil! The presence of the Lord! Which came through the intimacy and time Paul had with Jesus, and the authority the Lord graced him in!
What we are seeing taught today is that people who have possibly had an initial encounter with Jesus, yet many have never been baptized, there are no fruits of repentance are told to go out and evangelize and do what is written in Mark 16:15-18. Not only have I personally seen this, but also personally experienced this and the frustration that it brought. I was in no place to even be looking towards anyone else, I needed to be focused on growing in intimacy with Jesus, learning about a life of prayer, what being a disciple is all about.
1. This unneeded pressure sets people of for a few harmful things:
2. Discouragement that leads them to walk away from Jesus
3. They present people with a wrong representation of Christ
4. They become focused on ministry works rather than the work of sanctification of the Holy Spirit, which is only setting them up for a Matthew 7 moment on the Judgment Day
Why are we seeing entire congregations including the leaders living in bondage? I believe it is because these leaders have placed themselves into these roles and they are not called, nor graced by God to be in them. Church elders are ordained from those with Apostolic grace.
Acts 14:23 (NKJV)
“So when they had appointed elders in every church, and prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed.”
This is a foundational doctrine and practice that was established by Jesus to His church and is one that will return in a greater measure in the end times so that the church will live and move just as the early church did!
