What Is 'The Laying On Of Hands?'

Tom:

This is our Understanding the Scriptures segment, we are in the Book of Acts, chapter 19.Dave, we left off last week right up to verse 6.Here we have Apollos, just a little background:It was at Corinth, Paul having passed through there, and they found certain disciples, and these disciples had received the Holy Ghost.He asked them whether or not they had received the Holy Ghost since they believed, and they said that they didn’t even know that there was a Holy Ghost.So, he said, Well then, how were you baptized, on what basis were you baptized?And they said, John’s baptism.“Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.”“And when they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.”So that brings us to verse 6.

Dave:

Now, let me just go back quickly, Tom, to when you went into that.Why would he immediately ask them, To what were you baptized, when they say they haven’t heard anything about the Holy Ghost?Because Jesus told his disciples to baptize in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.Well, if you haven’t heard of the Holy Spirit which you’ve been baptized, what kind of a baptism is this?So, we know that, although the United Pentecostal people (the Jesus only people) say, well no, its Jesus only, well look here, and he baptized them in the name of the Lord Jesus.Well, in the name of the Lord Jesus means to baptize the way that Jesus said to baptize, and that’s in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.That’s pretty clear from here, because this is what Jesus said, and we believe in Father, Son and Holy Spirit, many reasons for that.But they were not Christians.They had been baptized into John’s baptism which was a baptism of repentance.

Tom:

By that you mean that they were going one way, now they needed to turn toward the Lord.It was not a matter of cleaning up their act or being good enough, correct?

Dave:

Well, John was the forerunner of Christ, and he tried to prepare the way by getting people to acknowledge they were sinners, but being baptized for the remission of sins, repenting of your sin is not going to forgive you of your sins, that only comes through Jesus Christ.And so Paul, obviously he preached to them Christ, preached the gospel, and they got saved, they believed, and then he baptizes them in the name of the Lord Jesus.

Tom:

Verse 6, “And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake in tongues, and prophesied.”“And all the men were about twelve.”Not twelve years old, but there were twelve of them.Dave, this laying on of hands, it’s kind of a technique, a methodology, what do you say to that?

Dave:

Well, it’s a Biblical practice.We read of it a number of times in the New Testament.Jesus laid His hands upon people when He prayed.It’s not some kind of a ritual that is going to transfer power through your hands, it’s identifying yourself with this person before the Lord, but these are controversial passages, Tom, in the Book of Acts.They were filled, or it doesn’t say, “filled” it says the Holy Ghost came upon them, and they spake with tongues and prophesied.Well, speaking with tongues, again is a controversial subject in the Church.I think the Bible is fairly clear about that.I do not believe that the gift of tongues has passed away, some people believe that.A. W. Tozer said there’s not one syllable in the New Testament to indicate the gifts of the spirit has passed away,God is the same yesterday, today and forever.On the other hand, I would have to say that I have never seen any speaking in tongues on television, or heard it on the radio, that I would say would be genuine.Because people have been taught, and I think we talked about that, they have been taught to speak in tongues—Oh, let go, just repeat after me, and Tom, I’ve heard more phony speaking in tongues repetitious, and so forth, but there could be the real thing.But the point is, in 1 Corinthians chapter 12, you have a list of gifts, of healing, of prophecy and interpretation, and so forth, doing miracles.You can’t heal someone anytime you want, you can’t do a miracle anytime you want.And there’s no difference between all the other gifts, and speaking in tongues is mentioned last, and then the interpretation of tongues.But I think most people who think they are speaking in tongues would acknowledge, well, but you can’t just heal somebody anytime you want to, if you could why don’t you do it?You can’t raise the dead anytime you want to.So, they’ll lay hands on them, and supposedly speak in tongues, Now repeat after me—mumble, mumble, Oh, you’ve got it, now go home and practice your prayer.I’m sorry if I’ve offended people out there, but I am just reasoning with them from the Word of God.You might as well go home and practice walking on water!Why don’t you practice raising the dead?You don’t get a gift from God by practicing it!Now, tongues is the most dangerous gift because, not too easy to fool people into thinking that you’re raising the dead, or that you’re walking on water.But it would be very east to deceive yourself and others into thinking you are speaking in tongues.Now, you don’t just practice raising the dead, you don’t practice healing people, and then you can do it anytime you want.I believe—

Tom:

Dave, what about practice prophesying.

Dave:

You don’t practice this.The Scripture says, 1 Corinthians 12, very clearly says that these are gifts of the Holy Spirit which He ministers to whom He will.Now, I have laid my hands on people and prayed, and I’ve seen them healed instantly, but that doesn’t mean that now I have the gift of healing and I can lay hands on anybody.No, the gift of healing went through me at that moment because it was God’s will to heal that person.God does it when He wants to do it!Now, if you want to speak in tongues, and God causes you to speak in tongues, I have no objection to that any more than I would object if you laid hands on someone and prayed for their healing and they were healed, and God healed them because of your prayer.But to think that you can just speak in tongues anytime you want, you just turn it on—see, I’ll give you a Biblical reason for this, Tom.Paul said in 1Corinthians 14, I thank God I speak with tongues more than all of you.How could he say that, he’s a very busy man, he’s debating in the market place, he’s on Mars Hill, and so forth.Some lady sitting at home, some are retired, whatever, this is her job, she is spinning thread all day.She could talk in tongues a whole lot more than Paul could—if all you have to do is just turn it on.As these people say, it doesn’t make sense.So Paul says, No, I speak in tongues more than all of you, and maybe he means all of you put together.All right, it’s not something that I can do, it’s a gift from God, and if He does it through you I have no objection.But be very sure that He does it through you, because the problem is we’ve got kind of a tongues movement, and they say, Well, you’re not saved, some of them say you are not saved if you don’t speak in tongues, you are not filled with the Spirit if you don’t speak in tongues.Everybody is trying to speak in tongues, this is the sign, and so forth, now you can practice it at home.Tom, I’m convinced we have a few million people who think they are speaking in tongues because they think they can do it any time they want.And they are not really speaking in tongues and they are putting themselves in a position where they are easily deceived, so this would be one reason why.We have a lot of people on radio and television who speak in tongues, and they are so far off base doctrinally, and they are into immorality.And you’ve got a few homosexuals doing this as well.So, let’s follow the Word of God, it’s a gift of the Spirit given to whom He will for the edification of the body of Christ.So, this is what happened, they spoke with tongues.Now, Paul didn’t say, Okay now, go home and practice it.

Tom:

Now Dave, you just gave your perspective from your study of the Scriptures, and that’s our encouragement to our listeners.If this is something that they want—it says to seek the gifts.Okay, if this is something they want they need to search the Scriptures, they need to come to an understanding of this doctrine.

Dave:

Let me interrupt quickly, Tom.If you quoted it correctly, seek the best gifts, plural, but there is also a teaching in the church, Tom, that when you got saved you were given a gift.Now you’ve got to find out what is that one gift.That’s not Biblical.How could Paul say, Seek earnestly the best gifts?You could have every gift, you could have any gift, you were not given one gift before you got saved, God is not that stingy.So, let’s just follow the Word of God.To be filled with the Spirit you must be submissive to the Spirit.You can’t be holding back some part of your life—Well, I got a room over here and I don’t want you to get into it.No, we are emptying ourselves, and we are in complete submission to God and His will, to do with us whatever He will.