Mark 16:17-18 “And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; (18) 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.”
So why is the doctrine called “laying on of hands”? Other than the fact that it is more practical to use our hands than any other part of our bodies, the anointing to minister resides in our hands, which is why in the above quoted passage of scripture the Lord Jesus instructed His church to lay their hands on the sick so that they could recover. Many of those anointed to minister to the sick speak of a burning sensation in their hands when the anointing comes on them to minister. I know that in my own case the power of God feels as if raw electricity is flowing through my hands. It is not only for ministering to the sick that we use our hands however, for you will recall that I mentioned earlier that I have witnessed a prophet only being able to minister the word of knowledge through the laying on of hands. He is not the only one however, as many other ministers of the gospel have similar experiences, i.e. their gift will not work unless they lay hands on the individual. And so we see that very often the Holy Spirit uses the laying on of hands to activate the gift in the individual operating in that gift.
Acts 19:11-12 “Now God worked unusual miracles by the hands of Paul, (12) 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.”
To emphasize the truth that the anointing is in the hands of the believer, the Holy Spirit records the above quoted passage of scripture for us, for in this passage He specifically mentions the fact that God worked unusual miracles by the hands of Paul. The Holy Spirit could just as easily have said that God worked unusual miracles by Paul, but He chose to mention the miracles being performed by the hands of Paul to draw our attention to the fact that the anointing resides in the hands of the believer. And so in the example given above Paul would have laid his hands on the various handkerchiefs and aprons that were brought to him and prayed over them. When Paul did that then the anointing in Paul’s hands would have flowed into those materials to be stored there until they were laid on the individuals needing healing and deliverance. The moment that happened then the anointing stored in those cloths would have flowed into the bodies of the individuals needing ministry and effected the desired healing. But I want you to note that the flow of anointing started in Paul’s hands.
Michael E.B. Maher
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