Nevertheless some churches and ministries encourage people in the congregation to lay hands on one another for the express purpose of imparting some form of anointing to each other. While other churches and ministries have taken the practice of laying on of hands to an unscriptural extreme, by having so called “tunnels” formed by the congregation and then instructing people to walk through those tunnels while everyone lays hands on the individual as they pass through so that they can receive multiple anointing. It is practices like these which are completely against the word of God, that open the saints to receiving things that our Lord does not want His sheep exposed to. The shepherds of those churches and ministries will have to give an account to the Chief Shepherd. It is normally in these churches and ministries that demonic manifestations take place through the laying on of hands, because they practice this doctrine contrary to biblical principles. The normative practice in the scripture is for elders to lay hands on lay members, while it is the exception for lay members to lay hands on fellow lay members. There is a reason for that, which is that elders are meant to lead exemplary lifestyles (1 Timothy 3:1-7), thus making it far less likely for the lay members to become contaminated with any sin through the laying on of hands. And as already mentioned, elders are counselled by the Holy Spirit to deal with any unrepentant sin in individuals before laying hands on them.
Michael E.B. Maher
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